Smooth jazz from overhead speakers; check. Gray and cream color scheme from 1979; check. Government-sponsored PSAs and civic-pride promotional materials; check.  Over zealous (they catch every last hotel-sized shampoo bottle) but super friendly TSA screeners? Check. So, if you're looking for a bare-bones, no frills and no security wait with free Wi-Fi, come to Capital City and make use of what you'd have to pay for with Boingo at your connecting airports, which you only have like 40 minutes anyways.  Fast, convenient and close by, maybe worth saving you another hour or two of driving. Maybe you can grab a hotel and park package for the nite before your flight at a Detroit International Airport hotel, and that would make it worthwhile.

For reasons that are obscure to me, Delta and United feel no need to engage in competitive pricing for the Lansing market. So Detroit is cheaper. Grand Rapids and Flint are also often cheaper. LAN tickets are generally $30-$50 higher. So if you don't live in Lansing, Cap City is probably not your choice.
The legitimate gripes are these: 1. The airport is NOT stylish, and design constraints limit anything that could be done without a major teardown. 2. The food is dreadful. People in Lansing are so accustomed to this that no one even thinks about going through security and grabbing a bite before flying. And the lack of a market bodes ill for anyone who might think about improving the food service.
Here's the best reason to fly out of Lansing: You get an extra segment on your frequent flier account. If, like me, you fly more than a couple of times a year, that adds up. 20 trips means 40 extra segments or 20,000 miles. That's the difference between Gold and Platinum for anyone who is making 20 trips a year. And frankly, that's probably worth $600. The Capital City International Airport parking is conveniently located, but still costs more than a hotel and park package, its your choice.

Easy directions. Easy parking. Easy check in. Easy security. Easy boarding. What more do you want from an airport? Lower prices and better flight selection perhaps.

10/4/2017