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Airport reviews
| September 11th, 2016 at 3:21:36 PM permalink | |
| Pacomartin Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 1068 Posts: 12569 |  Atlanta Airport has announced a 20 year $6 billion master plan to try and maintain it's position as the world's busiest airport (by passengers). The new canopy is the most visible improvement, but there will be a 6th runway, a new 400 room hotel, and a new concourse.  Of course $6 billion over a 20 year period is almost chicken scratch compared to what Mexico is spending on their new airport. This mural commissioned for the 1996 Olympics will be sacrificed after 20 years, as the wall is to valuable a space for modern video board.  The airport is dominated by Delta who carries 3 out of 4 passengers. It has extensive nonstops to Latin America, Europe, and Johannesburg South Africa, but only flies to Seoul Korea in Asia. |
| September 11th, 2016 at 4:04:24 PM permalink | |
| Fleastiff Member since: Oct 27, 2012 Threads: 62 Posts: 7831 | Local politicians would vote for the shopping mall, never realizing people can already go shopping in some seedy area of town near a pervert's movie theater, so why wait on line for a TSA grope? Ship all those burgers out to the airport and charge 23.93 for them and make them burger flippers travel an hour each way and go thru security all the time? Airports should focus on service windows and turnaround time, not house plants, malls, markets or revenue sources. |
| September 12th, 2016 at 1:02:09 AM permalink | |
| Pacomartin Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 1068 Posts: 12569 |
Looking at FY2014 San Diego airports revenue sources (about $100m Airline and $100m Non airline) we see that terminal concessions are roughly 20% of non airline. Airline Revenue $47,761,512 Terminal Building Rentals $25,776,517 Security Surcharge $19,107,258 Landing Fees $ $2,503,181 Aircraft Parking Fees $1,133,839 Common Use Systems $1,593,918 Other Aviation Revenue $97,876,224 Total Airline Revenue Non-Airline Revenue $36,424,594 Parking Revenue $24,900,830 Rental Car License $18,798,533 Terminal Concessions $8,445,275 Ground Rentals $4,070,505 License Fees Other $2,534,428 Ground Tansportation Permits $1,157,565 Terminal Rent Non-Airline $1,160,501 Other Operating Revenue $368,385 Grant Reimbursements $97,860,616 Total Non-Airline Revenue |
| September 27th, 2016 at 12:49:30 PM permalink | |
| Pacomartin Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 1068 Posts: 12569 | DJT took a major shot at the airports in USA during the first debate last night.
Obviously Denver (February 1995) or probably DFW (September 1973) can handle traffic into the 21st century, but with Mexico, Turkey, Beijing and Dubai building massive new airports we should consider doing something.
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| September 27th, 2016 at 1:31:16 PM permalink | |
| Nareed Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 346 Posts: 12545 |
But is he going to make the Emiratis, Qataris and Chinese pay for our airports?
I'm seeing the Boeing problem all over again: something designed for one thing cannot be appropriately modified to do another. But what is the complaint? Transit times, delays, crowding, facilities, wasted time, security lines, safety? One thing about the average American, and not a bad thing, is they care a great deal about value for money. It's what's gotten air travel to be what it is today: cheap. And almost every other consideration is secondary or irrelevant. If you come up with a way to give JFK, for example, a makeover that will make it look, feel and work like, for instance, Schiphol (a consistently highly ranked airport), then you'd better include a very, very low price tag. Otherwise it will be a non-starter. Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER |
| September 27th, 2016 at 1:38:36 PM permalink | |
| kenarman Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 14 Posts: 4530 | Trump probably has a point when Denver at 28th is the top rated US airport as listed on the customer nominated world airport awards. "but if you make yourselves sheep, the wolves will eat you." Benjamin Franklin |
| September 27th, 2016 at 2:06:36 PM permalink | |
| Pacomartin Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 1068 Posts: 12569 |
2016 - Airport - 2015 ranking 1 Singapore Changi 1 2 Incheon Intl Airport 2 3 Munich Airport 3 4 Tokyo Intl Haneda 5 5 Hong Kong Intl Airport 4 6 Centrair Airport 7 7 Zurich Airport 6 8 London Heathrow 8 9 Kansai Intl Airport 12 10 Doha Hamad Airport 22 ... 28 Denver Airport 33 32 Cincinnati/Kentucky 30 37 San Francisco Airport 36 43 Hartsfield-Jackson 44 54 Seattle-Tacoma 54 58 Dallas/Fort Worth 62 59 New York JFK Airport 60 71 Houston George Bush 101 75 Minneapolis-St Paul 86 89 Detroit Airport 96 91 Los Angeles Airport 98 97 Boston Logan Airport 88 It isn't that much of a stretch to ding on NYC airports as they are widely considered overcrowded, messy and outdated. CVG is the second highest rated airport, and highest last year. Commercial service only began January 1947, so it isn't as old as most airports.Plus it lost 72% of it's passenger load over a decade from 2005-2015 . So naturally it seems roomy and I am sure that delays are minimal.
Nareed is correct in saying that people want lots of inexpensive choices, not necessarily beauty . We also don't have a national airport (even Dulles has not been a national airport in decades). They are locally run and they all have to pay for themselves. Airports like Dubai are paid for by the kingdom. We have the "big four" which collectively have 19.2% of the nation's air traffic ATL, LAX, ORD, and DFW but JFK, MIA and LAX dominate in international traffic. I have advocated building a floating runway for LAX to handle the larger noisy jets, but it would probably be a nightmare to get by the California Coastal Commission. Floating runway proposed for London's Thames estuary.  Ideas to build a new runway at JFK have surfaced, but I have yet to see a real Aerotropolis design.  |
| September 28th, 2016 at 7:31:26 AM permalink | |
| Nareed Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 346 Posts: 12545 |
I think if you could get rid of, or severely reduce, security lines, and make airports more compact so you don't have to walk too much to get to your plane, most passengers would be satisfied. MEX's Terminal 2 is rather compact. You can see most gates from the center. I don't see how it could be made more compact without reducing the number of gates. IN fact, this was the rationale for satellite-type terminals (T2 is in what I call finger-style, rather fractal). McCarran's new T3 is a long, long rectangle. It's not so bad because it's not very big. MEX's T1 is big, and catching a flight at the far end can involve upwards of a mile's walk. All this would involve tearing down and rebuilding terminals. That costs money. As for security lines, that involves tackling the infinite inertia of bureaucratic procedures. Good luck with that! Veteran travelers can speed things up some, but only some. For example, You could empty your pockets into your laptop bag or carry-on before getting in line, wear shoes that don't require laces, and forego a belt for the trip, or put it in the bag also. Grab two trays, place your bag and jacket in one, and your laptop, shoes and cell on the other. Then you'll get stuck behind the noob who thinks emptying their pockets doesn't include removing spare change, and doesn't believe in removing their shoes. Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER |
| September 28th, 2016 at 10:21:19 AM permalink | |
| Pacomartin Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 1068 Posts: 12569 |
For anyone who travels at least once a year, the $85 for 5 years is certainly worth the money.
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| September 28th, 2016 at 10:51:09 AM permalink | |
| Nareed Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 346 Posts: 12545 |
I'd say for once a year it's not worth it at all. It would be $17 on top of every roundtrip fare. To me, that's pricy. Also, it's not available on every airport or at every time, at least according to my reading of aviation blogs. And if you forget to add it on booking, or the travel or airline site screws up and doesn't add it to your ticket, you can't use it. But if you travel several times per year to different places, then it's worth it. The problem is that it shouldn't be necessary. About 90% of what the TSA does is really pointless ritual. Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER |