Vero Beach Regional Airport has completed a series of terminal improvements aimed at making the passenger experience more comfortable, according to Interim Airport Director Brandon Dambeck.
The airport relocated its baggage claim to the north side of the terminal building, where covered walkways and a shaded baggage area now shield travelers from the sun.
"We added a new arrival area," Dambeck said. "We moved our baggage claim back to the north side of the terminal building, where there are covered walkways and a covered baggage area that really blocks out a good amount of the sun, creating a cooler area that you can sit down and enjoy and wait for your bags to come out after you get off the flight."
The airport also built a new indoor arrival room with two additional restrooms downstairs. The Avis rental car counter was relocated to that room, which connects directly to the main terminal lobby.
"It connects into the main terminal lobby so that there's sort of a full circuit on the inside of the building," Dambeck said.
Dambeck said the upgrades reflect the airport's gradual shift from a primarily general aviation facility to one with a growing commercial footprint.
"We're really a predominantly general aviation airport, and we've started breaking into this commercial market as the air carriers have started expressing interest," he said.
Breeze Airways, JetBlue and American Airlines have all begun service at the airport since 2023. Dambeck said the airport is not currently in talks with additional carriers but is optimistic about the airlines already operating there.
"While we're not talking with any additional airlines at the moment, I see some strong success for the three carriers that are operating here," he said.
Dambeck said the airport plans to hold a series of public workshops, or charrettes, late this year or early next year to gather community feedback on options for expanding the terminal.
"It's a community outreach to get some input from citizens of the local area on options for terminal expansion," Dambeck said.
The goal is to improve passenger comfort without losing the airport's small-town character.
"We're not looking at being a Palm Beach or a Melbourne or anything like that," Dambeck said. "We still want to maintain that hometown feel of [Vero] Beach Airport, but really the options are to make the passenger experience more comfortable for the air carriers that are operating here."
Dambeck said more details on the workshops, including dates, will be released once they are finalized.