Will Rogers World Airport

[gopokes88]

[stile99]

But you don't understand! If you just beat it harder, it's sure to wake up!

[cjohnson.405]

Josh’s responses appear to be from the viewpoint of WRWA doing it themselves and not outsourcing. Hoping I threw a new horse in the race.

[shawnw]

If you just beat it harder, it's sure to wake up!

That's what she said?

[gopokes88]

Josh’s responses appear to be from the viewpoint of WRWA doing it themselves and not outsourcing. Hoping I threw a new horse in the race.

You didn’t.

Why in the world do you think a private outsourced company would want to do it? The airport at least has some other revenues they could try to carry it, and if they have some losses no big deal. A valet company assumes all risk, has a single stream of revenue on a product that hasn’t been tried, in a state that is generally pretty full of people who live cheap, and with the competition of Uber. If you really want that drop my car at the curb experience, just call an Uber.

There’s not a reputable valet company in the state that would touch that.

[cjohnson.405]

You didn’t.

Why in the world do you think a private outsourced company would want to do it? The airport at least has some other revenues they could try to carry it, and if they have some losses no big deal. A valet company assumes all risk, has a single stream of revenue on a product that hasn’t been tried, in a state that is generally pretty full of people who live cheap, and with the competition of Uber. If you really want that drop my car at the curb experience, just call an Uber.

There’s not a reputable valet company in the state that would touch that.

Perhaps you missed my response where I noted that USAPARK already does this for other airports, hotels, etc. And, they're right down the street.

[HOT ROD]

I think WAY MORE people would use valet if available than people on here thinks and it is due to the design of the airport itself in that there really isn't a drop off point that doesn't tie up traffic behind. Most major airports have curbside loading/unloading with numerous lanes to circulate but at WRWA that's not the case. Also, other airports have valet and/or easy connect/close parking where you could park for 30-minutes to offload for a 'cheaper' price; I didn't recall that at WRWA.

I travel for business (not as often as years past) but don't really go to OKC so I wouldn't be THAT customer but I could totally see a valet benefiting OKC business residents. For me as an OKC visitor - I moreso travel with a youngster and while we no longer have the car-seat, stroller, and such just for him - you can imagine a young city like OKC having the BULK of it's customer base as vacation and family visits, that the constraints of the airport I listed would make an 'offer' of valet or 'close/fast unload not only a viable commodity but also a near requirement.

Speaking from experience, the last time we were in OKC with the little one (he was 3 then), we had his car seat and two luggage. Departure out of WRWA, I dropped them off and while I was unloading the big items - a police officer told me I couldn't unload and had to move on. MY WIFE HAD TO MOVE EVERYTHING INTO THE AIRPORT BY HERSELF AND!!!! watch the toddler!!! ... Either he was mistated or I think WRWA is not constructed to have a proper drop off, more like a kiss-n-go operation. Our only other option was to return the rental car and haul everything into and out of the shuttle and then over into the terminal (also not a good option!!). It would have been very nice to have a valet or 'premium/families quick park area' I could have gone to 'store' my rental car for a few minutes while I brought everything inside the terminal. .....

As you can see, this does not work with families (with infant/toddler equipment especially) nor business travelers who would/could pay for the premium. I strongly support cjohnson's idea for USAPARK if WRWA doesn't want to take on another line of business; again - the way the airport is designed and considering it's core business clientele this should be a no brainer and might even create a new revenue stream. ....

[dcsooner]

OKC to DC Reagan is a Big Deal! Thank you SWA, Much easier than Dulles or Baltimore

[PaddyShack]

I think WAY MORE people would use valet if available than people on here thinks and it is due to the design of the airport itself in that there really isn't a drop off point that doesn't tie up traffic behind. Most major airports have curbside loading/unloading with numerous lanes to circulate but at WRWA that's not the case. Also, other airports have valet and/or easy connect/close parking where you could park for 30-minutes to offload for a 'cheaper' price; I didn't recall that at WRWA.

I travel for business (not as often as years past) but don't really go to OKC so I wouldn't be THAT customer but I could totally see a valet benefiting OKC business residents. For me as an OKC visitor - I moreso travel with a youngster and while we no longer have the car-seat, stroller, and such just for him - you can imagine a young city like OKC having the BULK of it's customer base as vacation and family visits, that the constraints of the airport I listed would make an 'offer' of valet or 'close/fast unload not only a viable commodity but also a near requirement.

Speaking from experience, the last time we were in OKC with the little one (he was 3 then), we had his car seat and two luggage. Departure out of WRWA, I dropped them off and while I was unloading the big items - a police officer told me I couldn't unload and had to move on. MY WIFE HAD TO MOVE EVERYTHING INTO THE AIRPORT BY HERSELF AND!!!! watch the toddler!!! ... Either he was mistated or I think WRWA is not constructed to have a proper drop off, more like a kiss-n-go operation. Our only other option was to return the rental car and haul everything into and out of the shuttle and then over into the terminal (also not a good option!!). It would have been very nice to have a valet or 'premium/families quick park area' I could have gone to 'store' my rental car for a few minutes while I brought everything inside the terminal. .....

As you can see, this does not work with families (with infant/toddler equipment especially) nor business travelers who would/could pay for the premium. I strongly support cjohnson's idea for USAPARK if WRWA doesn't want to take on another line of business; again - the way the airport is designed and considering it's core business clientele this should be a no brainer and might even create a new revenue stream. ....

Where would the Valet booth be though, the upper deck is not very long and add in the barrage of vehicles that attack each airlines booth for peak flight times, it gets messy up there. I wouldn't think it all that easier if the valet booth was mixed in with the shuttles, one still would have to walk from basically the garage and up stairs to the ticket counter. Might as well yourself if that was the case.

P.S. I am not against Valet service, just wondering where it could be located and not hurt or block normal traffic patterns in place.

[cjohnson.405]

Where would the Valet booth be though, the upper deck is not very long and add in the barrage of vehicles that attack each airlines booth for peak flight times, it gets messy up there. I wouldn't think it all that easier if the valet booth was mixed in with the shuttles, one still would have to walk from basically the garage and up stairs to the ticket counter. Might as well yourself if that was the case.

P.S. I am not against Valet service, just wondering where it could be located and not hurt or block normal traffic patterns in place.

I was thinking at the very beginning of the drop off space. That area is usually free even in the morning rush.

[brianinok]

I flew through JAX this past week. As good as WRWA is, JAX is great for not that many more passengers. If we have 4 million passengers, they have 5.5 million. That's not a HUGE difference. They were at 5.2 in 2012, so their growth doesn't seem as fast as ours right now. We could get close to them in a few years, BUT here is what that extra 1.5 million gets you in terms of service:

6 TSA lanes open in the middle of the day, including 2 for TSA pre-check
Valet parking
3 Starbucks
A Brooks Brothers store
A PGA Tour store
A PGA Tour restaurant
A Chili's
At least a couple other local sit down restaurants
A food court with multiple options
Vino Volo

[catch22]

When I flew out Saturday morning the airport was packed. I think our concourses and gate lounges might not be adequate for another million passengers per year.

[PhiAlpha]

When I flew out Saturday morning the airport was packed. I think our concourses and gate lounges might not be adequate for another million passengers per year.

Even with the expansion?

[ditm4567]

When I flew out Saturday morning the airport was packed. I think our concourses and gate lounges might not be adequate for another million passengers per year.

Flew in at about 11:00 p.m. Saturday night and the airport was pretty crowded (for this time of night). Four baggage claim belts were all still full of incoming passengers.

[jonny d]

Even with the expansion?

When is the expansion supposed to start? By the time it does, it won't be enough.

[catch22]

Even with the expansion?

I mean the number of gates will be enough, but imagine if United and American upgauge to even more mainline flights, a reasonable assumption with another 25% increase in pax. The west concourse is narrow, only has one set of small bathrooms, dining options limited, and the gate lounges barely hold enough space for the 76 seaters.

[OkiePoke]

What are the future plans to expand the security area?

[Laramie]

Oklahoma City needs to address the concerns of a WRWA with plans for future expansion, renovation & upgrades. We have the space (8,100 acres) to expand with plans for parking, gates & terminals--nothing less than $2 billion in future growth over the next 10 years.

Right now, OKC barely touches the growth need for WRWA; OKC should be in a position to draw passengers via auto or air from Tulsa & Wichita. We should be the mini-hub for our 2 peer cities.

Wichita to WRWA 153 miles
Wichita to Kansas City Airport 173 miles

Tulsa to WRWA 101 miles
Tulsa to Kansas City Airport 216 miles

We need to invest in WRWA much like Raleigh-Durham & Salt Lake City:

Raleigh-Durham FAA approves $3 billion expansion and upgrades to RDU: http://www.cbs17.com/news/faa-approv...326/1036244679

Salt Lake airport's 'once-in-a-lifetime' redesign now approaching $3.6 billion: https://www.deseretnews.com/article/...6-billion.html

[PhiAlpha]

When is the expansion supposed to start? By the time it does, it won't be enough.

It has started.

[jonny d]

Oklahoma City needs to address the concerns of a WRWA with plans for future expansion, renovation & upgrades. We have the space (8,100 acres) to expand with plans for parking, gates & terminals--nothing less than $2 billion in future growth over the next 10 years.

Right now, OKC barely touches the growth need for WRWA; OKC should be in a position to draw passengers via auto or air from Tulsa & Wichita. We should be the mini-hub for our 2 peer cities.

Wichita to WRWA 153 miles
Wichita to Kansas City Airport 173 miles

Tulsa to WRWA 101 miles
Tulsa to Kansas City Airport 216 miles

We need to invest in WRWA much like Raleigh-Durham & Salt Lake City:

Raleigh-Durham FAA approves $3 billion expansion and upgrades to RDU: http://www.cbs17.com/news/faa-approv...326/1036244679

Salt Lake airport's 'once-in-a-lifetime' redesign now approaching $3.6 billion: https://www.deseretnews.com/article/...6-billion.html

Are you really wanting a semi-poor state to spend $2 billion on an "if you build it, they will come" hunch?

[Laramie]

Are you really wanting a semi-poor state to spend $2 billion on an "if you build it, they will come" hunch?

Semi-poor state--save that for another argument. Lately, OKC has made substantial investments thru MAPS that have increased tourism. If we had built the Chesapeake Energy Arena in 1984, the NFR might still be in OKC's portfolio. Instead we built the 15,000-seat Myriad in 1973 which we out grew the year it opened--too bad we didn't have the vision to build something larger.

Poor thinking mentality doesn't allow us to exercise our potential. A substantial and well planned investment in WRWA may be the great obstacle to the future of our growth. You want growth; air travel (passenger & cargo) will be on the radar of many corporate giants.

There's no comparison between a $2 billion airport expansion vs. a $200 million arena. My point, we need to build for the future--they will come.

[jonny d]

Semi-poor state--save that for another argument. Lately, OKC has made substantial investments thru MAPS that have increased tourism. If we had built the Chesapeake Energy Arena in 1984, the NFR might still be in OKC's portfolio. Instead we built the 15,000-seat Myriad in 1973 which we out grew the year it opened--too bad we didn't have the vision to build something larger.

Poor thinking mentality doesn't allow us to exercise our potential. A substantial and well planned investment in WRWA may be the great obstacle to the future of our growth. You want growth; air travel (passenger & cargo) will be on the radar of many corporate giants.

There's no comparison between a $2 billion airport expansion vs. a $200 million arena. My point, we need to build for the future--they will come.

I agree with you that OKC needs to build out its airport. I just want them to be smart about it. I would, ideally, love for OKC to have a commitment from a "corporate giant" before building airport space we may never grow in to.

[OUman]

Didn't someone post a "beating a dead horse" meme up on this page somewhere? Yeah...

[HOT ROD]

Semi-poor state--save that for another argument. Lately, OKC has made substantial investments thru MAPS that have increased tourism. If we had built the Chesapeake Energy Arena in 1984, the NFR might still be in OKC's portfolio. Instead we built the 15,000-seat Myriad in 1973 which we out grew the year it opened--too bad we didn't have the vision to build something larger.

Poor thinking mentality doesn't allow us to exercise our potential. A substantial and well planned investment in WRWA may be the great obstacle to the future of our growth. You want growth; air travel (passenger & cargo) will be on the radar of many corporate giants.

There's no comparison between a $2 billion airport expansion vs. a $200 million arena. My point, we need to build for the future--they will come.

From the posts the past few days, looks like They're already coming!!!

To me, looks like OKC might have waited too long for this 'expansion' and other common sense services mentioned countless on this thread that are not available here. Dallas took a chance years ago and look at it's growth; OKC can now capitalize on overgrowth but relative proximity to DFW, along with OKC being naturally, centrally located and having a burgeoning renaissance in many corporate sectors to become the Charlotte of the plains!

and don't we already have a major commitment from a major international financial processor that will open it's North American hq in Auto Alley adding 500+ corporate jobs? That's a huge start.

[gopokes88]

Didn't someone post a "beating a dead horse" meme up on this page somewhere? Yeah...

More like beating a dead horse thread