Flush with federal funding, South Florida's air hubs are taking off towards the future with major upgrades on the horizon. Miami International Airport (MIA) and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) are gearing up for a significant lift in amenities and infrastructure, part of a nationwide facelift under the Biden administration's largesse. NBC Miami reports that a cool $970 million from a $5 billion federal grant program is set to bolster 114 airports nationwide, including our very own MIA and FLL.
Fort Lauderdale is sweeping the jackpot with the highest single grant of $50 million, set to revamp its terminals and enhance passenger convenience with an inter-connected labyrinth behind the security lines, as per NBC Miami. With new retail spaces to shop and more amenities, FLL isn't just looking at a facelift – think full-blown reconstruction. Meanwhile, MIA isn't far behind, earmarked for $27 million aimed at breathing new life into its aging MIA Mover and sprucing up the airport's concourse.
Across the nation, the lax luxury that European and Asian airports flaunt in spades has been sorely lacking stateside. The Biden administration's move is a bid to level the playing field, bringing U.S. airports up to snuff. "This goes to specific pieces of larger plans that are underway at the airports," Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg told NBC6 Anchor Jackie Nespral. With over $14 billion in applications but just under a billion to dole out, it's been quite the competitive scramble.
But it's not all about the sunshine state. Skift highlights other major projects taking flight, like Chicago's O'Hare International snagging $40 million to reconfigure notoriously cramped concourses and inefficient security checkpoints. While over in Hawaii, Daniel K. Inouye International is pocketing $22 million to spruce up its Terminal 2 and make the "wiki wiki bus" more than just a charming relic.
President Biden, who famously likened LaGuardia to a “third world country” before its makeover, is well on his way to erasing such comparisons from the nation's air travel. The overall cash injection amounts to $3 billion so far, parceled out through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law aiming to revitalize a staggering $25 billion worth of airport projects. The upgrades range from ADA compliance to shiny new terminals all designed to usher in a new era of travel comfort for passengers flying the sometimes not-so-friendly skies.
