Major changes are coming to Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, this weekend that may initially confuse frequent flyers.
All gate numbers will be getting a letter in front of them starting Saturday.
For example, Gates 1 through 9 will become Gates A1 through A9; Gates 10 through 22 will become Gates B10 through B22.
“No airlines or gates will be moving, but it’s a sign enhancement,” said Crystal Nosal, a spokeswoman with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which oversees the airport.
Due to recent improvements and expansions at the airport, Nosal said it would make “the navigation around the airport more intuitive.”
“These sign enhancements should assist travelers moving through the terminals,” Nosal said. “Updating the signs airport-wide is the next logical step with our construction.”
On Sunday, airlines are expected to reflect the gate changes on boarding passes and flight information on screens.
Then, next week, Terminal A and Terminal B/C will become Terminal 1 and Terminal 2.
All of the changes will involve switching out more than 1,000 signs inside and outside the airport.
In October, a ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the “major completion” of a $1 billion improvement project at Reagan National.
The project involved two new security checkpoint buildings that sit above the arrivals roadway.
“For the first time, Reagan National will have space specifically designated and designed for TSA security,” said Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority President and CEO Jack Potter.
The improvement project, called Project Journey, was born because the airport had operated far in excess of its designed capacity before the coronavirus pandemic hit.
Project Journey included the creation of a concourse that replaced the infamous Gate 35X, which required travelers to board buses and wait on the tarmac.
That new concourse opened in April.
“The only thing more inefficient than Congress,” said Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, “was Gate 35X.”
