Projects.....

[HFK]

3. Airport.....I know the airport trust has heard it from us numerous times. They're making some progress and I know they've heard our cries.

I'm not sure what your're referring to, as I'm new 'round here, but, as a frequent flyer, I have to say that the remodeled airport is one of the best looking I've seen. Other notable, and new, airports are El Paso and Boise, although I think ours has them beat, particularly in appearance.

However, the screening at our airport is the worst I have seen anywhere: truly pathetic. 50 people in line and only 50% of the machines working, and a bunch of TSA folks just milling about?

My job no longer requres me to fly as much (I was going out once or twice a month). Perhaps things have gotten worse at Will Rogers?

[mranderson]

Yes. It is a nice looking remodel. Although the foyer and some other areas have been expanded in square footage, Will Rogers has not been expanded. This is a major city. The 29th largest city in the United States, 45th largest metro with nearly 1.3 million people. Yet Will Rogers only has 16 or 17 gates. For a city this size, that is WAY too small. We need a minimum of 30, and we really need 50.

For several years, we have been lobbying the airport trust to increase the size of Will Rogers to comply with other cities our size, and to attract an airline as a hub. Salt Lake City is smaller than Oklahoma City and is a hub for Delta. We have the same air service that a city of around 250,000 would have, and no hub... Yet.

In 2003, I had formally announced my plans to run for city council in ward five. I changed my mind because the tax plan for the fair grounds had just been announced and I knew I could not get funding for the MAPS III I want. That includes a twin terminal at Will Rogers entering from SW 104 with a subway connecting the two terminals. This plan is very likely to happen in the mid range future (next five to ten years). Partly because I had a meeting with the incumbant and told him about what I wanted. Plus, with the people from city hall who have been monitoring us for years, we are becoming a sounding board for the improvement of this city. In fact, we call the airport trust the airport DIStrust.

As a result of my meeting with the councilman and the number of pleas we have written, this expansion of the east concourse is about to take place. Plus because if the profit margins are acceptable, an airline will apply for hub status at Will Rogers within the next 18 months. THIS will create need for the twin terminal.

Since we started pressuring the trust, we have seen four new airlines in Oklahoma City. One pulled out because they do not believe in giving a city a fair chance. The others. Allegiant. Flights to Las Vegas. Frontier. Flights to Denver with plans to expand service out of Will Rogers (none yet announced), and starting in May, America West reenters the market (keep an eye on this one). I have heard rumors of others in the planning stages. (no certain airlines)

So, we have made our mark and will continue to do so.

One final note. When flying west, use America West. We need to show them we can make them a big success in Oklahoma City.

[Patrick]

Well said mranderson! Thanks for stepping in and addressing HFK's question/comment!

We have been lobbying Luther Trent and Co. for several years now, pushing for an airport that reflects our population. For a city our size, Will Rogers isn't impressive. I will admit, the new renovation is impressive. But, I think we need to think bigger, and think about all of the possiblities for our city. Based on our location and weather, hub status could be a real possiblity for our airport, if the Airport Trust played their hand of cards right. I firmly believe in the statement: "Build it and they will come."
It has concerned me some that the Airport Trust has questioned building the East Concorse to bring the airport up to a total of 25 gates. Without the East Concourse, the airport will basically be the same size as it was before, only newer. So, basically, the renovation won't have accomplished our goal of having a larger airport.

We need at least 25 gates to even be considered a player in the competitive air market.

In the future, as flights increase, we may even want to shoot for 40 or 50 gates. Only then will we have a real shot at landing some sort of hub or minihub.

America West is coming to OKC and they'll be testing our city. If we pass, a hub might be a real possiblity for expansion of the airline eastward. All they'd have to do is apply for hub status, and obviously the Airport Trust would want to build them their own terminal on the south side of the runways. So, I encourage everyone tot ry to fly America West whenever possible.

[mranderson]

America West has chosen Oklahoma City as the front runner for a hub for two reasons. One. Oklahoma City is the most centrally located major city in the nation. Only one or two major cities on the mainland are more than 1,500 miles away. Most are within 1,200 miles. Therefore, fuel costs would be lower since many flights would not be what they are now... 3,000 miles nearly. From Phoenix to Boston is almost that distance and requires a long range aircraft.

Two. Security. Since the Murrah bombing, Oklahoma City has become one of the safest cities in the nation. Will Rogers has security measures in place that rival or beat even Washington DC. So, the airline feels passengers will be more secure here, even if they must lay over.

The airline is considering as many as 300 flights a day. Maybe not all at once, but gradually building them. This would create an estimated 3,000 jobs due to a maintainace base and possibly a regional call center. This would place Oklahoma City in a premier position to bid for new businesses and relocations, and may trigger the rest of what we need to grow to the potential size we could be.

It is not a sure thing. They need a certain profit margin (not known what it is) for it to fly (pardon the pun). I guess around 200 passengers a day each direction, maybe less. One inbound flight is a true redeye. It lands just after 3:00 AM.

So. If we all fly America West to the west coast cities, then we have a true shot at solving about 90% of our airline problems. It is not a luxury airline. They offer low prices and nice planes (except for the regional jets that are all too small). Airfare to Sacramento is less than $300 round trip.

I got a lot of this information on the inside. So, it may be accurate... And we helped.