b'30 AUS BAGGAGEand domestic arrivals while crews executed improvements inNow we dont have that issue because we have multiple the baggage claim area. The airlines were very concerned thatbaggage claim carousels, Kumarage says. the construction would impact their domestic travelers, and theyThe airport also changed the order of operations, so to speak, wanted to know how many baggage claims we were going tofor arriving international passengers. Previously, they were shut down, she recalls. We made the commitment that at anyrequired to pick up their checked bags first and then proceed to given time, we would not shut down more than one bag claim Customs. Now, incoming travelers clear Customs first, and then at a time.pick up their bags. Crews installed one of the new carousels before removingBadawi reports that passengers appreciate this change, a smaller existing unit that was no longer meeting the airportsbecause the process is now faster. Because they get processed needs. During that process, AUS staff transferred domestic bagsby CBP [Customs and Border Protection] first, their bags are to other baggage claim areas to make sure that airlines couldalready there by the time they come to the carousel, she explains. accommodate both domestic and international passengers without any hiccups.Now, if a British Airways flight arrives at the same time as a KLM flight, passengers have more room to line up in the Timing was tricky with up to 11 international flights arrivingexpanded Customs facility, and they can be routed to separate at AUS dailysome no more than one hour apart. Previously,bag claims without delay. backups in baggage handling occurred if international flights overlapped due to delays. With only one baggage carousel, theThe airport faced a unique challenge: finding a way to airport could not mix the incoming baggage from internationalaccommodate both domestic and international passenger traffic flights. Staff had to wait until all bags from one flight were removedin the same space at different times for baggage claim, explains from the carousel before loading bags from the next flight.Kumarage. Working with AECOM as the baggage handling Who Doesnt Love a Good Dillo Drop?On May 19, passengers waiting for their checked luggage at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) were surprised and delighted when a bin brimming with stuffed armadillos slid onto the carousel at Baggage Claim 6. The airport was giving away plush versions of Armie the Armadillo, the mascot for its long-term expansion and development program, and guests buzzed with excitement. The so-called Dillo Drop was staged to highlight three new baggage carousels added during the International Arrivals Improvements project. To stoke interest, the airports social media team sent out a somewhat cryptic warning about an armadillo infestation in the Baggage Claim area just before the bin of giveaways began circling on the new carousel. Staff members were also on hand to explain who Armie is and record video of the scene to promote it afterward on Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn andJust three days before the successful YouTube. (Visit youtu.be/xID0sl1Ha4A forgiveaway, AUS made another clever a sample video.) The event even garneredannouncement on social media. This local news coverage.time, it promoted the expansion of its Customs processing area by noting that Follow-up posts from the airportinternational passengers would soon have encouraged travelers to watch for other Dillo5,000 more square feet for queuingDrops throughout the summer. As of earlyenough space for 103,000 tacos.September, there had already been two. October 2025AirportImprovement.com'