Byline: PAUL MERRION

A few years from now, walking into Midway Airport might seem more like entering an upscale shopping mall.

Need a massage or a manicure while you wait for your plane? No problem.

You'll probably have the option of valet parking, too, but likely will pay more even if you park it yourself.

Negotiations and information-gathering soon will get under way with some or all of the six major international investor groups that recently expressed interest in running Midway. Experts say the bids for the first privatization of a major U.S. airport could run as high as $3.5 billion.

To make such a deal pay, whoever ponies up that kind of cash for a ...