AUSTIN | ABIA Updates

[the Genral]

Switching to the departure lanes was genius. No flights going out after midnight.

[WestAustinite]

Originally Posted by the Genral

Switching to the departure lanes was genius. No flights going out after midnight.

I do this all the time. In the morning I drop off my wife (or whomever) at ARRIVALS and in the evening I pick up at DEPARTURES. Saves lots of time and aggravation.

[mtb_jeremy]

I remember a while back seeing the pictures of the future plans for the airport with the new check-in terminal and shifting of the road for dropoff/arrivals. It didn't stand out to me that the did any major increases to the number of lanes. I think about this as a horrible plan for the future growth. Maybe they will take note of current traffic issues when it comes to future expansion?

I think of airports with traffic volumes that Austin plans to grow to and the amount of dropoff/arrival car space is usually much greater than what I see planned for Austin. IAH (Houston) had 33,000,000 in 2021 and it has multiple different areas spread out for arrivals and drop offs.

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by mtb_jeremy

I remember a while back seeing the pictures of the future plans for the airport with the new check-in terminal and shifting of the road for dropoff/arrivals. It didn't stand out to me that the did any major increases to the number of lanes. I think about this as a horrible plan for the future growth. Maybe they will take note of current traffic issues when it comes to future expansion?

I think of airports with traffic volumes that Austin plans to grow to and the amount of dropoff/arrival car space is usually much greater than what I see planned for Austin. IAH (Houston) had 33,000,000 in 2021 and it has multiple different areas spread out for arrivals and drop offs.

Presumably the rail will absorb some number of trips.

I also imagine that the number of people arriving at the terminal won't (exactly) linearly scale with the number of flights. As the number and variety of flights and destinations at ABIA increases, the number of passengers that are connecting through will increase.

[freerover]

Originally Posted by mtb_jeremy

I remember a while back seeing the pictures of the future plans for the airport with the new check-in terminal and shifting of the road for dropoff/arrivals. It didn't stand out to me that the did any major increases to the number of lanes. I think about this as a horrible plan for the future growth. Maybe they will take note of current traffic issues when it comes to future expansion?

I think of airports with traffic volumes that Austin plans to grow to and the amount of dropoff/arrival car space is usually much greater than what I see planned for Austin. IAH (Houston) had 33,000,000 in 2021 and it has multiple different areas spread out for arrivals and drop offs.

Here is the relevant section of the plan. In case it isn't obvious, all pedestrian crossings will be grade separated from the road so no more people crossing in front of cars to get to the terminal. It's also expandable unlike the current setup.

[mtb_jeremy]

You go freerover, that guy is an 1d10t for saying that.

[StoOgE]

Also ABIA is going to be a 15 minute light rail ride from downtown by the time this whole thing is operational.

[freerover]

Originally Posted by mtb_jeremy

You go freerover, that guy is an 1d10t for saying that.

Sorry. I was being grumpy.

[sewaneetigers]

Originally Posted by Armybrat

Texas Jeff posted this on Surly….

Last night was my first time picking up at ABIA post-COVID. What an experience...

My wife's flight was two hours delayed, so I pulled into the cell phone lot at fifteen minutes 'till midnight. The place was packed. I was lucky to find a parking spot. The cell phone lot has bloomed into a gas station, a convenience store, and a Whataburger with a drive through. The gas pumps were packed and the Whataburger drive through was backed up into the main lot, blocking traffic. Who decides to head out to the airport for some midnight burgers?

Five minutes after I parked, an 18-wheeler pulled into the cell phone lot and completely screwed up the traffic. WTF? I had questions for the driver like why are you picking someone up at the airport in a giant truck, but a small mob of blocked in drivers convinced the dude to leave, which he did once the Whataburger drive-through line gave him a chance.

Got a text from my wife 30 minutes after she had landed saying that she had her bag and was waiting at post E. I texted "Is it crowded where you are?" and she replied "It is more crowded elsewhere." which is information but not exactly what I wanted to know. I replied "OMW".

I started the car, weaved around the Whataburger drive through, drove around the gas pumps, tried to exit the cell phone lot and hit standstill traffic before I could even get onto the loop around the terminal. It's fifteen minutes after midnight and the airport is gridlocked. Why?

I called my wife and use my best Puddy voice and said "Babe, you gotta get upstairs to Departures. If you don't we will need to find a place for breakfast on the way home." I waited two minutes, which was easy to do because my traffic lane was not moving. I changed lanes to Departures and had two completely empty lanes to choose from and a mostly empty curbside area to pick up my wife.

If you head to the airport, beware the cell phone lot and the Arrivals area. Picking up at Departures can save you about an hour. However, if you need midnight Whataburger, a tank of gas and a bag of Fritos, they are ready to serve.

If they had a 24/7 Academy - Walmart - Home Depot ; I’d be there at 245 a few times a week buying stuff I don’t need. Speaking of Academy…

[ATX2030]

Broke 2m!

https://www.austintexas.gov/news/may...stin-bergstrom

[clubtokyo]

Originally Posted by ATX2030

Broke 2m!

https://www.austintexas.gov/news/may...stin-bergstrom

Wow!

[clubtokyo]

“Austin Bergstrom International Airport (Austin, Texas): $15 million to complete Phase 2, which includes needed capacity expansion immediately and infill for future expansion for the medium hub on the cusp of large hub. In addition to capacity, the project improves access with hearing loops, wayfinding, and multi-lingual assistance, plus assistive care restrooms and ADA compliance throughout. LEED Silver goal projects include energy efficient systems, glass tinting, and sustainable energy construction.”

[ATX2030]

atx.spotter on IG

https://twitter.com/AUStinAirport/st...478977/photo/1

[mars-man]

Surprised that no one has mentioned this Austin Chronicle story, which came out nearly a week ago:

What's Behind the Delays at Austin's Airport and What's Being Done to Help

Lots of turbulence as airport rebounds from COVID lows

BY MIKE CLARK-MADISON, FRI., JULY 8, 2022

https://www.austinchronicle.com/news...-done-to-help/

It's a fairly detailed overview of where things are at AUS and where they're (hopefully) headed.

[kingkirbythe....]

Direct to the slopes: Nonstop flights from Austin to Vail to start this winter

https://www.statesman.com/story/news...r/65371885007/

Central Texans seeking a mountain getaway this winter will have a new option to consider, as American Airlines will begin offering a direct flight from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to Vail, Colorado, starting Dec. 15.

A ski town less than two hours west of Denver, Vail is a popular destination for those who want to hit the slopes and enjoy some snow. This route joins American Airlines direct routes to other winter destinations from Austin, including Aspen, Colorado, and Bozeman, Montana.

Flights will depart daily from Austin from Dec. 15 to Jan. 9 before transitioning to weekly from Jan. 10 to Feb. 15, and then back to daily from Feb. 16 to April 3.

In a written statement, airport CEO Jacqueline Yaft said Austin-Bergstrom "continues to work with our airline partners to support the city and region’s increasing demand for air travel; new routes like this with American Airlines are imperative to that work and worth celebrating.”

[LiveattheOasis]

Originally Posted by kingkirbythe....

Direct to the slopes: Nonstop flights from Austin to Vail to start this winter

https://www.statesman.com/story/news...r/65371885007/

Central Texans seeking a mountain getaway this winter will have a new option to consider, as American Airlines will begin offering a direct flight from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to Vail, Colorado, starting Dec. 15.

A ski town less than two hours west of Denver, Vail is a popular destination for those who want to hit the slopes and enjoy some snow. This route joins American Airlines direct routes to other winter destinations from Austin, including Aspen, Colorado, and Bozeman, Montana.

Flights will depart daily from Austin from Dec. 15 to Jan. 9 before transitioning to weekly from Jan. 10 to Feb. 15, and then back to daily from Feb. 16 to April 3.

In a written statement, airport CEO Jacqueline Yaft said Austin-Bergstrom "continues to work with our airline partners to support the city and region’s increasing demand for air travel; new routes like this with American Airlines are imperative to that work and worth celebrating.”

As someone who makes at least 1 trip to Vail a year, this will be most welcome!

[kingkirbythe....]

Austin's airport expects more flights amid record-breaking passenger surge

https://www.kut.org/transportation/2...assenger-surge

As Austin-Bergstrom International Airport smashes all-time passenger records, city officials who run the airport are planning to squeeze even more flights through the Barbara Jordan Terminal's 34 gates.

"We're pushing capacity through the gates we have at a level that is beyond normal airport standards," ABIA's Interim Chief Planning and Development Officer Tracy Thompson told commissioners who oversee the city-owned airport Tuesday.

May was the first time more than 2 million passengers traveled through ABIA in a single month. That topped all-time records set in March and April.

Since then, airlines have added more flights.

In June alone, Air Canada started twice-daily flights to Toronto and began nonstop service to Vancouver. American Airlines began service to Asheville, North Carolina; Bozeman, Montana; San Diego, California; Cozumel, Mexico; and Montego Bay, Jamaica. And Southwest kicked off Saturday service to Cozumel.

ABIA now has flights to 93 nonstop destinations with 266 daily departures.

The next big ribbon-cutting at ABIA will be in October when Spirit Airlines starts a new daily service to Monterrey International Airport.

[We vs us]

It's wild to me that they really aren't pausing business generation at all, and resist setting any kind of upper limits whatsoever. Even with a good deal of bad national press.

[Jdawgboy]

So what's with the chatter about Hawaiian Airlines not doing well here? I'm extremely suprised given the demand we have.

[ILUVSAT]

Originally Posted by We vs us

It's wild to me that they really aren't pausing business generation at all, and resist setting any kind of upper limits whatsoever. Even with a good deal of bad national press.

"Good" (lovey dovey) press doesn't sell! Additionally, airlines would not add service if they were soooooo concerned about what's going on at ABIA. Business is business. Nobody is going to cap potential profit.

Pushing and surpassing capacity at hubs is the norm in this industry - especially so in the U.S.

However, in ABIA's case, and if predictions come to fruition and ABIA handles 22 million PAX this year, that's 47% above designed capacity.

Just like the other growing pains Austin has experienced throughout its "life," this is just another one - and one in which then port is trying to rectify as quickly as they can.