World City Guide

Getting There By Air

New Orleans International Airport (MSY)
Tel: (504) 464 0831.
Website: www.flymsy.com

Named after the famous New Orleans jazz musician, the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is 24km (15 miles) west of the city in Kenner. It is easy to negotiate and has all the modern airport facilities. Though it served 9.27 million passengers in 2003, it is comparatively small (rated only 40th for volume in the USA).

Approximate flight times to New Orleans: From London is 10 hours; from New York is 2 hours 30 minutes; from Los Angeles is 4 hours; from Toronto is 5 hours and from Sydney is 21 hours.

Airport facilities: These include banks, bureau de change, ATMs, post office, luggage storage, facilities for the disabled, Internet access points, multilingual information booths and a few restaurants, bars and shops. The major car rental companies, including Alamo, Avis, Dollar, Hertz, National and Thrifty, all have offices at the airport. Business facilities are also available at the Mutual of Omaha Business Center, located in the Ticket Lobby.

Transport to the city: The New Orleans Airport Shuttle Bus (tel: (504) 522 3500 or (866) 596 2699; website: www.airportshuttleneworleans.com) runs frequently between the airport and the major downtown hotels (journey time – 45 minutes). The service continues until the last flight of the evening. The New Orleans Regional Transport Authority (tel: (504) 818 1077) runs a local bus service every 10 minutes – the major downtown stop being on Tulane Avenue, opposite the public library. Outside those hours, the service terminates at Carrollton Avenue, from where travellers must transfer to bus 39, to continue downtown (journey time – 45 minutes). Taxi fares are regulated, and fares are higher for the airport than for other destinations around the city.