Jet Box a new food, beverage option at Eastern Iowa Airport

Travelers using the newest gate on the lower concourse at The Eastern Iowa Airport have an opportunity to buy beverages and food before they board their flight.

Jet Box, a convenience store-style 'grab and go” snack bar, offers sandwiches, snacks, drinks, and alcoholic beverages as well as counter tables with plug-in options for travelers' electronics.

Airport Director Marty Lenss said in a news release that Jet Box was installed on the B Concourse to provide travelers with food and beverages after they have cleared security.

Before moving through security, passengers have the option of the Tic Toc Restaurant and the Sam Adams Pub, which serve local foods. Passengers using the upper C concourse have access to The Millstream Brewhouse, a full service bar and restaurant, as well as the Cedar Landing, a gift shop that sells snacks and coffee.

'This gate serves our largest aircraft and had no convenient options to purchase food and drinks,” Lenss said. 'In partnership with our concession vendor, SSP America, we were able to find a solution that provides the items passengers' desire.”

Lenss said the addition of Jet Box is the beginning of a plan to strategically assess and develop a concession plan for post security that adds services and amenities.

The airport is in the midst of a $50 million renovation that will include updating the terminal, replacing all of the jet bridges, building a B concourse with jet bridges, and expanding the security checkpoint and C concourse. The four-year project will be completed without incurring new debt, increasing costs for tenants, or passengers or accepting city or county tax revenue.