Hello everyone!
I'd thought I would share my persuasive essay that I written for Language Arts class a couple of weeks ago. Keep in mind that this is my opinion on the expansion project at St. John's Airport... everyone has different opinions!
Ps, sorry if my writing isn't the best, I'm only in grade nine!
“Looking forward, moving downward”
St. John’s International Airport has been the international gateway to Newfoundland and Labrador since the early 1940s. When the airport was built, its primary use was to handle the many military aircrafts refuelling and departing for Europe to fight in WW2. Today, the airport handles over 1.5 million passengers per year and serves as a refuelling and diverting point for many transatlantic flights. In the spring of 2014, St. John’s International Airport Authority unveiled an expansion plan expected to be completed in 2023. One of the largest features of this expansion is the extension of airport terminal building, making it almost double in size. Although the terminal has many positive features, I believe that overall, this terminal expansion will
not be able to handle the expected two million passengers by 2023, will
not function as a whole, and will
not be able to easily expand in the future when needed. This is why I strongly believe that the expansion of the terminal building should
not go ahead until a more practical design is created.
Each and every day, thousands of passengers arrive and depart through St. John’s International Airport. This will then create havoc in certain areas, including, the departure lounge, security, and the restaurant and retail outlets. The current terminal was only designed to accommodate up to 900,000 passengers annually, but today, the airport serves over 1.5 million, 50% more passengers than the terminal is capable of handling. I believe that after the expansion is completed, the airport would run into the same problem as before, and need to expand again. This will then cause unnecessary spending and leave a financial burden on the airport authority for many years following the expansion. Instead of increasing the improvement fee that the passengers pay when the airport expands, they should reconsider the size and should add extra facilities to easily accommodate future growth when needed.
The current terminal building was designed in the early 2000s by a local architect firm with no experience planning or designing airports. Since the terminal and its facilities were only designed for 900,000 passengers annually, the airport became less functional as the passenger rate climbed. Throughout the day, you can expect to find cramped hallways, long lines, and unpleasant passengers, making the terminal less functional. After looking at the plans for the expansion, I realised that they are only renovating certain areas of the existing terminal building, but they are leaving some major problems not resolved. They are focusing more on how many planes it can handle, than the passengers needed to fill these planes in the future. I am certain that in the years to follow, the new terminal will not function as a whole, but in separate parts. I believe that eventually the airport would have to invest in building a new terminal… resulting in the improvement fee increasing and the passenger’s money being wasted once again!
St. John’s International Airport is located in-between many businesses and suburban neighbourhoods, which could make it difficult for them to expand the terminal and its facilities in the future. The current terminal building is oddly shaped, putting it in a bad situation for any further expansion. I am certain that if this expansion does go ahead, a new airport terminal would need to be built in a different location, capable of easily expanding and handling future growth. The airport authority should reconsider the location of the terminal and be aware of businesses and houses in the vicinity. Instead of building a new terminal a few years after the expansion is completed, they should relocate and build a new terminal now. This will save them the difficulty of building when costs are higher, and will also create less delays for the two million passengers expected by 2023. Also, the airport improvement fees will not increase for the second time… making the travelers and the airport authority happy!
Although there are some positive features of this expansion, I still strongly believe that the terminal expansion should not be completed until a more practical design is created. My generation will be benefiting from this expansion, and I’m not going to let other generations guide us on the wrong path (sorry if I sound too harsh). The airport authority certainly needs to reconsider this plan, looking more than ten years into the future. Hopefully, the expansion plan will be revised and save my generation the trouble of needing to expand it again in the near future. This is
our airport… the gateway to
our future!
Thanks! Hope you enjoyed it! Free to give feedback.... but not hate
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