Will Rogers World Airport

[bombermwc]

The longest airport walk I’ve had by a lot is Salt Lake City’s new redesigned airport. It was a 20+ minute brisk walk from gate to exit.

AGREED! I thought i was going to be annoyed by the OKC tunnel being closed, but that walk from B terminal to rental cars in SLC is about 5 times as long and that's just indoor walking. SLC definitely didn't design their terminals with logic in terms of walkability. Oh, and SLC still has gates where you RIDE THE BUS!!!!! Now that SLC airport is incredibly busy too. For a city about the same size as OKC, they have 10 times the air traffic.

Every time I go to another airport, I am thankful that the OKC airport works as well as it does. Yes, it's small, but it's also fast and convenient. And I dont feel like I want to stab myself in the eye because of lines.

Not fully related, but the TSA agents I've interacted with at various airports seem to be more polite about how they do their job now. Yes they have to be forceful with the occasional idiot that doesn't understand what "take your laptop out of the bag" or "empty ALL contents of your pockets" means, but in general most of them seem to be happier about doing their job now. Or have I just been lucky?

[runOKC]

The longest airport walk I’ve had by a lot is Salt Lake City’s new redesigned airport. It was a 20+ minute brisk walk from gate to exit.

Dude. I thought it would NEVER END.

[catch22]

AGREED! I thought i was going to be annoyed by the OKC tunnel being closed, but that walk from B terminal to rental cars in SLC is about 5 times as long and that's just indoor walking. SLC definitely didn't design their terminals with logic in terms of walkability. Oh, and SLC still has gates where you RIDE THE BUS!!!!! Now that SLC airport is incredibly busy too. For a city about the same size as OKC, they have 10 times the air traffic.

Every time I go to another airport, I am thankful that the OKC airport works as well as it does. Yes, it's small, but it's also fast and convenient. And I dont feel like I want to stab myself in the eye because of lines.

Not fully related, but the TSA agents I've interacted with at various airports seem to be more polite about how they do their job now. Yes they have to be forceful with the occasional idiot that doesn't understand what "take your laptop out of the bag" or "empty ALL contents of your pockets" means, but in general most of them seem to be happier about doing their job now. Or have I just been lucky?

I think what you are seeing is a result of the TSA being 20 years old now. The initial hiring wave of agents was gung-ho and riding the post-9/11 high of patriotism which resulted in the TSA becoming quite the egotistical agency. Over time people have quit, retired, been fired, moved up to office jobs, or have mellowed out. Many of the replacements now have no first hand knowledge of 9/11, and in some cases were not even alive. Add in the fact of poor public perception of the agency as a glorified rent-a-cop firm; and you really start driving the egos down.

I too have noticed they have become more friendly over the past few years. I guess putting help-wanted ads on the inside of pizza boxes found the right mix of people to hire.

Thousands Standing Around

[Urbanized]

https://kfor.com/news/great-state/a-...rs-walk-on-it/

[HOT ROD]

Those people can easily request assistance in getting to the gates or changing gates. There is no need for them to walk if it's a problem for them.

I wish this were true when I had a toddler a few years back but alas - I couldn't request assistance for anything let alone walking through the terminal. However, I do believe most airports do have a service for the blind and handicapped, families/toddlers = no.

[unfundedrick]

I wish this were true when I had a toddler a few years back but alas - I couldn't request assistance for anything let alone walking through the terminal. However, I do believe most airports do have a service for the blind and handicapped, families/toddlers = no.

It's true that they don't provide assistance for travelers with children unless the children are traveling alone, but that's basically what you face anywhere you go with children. Nobody ever said having children was easy. LOL. But all airlines and airports provide that service for people with true physical reasons why they need help. I do think many people abuse that service but that's another story.

[whatitis]

The longest airport walk I’ve had by a lot is Salt Lake City’s new redesigned airport. It was a 20+ minute brisk walk from gate to exit.

for me it was Dulles. Wife, kids and I landed from Athens just 3 weeks ago. and we were at E1 and our connection was D22. it felt like over a mile. especially with 2 kids (5 and 7) they were tuckered out by the time we got to our gate.

[Zuplar]

Worst airport I've been to is Charlotte. I remember it being really spread out and our connecting flight was on the other end. Even utilizing people movers it took some time to get to the other side and barely made our connecting flight.

[chssooner]

O'Hare is massive, and my flight from Hartford to ORD landed 10 minutes early, and I still missed my flight to OKC because of construction (and its sheer size). By far the worst, for me.

[TheTravellers]

O'Hare is massive, and my flight from Hartford to ORD landed 10 minutes early, and I still missed my flight to OKC because of construction (and its sheer size). By far the worst, for me.

Yeah, was going to say O'Hare, we've had to walk many times to/from a gate at the end and it takes an incredible amount of time.

[HOT ROD]

Luckily O'Hare is modernizing to reduce these types of experiences.

[TheTravellers]

Luckily O'Hare is modernizing to reduce these types of experiences.

Good to hear, although I'm hoping to never set foot in it again, lol...

[bombermwc]

Midway is the way in CHI

[FighttheGoodFight]

Midway is the way in CHI

Last time I was in Midway they didn't have actual lines for going through security. It was a giant herd to the gate. It was a strange experience. I think it was under construction but I couldn't tell.

[TheTravellers]

Last time I was in Midway they didn't have actual lines for going through security. It was a giant herd to the gate. It was a strange experience. I think it was under construction but I couldn't tell.

Yep, agree with bombermwc, waaaaaaaaaaay better than O'Hare. And we came back through Midway in Feb and again in Aug, there weren't really enough people for lines, so it was kind of a herd until you got close to the first screening point, but it was a small herd of about 20 people. We were there on a Sun afternoon, so other times may be more hellacious and they'd have the line "ropes" up (they are there, just weren't used).

[Paule4ou]

Exactly 1/4 mile from new security to the west end.

[d-usa]

That’s from one end of Quail Springs to the other, or one trip back and forth at Walmart.

[Rover]

Not sure I understand trying to compare an airport with a mall or store. The challenges in each and The user's needs are very different.

[catch22]

Fair comparison of walking distances for what many feel is acceptable. I don’t think any argued their functions are even remotely similar. No problem walking a mile at the fair for a funnel cake while carrying a bag full of cinnamon rolls and oversized stuffed animals;, but 800 feet at the airport is too much of a burden.

[Rover]

Fair comparison of walking distances for what many feel is acceptable. I don’t think any argued their functions are even remotely similar. No problem walking a mile at the fair for a funnel cake while carrying a bag full of cinnamon rolls and oversized stuffed animals;, but 800 feet at the airport is too much of a burden.

Pulling bags, watching the children, time constraints with hard deadlines, a diversity of ages and physical conditions, etc., all make the airport requirements much different. Would much rather you guys just call out all people as lazy than trying to equate things that aren't the same.

[catch22]

Airport by and large are not very convenient to traverse just due to the fact that airplane wings can only park so close together. But that doesn’t change the distances. People complain about the distances at the airport but have no qualms over similar distances in other parts of daily life. That’s not calling anyone lazy.

[d-usa]

Handling kids at the fair, or a busy store, is similar to an airport. As is having to navigate all three places while being restricted in your mobility. I’m not trying to argue that people complaining about our airport distances are lazy, or that our distances are necessarily “good”, I’m just comparing and pointing out that, for better or worse, they are not “unusual” compared to other frequently visited places in the metro.

Sometimes it also helps to compare a number with something people can easily picture. Saying 1/4 mile might not mean much to someone, but saying “it’s a walk through Quail Springs” or “It’s a walk from one end to Walmart to the other and back” is giving most people something they have experienced to for comparison.

That’s all.

[Plutonic Panda]

Lol at people complaining about walking distance in airports. I guess when I get older it’ll bother me more but now I couldn’t care less and I actually enjoy it.

[PoliSciGuy]

After having to take subways between terminals in Sea-Tac and Denver and Atlanta and walking entirely too far between terminals in Detroit and Minneapolis, these complaints about OKC's airport being too big fall a bit flat. As an aviation nerd with family in the Pacific NW, I love that OKC is growing and the airport is growing along with it. Hopefully Alaska adds a PDX route, and OKC even snags an international route in the future.

[HOT ROD]

Exactly 1/4 mile from new security to the west end.

thank you!

add in the E extension and we're probably to 1/3 mile. fully build out the extension concourse and we're at 1/2 mile. Not bad!