Austin airport goes midcentury modern (again)

Airport passengers who want to travel back in time (visually), as well as in and out of Austin, should be pleased with the design of city airport’s new South Terminal. The building opened Thursday, less than a year after breaking ground for its $12 million renovation, with the arrival if its first flight, a ribbon-cutting, a water-cannon salute, and much other fanfare.

FIrst-time visitors to the terminal will be forgiven if they think the’ve wandered into some long-lost Mad Men set, especially if their first site is the photo mural of a fedora-topped man stepping off a plane on the tarmac of the Robert Mueller Municipal Airport, which served the city from 1930 to 1999, when the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport opened.

Inspired by a similar airport in Puerto Rico, aviation department and other city officials decided to pursue renovation of the South Terminal in a manner reminiscent of the smaller airports of the 1950s and 1960s, known to some as the Golden Age of Travel.

The South terminal is separate from the ABIA main terminal. It is accessible from Burleson Road and has its own parking facilities. There will be shuttles running from there to the main terminal for flight connections, as well as separate shuttles to rental-car lots.

Developed and managed by LoneStar Holdings, the terminal has the capacity to handle up to 36 flights a day, with flights to and from specific cities. Allegiant Air is now flying nonstop to 10 destinations from the terminal, with more airlines expected to start service soon.

The Southwest Terminal will have all the expected amenities of a major airport—and a perhaps unexpected one, as well: an outdoor patio with different local food trucks in rotation.

• Austin-Bergstrom International Airport South Terminal [10000 Logistics Lane]