Why airline passenger walks to the terminal gate may get a little longer

When the Northwest Arkansas National Airport Regional Airport Authority voted in September to remove its only moving sidewalk from the terminal, it joined the latest in a growing list of airports that have decided passengers will just have to use their own two feet to get to gates.

"When it was working, it would break down constantly," said Olivia Tyler, Northwest Arkansas National Airport Regional Airport Authority spokeswoman. "I can't remember the last time it worked," she said, adding that the obsolete walkway was also taking up a lot of space.

The plan is for the walkway to be removed and replaced with terrazzo flooring and more chairs. "We are growing at an incredible rate. We needed to have more additional seating," Tyler said.

The sidewalk removal is part of the airport's more considerable terminal modernization plan. Tyler says the airport attracts an outsized number of business travelers, with Walmart, trucking giant J.B. Hunt, and Tyson Foods all headquartered in the area. Those travelers need to get their gates fast and the moving sidewalk wasn't doing it.

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