MSY · Kenner, LA
Locked Out at Louis Armstrong International (MSY)
Lost your car keys on the flight? Locked out in the parking garage? 15 to 25 minutes to the vehicle, on-site programming, no tow.
MSY is inside Kenner city limits at 1 Terminal Drive. A car lockout at the airport is $85 to $195 daytime and $125 to $275 after hours. All keys lost, cut and programmed on site, is $225 to $695. We meet you at your car in whichever lot you parked — Short Term, Long Term, Economy, Surface, Valet, or the Cell Phone Waiting Lot.
Which lot are you in? Here is where we meet you
| Lot | Where | Typical wait for us |
|---|---|---|
| Short Term Garage | Directly adjacent to the terminal, roughly 2,200 spaces | 15–25 min |
| Long Term Garage | Usual pick for trips over 3 days | 15–25 min |
| Economy / MSY Express Garage | Cheapest daily rate, farther walk | 15–25 min |
| Surface Lot | Open-air, adjacent to Long Term | 15–25 min |
| Valet | You will need the valet desk to release the vehicle | 20–35 min |
| Cell Phone Waiting Lot | Airline Drive at Hollandey Street, 2 min from terminal | 15–20 min |
Tell us the lot and the level. Short Term Garage level 4 row H is a real answer that saves you 10 minutes of us circling.
The two common calls
The two kinds of jobs we run at MSY
1. Standard lockout — the key is in the car
Someone put their bag in the boot with the keys in it and hit the fob to close it. Or the door caught while they were reaching for a phone. Standard lockout. We open the door without damage in about 5 to 10 minutes.
Price: $89 to $185 daytime, $125 to $275 after hours. Includes the call-out.
2. All keys lost — the key is somewhere between here and where you flew in from
You landed, the fob was on your keyring, now it isn’t. It is in a hotel three cities away or in the pocket of a jacket in checked baggage that is going the wrong direction. Nothing to copy. The key has to be originated from the vehicle VIN and paired to the immobiliser through the OBD-II port.
What we do: open the door without damage, verify the registration in the glovebox against your licence, cut the emergency blade to code, program on site, then delete the lost key from the vehicle memory so whoever finds it cannot start the car. That last step matters — Kenner has one of the higher vehicle theft rates in the country and not every operator does it. Ask.
Price: $225 to $695 depending on the vehicle. 45 to 75 minutes on site.
Before you ring
Three things to have ready
- Year, make and model. This determines the key type, which determines everything else. A 2012 turn-key transponder and a 2023 push-to-start smart key are different jobs at different prices with different equipment.
- Where the paperwork is. Registration, insurance, title — any one of them. Usually in the glovebox. We can open the door first and verify after.
- Whether you have any working key at all. Even a spare at home. Duplicating an existing key is cheaper than originating a new one, sometimes by hundreds. It might be worth waiting the extra hour if a friend can bring it.
MSY logistics
A few things about MSY worth knowing
- The terminal curb is off limits to locksmith work by airport security. We meet you at your car in the parking area, not out front.
- Peak arrival times — Sunday evening, Monday morning, Friday evening — add roughly 5 minutes to the ground-transportation loop.
- The Cell Phone Waiting Lot on Airline at Hollandey is our usual meeting point and it is free to wait there.
- Long-term parking is close to Terminal Drive, which sounds obvious until you have circled the wrong garage in the rain at 11pm.
- MSY does not tow non-running vehicles unless you have a tow account with the airport. If you are stuck and need to leave, we can open the door so you can retrieve valuables and paperwork before deciding.
Questions
MSY airport questions
Louis Armstrong Airport is in Kenner, right?
Yes. MSY sits inside Kenner city limits at 1 Terminal Drive, Kenner LA 70062. 12.4 million passengers passed through in 2025. We are one of the closest locksmith firms to the terminal.
How long will it take you to get to MSY?
Typically 15 to 25 minutes from the moment you ring, depending on which lot you are in and time of day. Ground transportation loop and terminal frontage can add 5 minutes at peak arrival times.
I lost my only key on the flight. What now?
That is an all-keys-lost job. We cut a new key from the VIN on site and program it to your car’s immobiliser through the OBD port, then delete the lost key from memory. $225 to $695 depending on the vehicle. About 45 to 75 minutes on site.
Which lot should I tell you I am in?
Whichever it is — Short Term Garage, Long Term Garage, Economy Garage, Surface Lot, Cell Phone Waiting Lot on Airline Drive at Hollandey, or Valet. We know each one and where to meet you. Valet is different because we work through the valet desk.
Can you meet me at the curb outside the terminal?
No — MSY security does not allow locksmiths to work at the terminal curb. We meet at your car in the parking area.
Do you need to see registration if my car is at MSY?
Yes. Photo ID plus title, registration or an insurance card. If the paperwork is inside the car we can open the door first and verify after — but we do verify.
Is a locksmith cheaper than the dealer at MSY?
Yes — and often by $200 to $400. Dealers charge $150 to $600 for programming and want the car brought to them. From MSY that means a tow to Metairie or New Orleans plus programming plus the wait. We come to the car and program on site.
What if it is late at night and my flight was delayed?
7am to 10pm, every day. After-hours adds roughly $25 to $75 depending on the job and we quote it before we dispatch.
Can you help if my rental car keys are gone?
Rental keys are the rental company’s property and they will want to know before anyone works on the vehicle. Ring the rental desk first. Sometimes they authorise us to duplicate on site, more often they send a replacement.
Landed at MSY and locked out?
Tell us the lot. We will tell you the wait, the price and where to meet.