US Airports Get Nearly $1 Billion for Family-Friendly Upgrades: Duffy
The Federal Aviation Administration has awarded 133 grants to airports in 45 states for play areas, nursing rooms, and family security lanes.
The Federal Aviation Administration has invested $970 million to make airports more family-friendly, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced Monday.
Airports in 45 states will get upgrades that will include new children’s play spaces, mother’s rooms (also known as nursing rooms), family security lanes, and sensory rooms for children with special needs.
The new program is called the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act’s Airport Terminal Program.
“This administration is focused on making travel happier and more convenient for American families. The Golden Age of Travel includes a Family First agenda,” Duffy said in a statement. “We’re making airports inviting spaces for parents and children to relax and recharge prior to boarding.”
Airports will receive between $2 million and $10 million each.
Tupelo Regional Airport in Mississippi, which serves around 30,000 passengers annually, will receive $2 million for a family-friendly security lane, while the mid-sized Donald J. Trump International Airport in Palm Beach, which serves over 8.6 million passengers annually, will get $10 million for new restrooms, mother’s rooms, and a sensory room.
The large hub of Boston’s Logan International Airport, which serves over 43.2 million passengers a year, will receive $2.8 million to renovate four Kidsports play areas, while the massive Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, with over 85.6 million passengers a year, will get $8 million to update five restrooms with family-friendly features.
“The FAA is moving quickly to get these investments out the door and into airports nationwide,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said in a statement. “These projects will help create a more welcoming and accessible travel experience for families while demonstrating our commitment to improving America’s airports at record speed.”
Duffy had announced the plan, dubbed the “Make Travel Family Friendly Again” campaign, five months earlier.
In December 2025, the Transportation Department had asked airports to submit projects focused on family travel needs, including children’s play areas, exercise spaces, mother’s rooms, nursing pods, family security lanes, and sensory rooms.
The department set aside roughly $1 billion in grants to improve airport experiences for families and provide healthier food options. Duffy made the announcement in December alongside Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other health influencers.
“It’s not been a healthy experience for them,” Kennedy said, referring to the 3 million Americans who pass through the nation’s airports each year, adding that airports are “where healthy diets go to die.”
“The food that’s available in the airport, a lot of it tastes very good, but it’s not very good for you,” Kennedy said. “It’s deep-fried food. It’s sugar bombs. It’s ultra-processed foods. And all of them are going to leave you sicker than before you ate them.”
Kennedy also said airports lack nursing spaces, nursing pods, and nursing rooms.
The HHS is encouraging mothers to breastfeed babies as long as possible, according to Kennedy.
“There is no better food for your brain, for your gut microbiome, for your physical growth, for your emotional growth, than what’s in God-given breast milk,” Kennedy added.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/us-airports-get-nearly-1-billion-for-family-friendly-upgrades-duffy-6027680