When is this supposed to be presented?

While we're discussing OKC's airport (which I have truly enjoyed reading - some good discussion and insight going on), I'll throw my 2 cents in.

I understand that it would have taken a LOT, but I wish OKC could have redone the layout entirely with a centralized greeting area (like the airport in Indianapolis) at the north end where the current terminal is with a straight concourse extending south in between the two NS runways (like the new terminal in Vienna, Austria). This setup would have allowed OKC to straighten the airport road for better sight lines outside of and within the central greeting area and then with the terminal extending straight south, you could theoretically just add on to the end when expansion was warranted, without interfering with anything currently going on at the airport. Then, once the terminal areas were done, you could have constructed a new consolidated rental car facility/parking garage connected to the central terminal area by a walkway (like what Indianapolis has to their garage).

Here are pictures of Indianapolis' and Vienna's terminals for reference.

6911

6913

6912

6910

The first 3 photos are of Indianapolis' airport showing the general layout of the facility and the central terminal area that I'd like to see us utilize. Then, the 4th photo is of Vienna's new terminal - this is the part of their facility that I would have added on to the central area that I borrowed from Indy's facility. This portion would extend south from the central terminal area, starting right where that large, glass circle is on the roof, and it would pass right between the two runways.

I think this design would allow sufficient taxi time for the engines to warm up, it would be easy to add on to, it is exceptionally easy to navigate, would have relieved the cramping issues our current airport deals with, and is aesthetically pleasing. If traffic ever warranted it, you could easily add a tram like what Detroit's airport uses, but I doubt it's long enough to need anything beyond moving walkways.

If someone has the skills and time to render a mock up of what this would look like combined, I'd be most appreciative.

"I know how to relieve congestion at security checkpoints....remove them. Oh, and while they're at it they can repeal the Patriot Act, deactivate DHS, stand down TSA and basically give us our 4th amendment back."lol, and I bet he voted for Bush to.

Daaamn! Indianapolis is doing some work. Never really thought much of the city, looks like a very nice place though.

It's because Houston is also known for being a cosmopolitan, world-class, international city that has all the amenities one would expect to go along with that. Oklahoma City at the present time simply cannot compare, even on a smaller scale.

It has all the amenities one would expect to go with that because it has a metro population of 6 million, not because of political decisions. Being cosmopolitan, world class and international is the end result of a large population base, nothing more or less. OKC doesn't compare because it isn't the 5th largest market in the U.S. That still doesn't give anyone a reason to hold OKC to higher scrutiny.

I am going to be in OKC for at least a few more years whether I want to be or not. I enjoy keeping up with the progress and development happening here. Despite having been away over a decade, my roots are partially here.

You enjoy it because you care about OKC unlike a few out-of-towners that move here and slam it hard until there is nothing left to be said. Many people who move to OKC love it, others don't. I personally love OKC, and I have my own grand vision. I, like you, don't always agree with decisions made by some leaders here. I see OKC really taking off by the end go this decade. What is going to happen in OKC is something few realize, even the most optimistic will be impressed.



I really don't think the airport is that bad, but for a city this size it could/should be bigger. I think its plenty nice enough, it should just have better rates, more direct flights, and more overall traffic. I can fly to Charlotte out of Northwest Arkansas Regional for around half the cost of flying out of OKC.

It can if two events occur. 1) People stop using DFW to fly. 2) The region around OKC grows in population.

Just out of curiosity. Why do you come to this forum, other than an obsession with forums, if you hate being/living in OKC so much?Bchris cares about OKC like anyone else, he just has his own views of the place. Moving from a developed city like Charlotte to OKC brings a new light on a very important issue. OKC is one of the least ascetically pleasing cities I've ever seen. I love it because it is my hometown and no matter how good OKC gets I will always strive to find ways to make it better. But right now, Bchris knows that OKC has a long way to go and it is sad how ugly parts of it are and he is right.

I am extremely excited to say though, the private industry is improving here and we are getting nicer companies here that care about image and are making incredible progress on magnificent buildings properties. It is really just up to the city to say ok, we're done with these bland highways and streets and incorporate landscaping. I think it would take 50+ million to really do a decent job to improve the streetscape here. The main thing is to get these horrible utility lines under the ground; I hate those things with a passion.

OKC is trying to get great things done(i.e. regulating abandoned properties), but our freaking dumbass house of reps here want to stop any and every sign of progress and are whores to anyone with money. Until we can get them to back off and get new progressive minds in there, it will be a long, rocky road to get the things we desire here.

BChris and PluPan are quite the tag team these days. :Smiley122

But seriously, I flew out to Colorado last week/weekend for a ski trip and my flight was obviously into Denver's airport. I couldn't help but chuckle a little when I saw all the Western Heritage/Cowboy themed things scattered throughout the airport. The airport personnel were even wearing leather vests and cowboy hats!! All I could think about was how some posters on here were slamming the parts of OKC's airport that are Western themed and how that is the reason nobody takes us seriously. That Western themed airport sure is holding Denver back! How dumb could they be!? ;)

Embarrassed by western...better avoid Austin.

You enjoy it because you care about OKC unlike a few out-of-towners that move here and slam it hard until there is nothing left to be said. Many people who move to OKC love it, others don't. I personally love OKC, and I have my own grand vision. I, like you, don't always agree with decisions made by some leaders here. I see OKC really taking off by the end go this decade. What is going to happen in OKC is something few realize, even the most optimistic will be impressed.


You've hit the nail on the head here. It's exciting to see where OKC is headed. Sometimes it's a bit frustrating though that things aren't getting there quite as fast as I would like to see. I moved from one of the nation's greatest boomtowns and was quite spoiled by that.


Bchris cares about OKC like anyone else, he just has his own views of the place. Moving from a developed city like Charlotte to OKC brings a new light on a very important issue. OKC is one of the least ascetically pleasing cities I've ever seen. I love it because it is my hometown and no matter how good OKC gets I will always strive to find ways to make it better. But right now, Bchris knows that OKC has a long way to go and it is sad how ugly parts of it are and he is right.


Spot on. When you are used to beautifully maintained boulevards lined with 100 ft pine trees and strict building codes that create a glitzy, polished urban landscape, the aesthetic appearance of OKC can come as a bit of a shock. I don't except OKC to look like Charlotte, at all. It's a completely different climate that could not support the kind of flora that flourishes in North Carolina. There can be better building and landscaping codes though to at least make the major corridors at least somewhat attractive. Just spruce up a few of the major corridors that are the focal points of various neighborhoods of OKC. It could be part of a Maps 4 Neighborhoods.

BChris and PluPan are quite the tag team these days. :Smiley122

But seriously, I flew out to Colorado last week/weekend for a ski trip and my flight was obviously into Denver's airport. I couldn't help but chuckle a little when I saw all the Western Heritage/Cowboy themed things scattered throughout the airport. The airport personnel were even wearing leather vests and cowboy hats!! All I could think about was how some posters on here were slamming the parts of OKC's airport that are Western themed and how that is the reason nobody takes us seriously. That Western themed airport sure is holding Denver back! How dumb could they be!? ;)


Embarrassed by western...better avoid Austin.I never once stated I am embarrassed by any kind of Western symbol and I actually like it.

OKC Airport Eyes $70 Million Expansion Project - News9.com - Oklahoma City, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports | (http://www.news9.com/story/24946476/okc-airport-eyes-70-million-expansion-project)

Some cool aerial shots in their video.

OKC should be a hub.

uh....ok.

uh....ok.

He's kidding.

I recently flew in and out of T.F. Green Airport in Providence to visit my girlfriend's family in southern MA. I think it compares to Will Rogers quite well in size and aesthetics.

I recently flew in and out of T.F. Green Airport in Providence to visit my girlfriend's family in southern MA. I think it compares to Will Rogers quite well in size and aesthetics.

So are you saying that's bad or good?

I recently flew in and out of T.F. Green Airport in Providence to visit my girlfriend's family in southern MA. I think it compares to Will Rogers quite well in size and aesthetics.

I am a little surprised there has not been much consideration of looking at using Providence as a peer city, they are fairly close in both population and GDP. Which is not common with the normal list of cities normally used.

Glad to hear things are going well, and i'll be really glad to see the airport finally "finished".

I haven't read all of the posts but why expand? Is there some company demanding the airport to be bigger for them to move to the city? The Southwest gates are really the only busy gates. The gates on the one end (to the left of Southwest) are almost never used. So, why expand when the airport is pretty much never even near being fully utilized? There must be something behind the scenes going on.

Because it's about leased space and not used space. AA will be receiving Gate 8 shortly. (They are repainting it today as we speak). United is taking over Gate 11. (Repainted and striped on Wednesday. That leaves only Gate 12 unleased. Gate 1 is the city's and they will not lease it out. So with only one available gate, they are moving forward on adding 3 more gates.

OKCSteel - I agree it feels weird, but as they said, it's about leased gates. Someone is paying to keep that gate under their lease, whether they have passengers flowing through it all the time or not. Think of it like leasing a spot in an office building. Just because a small law firm may not have the same traffic as a retail outlet in the same building, it doesn't mean that they building has any vacancies. Adding gates can also be an added revenue stream to the city....as long as they strike the appropriate balance between gate cost and maintenance/upkeep.

One thing people don't always think about at Will Rogers is the charter spots. You don't see a big airline name on the gate all the time, but they're there....and they do get used. They may not go every day, but they do get used. Heck, that's the only gate I've ever seen a 747 come to at Will Rogers....going to Vegas.

What OKC needs to avoid, is what happened with Pittsburgh and New Orleans. PIT built for theirs to be a hub, but that fell through so walking around there is like walking through Crossroads Mall...empty/empty/empty. NOLA is similar, but at least their is because of low traffic after the hurricane. The city is really having a hard time getting tourism back to pre-hurricane levels. And with the reduced population, it's just not as busy. As OKC continues to grow, I don't see how this could be anything but good for us though. We're not trying to pretend to be a big player, just get our traffic flowing in the best way we can. And it flows WELL!!! It's hard to find other airports that have things move along as well...they start getting big, and so do the delays.

Because it's about leased space and not used space. AA will be receiving Gate 8 shortly. (They are repainting it today as we speak). United is taking over Gate 11. (Repainted and striped on Wednesday. That leaves only Gate 12 unleased. Gate 1 is the city's and they will not lease it out. So with only one available gate, they are moving forward on adding 3 more gates.

Does the city own a plane? Why do they need a gate? Is it just for visiting dignitaries of which we get so many with their own airplanes?

What OKC needs to avoid, is what happened with Pittsburgh and New Orleans. PIT built for theirs to be a hub, but that fell through so walking around there is like walking through Crossroads Mall...empty/empty/empty. NOLA is similar, but at least their is because of low traffic after the hurricane. The city is really having a hard time getting tourism back to pre-hurricane levels. And with the reduced population, it's just not as busy. As OKC continues to grow, I don't see how this could be anything but good for us though. We're not trying to pretend to be a big player, just get our traffic flowing in the best way we can. And it flows WELL!!! It's hard to find other airports that have things move along as well...they start getting big, and so do the delays.

To be fair, PIT was the mecca for USAir back in the day. The largest hub for the airline at the time and the X terminal was definitely needed. It was an amazing hub to fly through and always enjoyable. Unfortunately 9/11, bankruptcy, and rising fuel costs did the PIT hub in.

http://cbspittsburgh.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/pghintlairport9811.jpg?w=420


Does the city own a plane? Why do they need a gate? Is it just for visiting dignitaries of which we get so many with their own airplanes?

I'm pretty sure it is just reserved for charter operations instead of letting a specific airline hold it.

It's also about liability.

Say a 2am east coast redeye makes a diversion because of a medical reason. Say every gate is leased, and since it's 2am, every gate is occupied with overnight aircraft. All the airline crews are off duty and at home. The diversion comes in, and there is nowhere to get the passenger onto a stretcher off the airplane.

Simple as that.

Or, even if there is an airline ground crew available to push an airplane off a gate, it still takes time to get the aircraft hooked up, the APU started (if required), and get the airplane moved. In the event of a sudden diversion due to a medical, a lot of time the airplane is on the ground before the local ground crews even know the diversion is coming in.

And as venture pointed out, the city also holds it as a common use gate. They rent it out at about $100 an hour, with a 4-hr minimum. (So $400 minimum). United, Frontier, and American use it quite often in the event of irregular operations. Allegiant and a lot of the charter flights (Sun Country, Xtra Airways (are they still around?)) also use it.

In my opinion what also contributed to the Pittsburgh hub going out of business was its proximity to PHL. It made no sense for US to have two large hubs in the same state. It was also not a large revenue generator like PHL with its international business traffic. In the end the scale tipped in favour of PHL.

OKC does get a lot of diversions at times, the other day this week being a perfect example (storms at DFW). I imagine that gate does get used a lot in such situations like catch22 said.

On another note, a question for you catch22: have they already done the re-alignment of the J-lines at all the west concourse gates? I remember you mentioned that a while back with a diagram that showed the new re-aligned positions. Also I thought Frontier was at Gate 2 previously? Or did it switch back to Gate 1?

In progress. Should be done soon. We are told the gate move (UA to 11, AA getting 8) will be next month.

Frontier is on gate 2.

Ahh cool, thanks.

I posted this on the general WRWA thread and forgot we created a separate topic...

They are set to send out the RFP's for this expansion project.

Never saw the final design... I'll see if I can did it up.

Thanks. This will be awesome hopefully and only lead to increased air service. Maybe they'll renovate the tunnels among other things.

Thanks. This will be awesome hopefully and only lead to increased air service. Maybe they'll renovate the tunnels among other things.

The only thing that will lead to increased air service is people buying tickets for the seats airlines already offer for sale in OKC.

I believe average load factor is around 75%. (Which means 25% of seats go empty on average)

I believe the tunnels are on schedule to be renovated. Or at least dressed up a little.

The only thing that will lead to increased air service is people buying tickets for the seats airlines already offer for sale in OKC.

I believe average load factor is around 75%. (Which means 25% of seats go empty on average)

I believe the tunnels are on schedule to be renovated. Or at least dressed up a little.



Tunnels are being dressed up a bit. Bid will fix some water intrusion issues, lighting and painting. The bid has been pushed back due to the fact they are pulling the large video wall out of the bid.