b'14 KOA TERMINALSThe air-conditioned holdroom has seating for 180 passengers. will have passengers check in and no matter the destination, allTSA screening. We will be the first airport to have a system that baggage will be handled in the back of the house. can separate the baggage like that, notes Duvauchelle. The new baggage system will automatically sort whetherThat said, the new process will require more involvement baggage should be screened by agricultural inspectors prior tofrom airline check in staff. The carrier agents will have some bag inspector duties to make sure that customers do not have any agricultural products in their checked luggage, explains Duvauchelle. So their script will have to be changed a little bit.Adding ACThe new 7,000-square-foot enclosed holdroom with air conditioning and restrooms is a big enhancement for passengers. Kona is unique because the airport is essentially open air, says Wang. While thats nice, it does create some problems. The new holdroom can also be used as a haven for passengers if there is inclement weather or if there are overnight delays. Passengers now have a safe, indoor place to wait in a secure environment. And of course, if the FIS in Honolulu went down for any reason, the state of Hawaii would still be able to process international arrivals hereat Kona.The new holdroom includes seating for 180 people and is used by both domestic and international passengers. Departing international passengers pass through a gate outfitted with biometric facial recognition technology and then proceed onto the tarmac to Spot 11, the new aircraft stand dedicated to international traffic. Overall, airport leaders are pleased with the recent and ongoing improvements. Kona Airport had the hut thing going for a long time, but thats gotten kind of old, Duvauchelle reflects. The terminal was built in 1970 for two carriers: Hawaiian Airlines and Aloha Airlines. In that same footprint, we now have seven carriers and up to 60 flights. And we have the big birds coming in as well. As we continue all these improvements, we will be upgrading more of our infrastructure to bring Kona up to the 21st century. September 2022AirportImprovement.com'