Travel Tips & FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
American Airlines
Delta Air Lines
United Airlines
American has frequent daily flights to its Charlotte (CLT) and Dallas-Ft. Worth (DFW) hubs
Delta has frequent daily flights to its Atlanta (ATL) hub
United has frequent daily flights to its Houston (IAH) hub
Passengers can fly to and from destinations worldwide connecting through these hubs, most with a single connection. American, Delta and United are three of the world's largest airlines; and through their global airline partnerships, they provide more access to the world than any other airlines.
The airport terminal building never closes. The hours of operation for the airline ticket counters are below, but since they are subject to change, you may want to confirm the time with your airline.
American
5:00 am - 6:00 pm
Delta
4:00 am - 6:00 pm
United
4:00 am - 7:30 pm
TSA Check-In
4:00 am - 7:30 pm
Most airlines recommend you arrive 60-90 minutes before your scheduled departure time. If you are checking luggage, you MUST be checked in at least 30 minutes prior to the flight departure time.
BTR is located off Interstate 110, exit 6.
Our address is 9430 Jackie Cochran Drive, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70807
There are two options for parking at BTR. Parking in the garage adjacent to the terminal is $12 per day; economy parking, located behind the garage, is $9 per day. Although there are a limited number of covered spaces in economy parking, the majority are uncovered. The top level of the parking garage is not covered.
Yes. The following hotels are within two miles of the airport, and provide transportation to and from the airport:
Hilton Garden Inn Baton Rouge Airport 225-357-6177
Springhill Suites 225-356-6705
Microtel Inn & Suites 225-359-9191
Comfort Inn & Suites 225-356-6500
Passenger pick-up and drop-off is located in front of the terminal building. While you may pick up or drop off passengers in front of the terminal, cars may not be left unattended. Cars left unattended are subject to ticketing and/or towing. If you want to escort the passenger inside or meet an arriving passenger in the terminal, please park in the terminal-front garage. The rate is $1.00 per 1/2 hour or portion thereof.
You can check the flight status on the home page of BTR’s website. Other sources for obtaining flight information in addition to the real-time data on our site include:
Flight Tracking
American Airlines – www.aa.com
Delta Air Lines – www.delta.com
United Airlines – www.united.com
The airlines are responsible for updating the flight information system, which updates the monitors in the terminal. This same information is fed to our website.
Taxi and sedan services are offered curbside daily from the first flight arrival to the last, or they may be scheduled in advance. Click Ground Transportation for more information. Uber or Lyft drivers may drop off scheduled customers with reservations or pick them up once they are waiting at curbside.
Please contact your airline if your luggage does not arrive. If an airline employee is not in the baggage claim area, please go to the airline’s ticket counter or call the toll-free number for the airline. A lost bag claim report may need to be filed.
For information about travel policies for unaccompanied minors, please contact your airline or visit the airline’s website. Policies may vary among airlines.
The airport offers free Wi-Fi throughout the airport and wired data ports in the Business Center on Concourse A. The Business Center has a printer, fax machine, and copier. Private work areas and lounge seating are also provided in the Business Center.
For a complete list of permitted and prohibited items in both carry-on and checked baggage, please visit www.tsa.gov. You can also download the TSA APP from their website.
Individual airline policies regarding carry-on luggage may vary. If you have specific questions, we recommend that you contact your airline directly. In general, the bag has to be small enough to fit in the overhead bin or beneath the seat in front of you.
No identification is required for children. Adults 18 and over are required to present acceptable identification. For more information about ID requirements, go to http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/acceptable_documents.shtm.
Check with your airline for specific information about prices, shipping requirements, and restrictions for all pets and live animals. With the exception of assistance animals, all animals must be in travel carriers when in the passenger terminal building. BTR has a Service Animal Relief Area at each end of the Water Wall in front of the terminal.
Smoking is permitted in front of the terminal building at least 15 feet from each entrance in the designated areas.
For domestic flights, TSA will allow 2 – 3 small bottles of formula through security. For international flights, 5 – 6 may be carried through. Additional screening is involved, so allow for extra time. Infant medicine will also be allowed but will, again, be checked at security. Dry formula may be transported as well. Baby food will need to be in 3.4 ounce containers or less. Snacks, crackers, etc. may be carried as well.
Yes. Lactation rooms are available on the first floor restrooms and the concourse A restrooms.
Ramps and elevators are available where needed for passengers with special needs, and wheelchair assistance is provided by the airlines and/or skycaps. With proper documentation from their airline’s ticket counter, passengers with special needs may be escorted by a non-traveling friend or family member to their departure gate. Similarly, unaccompanied minors may be met at their arrival gate by one authorized adult who has obtained proper documentation from the airline ticket counter.
Call the airline and make sure the notation for wheelchair service is listed in your airline reservation.
Representatives from the Baton Rouge Metro Airport (BTR) meet with multiple airlines every year to seek new or expanded service. These include incumbent BTR airlines and those not serving the airport such as Southwest. Today, four airlines control 85% of the domestic airline seating capacity due to industry consolidation. BTR is served by three of the four in American, Delta, and United, which are the only truly "global" airlines that can connect Baton Rouge to destinations worldwide and the world to Baton Rouge. American, Delta, and United have frequent flights from BTR to some of their largest hub airports, and they have upgauged most flights to larger, dual-class regional jets or mainline aircraft. Additionally, ViaAir now offers nonstop flights from BTR to Orlando-Sanford and to Austin.
Airlines perform route analyses to estimate how profitable a potential flight may be, taking into consideration passenger demand forecasts, hub connectivity (network airlines), aircraft and pilot availability, and the competitive situation at the airport and nearby airports. Airline business models and current priorities also play a pivotal role in where they choose to fly. For example, many low-cost airlines focus on larger markets, often linking them to major "destination markets." They fly large jets they must fill with local passengers going to a single destination, unlike network airline flights to a "hub" with hundreds of connections. A "network airline" flight that can be filled with passengers going to multiple destinations due to connecting opportunities at a "hub airport" is often a better fit for a smaller airport. However, limited slot and gate availability at hub airports has become a factor since a new flight needs to be timed to connect to/from other flights, and seating capacity on those flights has to be available for connecting passengers. If gate times and slots are not available to facilitate significant connectivity, the flight's prospects for success diminish.
Airlines also analyze the existing competitive situation for multiple airports in the region. Proximity to other airports is a key factor since some airlines are hesitant to serve an airport close to one they currently serve, especially if it means duplicating routes. This is particularly true with low-cost carriers. Airlines parse and analyze multiple sources of aviation market intelligence to determine the potential passenger volume and profitability on flights under consideration. Sometimes it is not just whether a new flight can be profitable, but if it can be more profitable than an existing route, or other new-route options. This is particularly true at slot-controlled airports such as Washington Reagan (DCA); since no new slots are available, flights have to be taken from other airports to free up slots for new flights. Aircraft and pilot availability are other considerations. Until recently, most airlines were not growing their fleets but just replacing aircraft on a 1-for-1 basis. The pilot shortage has become more severe, and is also limiting growth options.
Airlines follow passengers. Supporting existing service at BTR is critical since airlines need to see high load factors (% of seats filled) on those flights to confirm that additional service is warranted. The more passengers that choose BTR, the better our business case for additional flights. Incentives play a role as well, especially those provided by third-party sources that offer more than what the airport is allowed to provide. Airports are restricted to fee waivers and advertising funds, which BTR offers, but other incentives such as revenue guarantees must come from non-airport funds. Lastly, commitments from high-volume travel generators such as corporations and large organizations to use potential new service can be influential. If your company or organization has significant travel volume to certain destinations that you could commit to an airline in writing for new nonstop flights, we always like hearing from you.
Here is some specific research that goes into the detail and science behind the decisions taken from Dr. Peter P. Belobaba, a professor of Airline Management at MIT.
Economic considerations dominate route evaluation:
- Forecasts of potential passenger and cargo demand (as well as expected revenues) for planned routes are critical to evaluations
- Origin-destination market demand is a primary source of demand and revenues for a given route, but far from the only source
- In large airline hub networks, traffic flow support to the new route from connecting flights can make it profitable
- Airline’s market share of total forecast demand for the new route depends on the existence of current and expected future competition
- The fundamental economic criterion for a planned route is potential for incremental profitability in the short run, given the opportunity cost of taking aircraft from another route
Route Evaluation Issues:
- Practical considerations can be just as important
- Technical capability to serve a new route depends on the availability of aircraft with adequate range and proper capacity
- Performance and operating cost characteristics of available aircraft in the airline’s fleet determine economic profitability
- If the route involves a new destination, additional costs of airport facilities, staff relocation, and sales offices must be considered
- Regulations, bilaterals, and limited airport slots can impose constraints on new route operations, to the point of unprofitability
- Strategic considerations can sometimes overlook lack of route profit; longer term competitive and market presence benefits of entering a new route even if it is expected to be unprofitable in short run
Route Planning Models:
- Route planning requires a detailed evaluation approach
- Demand, cost, and revenue forecasts are required for a specific route, perhaps for multiple years into the future
- An assumed market share of total demand based on models of passenger choice of different airline and schedule options
- Depends to a large extent on the presence and the expected response of competitors to the route entry
Route Profitability Models:
- Computer models designed to perform such route evaluations, like the ability to integrate competitive effects
- Profit estimates entirely dependent on assumptions used
Hub Impacts on Route Planning:
- New routes to smaller spoke cities become much easier to justify in an established hub network
- An airline needs only 1 or 2 passengers per flight to each of 30+ connecting destinations to make a 100-seat aircraft “profitable”
- However, such incremental analysis leads to a tendency to overlook potential displacement of other traffic on connecting legs
- Same “incremental” logic makes it more difficult to stop service to a potentially unprofitable destination, which provides connecting traffic support to other flights
- Difficult to justify a new non-stop service to by-pass the hub, as it might steal traffic from hub flights; however, a large number of departures in a connecting market can allow an airline to build market share and perhaps introduce a non- stop flight supported by many connecting opportunities
Travel Tips
Make your screening experience easy by checking out the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Information Link in preparation for your trip:
Arrive at least 90 minutes before your flight boarding time to allow enough time to park, check-in, and get through security. Airlines require that you check a bag at least 30 minutes prior to flight departure time. Being ready to pass through the checkpoint not only helps you get through more quickly but helps the entire line move faster. Place documents in an easily accessible place before you get in line, or at least before you get to the front of the line. Have in hand all the items and documentation you will need to check in.
Remember: Laptops and any electronic device larger than a cell phone (tablets, eReaders, etc.) must be removed from their bags and placed in a bin with nothing else. The zip-top bag with your liquids and gels must be removed from your suitcase, purse or briefcase and placed in a bin where it is clearly visible to screeners. Shoes, jackets, and sweaters must be removed and placed in a bin. If you are 75 years or older or 12 years and younger you do not have to remove shoes at the security checkpoint. TSA Pre members are also exempt.
Minimize heavy jewelry or wearing items that could alarm at the checkpoint such as jeans with sequins or studs, shoes or boots with metal, large belt buckles, etc. The Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) requires divesting everything that could show up as an anomaly including wallets, glasses, etc.
When packing, visit TSA’s website (www.tsa.gov) to learn what items are permitted and prohibited. Also see top TSA Travel Tips:
Weigh your bags before going to the airport to make sure they comply with your airline's weight restrictions. Airlines charge extra for checked oversize and overweight bags. Any carry on bag must be able to fit beneath the seat in front of you or the overhead compartment.
Refer to your airline's website for baggage requirements, fees, and other pertinent information. You may also call the airline’s reservations center with questions. We recommend that you do not place valuables or prescription medications in your checked baggage.
The secret to getting through security smoothly is to de-clutter your carry-on bag. This lets our Transportation Security Officers get a clear, uncomplicated X-ray image of your carry-on.
When possible, keep packing liquids in checked baggage. You will get through security faster. Limit quantities to what is needed for the duration of the flight. Items purchased in the secure boarding area are for use on the immediate flight. If you must leave the secure boarding area and re-enter through the screening checkpoint, items exceeding 3 ounces that are not in the zip-top bag will again be prohibited.
The ban on liquids, aerosols, and gels was implemented on August 10 after a terrorist plot was foiled. Since then, experts from around the government, including the FBI and our national labs have analyzed the information we now have and have conducted extensive explosives testing to get a better understanding of this specific threat. These changes are intended to enhance security and balance human needs because we have a better understanding of the threat and security risks associated with liquids, aerosols, and gels.
In addition, TSA will be enhancing security measures throughout the airport environment – more random screening of employees, additional canine patrols, stronger air cargo security measures, more rigorous identity verification, deploying more trained security officers in bomb appraisal, and screening by observation techniques.
If you have a medical condition or disability, prepare in advance by visiting Travelers with Disabilities and/or Medical Conditions. (http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information/travelers-disabilities-and-medical-conditions) Please allow a little extra time to proceed through the screening process. If you need a wheelchair, please reserve one at the time of making your airline reservation.
Checking in online will allow you to print your boarding pass and with some airlines, prepay baggage charges. This will also save you time at the ticket counter and in some cases save you a couple of dollars on your baggage fees. The airlines have Apps that let you check-in and provide the boarding pass on your mobile device. Print or mobile boarding passes are accepted at BTR.
Most airlines will text you flight status updates if you sign up on their websites and sites like FlightStats.com and TripIt.com will do the same by text, on the web, and through smartphone apps. This way you may find out if your flight is delayed or canceled before leaving for the airport.