Will Rogers World Airport

[d-usa]

Also as a reminder, WRWA created a ton of new space downstairs when they moved all the rental car companies to the new off-airport facility.

And, with the two old security points now turned into lounges for greeters, that means everyone on the ticketing level has to cross them on the way to the new security spot at the far east end.

Early on, I suggested to airport personnel when they were planning this new phase that they merely put the down escalators a little further south and move all the arriving passengers downstairs before hitting the ticketing area. And converting the old rental car space to place for people to wait with a few amenities.

Would have been super easy to do.

Shutting down the old security should give enough room to actually let people meet and greet prior to the escalator without gumming up the flow of people who are departing I think. It looks pretty doable in my head, and I think I'll try to look through some old pictures and see if I can sketch up what I'm thinking. Does anybody have any sketches of the new layout with the moves security area handy?

[tfvc.org]

So tired of driving to/flying into Dallas for international flights . . .

Odd, because both times I went to Spain I didn't go through Dallas at all.
'13 OKC > ATL > AMS > ALC > AMS > DTW > OKC
'14 VLC > ZRH > ORD > OKC > IAD > ZRH > VLC (My friend visited me)
'15 OKC > ORD > MAD > ALC > MAD > ORD > OKC

Also, I remember when we were looking for flights I was thinking about flying her into Dallas and picking her up there, The savings was minimal at best and wasn't worth the drive down there with gas included in that figure.

[Pete]

Shutting down the old security should give enough room to actually let people meet and greet prior to the escalator without gumming up the flow of people who are departing I think. It looks pretty doable in my head, and I think I'll try to look through some old pictures and see if I can sketch up what I'm thinking. Does anybody have any sketches of the new layout with the moves security area handy?

Perhaps but they could also use that space to expand ticketing and check-in.

[Laramie]

Odd, because both times I went to Spain I didn't go through Dallas at all.
'13 OKC > ATL > AMS > ALC > AMS > DTW > OKC
'14 VLC > ZRH > ORD > OKC > IAD > ZRH > VLC (My friend visited me)
'15 OKC > ORD > MAD > ALC > MAD > ORD > OKC

Also, I remember when we were looking for flights I was thinking about flying her into Dallas and picking her up there, The savings was minimal at best and wasn't worth the drive down there with gas included in that figure.

Have to go thru DFW when you travel to places like Cozumel or Bonaire.

[d-usa]

Found one of the presentation slides from last year, and it looks like the plan for the south security station looks pretty much like what I was thinking about. I cropped the small section and added green color to the area where passengers moving between ticketing and the new security area will travel:



So to me it looks like converting it from security areas to meeting/greeting areas shouldn't really have much of an impact on the departing passengers at all, and it should actually improve the problems it is currently creating. It looks like the air-side area is not loosing any square footage, so that should't have much of an impact on that side of the airport. And the area that is currently occupied by the equipment and lanes is not really of any use to people wanting to move from ticketing to the security checkpoint. It's a detour to walk from the counters to the top entrance to the escalators, and then back towards the counters again on your way to the new checkpoint. So all that space just has a few potential uses: put in some more shops, or convert it to new waiting areas. Since you still have to keep a lane open for traffic to exit the airside part of the airport, it would have to be some tiny shops and I don't know if there would be demand for them either airside or landside. Making it a meet/greet area means that there is twice as much room for people who are waiting for loved ones to wait without getting in the way of people moving through the departure process. And it will increase the meet/greet area even more at the main security checkpoint, where we will be able to get rid of all the equipment taking up room, as well as all of this:



Everything in front of the wall next to the ticketing counters will be gone. No lines, no barriers, nothing to get in the way of people going through the departure process. That alone has a lot more negative impact on people wanting to depart than people waiting for people to arrive. And just like at the south checkpoint, everything past the point where the ceiling lowers doesn't really impact people moving from checking in to the new security area. That's going to be a lot of room for people to be able to wait for arrivals without spilling into the flow of people who are departing. So the conversion of those two areas should really solve the problem with people who are waiting getting in the way of people who are departing, especially if they do a couple of extra things.

1) People who are waiting for someone will likely come up those escalators and will end up right in the meet/greet area and will be out of the way of people checking in and heading to security. The airport should add signage to the different escalators marking them for "arrivals" to head to the new meet/greet areas, and "departures" to the ticketing areas. I honestly don't remember if there is any signage right now, but I don't think so. I do think that if you are coming from the underground area and go up those escalators you are more likely to end up in the new waiting area, but I'm not 100% certain. I'll have to stop at the airport and see if it matches what I'm thinking in my head.

2) Move the flight information board for arrivals/departures that are currently near those escalators (I'm pretty sure there is one near the main security checkpoint, I'm not sure about the smaller checkpoint). The board showing the flight information for arrivals is going to be the very first place where people waiting to meet those arrivals are going to congregate, and they will most likely remain in that area until they see that the flight they are waiting for has landed. If I remember correctly, that board is right by the escalators and if you are looking at it you are standing in the middle of the traffic are for people moving through the ticketing process. You can keep the departure information there, but once you have dedicated meeting/greeting areas, the arrival information boards should naturally be moved to those areas.

3) More seating options for people waiting to pick people up. Again, it's been a while since I last flew from the airport, but I don't recall there being any areas to sit and wait, other than the seating areas in the areas where people going through the departure process will be moving through. Having bigger meet/greet areas should allow them to have some seating options there as well.

Another thing to consider is that a lot of people will likely move from waiting in the meet/greet area, and wait in the new observation area instead. It let's you view the planes, but it also has a view of the secure area as well. So people can wait for the planes up there, maybe catch a glimpse of their family member or friend deplaning, and then meet them in the meet/greet area for hugs and pleasantries.

[d-usa]

Perhaps but they could also use that space to expand ticketing and check-in.

True, that is also an option. But how much room do they actually have to convert into ticket counters?

Part of the wall that isn't used for ticket counters right now is used as the women's bathroom, at least in the picture of the main security area, and from the plans it looks like it's the same way at the other security area as well. If you move the security area, you could probably move the bathrooms further back into the meet/greet area and use that space that is currently a bare wall and turn it into a few more counters.

You could turn it into a whole wall of counters if you moved the escalators back towards the airside of the airport, but I don't know if there is room on the lower level to accommodate that.

[Pete]

Keep in mind that the meeters and greeters do not stay in that one area nor will they when the security is removed.

They mill about in the ticketing area and there are shops and things in that area that they patronize.

Even the way it is now, it's needlessly congested and they missed a perfect opportunity to completely separate arrivals from departures and once they make these proposed changes I'm sure that will never happen.

[catch22]

Keep in mind that the meeters and greeters do not stay in that one area nor will they when the security is removed.

They mill about in the ticketing area and there are shops and things in that area that they patronize.

Even the way it is now, it's needlessly congested and they missed a perfect opportunity to completely separate arrivals from departures and once they make these proposed changes I'm sure that will never happen.

The meet and greet lounges (existing checkpoints) would better serve the public if they were sit down restaurants facing the airside. The current food options in the airport are quite frankly terrible. The crossgrain brew house looks to be an improvement. A Chili's Too would work in one of the spaces and perhaps some variation of a local joint could work in the other. The meet and greet idea is really pretty weak, as people will still wait right at the exit lane. People traditionally will wait as close as they can to exit lanes. I doubt people will be waiting in a relaxed fashion sipping coffee until their passenger walks up to their chair.

[d-usa]

How many people will head to the airport earlier to eat at a Chili's, or eat at a Chili's before leaving the airport though? Same with many other sit-down options. I would think a sit-down option facing landside, to let people have a meal before leaving or after arriving would end up getting more traffic than something airside. Airside shops/restaurants provide options for a captive audience, and with Oklahoma City not being any kind of hub there really is not much reason to get yourself stuck behind security for any amount of time.

[Jeepnokc]

Oklahoma City currently has customs, it is simply on an "on-call basis". They have mobile units that can be dispatched to any airport really, provided proper notice is given.

The main issue is with infrastructure to handle recurring international flights. OKC currently has no gates which split arriving passengers off into a sealed, sterile holding area to process through immigration and enter the country. It theoretically could be done with the existing setup, but passengers would have to be physically separated and watched by immigration officers until cleared on a one by one basis. No one could step out of line for any reason and no one could come too close to the line. It would be a corral essentially inside the concourse.

With the right infrastructure, screening equipment, and segregation it can be a true facility that can process international arrivals.

Thanks Catch. Didn't realize they had customs here already. It would be difficult to give the space they need to be kept separate to get their luggage and then go through customs.

[catch22]

How many people will head to the airport earlier to eat at a Chili's, or eat at a Chili's before leaving the airport though? Same with many other sit-down options. I would think a sit-down option facing landside, to let people have a meal before leaving or after arriving would end up getting more traffic than something airside. Airside shops/restaurants provide options for a captive audience, and with Oklahoma City not being any kind of hub there really is not much reason to get yourself stuck behind security for any amount of time.

The truth is many people show up at the airport for the recommended 1.5 hour buffer, and with OKC's generally short security screening there is ample time to eat before departure. Factor in delays. Honestly eating at chilis is almost the same amount of time to get your food at the airport sonic.

[ljbab728]

Thanks Catch. Didn't realize they had customs here already. It would be difficult to give the space they need to be kept separate to get their luggage and then go through customs.

As has been mentioned previously, the new wing will eventually have an area specifically designated for future use for customs and immigration.

[HOT ROD]

why is OKC/WRWA not going to the Airports Council International Annual Conference at Montreal this week?
I would think it is crucial for OKC to be represented by at least one person at every convention such as this for networking, airline/route expansion, and general business networking opportunities.

WHOSE COMING

Even little sister TUL is going. ....

[Zorba]

Odd, because both times I went to Spain I didn't go through Dallas at all.
'13 OKC > ATL > AMS > ALC > AMS > DTW > OKC
'14 VLC > ZRH > ORD > OKC > IAD > ZRH > VLC (My friend visited me)
'15 OKC > ORD > MAD > ALC > MAD > ORD > OKC

Also, I remember when we were looking for flights I was thinking about flying her into Dallas and picking her up there, The savings was minimal at best and wasn't worth the drive down there with gas included in that figure.

DFW is AA's hub, if you aren't flying AA or one of their Partners there is no domestic airline international flying out of DFW. I am guessing in 13 you were on Delta, '14 United and '15 United, but maybe AA.

One year I flew TUL - DFW or DFW - TUL 46 times and TUL - ORD 17 times, the vast majority of that was to get some place else.

[Zorba]

When you arrive, you go downstairs and then take the moving sidewalks to the baggage claim.

In other words, arriving passengers go downstairs long before you get to the ticketing area.

If you are just talking about separating arrivals and ticketing on the same level, yes a ton of airports do that. But Catch was saying that most airports separate them by level before leaving security, which just isn't the case. I can still think of a lot of airports that are many times our size don't do this. I just haven't ever experienced an issue with this at OKC and the only airport I can remember it ever being one was JFK.

Look at MCO, over 9 times the amount of traffic as OKC, almost all D&O, and they have arrivals exit right next to TSA, then walk by ticketing to get to the escalators to go down to baggage claim.

[gopokes88]

Shooting there today. 1 victim. Airport is shut down.

http://newsok.com/police-investigati...rticle/5527085

[catch22]

Hope this doesn't mess my flight up tomorrow morning.

[Jeepnokc]

Flew out this morning and saw they took out the Sonic. Caught my attention as the usual line of people weren't standing there. Replaced it with heroic brand They were the only one really serving a decent breakfast product. Was nice having an Oklahoma grown staple to welcome people to oklahoma

[Josh Ryan]

Flew out this morning and saw they took out the Sonic. Caught my attention as the usual line of people weren't standing there. Replaced it with heroic brand They were the only one really serving a decent breakfast product. Was nice having an Oklahoma grown staple to welcome people to oklahoma

Closing was a mutual agreement between Sonic and our concessionaire, Delaware North. Rt. 66 is a temporary replacement while Delaware North works out details with a local restaurant that will replace Sonic. We're expecting them to make that announcement next week at Airport Trust (26th, 9AM, Live on CityofOKC Youtube Channel: https://youtu.be/wJmoU4wIuMA)

[shawnw]

Appreciate how you're on top of the airport info, Josh.

[Bullbear]

Flew out this morning and saw they took out the Sonic. Caught my attention as the usual line of people weren't standing there. Replaced it with heroic brand They were the only one really serving a decent breakfast product. Was nice having an Oklahoma grown staple to welcome people to oklahoma

yah flew out Friday to Vegas. we were gonna grab sonic and I was like HEY!! it was just there in Dec when we went to phoenix. so we opted to just wait till we got to Vegas to eat. Sad to see Sonic gone there.

[warreng88]

There is something going in its place that you all will like a lot, I promise. I will let Pete break the news on that one once he does his digging.

[PhiAlpha]

I'm sure it's in the thread somewhere but when is construction scheduled to start on the airport renovation/additions? Isn't it supposed to begin this year?

[Josh Ryan]

I'm sure it's in the thread somewhere but when is construction scheduled to start on the airport renovation/additions? Isn't it supposed to begin this year?

You should see visible progress on demolition of the cargo building any time now. Planning phase for construction is still ongoing. There are more stakeholder meetings planned that will help move that along. Still have some time before dirt is turned.

[gopokes88]

You should see visible progress on demolition of the cargo building any time now. Planning phase for construction is still ongoing. There are more stakeholder meetings planned that will help move that along. Still have some time before dirt is turned.

There's plan in it for a gate that can handle a large plane for international flights yes? I wonder if we'll get an emirates flight to Dubai they seem to be expanding quickly and aggressively.