Grand Rapids Airport Expands with 14 New Gates, New Restaurants, Beer Garden

Tons of upgrades have come to Grand Rapids' Gerald R. Ford International Airport!

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Not too long ago, GRR opened a new book store/ wine bar - and now even more places to eat, drink, and hangout are open!

The airport recently completed Phase 1 of its newly expanded Concourse A, part of a $110 million project to accommodate passenger growth.

Concourse A Phase 1 primarily serve guests flying American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines. New features include:

• Eight new gates for a total of 14
• Expanded gate space areas to accommodate larger size aircraft
• New concession and retail concepts
• A greater variety of seating options
• A new companion care restroom which includes an adult changing table

The expansion is part of the ELEVATE program, which is designating more than $500 million in critical infrastructure investments to improve the guest experience while positioning the Gerald R. Ford airport for continued growth. The Concourse A project created more than 125 new construction jobs and added more than 155,000 square feet of space to GRR.

Airport Authority President and CEO Tory Richardson said in a release,

We are delighted to celebrate this significant milestone in the monumental transformation of our state-of-the-art Concourse A. This investment positions us for our anticipated passenger growth trajectory for the next two decades – and ensures we continue to deliver a world-class experience as West Michigan’s gateway to the world.

GRR worked with local businesses to highlight the experience of being in West Michigan.  The airport worked with Paradies Lagardère as its partner to oversee the new concession and retail concepts in the new Concourse A extension.

One of the new concession areas is a beer garden called Aletitude. You find multiple big screen TVs and food like Chicken and Bacon Flatbread, Breakfast Sandwiches, Bavarian Pretzels.

Other vendors include Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakkburgers, Uccello’s Ristorante, Blue Bridge Market space, which will feature local cuisine from Madcap Coffee Company and Nantucket Bakery, and a news and gifts stand called Thornapple Essentials.

Phase 2 now begins! Phase 2 of the project will close the gates of the existing portion of Concourse A to undergo widening and renovations, add a second-level executive lounge and additional amenities for passengers. It is expected Phase 2 will be completed in 2024.