Up to date airport pics

[Patrick]

Here are the latest pics of development going on on the cener main terminal expansion at the airport.

[HOT ROD]

I personally dont care how modern and large the main terminal is (ok I do but) the expansion was to build TWO new concourses to replace the two old ones.

I dont understand why they could not build the concourse, but shell-in the JETWAYS later, as airline demand saw fit. Building a concourse is a much greater undertaking than installing a Jetway (aka gate ramp but in the industry it is called a Jetway as ramp is the tarmac where the planes pull-in approaching and parking at the terminal - aka airside in the industry).

anyways, I just dont understand OKC some times. Why do we have to do things so small-time all-of-the-time? We just won those major sports events just two years from now. Wouldn't it be nice to have a completed airport by then? (or better yet, another expansion called Phase IV where the West and East are augmented by a Centre concourse being constructed)?

I just dont understand why no one is holding Trent and the gang accountable about this. They are truly selling OKC short, but that does not surprise me as it seems to be common - Lund's BIG announcement that we are almost major league, an IHOP moving into the number 1 tourist attraction in the state, and the airport skimming development because the airport director does not want to get off his A** and get airlines into that terminal!

Excuse my french but I think this is a load of crap and I dont want to keep moving three steps forward with renaissance but two steps back with that fiscal conservative crap. Get somebody in there who 1) is not afraid [or stupid] to go after federal matching dollars for airport infrastructure 2) is committed to expanding OKC's airline market 3) is committed to building a world class facility on time.

At this juncture, who cares about budget? Tax funds were not supposed to be used anyways! so did we take that much of a hit in air travel from 911? Trent said we did not, but we must have since they dont want to complete the project. that is the only logical excuse I could think of to justify these steps taken by Trent and Karen. Otherwise, they need to be replaced by someone with some vision, guts, and responsibility!

[Patrick]

I agree, let's build the east concourse. If we don't have the jet traffic to use it right now, maybe we can lease it out as banquet space or something for Proms, wedding receptions, group meetings, etc...I'm sure that aiport floor would be lovely for dancing!!! At least we'd have the space available to use as a selling piece to try to lure more airlines to our city.

Luther Trent just doesn't get it. He's got the money to build the east concourse...why not just go ahead and do it.

They claim that the east concourse WILL be built, so don't get the impression that they've given up on it. It just appears that they're gonig to delay buidling it for awhile. A big mistake in my opinion. Heck, if we started on that new concouse now, it would be ready in time for the state centennial. What a shame!

[Nuclear_2525]

The reason they won't just go ahead and build it is because there is not the demand there. Sure, it sounds great to just go ahead and build something, but if it is not going to get an use, then after the money is spent and it is built, who and what is going to pay to keep up the completely unused terminal. I can't even imagine what it would cost to keep the thing looking nice...and they would be doing it for absolultely no reason...no one would ever see it. I think for now, it is best that they hold on to the money, and wait for the demand.

[okcstylez]

Ya it prolly was a risky debate with em whether or not to go ahead on and build it right away. Its to Early in the stages right now to really imagine if it would be neccisary in the near future. I hope they Build it soon enough before they need it so it can fit right in with the scheduling and before they use all the money needed for it on something else.

[Patrick]

The problem with our city though is that they always build things long after they actually need to. When the Centennial comes and all of these people come through our small airport, the media is going to show the mass chaos, and someone is going to say.....hmmm, wish we would've built that east concourse afterall. By that time it will be too late.
25 gates is not that many. I could see a good excuse against building a new 40 gate facility or something, but not 25 gates.

Like I said, even if they didn't use the entire facility right now, they could use it for other things. We could use a few more banquet facilities and ballrooms in town. Lease it out for proms and the like!

You know, we built the Ford Center without really having a major tenant for it, and it seems to be doing just fine. If anything, all of the concerts that have come as a result of us building it, have paid to keep it up.

[HOT ROD]

Patrick: 25 gates is not that many. I could see a good excuse against building a new 40 gate factility or something, but not 25 gates.

Especially when airlines currently have to share gates at the West Concourse. We have 16 airlines but only (soon to have) 13 gates? That is less than the 16 we had with twin concourses!

How could we possibly encourage growth at our airport if we build it up just to the brink of supporting what we currently have. This is why I say someone in that nice, new airport office needs to have their head rolled. In fact, roll them all and bring in new, frest blood.

Maybe then we could think into the future and build the airport that was promised. And nuclear, it does not cost anything extra to maintain the additional concourse. Airlines would be there to use it, so they would pay fees which would be used to maintain the facility, just like they do now.

But now they double and triple up at gates! Perhaps this is a cost-saving method but it makes it very difficult to expand the OKC airline market if we ahve 13 gates with 16+ airlines doubling and tripling up on.

If we built the East Concourse and expansion, we could install 6 jetways initially and shell in the other 6 later as demand sought (remember, jetways are the ramps to load people directly onto the airplane from the terminal gate).

then we have no doubling up and even encourage the airlines to increase service. Possibly we could encourage additional passenger traffic due to the expanded capacity at the terminal and hopefully expanded airline service the combo effect could bring.

I say we drop the hub search, as airlines are moving away from that anyways. We should go after point-to-point service like we have with the New York, Detroit, MSP, and LA flights. Sure, these are using regional jets currently but hey at least we have the flights!

Another thing I think we are missing out on, is the new wave soon to approach the aviation industry - the Airbus A380 SuperJumbo. Currently, our runways can accomodate up to a 747 - and we regularly see service from MD-11s and DC-10s. Well, the Airbus needs a 200 ft wide runway, but all of ours are 150. We should not feel bad about this because most airports in the US have 150 ft wide runways; but we could have jumped at the opp to service that airplane and built at least one runway that was 200 ft wide.

Tulsa already has their main runway at 200 ft wide and 13,000 ft long; well wide and long enough to service the Airbus. We should have jumped at that, when WRWA was lengthening the runways back in the late 1990s; it would have possibly given us our first true international service!

[Patrick]

Well said Hot Rod! I couldn't have said it better myself!

[okcpulse]

If I were mayor of Oklahoma City, I would walk into Luther Trent's office and say "build the east concourse, or you're fired. As a matter of fact, I'll fire your now so we can sooner get started."

We all need to mount a heavy letter-writing campaign to the mayor or even Trent himself and voice our dissatisfaction over his ill-informed decisions. I'm not kidding when I say our airport will have big problems accomodating travelers for 2006 and 2007 if service is not adequate! It will happen.

[Nuclear_2525]

OKC built the Ford Center without having a major tenant...BUT, OKC has a metro area well over 1 mill and there wasn't a previous venue that could support the needs of the people. It's like when a dog has been starved, as soon as it can get some food, it engulfs that food. Thats how it was for the Ford Center, people were starved for major entertainment, so thats why the Ford Center has done so well. The airport is a different case. First off, I know if I was having a banquet, and I could choose say between a Bricktown hotel, with things to do all around and some visual relief, or I could choose an all glass building in a sea of asphalt with no visual relief, I think I would choose Bricktown. There is no way the city could successfully pull off building an extra terminal for Banquets. Second, why would OKC want to take the chance of building an extra terminal, whe airlines are currently leaving the current terminals? Third and final...Maybe I am completely wrong with this, but I really can't see masses and masses of people and tons of chaos when the state centennial rolls around. I know I couldn't care less when Texas or Arkansas or any other state is having their centennial...what makes ours so special?

[Patrick]

I think we're kind of missing the point here. Forget the banquet concept and let's just talk airport for a minute, because OKC CAN support 25 gates.

1. Without the East Concourse, the new airport will actually be smaller than the old one. What was the point in spending all of that money if we weren't going to make the airport a little bigger.

2. With the new West Concourse and the old concourse that still exists, we actually currently have 20 gates in operation....11 in the new concourse and 8 in the old one.
Even with 19 gates, currently airlines are still having to share gates. After the main terminal expansion is complete, the airport will be brought up to about 14 or 15 gates, as the old concourse will be demolished.

We have airlines currently sharing gates. Why not give each airline their own gate. Boy, we're so backwards around here.

3. Airlines aren't currently leaving the terminals. If anything, the airport trust is about to bring in quite a few new discount airlines.


I guess my main point...We're currently being overwhelmed with about 20 gates in operation. This shows me that we can easily support 25 gates. If not 25, at least we can bring the number back up to what we had when we first started this mess.

[HOT ROD]

Could not have said that better myself!

We had 16 gates, now we have less 11? and our existing slate of airlines are doubling and tripling up in our new gates.

We were promised a terminal that was almost 600,000 sq feet, containing two new redesigned concourses and expansion to the main terminal which would add gates creating a continuous flow of gates between the two concourses.

What changed? They had been bragging that they did not need to use Federal dollars so why didnt they finish! They had bragged that WRWA did not really feel the impact from 911 felt by other airports so why do we not need the 16 gates we had before?

We could build the airport per the promise given to us and have 16 gates. We could shell in the others as new airlines enter the market. Then OKC could charge airlines individually for gate fees (instead of the lumped sharing arrangement of today) [more revenue] and the airport would be finished and ready for immediate entry to the market as it demanded [instead of having to wait for the construction of the concourse].

floater, you are right, we need to mass email the mayor about this. Luther sold OKC out again! He and Karen should be fired and banned from any municipal activities in the state. Hire a true project manager to deliver the project under budget and on-time. Furthermore, go after federal airport improvement funds and expand the airport further - and go after an airline or two for a hub.

Now that would be Renaissance at the Airport - much needed!

[HOT ROD]

Opps, I said floater, I meant OKCpulse - but I am sure floater would have agreed with OKCpulse anyways! :-)

[Patrick]

You're right on Hot Rod. Actually, like I said though, since the old concourse is still currently in use, we're actually operating with 20 gates. And we're still having to double up airlines. Once the new center terminal opens with 3-4 more gates and the final old concourse will be demolished, we will be down to the number you mentioned. I know we don't have that much airport traffic, but with a city our size, I don't know how we can survive with an airport with 13 or 14 gates.

[okcpulse]

Well, nuclear252, it's not only the state centennial happening that year. Yes, there will be and influx of travelers, but add that to the Big 12 as well as other events planned for 2007. It will just make the airport more congested... something we were trying to get away from in the first place with Oklahoma City's old terminal. Not saying millions of travelers are going to hit the airport, but based on projected growth, plus inbound passengers in 2007, we're back to square one like we were with the old terminal. Well, at least the new terminal will give out-of-state travelers a better impression.

Also, until now Tulsa had the largest terminal in the state, but less travelers per year than Oklahoma City. Even though flights are being cut, who knows what will happen in the future. Oklahoma City in unpredictale like that. You think nothing is going to happen for a long time here... then suddenly it hits home with a vengeance. That's one of the many reasons I love this city.

BTW, what makes our centennial so special? Oklahoma is one of the last four centennials to be celebrated in the nation. Arizona's centennial is 2012, and Alaska and Hawaii's are in 2059. Texas and Arkansas? They celebrated theirs before most of our parents were born.... in the 1940's, respectively. Because of this, Oklahoma is putting more effort into a national spotlight.

[mranderson]

Quite by accident, I drove thru the arrival drive at WIll Rogers earlier today. It DOES look good. However, not on a big enough scale.

I will play Devil's advocate. Unless they changed the process, John Wayne Orange County Airport (until Bob Hope-Burbank was renamed for Mr. Hope, only the second major airport to be named in memory of an actor. Well technically Regan National was ahead of Hope) Has 16 gates. They are patterned similar to what Will Rogers is apparantly doing. They DO share gates. No airline has a permanant gate assignment. They sign changes to suit the next arriving airline.

It DOES work. If Oklahoma City is getting several new airlines, we may have out grown this method before it starts.

Either way. Remember "Field of Dreams." "Build it, and they will come." Funny. The Airport distrust seems to have fogotten that one. Along with the Boy Scout motto, "always be prepared."

[HOT ROD]

exactly my point, per Mr Anderson! :-)