John Wayne Airport to renumber gates and baggage claim areas

Get ready to get lost at Orange County’s John Wayne Airport (SNA), where gates will be renumbered next week so that new gates coming in the fall won’t be out of sequence. Fortunately, extra people will be on hand to direct you.

Starting Tuesday, gates and baggage carousels will be numbered sequentially from north to south, the airport said Wednesday in a statement.

The new layout will reverse the current order. For example, Gate 14 will become Gate 2. Newly renumbered Gates 1A, 1B and 1C will serve the North Commuter Terminal, and Gates 16A and 16B will serve the South Commuter Terminal. Smaller airlines such as SkyWest and Delta Connection use these commuter terminals on each end of the Thomas F. Riley Terminal.

Baggage carousels too are part of the renumbering: 1 and 2 for Terminal A and 3 and 4 in Terminal B (both terminals are part of the Riley Terminal).

The number switch is to prepare for the opening of Terminal C in November. The addition of six new gates, three new baggage carousels and two commuter terminals would have meant gate numbers would be out of sequence. (Note that Terminal C gates aren’t yet on the map above.)

If all this sounds dizzying, don’t worry. The airport says it will provide volunteers and staff to help you find your way for the first week or so. For more information on changes at the airport, check out the Improvement Program website or call (949) 252-5200.