From the Potrero Post
12 January 2012 | 2:22pm
Costa Rica --
President Laura Chinchilla officially inagurated the new Liberia airport terminal this morning, said officials today from the Daniel Oduber International Airport.
A 7am American Airlines flight from Miami was the first to arrive and be processed through the new terminal. “The Miami flight will arrive in the country at 12:20pm and we hope everything goes smoothly,” said the country’s Vice-Minister of Aerial Transport, Luis Carlos Araya, earlier this morning.
Araya added staff had run through four simulations this week to be sure of proper functioning. The new terminal will surely have a positive impact in the areas of Monteverde, San Carlos, and the south and Central Pacific, said Minister of Tourism Allan Flores.
October 2011 -- The new passenger terminal is almost complete at the Daniel oduber International Airport in Liberia. The gateway to the beaches in Guanacaste province, the new terminal, which was constructed by Coriport S.A. with an investment of $41 million, is expected to create a more efficient and expedient travel process for passengers at the country’s second-largest airport.
At 23,000 square meters, this state-of-the-art structure dwarfs the current building in both size and capabilities. The new terminal will help increase tourism dollars, create roughly 100 new jobs, and provide a solution to the notorious Liberia airport lines that sometimes stretch outside the terminal, Cordero said.
Passengers entering Costa Rica will enter an air-conditioned immigration area located downstairs, where 17 agents will be on-staff to usher visitors in and out of checkpoints. Luggage will be collected in the next room from two baggage claim carousels. From there, bags will be screened for food and prohibited agricultural products. One more stop at customs and passengers are out the door and on their way to enjoy their visit to Costa Rica.
In the new terminal, outgoing passengers will enter the airport from the northern façade, which features 30 new check-in counters, a mini-market, a Lafise bank kiosk and a money-changing station. After showing travel documents and boarding passes to airport security, travelers will go through a security barrier that is much wider than the current one. The new checkpoint is equipped with high-caliber equipment, including five state-of-the-art X-ray machines and three metal detectors.
Second-floor businesses are to include a money exchange station, Café Players restaurant and several commercial shopping spaces, including a duty free store, Café Britt, Bertero jewelry and Red Global Oak Art Gallery. Pay-by-the-minute wireless Internet will also be available throughout the building.
For an extra fee, travelers can access a new lounge with free wireless Internet, a relaxation area and a kids’ corner.
