Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) sits 5 miles northwest of downtown and has been transformed by a $5.1 billion redevelopment program, with the final phase scheduled to open soon. The new terminal spaces showcase notable art installations and welcome amenities that I’m always delighted to encounter. With more than 330 daily flights to 100 nonstop destinations, this guide will help you navigate the sprawling airport like a local.
Getting to and from Salt Lake City International Airport
Getting to and from SLC is straightforward, with options ranging from budget-friendly public transit to taxis and ride services. Your best choice depends on your destination and timeline.
Yellow Cab of Utah is the only on-demand taxi cab provider authorized to pick up at the airport and it offers flat rates to downtown Salt Lake and convention areas. I discovered I can call ahead or just ask for a quote of the exact fare I’ll be charged to any destination. So, no surprises once the meter drops.
In many cases, it will be far less expensive to take Salt Lake City’s light rail system, TRAX, to and from the airport. The ride between the airport and downtown Salt Lake City takes about 20 minutes. Look for the TRAX Green Line station on the ground level outside the terminal on the east side. Exit Door 1A and walk east to reach the station.
Parking at Salt Lake City International Airport
The parking system at SLC offers online reservations that guarantee a spot. The parking garage includes helpful technology like a red light/green light guidance system showing which spaces are open.
Here’s another helpful feature: if, like me, you sometimes forget where you parked your car, you can download the Park Assist mobile app, choose SLC airport, enter your license plate number and the app will somehow magically find your car’s location.
There are 78 dual-port Level 2 chargers accommodating 156 parking spots in the SLC parking system set aside for electric vehicles. You can’t reserve one, but there’s a handy mobile app that tells you which spots are open. Better yet, while you must still pay the daily parking fee (no way around that), charging your EV car is free.
SLC layout and the ‘long walk’
SLC has one main terminal with gates spread across two concourses, A and B. As a major hub for Delta Air Lines, you’ll find them occupying most of Concourse A and some of B. Southwest, the airport’s second-largest carrier, and all other airlines are located on Concourse B.
The two concourses are connected by the Central Tunnel and the West Tunnel. Both have moving walkways and golf cart-style shuttles, but don’t underestimate the travel time. The journey between the farthest gates can take up to 21 minutes when standing on moving walkways, or about 14 minutes when walking, so build in extra time and wear comfy shoes. Trust me on this one.
The Central Tunnel provides direct access to Concourse B from just outside the security checkpoint. The West Tunnel is located between gates A13 and A15, approximately halfway down Concourse A-West. If you’re not sure which tunnel is your best bet, check the distance charts on the SLC website or the maps posted in the terminal.
Security checkpoint tips for SLC
SLC has security checkpoints on two levels, with most travelers heading to the main TSA checkpoint on Level 2, which is open from 3:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. Here’s an insider tip: during busy periods, the ground level (Level 1) checkpoint in the International Arrivals area typically has shorter lines despite its limited operating hours (6 a.m. to 5 p.m.).
Lounges at SLC airport
SLC recently expanded its lounge offerings with the addition of a second Delta Sky Club and an American Express Centurion Lounge, both in Concourse B. The standout remains the 28,000-square-foot Delta Sky Club on Concourse A, Level 2, plus a USO lounge and Minute Suites for short-stay relaxation.
In addition to the USO lounge (Concourse A, near Gate A25), there is a 28,000-square-foot Delta Sky Club (Concourse A, Level 2 east of the Terminal Plaza) that was for a time the carrier’s largest club space. A second Delta Sky Club recently opened on Concourse B near Gate B26, along with an American Express Centurion Lounge.
This spacious Concourse A Delta Sky Club lounge has extensive seating, dining areas and wide views of the airfield and the nearby Wasatch Mountains. Other amenities include a fireplace, shower rooms, an outdoor Sky Deck and some outstanding art. Eligible Delta Sky Club members, passengers traveling in Delta One, and select co-branded credit card holders can access the lounge when flying on a same-day Delta-marketed or Delta-operated flight.
Minute Suites, which rents small, short-stay rooms for napping, working or relaxing, is located on Concourse A and is open 24 hours. Priority Pass cardholders can use their lounge visit entitlement for a one-hour stay at no additional charge. A branch of XpresSpa on Concourse A offers nail care, massages and other rejuvenation services.
Dining and shopping at SLC airport
SLC enforces street pricing, meaning airport food and shopping costs match downtown prices (a rarity worth celebrating). You’ll find local and regional brands, including plenty of Utah craft brews, and can skip lines by ordering ahead through the SLCtoGo program powered by Servy/Grab.
Pre-security Greeting Room
SLC has a glass-walled pre-security Greeting Room where friends and family can wait for arriving passengers. Officially the “Senator Jake Garn Greeting Room,” in honor of the first member of congress to fly in space, the room has a fireplace, comfortable seating, exhibits, flight information display boards (FIDS), the adjacent Blue Lemon restaurant and can hold up to 400 people.
Why so many? The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is based in Salt Lake City and sends tens of thousands of missionaries around the world for up to two-year terms of service. When they return home, large groups of friends and families will gather to greet them at the airport with welcome banners and balloons.
In the old SLC terminal these gatherings took place in the baggage claims areas and sometimes made it difficult for other passengers to reach the carousels to reclaim their bags. The new terminal design both addresses that congestion issue and makes reunions smoother.
Art at SLC Airport
The art program at SLC gives even connecting passengers a taste of Utah’s natural wonders. The installations are large in scale and ambitious in vision. My favorite pieces include the Whimsy Walls in restrooms throughout the terminal and Gordon Huether’s massive canyon-inspired works.
Restrooms throughout the terminal feature unique ‘Whimsy Wall’ artwork with Utah-inspired designs turned into giant vinyl wall wraps. The West Tunnel sports wall murals portraying seasonal scenes of Utah. And you’ll find Dennis Smith’s whimsical “Flying Machines” mobiles on the west end of Concourse A, restored and reinstalled from the original terminal.
Gordon Huether’s 362-foot-long installation, “The Canyon,” covers both walls of the main terminal in fabric and aluminum tubing designed to evoke the Salt Lake City landscape and real canyon walls. “The Falls,” another Huether piece, is a 65-foot-tall waterfalls-inspired installation in a terminal escalator well.
And Huether’s “River Tunnel,” which runs the length of the Central Tunnel, simulates a river with blue light and wavy overhead panels. Like the tunnel soundtrack? You can download the playlist of more than 100 songs from Spotify or YouTube.
SLC Airport’s cool baggage system
The baggage system at SLC accommodates skis, snowboards, bikes and other sports equipment without sending passengers to a separate oversize bag check section. In the bag claim area, you’ll see carousels that deliver skis in open vertical lockers, making it easy for passengers to spot and retrieve their gear. Skier or not, it’s fun to see this in action.
Traveling with kids at SLC Airport
While there are no designated kids play areas at SLC, kids will enjoy the LEGO shop, the restroom Whimsy Walls, the art throughout the airport and hanging out with the therapy dogs from the Pilot Pups program at the airport. If you’ve got a long layover, take the kids to an upper floor of the airport parking garage for plane spotting.
Activities near SLC Airport
Salt Lake City’s downtown attractions (including Temple Square, the FamilySearch Library, and City Creek Shopping Center) are accessible via the TRAX light rail that stops at the airport. If you venture into town, download the free Salt Lake Discount Passport from Visit Salt Lake for 10–20% off food at dining locations, 10–20% off merchandise, and 20–25% discounts on tickets for sports and performing arts shows.
This KAYAK-commissioned article is presented as-is, for general informational purposes only, and may not be up-to-date. The opinions contained in the article are original to the author and reflect their authentic experience, which may vary significantly from the experience of others.
