Car Rental at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport

Airport travel guide

Proud, historic, and culturally distinct, New Orleans is hands down one of the most interesting cities in the United States. Its Creole heritage is well known, but the city is a mixture of various unique influences, something that is well reflected in its architecture and cuisine. These are four of its most interesting attractions:

• French Quarter. The most touristic, but, for many, also the most charming part of the city, the historical French Quarter provides a fascinating insight into Louisiana's unique roots. As could be expected, the area is home to not just a special atmosphere, but also plenty of famous landmarks that include the Old French Market, St. Louis Cathedral, and Historical New Orleans Collection, a local history museum.
• New Orleans Jazz Museum. If Creole roots is one quintessential feature of New Orleans, then jazz is definitely another one. Considered the birthplace of the genre, New Orleans has given the world countless virtuosos, and their life stories can be explored in this unique museum that also frequently hosts live concerts. The museum is also in the aforementioned French Quarter, near the left bank of the Mississippi. Visit its website to learn more.
• City Park. Taking up a significant portion of the city’s north – it is quite a bit larger than the Central Park in New York – NOLA’s main public park is a fun place to visit. Not only does it have a real Louisiana bayou and a fascinating old oak growth, but the park is also home to attractions like the New Orleans Botanical Garden and Louisiana Children’s Museum. Speaking of nature, the park can also serve as a gateway to the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge which is only a 25-minute drive to its east.
• Mardi Gras World. The parades of the Mardi Gras Festival, which is also known as the Shrove Tuesday and Fat Tuesday, take place in February and March, making them one of the main reasons to visit New Orleans. If you’re in the city at another time of the year, your best best for soaking up at least some of the atmosphere is to head to the Mardi Gras World, a giant warehouse where many of the festival’s famous floats are kept, as well as new ones created. Visit the official website to learn more about tours and admission.

Top international routes

• Atlanta
• Dallas
• Houston
• Denver
• Orlando
• Washington, D.C.
• Charlotte
• Chicago
   

Main airlines

Southwest is the most popular airline at MSY carrying more than a third of the airport’s passengers. It flies to almost 30 major destinations across the United States in addition to Cancun.

Delta is the second most popular airline serving the airport. Its main connection is with its hub in Atlanta. It also flies to a few other major cities. American Airlines also serves many passengers. Its most popular destinations are Los Angeles, a hub of its, and Dallas-Fort Worth, its main hub. Its hubs in Chicago and Charlotte are also served by it. Finally, the third major airline, United also serves many passengers at the airport with its hub in Houston and Chicago being its most popular destinations.

The low-cost airline Spirit has become a popular airline at the airport. It serves around 20 different cities around the country and continues to add new destinations.

Starting in 2021, Breeze Airways now flies to New Orleans from Jacksonville. In the summer of 2022, it will also add Savannah as a destination

Finally, major international airlines located at the airport include British Airways (which flies to and from London- Heathrow), Copa Airlines (which flies to and from Panama City), Condor (which flies seasonally to Frankfurt), Air Canada Express (which flies to Toronto), and Air Transat (which flies to Montreal).

Terminals

The airport’s single terminal opened in November 2019. The previous terminal on the south side of the airport has been closed. The new terminal has three concourses. Concourse A is the international concourse handling all international arrivals. Therefore, British Airways, Condor, Transat, Air Canada, and Copa use the concourse. Southwest, Alaska and American use Concourse B. Finally, United Delta, Spirit, Frontier, and JetBlue fly from Concourse C.

Location

Louis Armstrong International is actually located in the suburb of Kenner, Louisiana. It is about 15 miles west of the French Quarter. I-10 is the quickest route to and from the airport. US-61 is also an option, though it takes significantly wronger.

Most popular types of rental car

• Small cars - from $138 per day
• Medium cars - from $86 per day
• Large cars - from $83 per day
• SUVs - from $88 per day
• Premium cars - from $158 per day
• Vans - from $83 per day

Car rental desks

All of the suppliers that are located at the airport have rental desks in the consolidated car rental facility. Unfortunately, this facility is located on the south side of the airport next to the old terminal. It, therefore, requires a shuttle to reach, taking about 15-20 minutes. Make sure to account for this time when returning to the airport. The desks are generally open all but a few hours in the middle of the night when no flights land at the airport.

To return your car to the facility, you must take Exit 23A from I-10 (one exit before the main exit for the terminal) and follow the Airport Access Road all the way to the facility.

Services and facilities

As the airport’s terminal is brand new, it offers all one would expect of a modern, major airport.

The airport offers free unlimited WiFi throughout the terminal. Charging stations can also be found throughout the terminal. For those who want to relax, a Delta Sky Club can be found near Concourse C. there will soon be another lounge, the Club MSY, and a Be Relax which offers spa services.

Hungry travelers can find everything from fast-food chains such as chick-fil-a and Panda Express to the restaurants of local celebrity chefs Emeril Lagasse and John Folse. And yes, you can find a kiosk of the famous Cafe du Monde in the airport where you can have beignets and a cafe au lait.

Nearest gas station

The rental car facility is located on the south side of the airport, so the closest gas station is a Shell station on Airline Drive. If coming from I-10, you need to skip the Airport Access Road and continue to Airline Drive to reach it. From the station, take a left and there will be another entrance to the airport in 0.2 miles (roughly 300 meters).

Top one-way drives

• Baton Rouge (69 miles / 111 km)
• Houston (335 miles / 539 km)
• Jackson, Mississippi (173 miles / 278 km)
• Lafayette, Louisiana (123 miles / 198 km)
• Austin (499 miles / 803 km)
• Mobile (156 miles / 251 km)