Woah.
If you are going to, coming from, or passing through the new Terminal C at Orlando International Airport, get accustomed to that word.
There are breathtaking sights everywhere you turn on the enormous concourse.
With amenities like a nursing station, serenity room, and pet relief areas, the 1.8 million square foot terminal expects to serve up to 12 million passengers yearly. There are also more than 33 shopping, dining, and beverage choices available. Local beers are available at Orange County Brewers, and Wine Bar George has a large selection of your favorite bouquets.
Skylights, the backbone of modern architecture created by Fentress Architects, are used to let natural light flood the room. Arrivals are placed on Level 6 while departures are on Level 2, which is a change from the customary arrangement. Visitors will be surrounded by natural sunshine when they arrive at their initial view of Central Florida, which is the region’s principal draw.
Immersive art displays welcome tired visitors as they move through the building, providing a calming experience during an often stressful situation. Visitors are sent to the terminal’s top level, where they are met with a state-of-the-art system for transporting luggage that speeds up delivery and allays lost luggage concerns.
According to Scott Goodwin, Assistant Director of Airport Operations for Baggage Handling Systems, the previous conveyor belt system has been replaced with an Individual Carrier System. To track bags and prevent jamming, each bag is placed in a separate bin or tote that has been RFID-coded.
The Early Bag Store, or EBS, system was also discussed by Scott. This system stores baggage in a different location and uses robotic cranes to fetch bags as needed.
The EBS is a game-changer, particularly for the distinctive Orlando market. Visitors typically arrive at the airport hours before departure as they check out of various hotels, cruise ships, or other lodgings in the middle of the morning. Using nine cranes to store and retrieve bags as needed, Scott continues to describe how the system is fully automated.
One example of the various comforts designed to satisfy travelers is phone chargers for armrests. With everything from automated screening lanes at TSA checkpoints to face recognition systems for foreign flights, many of the typical airport hassles have been simplified.
Interactive visual arts pieces that are popping up in three locations as a way to introduce “The Orlando Experience” are a terrific way for people of all ages to kill time between connections. 114-foot wide displays of custom LED panels are part of the amazing Experiential Media Environment design by Gentilhomme Studio with Sardi Design. Scenes of “watching NASA launches to swimming with manatees” highlight Central Florida’s diverse identity.
Utilizing solar panels, irrigation systems that use less water, and temperature control systems, among other things, contributed to the design’s sustainability. Even the palm “Forever Trees” were built using preserved cypress and living palm wood. The objective is to receive the first LEED V4 certification for airport buildings.
On September 20, 2022, Terminal C will open to the public and will be home to many airlines, including JetBlue, Emirates, Icelandair, Lufthansa, and British Airways. An Intermodal Terminal Facility next to the terminal will provide access to Brightline intercity train as well as potential commuter and light rail capacity in the future.
