honestly, just got off a flight at salt lake city international airport, or slc as everyone calls it, and wow, its big and kinda confusing if you dont know what youre doing and i just had to share my thoughts cause honestly its a lot and i dont want anyone else getting lost like i almost did just trying to find my gate for a connection its like they built it to be super modern but also super spread out so be ready to walk, basically.
first off, the main terminal itself is pretty nice and new looking, all glass and high ceilings and everything but once you get past security, thats where the real adventure begins and you basically have two main concourses which are A and B but theyre not like side by side or anything normal its more like a really long straight line you gotta follow and theres just one main security checkpoint in the middle of the terminal plaza which is good cause you dont have to worry about different security lines for different concourses but its also kinda bad cause if that one line is backed up youre basically stuck there for ages and ages and you cant just pop over to another one like you can at lax or something.
Navigating the maze
so after you get through that one big security checkpoint, which honestly wasnt too bad for me today but ive heard horror stories, youre in this huge open area and you have to decide if youre going to concourse A or concourse B and they both basically start from this central point and then just stretch out super far and its definitly an exercise in patience and also just physical walking and if you have a gate number for concourse A like A45 youre basically going to be walking for a solid ten or fifteen minutes and if youre going to a gate like B20 then youre walking in the other direction and its just the same kind of long long walk with moving walkways which help a little but honestly theyre not everywhere you need them to be so youre going to be putting in some serious steps so wear comfy shoes, literally, cause your feet will thank you later and dont think you can just rush through it if you have a tight connection cause its further than it looks and sounds and i always pack light just for this reason so i dont have to drag a heavy carry-on for miles.
The long trek between gates
now this is where it gets really interesting and kinda annoying for real travelers cause the distances between gates are just wild, especially if you have a connection that means going from one end of concourse A to the far end of concourse B or even just from an early A gate to a late A gate cause its all connected by one long main hall basically and youre just walking and walking and walking and it feels like it never ends sometimes.
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can you actually walk it? oh yeah, you can totally walk it and for most people thats exactly what youre going to do cause its designed to be walkable, like a very very long hallway system and theres moving walkways in sections which help speed things up a bit but they dont cover the entire distance so be prepared to hoof it for a good chunk of your journey, especially if your gate is on the far ends of A or B its honestly a lot of walking so factor that into your connection times.
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are you stuck waiting for that shuttle? well, its not exactly a subway or train between concourses like some other big airports so youre not really stuck waiting for a general shuttle to take you between A and B, you basically walk that main tunnel and the concourses themselves, but they do have those little electric golf carts for people with mobility issues or really tight connections and its recomended you request those services in advance if you think you might need them cause they are not just driving around everywhere for everyone so if you dont have a medical need or a literally five minute connection then you are basically walking like everyone else so its not a shuttle for convenience but more for necessity so plan accordingly and assume youre going to be walking a lot.
so yeah, slc is cool but its a beast when it comes to getting around and just be ready to walk a lot and dont underestimate the distances and give yourself plenty of time especially if you have a connection cause running for a flight here would be like training for a marathon honestly and i hope this helps someone not feel as overwhelmed as i did trying to figure it all out cause its definitly an airport where a little heads up goes a long way and good luck finding your gate!