Quote:
Originally Posted by Mikey711MN
- The BA widebody just looks massive at Gate 2...it towers over the fence while driving up to the upper departure level and occupies a surprising amount of space on the tarmac at that angle
- No read on how well the arriving flight BA 191 was managed by FIS, but by all indications (reported elsewhere), it was a pretty full flight inbound...the new facility is nowhere near done, although it's at least underway!
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Re: customs - before we got the F1 race, the customs facilities at AUS could only process 90-110 passengers per hour. There were some interim modifications made in 2012 that increased the capacity to 160-180 passengers per hour, so hopefully the wait wasn't too bad.
From AirportImprovement.com:
How Austin-Bergstrom Int’l Readies for Race Day
By Kathy Scott
As published in: Airport Improvement Magazine - January-February 2014
Quote:
As the first point of entry into the United States for most of the race teams and fans alike, its ability to clear high volumes of passengers through Customs in a timely manner was crucial. Because the United States does not have a Formula 1 team, all of the teams would clear Customs at AUS unless they flew into the States earlier at a different point of entry. Each of the 12 teams typically brings as many as 70 people. Add in a cadre of support personnel for the event itself and throngs of fans who come to watch it, and AUS’ usual processing rate of 90 to 110 passengers per hour was not nearly fast enough. Modifying the airport’s U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) area to ensure a positive first impression to travelers was a high-priority objective.
[SNIP]
Modifications to the CBP area nearly doubled the airport’s throughput of international passengers, enabling the airport to clear 160 to 180 passengers per hour. Changes were completed November 9 for the November 18 race, Halbrook reports.
“Enlarging the area allowed CBP to streamline the process,” he explains. “Passengers were able to pick up their luggage and proceed through Customs with their passport and declaration form, streamlining the procedure to one step. That change was able to nearly double the number of travelers processed.”
Modifications were also needed to bring a Boeing 747 aircraft directly to Gate 2 — a first at AUS.
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Of all the local station, KEYE (IMHO) had the best coverage of the inaugural flights arrival into AUS.
British Airways Begins Austin's First Euro Flight
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