Airport Experience® News - Retail Issue 2026

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Right: SLC now handles about 26 million passengers annually. The new terminal is built to handle that level and more.

A Vision For Capacity “The biggest difference between the airport at the time of The New SLC groundbreaking and the completion of Phase 4 is that this is much bigger than we anticipated,” says Bill Wyatt, executive director of SLC. “That’s the result of the red-hot economy, and also Delta Air Lines , as our hub carrier, has really embraced Salt Lake as a vital hub for their operations. Those two things combined to drive major growth here.” The old terminal was designed for about 10 million passengers a year. SLC now handles 26 million annually, and Phase 4 answers that gap with a 16-gate extension on Concourse B. Five of those gates opened last fall, and the remaining 11 are arriving in two waves: four in July and seven in October 2026. Once complete, Concourses A and B will form a single linear layout with 94 gates total, a design meant to reduce aircraft parking bottlenecks and speed up turnaround times. That layout also simplifies the experience for passengers making connections, since gates sit along one continuous concourse rather than split across disconnected buildings. More than 100 million passengers have already passed through the first three phases, and Wyatt says more has changed than just passenger volume. “It’s been fun to be here long enough to watch the staff embrace this,” Wyatt says. “Everyone’s taken real satisfaction, gratification, and pride in what we’ve had a hand in giving our community. This facility will be around for generations, and because of the work we do, we understand the role airports play in culture and the economy. It’s been a wonderful thing to see.” Designing the new wing to fit an established look fell to Brian Cook, project manager at HOK , the global design, architecture and engineering firm behind the terminal. Cook says the final phase needed to solve new problems without looking like an addition bolted onto an older building. “The airport campus design aesthetic has been established for years, so the addition of the 16-gate Phase 4 expansion needed to carry this forward and blend in seamlessly,” Cook says.

“The challenge was incorporating the airport’s new and unique program elements into the design while still maintaining the massing, Utah-inspired color palette, passenger flow, aircraft and ground vehicle movements,” Cook says. That balance between continuity and new function shows up throughout the final phase, from the shape of the concourse to the materials used on the gate hold rooms, all chosen to match what travelers already associate with SLC. “The Phase 4 expansion includes spaces for two clubs, one which protrudes from the third level out over the second level passenger circulation space, as well as a level one hold room that supports a new bussing operation for remote hardstand operations, as needed,” Cook describes. “These new elements are unique to the Phase 4 program, and we are proud of how they are integrated into the entire facility.” The hardstand bussing operation in particular gives SLC more flexibility during peak periods, allowing the airport to accommodate aircraft that park away from the terminal without disrupting the flow of passengers moving through the concourse. A Taste Of Utah Alongside the airfield work, SLC has put significant effort into the passenger experience inside the terminal. Every point in the airport sits within 150 feet

of a restroom, a standard the design team held to across the entire footprint rather than only in the newest sections. Large-scale artwork by Utah artists fills the concourses, drawing on the state’s mountains and desert landscape and giving travelers a sense of place before they ever leave the terminal. The October 2026 opening also brings new restaurants and shops, priced under a street-pricing model that keeps costs in line with what travelers would pay downtown. The new concessions lineup emphasizes local names, led by Mexican food from Monarca, opening its first airport location, and cheesesteaks from Moochie’s . Mr. Charlie’s Chicken Fingers and Swig, known for its customizable sodas, add two more local concepts to the mix. Einstein Bros. Bagels and a convenience store powered by Amazon Just Walk Out technology round out the quick-service options. Concourse B will also gain its first non-Delta carrier lounge, a United Airlines club at the east end, giving travelers on other airlines a dedicated space of their own. “The concessions program was thought out very carefully,” Wyatt says. “We have new concession spaces that are far better for the operators. All the things that most people don’t really think about, we were able to accommodate and design.”

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AX NEWS SEPTEMBER 2026