As airline passenger traffic begins to increase, a number of services at Eisenhower National Airport have begun to reopen that have been closed or ceased during the last year due to the pandemic.
The Chick-fil-A in the food court is now open for breakfast, and the Aviators Café in the downstairs pre-security area opened on April 12. The Grab & Fly food shop and bar and the CNBC Smart Shop news/gift store at Gate 2 have already opened, and the CNBC News Express news/gift shop at Gate 12 is set to open this month.
All terminal and rental car customer center restrooms and the meet and greet seating area on the mezzanine where the history of Wichita aviation displays are located have been reopened. Drinking fountains have now been turned on and additional water bottle filling stations are currently being installed between gates 5-6.
Once higher passenger demand appears to be consistent, driver re-hire and training will take place, and staff intends to open the Park and Ride Shuttle Lot during the early summer months. All safety and health protection protocols in the terminal will remain in effect, such as mask-wearing, social distancing and protective shields at ticket counters, security checkpoints and retail point-of-sale counters.
Staffing by volunteers at the Information Desk is slowly returning. Airlines are hiring staff for the expected increased demand this summer. Life is slowly but surely returning to normal.