Will Rogers World Airport

[brianinok]

You may think at this point that your complaints would do no good, but I am giving you a personal invitation to send us these complaints when you receive poor service at the airport.

Certainly will in the future. Good to know you will pass that along. But more than that, that airport management pays attention. I'm not flying as much as I was before the baby was born, but still several times a year. Hopefully, however, I just don't have bad experiences! WRWA is overall a great airport that is run well.

[BG918]

This looks like it will be a pretty cool project, and nice writeup from the HOK website:

Our project at Will Rogers Airport is bringing back a cool feature from the airports of the 1960s: a public observation deck (below). This will be a pre-security, suspended viewing deck that floats above the terminal’s new town square. It will have aviation exhibits and offer views of the concourses and airfield. The viewing deck will be open to visitors and allow meeters and greeters to make visual contact with friends and family members as they pass into secure departure areas and gates. This idea was driven by Airport Director Mark Kranenburg, who is passionate about engaging his airport with the Oklahoma City community.

The architectural design for the expansion at Will Rogers Airport respects the existing terminal while reinterpreting the design in a contemporary way. Fifteen years ago, for example, people didn’t walk through airports with roller bags. But tiles in concourses clatter when people roll bags over the floors. For the new wing, we kept the color palette of the original floor tile but recreated it with durable terrazzo that isn’t prone to cracking and will be wonderfully quiet!

The airport is paving the way to offer direct international service from Oklahoma City in the future. New planes like the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, a mid-sized aircraft that can fly long-haul point-to-point from smaller airports, are making this possible. The client asked us to design an international arrivals facility under the new concourse that can handle two simultaneous arriving aircraft. This facility is being built as a shell. At some point in the future, after they sign an airline for international service, they will be able to easily fit out the space and have it operating within months instead of years. So the leaders at Will Rogers Airport have sidestepped a future headache by planning ahead and future proofing their operations and growth.

http://www.hok.com/about/news/2018/0...tter-airports/

[TheTravellers]

All three are very cool features, noticed in various airports the noisiness of rolling bags, but never really thought through how to fix it, glad they did!

[shawnw]

If there were a restaurant/bar on that observation deck, I'd spend money there just to eat and watch the airplanes.....

[Zuplar]

That's really cool.

[TheTravellers]

If there were a restaurant/bar on that observation deck, I'd spend money there just to eat and watch the airplanes.....

Man, if they did that, they'd make a nice haul (assuming it would be open decent hours ).

[d-usa]

It would be great for a day of plane spotting, especially if international service makes it to OKC.

Just do a mini-Postmates and have them shuttle food from the concourse to the observation deck.

[OKCDrummer77]

If there were a restaurant/bar on that observation deck, I'd spend money there just to eat and watch the airplanes.....

I only live 6 miles from the airport, so there is already a 90% chance I will check out this observation deck when it opens. A restaurant there would make that 100% easy.

[warreng88]

Is this the expansion to the east that is already under construction or something else entirely?

[jonny d]

This looks like it will be a pretty cool project, and nice writeup from the HOK website:





http://www.hok.com/about/news/2018/0...tter-airports/

The comment about international travel makes me wonder if they are already talking to some airlines about international destinations. I am curious who would be the first to bite the bullet and serve OKC internationally.

[catch22]

The comment about international travel makes me wonder if they are already talking to some airlines about international destinations. I am curious who would be the first to bite the bullet and serve OKC internationally.

Very doubtful. If it were to happen it would be Icelandair or Norwegian.

[warreng88]

Very doubtful. If it were to happen it would be Icelandair or Norwegian.

Why those specifically?

[catch22]

Why those specifically?

They are aggressively attacking the US mid tier market by routing connections through Iceland KEF.

As far as Norh american “intl” Air Canada wouldn’t be totally out of mind, but with US TSA preclearance in Canada there’s no need for an international arrivals facility here.

[HOT ROD]

ya, I'd think OKC could support at least a weekly flight to Canada and Mexico already.

Canada has pre-clearance at the likely destination(s) of OKC-YYZ (Toronto) and OKC-YVR (Vancouver) so we wouldn't need our own Customs/Immigration Services, but for flights to Mexico (and elsewhere) we would need our own for arrivals.

I remember when OKC used to run flights (on a wide-body DC-10 mind you) to Mexico where the departure would leave OKC-Mexico non-stop but arrivals would have to stop at DFW first to clear CIS. I don't see any reason why we couldn't resume those flights in some capacity or even scheduled OKC-MEX on a 737/A320 sized plane at least once a week also. ....

-- As to the terminal and new concourse, it is stunning! Kudos to Mark and the team for this. If built it will be a world class (worthy) addition that no other facility has. And I agree, the ONLY thing that would make it better is if the SkyWalk had a nice restaurant and lounge, where the community could come and spend the day. I surely would and WILL when we visit OKC. ...

MAKE THIS HAPPEN!!!!

[Jeepnokc]

Very doubtful. If it were to happen it would be Icelandair or Norwegian.

Discount airline WOW Air out of Iceland seems to be aggressively expanding into US.

[OUman]

I think if anything the first international carrier at OKC will be the likes of Air Canada Express (operated by Jazz Aviation; formerly was Air Canada Jazz). Either that or Aeromexico Connect to Mexico City with E175s. I doubt we have enough international air traffic to fill a 757-200 even once a week (Icelandair) let alone a 787 (Norwegian) or an even larger 330 (WOW Air). Again, keep in mind that both, Icelandair and WOW Air are starting Iceland service at that airport "down there" this summer so I don't see a reason why they would add OKC. I would happily eat my words if proven wrong though.

[Celebrator]

What's the timetable on this construction project?

[BG918]

Very doubtful. If it were to happen it would be Icelandair or Norwegian.

Frontier or Allegiant to Mexico/Caribbean is more likely IMO. Possibly Air Canada Express to YYZ.

[HOT ROD]

yep, have to start somewhere. This could be the beginning of an Austin style (but smaller) international push for WRWA once these potential initial offerings and new domestic routes (along with corporate relocation/expansion to OKC) mature.

Once the CIS opens, would OKC then change the airport's name?

Oklahoma City INTERNATIONAL airport
Will Rogers International Airport

Or keep 'World' since I suppose with international flight(s) it really could be thought of as a world airport. ...

[Hondo1]

How about simply Will Rogers Airport? I’ve always been amused by the “World Airport” moniker dreamt-up by the mental midgets who ran this city back in the 60s and 70s (you know, those who subsequently destroyed the urban core). It’s a fine modern airport but at the very least, an unintentional self-deprecating name based on its physical size of 17 gates and 65th ranking for enplanements in 2016.

[OUman]

^I distinctly recall reading somewhere that the "World" part was added when OKC got jet service by airlines to their respective hubs, thus connecting the airport to "pretty much anywhere in the world" or something to that extent.

[scottk]

The Oklahoman makes first mention of Will Rogers "WORLD" airport November 6, 1964 as it mentions the construction of the present main terminal building.

Today, there is a plaque on the east side of the terminal, north wall across from the Delta gates dedicating the original terminal and making mention of an international flight on TWA from OKC to Paris, France I believe. I'm not sure if this was regular service for a time during the 1960's, or just a one-time inaugural trip.

OKC's airport was originally going to be called "Winnie Mae" after the plane Wiley Post used from Oklahoma businessman F.C. Hall. Hall named the plane after his daughter. However, Hall asked that the Winnie Mae name not be used, so the City council settled on "Oklahoma City Municipal Airfield" in 1931.

It appears the airfield was renamed in 1941 to Will Rogers Airfield and was used exclusively by the military during World War II. Around the same time the Mayor's office was receiving name proposals for Airport No 2, north of Bethany, which eventually became Wiley Post Airport.

[mugofbeer]

Winnie Mae World Airport!

[Plutonic Panda]

How realistic would a bar/restaurant with an observation deck be?

[no1cub17]

If there were a restaurant/bar on that observation deck, I'd spend money there just to eat and watch the airplanes.....

I have done exactly that at HND (Tokyo-Haneda) several years ago. Amazing wide open viewing deck with incredible views. I've never seen more 747s in my life.

An observation deck would be really cool. We don't have any widebody traffic but it would still be an awesome feature.