AUSTIN | ABIA Updates

[cazkey]

Maybe not as exciting as a new route announcement, but VFTW found a permit application with the city that suggests we're getting a Chase Sapphire Lounge...

[StoOgE]

Well, KLM cancelled their monday flight which kept me from getting to a pretty important work trip. I'd love if we had a little more regular service to mainland Europe soonish :cough: Air France :cough:

[llintner]

Originally Posted by StoOgE

Well, KLM cancelled their monday flight which kept me from getting to a pretty important work trip. I'd love if we had a little more regular service to mainland Europe soonish :cough: Air France :cough:

Um, this wasn't about regular service across the pond. Air France would have been just as likely to cancel as any of the others already serving AUS. Of the four Trans-Atlantic carries scheduled Monday, two carriers came and left, one cancelled both legs, and the other ended up leaving an airplane here for five days. BTW, two of those carriers (like Air France) are partnered with Delta, but NONE of the above have an option to deice an airplane in AUS.

[Lobotomizer]

I just saw this on Twitter about a near collision between two airplanes at AUS.
https://twitter.com/IntelPointAlert/status/1622057477310144513?s=20&t=e2RXL5UFhxpHUXKEk5MplA

[Lobotomizer]

This was nearly a horrible disaster.
https://twitter.com/flightradar24/status...oid-collision-southwest%2F69873953007%2F

2 planes avoid collision at Austin airport; FAA, NTSB to investigate
After being cleared to land by an air traffic controller, a Fedex cargo jet from Memphis aborted landing on the same runway as a Southwest jet cleared to take off for Cancun
ASSOCIATED PRESS

https://www.statesman.com/story/news/loc...t-avoid-collision-southwest/69873953007/

[Jdawgboy]

Finally back online and out of the darkness...


Suprised the news of Delta Airlines increasing service at ABIA hasn't been mentioned yet...

[Riverranchdrone]

Originally Posted by Jdawgboy

Finally back online and out of the darkness...


Suprised the news of Delta Airlines increasing service at ABIA hasn't been mentioned yet...

You too? Just got mine back on today. Can you post a link to the Delta news? That near miss at ABIA would have been a huge disaster.

[paul78701]

Originally Posted by Riverranchdrone

You too? Just got mine back on today. Can you post a link to the Delta news? That near miss at ABIA would have been a huge disaster.

https://thepointsguy.com/news/delta-texas-route-expansion/

[ATX2030]

Austin ordered to pay South Terminal operator $90 million in eminent domain fight at ABIA

https://www.kut.org/transportation/2023-...rnational-airport-eminent-domain-lawsuit

[We vs us]

Originally Posted by ATX2030

Austin ordered to pay South Terminal operator $90 million in eminent domain fight at ABIA

https://www.kut.org/transportation/2023-...rnational-airport-eminent-domain-lawsuit

Gulp

[LiveattheOasis]

Originally Posted by We vs us

Gulp

Where’s the leader who signed that deal? Need to create an airport authority so this ridiculousness never happens again.

[Lobotomizer]

Originally Posted by LiveattheOasis

Where’s the leader who signed that deal? Need to create an airport authority so this ridiculousness never happens again.

What an astonishingly poor decision on the city's part to not have included as part of the contract a buyout.

Now the city is stuck with this operation for a couple of more decades, or of course paying them the $90 million freaking dollars.

I believe this will have a major effect on the expansion plans. $90 million is not chump change.

[GoldenBoot]

Originally Posted by Lobotomizer

I believe this will have a major effect on the expansion plans. $90 million is not chump change.

This will have not "major" affect on the expansion - other than paying it and getting them out sooner.

$90 million is roughly 2.25% of the proposed expansion budget. Since the budget is still being finalized - this cost will be rolled into it. Worst case scenario - it will be rolled into any contingency already built into a budget.

[Armybrat]

Originally Posted by Lobotomizer

What an astonishingly poor decision on the city's part to not have included as part of the contract a buyout.

Now the city is stuck with this operation for a couple of more decades, or of course paying them the $90 million freaking dollars.

I believe this will have a major effect on the expansion plans. $90 million is not chump change.

Sure it is…. Just divert some of that “homeless” budget.

Originally Posted by smallfrie

$100 million should do the trick, I guesstimate, to break the contract. The City wanted to turn a public utility into a private cash cow and apparently signed a public/private partnership contract to that effect.

Quoting myself (for the second time on this topic) from April 22, 2022, the better part of a year ago.

I nailed it, unless the courts throw it out, which might happen about the time it rains puppy dogs.

The Lonestar law suit is still active in Federal court, judging from the KUT article, so I'm going to go out on a limb this time and say the payout will ultimately be $250,00,000, or an equity interest in future ABIA improvements.

[ATX2030]

Lufthansa Boeing 787-9: More Routes Revealed

https://onemileatatime.com/news/lufthansa-boeing-787-routes/

Frankfurt to Austin

As of May 2, 2023, Lufthansa will fly its Boeing 787-9 3x weekly between Frankfurt and Austin with the following schedule:

LH468 Frankfurt to Austin departing 10:05AM arriving 1:55PM
LH469 Austin to Frankfurt departing 4:00PM arriving 8:45AM (+1 day)

The 5,310-mile route is blocked at 10hr50min westbound and 9hr45min eastbound. The route was previously operated by an Airbus A330-300.

[Lobotomizer]

Originally Posted by GoldenBoot

This will have not "major" affect on the expansion - other than paying it and getting them out sooner.

$90 million is roughly 2.25% of the proposed expansion budget. Since the budget is still being finalized - this cost will be rolled into it. Worst case scenario - it will be rolled into any contingency already built into a budget.

I hope you're right. $90 million in construction costs for a massive project isn't much in 2023 I agree. However, unexpectedly paying $90 million to build on land you thought was yours to do with as you wish seems like a pretty big deal. Hopefully it works out alright. AUS needed to start on this major expansion yesterday...

[llintner]

Originally Posted by Armybrat

Sure it is…. Just divert some of that “homeless” budget.

Grant Assurances prevent funds generated by the airport ever being used for cost unassociated with the airport. So none of that money would have gone for homelessness in Austin anyway.

[Armybrat]

Originally Posted by Lobotomizer

I hope you're right. $90 million in construction costs for a massive project isn't much in 2023 I agree. However, unexpectedly paying $90 million to build on land you thought was yours to do with as you wish seems like a pretty big deal. Hopefully it works out alright. AUS needed to start on this major expansion yesterday...

Should’ve started on it 10 years ago.

[ATX2030]

Another foreign carrier coming to AUS on or around July 6th

Copa airlines starting Panama City, Panama-Austin

CM715 PTY 0915 AUS1402 MON/WED/THU/SAT
CM716 AUS 1532 PTY 2016 MON/WED/THU/SAT