HIGHFILL ó The terminal building at the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport covers 125, 679 square feet: The majority of the thousands who fly in and out of the facility each year are plenty familiar with the space.
The more than 15, 000 square feet that exists behind the walls of the ticket counters and beneath the feet of those waiting to board flights remains a mystery to most. This area, basically a twisting maze of hallways and doors that some employees refer to as ìthe bowelsî of XNA, is closed off to the public.
ì Most people who come through the airport probably donít even know it exists, but itís right there behind the walls of the bathrooms and the counters, î XNA Executive Director Scott VanLaningham said. ì Thereís no escalator that goes there, and you canít get to it by elevator unless you have a badge for access. î
Calling it a maze is not an exaggeration, VanLaningham said.
ì Iíve been through there enough times that I know whatís what now, î he said. ì But I felt like I should have left a trail of bread crumbs at first. I got lost and turned around more than once. î
VanLaningham shows up for work every day, but with administrative offices on the second floor, even he isnít as familiar with the maze as those who earn their paychecks there.
The people in this space serve a variety of purposes. The crews that rush outside to load and unload luggage from planes, pump jet fuel and wave glow sticks during the evening hours prowl the bowels between flights. Several of these individuals ó many employed by the individual airlines or Fixed Base Operations ó share locker rooms within the bowels. During downtime, a lot of the same locker-room chatter and conversation you would expect to find at a public gym rattles around.
Ever wonder where your luggage comes from when it pops out of that opening at the baggage-claim area ? At XNA, it comes from the bowels. The baggage-claim conveyor belts run beneath the rental-car desks, through the bowels and to an outdoor conveyor belt in a covered area just outside the guts of the building. Whether youíre coming or going, your luggage makes that direct trek. Youíre required to take the long way around.
Each airline employs station managers who have tiny offices somewhere along the twisting maze. Every time a flight arrives, flight crews hurry to designated storage areas to get the exact number of beverages, peanuts and pretzels and other consumable products needed to restock the aircraft.
When flights are coming and going and the fuel, luggage and flight crews are outside working, a team of eight to 10 XNA facility maintenance employees can normally be found combing the winding hallways. At the heart, this secure space is what amounts to a giant utility closet, with multiple rooms full of boiler, heating and air-conditioning equipment, water lines running in every direction and more. Scattered around are a few desks ó complete with computers, printers, paperwork and all of the typical desk clutter of any office.
Just like any home or building, XNA ís climate control and water lines break down or back up from time to time. With heavy foot traffic moving through the terminal building above ó particularly during the summer months when temperatures begin to soar ó XNA canít afford to go without climate control. Those flying in and out just donít see that work going on because itís tucked away.
ì There are people in these hallways from 4 a.m. to about midnight every day, î VanLaningham said. ì There really are only about four hours a day when it gets quiet. î
The skinny hallways within the bowels tend to echo, especially when the exterior doors, which are made of metal, open and close. Employees constantly come and go: Each time one of the heavy doors shuts behind them, it causes a giant clang, similar to the sound of a prison door slamming shut behind an inmate. Only there are no inmates here. Instead, itís the people responsible for making sure your luggage follows you, your beverages are cold and your experience inside the terminal building and on the aircraft is a pleasant one.
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