There’s a hidden oasis inside of the Albuquerque Sunport that you probably didn’t know about, but is very very cool.
To start off, the Albuquerque airport is very small, with most flights departing from either Terminal A or B, which is one long corridor. Airlines that serve these gates include Southwest, United, American and Delta. If you’re on Alaska or Frontier, you’ll depart from another terminal, but I suspect the majority of travelers will arrive and depart from A or B.
It’s not a fancy airport by any means, and there are no airline club lounges inside. You’ll find a few restaurants and small newsstands, but as far as things to do, this is pretty much it. This isn’t an airport you want to arrive early to, and you can probably squeeze by arriving within 45 minutes of your flight departure, if you time it correctly.
As you come through security, you arrive at the fork for Terminals A and B – if you make a left, you end up in A. If you go right, you’ll end up in B. In front of you, you’ll see an elevator, and to the right, a set of stairs that leads to an observation deck, as the sign below points out.
Heading up the stairs, you’ll find the hidden oasis amongst the crowds below – it’s an observation deck overlooking the gates, tarmac and runways of the airport.
Scattered throughout are many tables, chairs and comfortable armchairs that you can relax in. As you can see by the pictures, not many people know about this area, and it’s not well marked – which lessens the crowds.
You have a really good view of the action below, by way of a nice panoramic window spanning the length of the deck.
It’s a really great place to relax, and mimics the basics of an airline club, less the ticket assistance and free food and drink. There’s even a monitor with gate and flight information, should you need.
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If you’re at the airport, this is the place to be, and you’ll find it very convenient and accessible to both flights in Terminals A and B – it’s not more than a 5 minute walk to either end.
Jamie Larounis is an avid traveler, blogger and miles/points educator. Traveling well over 100,000 miles a year and staying in hotels for over 100 nights, he leverages miles, points and other deals to fly in first class cabins, and stay in 5-star hotels. The Forward Cabin shares his experiences, musings, reviews, tips, tricks, resources and industry news with you, the fellow traveler.
Yes, the observation deck is ABQ Sunport’s only airline “lounge” but it is a nice, quiet place to relax and watch craft. There are a outlets for convenient charging too. BTW, Alaska also uses terminal B and Frontier ended ABQ service last year.
What happened to the beautiful huge Indian Pottery in the median just approaching Sunport that was there go so many years. Ifor years we vacationed in Santa Fe and I always looked forward to seeing this beautiful over sized pottery.
Looks like it closed