Consolidated Rental Car Facility

[jbrown84]

SkyWest, how quickly are they planning to start the east concourse? I thought that was on hold.

[SkyWestOKC]

I think it is on hold. But it is not off the table, I think they are still waiting on a design to be presented to the Trust. After that, various contractors will bid on the job, then the winning bidder will be in charge of constructing it. I'd say it will be 2011 before anything happens with it. The work that has to be done first is move Belly Cargo. It will move north a few hundred feet and rotated to an angle parallel the terminal building/concourse as depicted in my picture.

The loss of Employee Parking will use some of the overflow lots from what I am hearing.

[UnFrSaKn]

Been meaning to pass this along.

PGAL: Will Rogers World Airport (OKC) Consolidated Rental Car Facility (ConRAC)

[Just the facts]

38 acres surface lot and a short 1.6 mile bus ride.... Only in OKC does any of that make sense. Do they actually believe their own stuff that they write?

Desire for a high level of customer service and a positive customer experience has led to development of planning models that minimize land area usage and impact on the environment while maximizing efficiency and security of the overall rental car operations.

If they wanted to waste space and minimize efficiency what would they do differently? With a nearly 4 mile round trip plus stopping to drop and pick up passengers how long will a person have to wait until the next bus comes by?

[catch22]

I believe the airport has said 10-15 minute headways.

[Pete]

As I've stated many times, I hate this idea.

It's yet another way to tax those without representation. This will be paid for with increased rental car fees which are shouldered by people in no position to influence the decision.

The add-on rental car fees at WRWA are already outrageous. These are the fees associated with a weekly rental I am booking for February:

247.49 PER WEEK RENTAL FEE 247.49
10.89 PCT APT CONC RECOV FEE 26.95
4.50 PER DAY FACILITY CHARGE 31.50
14.38 PCT STATE TAX 43.98
Total = $349.92

And here they are for Los Angeles International:

254.04 PER WEEK RENTAL FEE 254.04
LOS ANGELES WORLD AIRPORT FEE 10 10.00
AIRPORT CONCESSION FEE 11.10 PCT 28.20
TRAVEL AND TOURISM FEE 3.50 PCT 8.89
STATE SALES TAX 9.75 PCT 27.52
Total = $328.65



Plus, I absolutely loathe having to lug my crap onto a shuttle bus, be driven miles away and then get dumped into a facility where everyone arrives in one big group, creating a gotta-jump-off-the-bus-and-beat-everyone-else hassle. And then ultimately, getting stuck in line because the people come in clusters rather than trickling in naturally.

Once this is implemented, I will visit OKC less. I bet others will as well.

[LakeEffect]

38 acres surface lot and a short 1.6 mile bus ride.... Only in OKC does any of that make sense. Do they actually believe their own stuff that they write?



If they wanted to waste space and minimize efficiency what would they do differently? With a nearly 4 mile round trip plus stopping to drop and pick up passengers how long will a person have to wait until the next bus comes by?

I've been to other airports with much longer rides for off-site car rental. Not a big deal.

[Pete]

I've been to other airports with much longer rides for off-site car rental. Not a big deal.

With all due respect, it's not a big deal because it won't affect you.

I am not aware of another airport of OKC's size that has such a massive off-site rental car facility. I can think of many larger airports that do not have this.


Also, why is this suddenly needed? We've added tons of parking structures and airport traffic hasn't exactly sky-rocketed over the last several years. Haven't we been flat for a while?

[BoulderSooner]

I've been to other airports with much longer rides for off-site car rental. Not a big deal.

i agree

[BoulderSooner]

With all due respect, it's not a big deal because it won't affect you.

I am not aware of another airport of OKC's size that has such a massive off-site rental car facility. I can think of many larger airports that do not have this.


Also, why is this suddenly needed? We've added tons of parking structures and airport traffic hasn't exactly sky-rocketed over the last several years. Haven't we been flat for a while?

sky harbour in PHX

[BoulderSooner]

38 acres surface lot and a short 1.6 mile bus ride.... Only in OKC does any of that make sense. Do they actually believe their own stuff that they write?



If they wanted to waste space and minimize efficiency what would they do differently? With a nearly 4 mile round trip plus stopping to drop and pick up passengers how long will a person have to wait until the next bus comes by?

how is 3.2 nearly 4?

[catch22]

With all due respect, it's not a big deal because it won't affect you.

I am not aware of another airport of OKC's size that has such a massive off-site rental car facility. I can think of many larger airports that do not have this.


Also, why is this suddenly needed? We've added tons of parking structures and airport traffic hasn't exactly sky-rocketed over the last several years. Haven't we been flat for a while?

As slow as the airport works on things... This could still very well be 5 years away....

[Just the facts]

how is 3.2 nearly 4?

I used 'wife' math.

[Pete]

BTW, OKC is the 66th largest U.S. airport in terms of enplanements.

Smaller than Omaha, Warwick, Reno, Tuscon and Burbank.

Not much larger than Spokane, Boise, Norfolk and Long Beach.


And yet we need a massive, off-site rental car facility??

[catch22]

BTW, OKC is the 66th largest U.S. airport in terms of enplanements.

Smaller than Omaha, Warwick, Reno, Tuscon and Burbank.

Not much larger than Spokane, Boise, Norfolk and Long Beach.


And yet we need a massive, off-site rental car facility??

Oh, but Pete, we're a major-big league city now!

[Pete]

Also, from 2001 to 2011 enplanements at WRWA have increased less than 4%!

From 2005, they are actually down.


Where is the need??

[catch22]

I think it's more of a long term issue they are planning for. Moving rental cars offsite will allow certain things to move around to allow for a terminal expansion when the need arises.

They are moving the cargo building (attached to the concourse) where the current employee lot is, and they will leventually move the employee lot to where the old rental car facility was. They have the money to do it now, so it is a wise long term move to start moving things now to allow for expansion of the terminal when it is time.

[LakeEffect]

Also, from 2001 to 2011 enplanements at WRWA have increased less than 4%!

From 2005, they are actually down.


Where is the need??

According to Catch22, 2012 was back to the 2006 level, and 100,000 people short of the 2007 record year... so, growth is there. I'm continually amazed how often, even with the new garage, I've had to park on top of or even not in, the garages.

[Just the facts]

I've got no problem with a consolidated rental car facility or even paying for it with a rental car tax, I just wish it was multi-level so the car I am about to get it is at a reasonable temperature and I can pick it up and return it without being exposed to the elements. I would also prefer to make the trip in a fixed guide-way tram that picks me up and drops me off in a climate controlled environment.

[HangryHippo]

I've got no problem with a consolidated rental car facility or even paying for it with a rental car tax, I just wish it was multi-level so the car I am about to get it is at a reasonable temperature and I can pick it up and return it without being exposed to the elements. I would also prefer to make the trip in a fixed guide-way tram that picks me up and drops me off in a climate controlled environment.

ATL's rental car facility is really nice, but until they start revamping some of those terminals, it remains one of my least favorite airports.

[Just the facts]

ATL's rental car facility is really nice, but until they start revamping some of those terminals, it remains one of my least favorite airports.

Terminal revamp is under way.

[Pete]

I've got no problem with a consolidated rental car facility or even paying for it with a rental car tax, I just wish it was multi-level so the car I am about to get it is at a reasonable temperature and I can pick it up and return it without being exposed to the elements. I would also prefer to make the trip in a fixed guide-way tram that picks me up and drops me off in a climate controlled environment.

We have that now (all cars under cover and walk through underground tunnel) and will now instead have to stand out in the elements for a shuttle bus and go pick up a ridiculously hot or frozen car.

I can't tell you how much I hate this idea.

[catch22]

We have that now (all cars under cover and walk through underground tunnel) and will now instead have to stand out in the elements for a shuttle bus and go pick up a ridiculously hot or frozen car.

I can't tell you how much I hate this idea.

The fact of the matter is, it's going to have to be done sooner or later. The current set-up is okay for the current demand, but in the future demand will be increasing and the current ready/return area in the garage is at capacity, in fact, over capacity because it is using the first floor of Garage B as ready/return also. So, it's taking capacity from our covered long-term parking also (which is also a revenue generator).

There weren't really many realistic options to keep it where it currently is. All of the options to expand the facility is to move it off-site. I agree that it is not the optimum set-up, maybe for the actual ready/return places they will be semi-covered? I don't know.

Right now would be the best time to build it because construction costs are lower and the airport project budget isn't under stress (there are no other large projects). This project is needed to allow space to move facilities around for the future terminal expansion (which probably isn't too far off, only 2 unleased gates at the airport right now, if US Airways comes in they would probably lease one and leave us with 1 unleased gate).

[Just the facts]

We have that now (all cars under cover and walk through underground tunnel) and will now instead have to stand out in the elements for a shuttle bus and go pick up a ridiculously hot or frozen car.

I can't tell you how much I hate this idea.

I agree, that is why I suggest taking the existing setup, move it out of the way, and connect it by a tram that picks you up inside the terminal and drops you inside the car rental building. Did you watch the video I posted about the ATL Skytrain? Do you think anyone cared if it was raining or 41 degree? Nope, because the weather didn't apply to them; They didn't have to go outside or get in a car that is outside. Plus the Skytrain poicks up every 2 and half minutes which keeps the lines at the rental car counter to a minimum.

[catch22]

I agree, that is why I suggest taking the existing setup, move it out of the way, and connect it by a tram that picks you up inside the terminal and drops you inside the car rental building. Did you watch the video I posted about the ATL Skytrain? Do you think anyone cared if it was raining or 41 degree? Nope, because the weather didn't apply to them; they didn't have to go outside or get in a car that is outside.

Someone more involved with the rail might be able to shed light on this...

I know rail is proposed to eventually go to the airport...any possibility the rail could have a stop at the rental facility? So you could basically be sharing the resources. If you have a rental car, you take the train to the rental facility just like other airports. If you are not getting off at the rental car facility, you stay on the train?