AUSTIN | ABIA Updates

[chinchaaa]

Originally Posted by texastarkus

I see Southwest moving all of their Austin operations to the new Concourse B and then they will sell the naming rights to Buc-ee's.

Southwest Air brought to you by Buc-ee's Beaver Nuggets

[Croon]

Originally Posted by texastarkus

I see Southwest moving all of their Austin operations to the new Concourse B and then they will sell the naming rights to Buc-ee's.

Funny really. H-E-B had a pop up kiosk event at AUS the other day, mainly branded swag and whimsical travel gear. I wouldn't be surprised if it was some sort of test for future plans.

[drummer]

Hmm....maybe an HEB airport concept?

I mean, they have the convenience stores at some of their fuel locations now. Wouldn't be too far of a stretch. I've seen 7-11s in airports in Asia.

[freerover]

Originally Posted by drummer

Hmm....maybe an HEB airport concept?

I mean, they have the convenience stores at some of their fuel locations now. Wouldn't be too far of a stretch. I've seen 7-11s in airports in Asia.

Maybe. There will be a good amount of retail capacity that opens up in the new concourse but the real opportunity is when all of ticketing and baggage claim moves out of BJT into the new processing building. And then again once the new security building opens years after that where the current pres blvd is. I could see a nice sit down place at checkpoint 1.

[LoneStarMike]

From the Austin Business Journal:

Southwest Airlines to open crew base at the Austin airport next year

The crew base for pilots and flight attendants will open in March, with about 335 pilots and 650 flight attendants working out of the base. By mid-2027, the base is expected to employ 2,000 people. It also plans to add a training facility for flight attendants.

[freerover]

Originally Posted by Croon

So Delta and Southwest could be competing for space at new terminal in the next decade, which we've kinda heard before. Conceptual renders suggest a mid-size terminal "at least 20 gates" (often mentioned in articles) compared to BJT with room to grow and scale. Seems like the wise thing would be to double capacity, so that's 30-35 gates. This article here suggests construction could be complete by 2030, which seems very quick. I thought it would be later in the decade like 2033-35. I think the new arrival/departure hall, on the other side of the drop-off/pick-up lanes, is due a few years later than the new terminal, if I recall correctly.

If those things see completion, it will basically feel like a new airport, akin to what PIT just accomplished.

https://www.kxan.com/news/local/aust...sion-upgrades/

Austin airport secures more than $100 million in federal funding for expansion, upgrades
by: Christopher Adams

Posted: Dec 8, 2025 / 03:43 PM CST

Updated: Dec 8, 2025 / 06:18 PM CST

SHARE
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin-Bergstrom International Airport has secured more than $100 million in federal funding for its expansion project, airport officials announced Monday.

AUS said it received a Letter of Intent (LOI) from the Federal Aviation Administration for $108 million in long-term federal reimbursements. The money will go toward the airport’s Airfield Capacity Improvements Project, including upgrades to infrastructure and new taxiways.

The funding will also pay for part of Journey with AUS — the airport’s expansion program. The airport plans to build a second terminal with more than 20 new gates to support extensive passenger growth over recent years.

The new concourse has always been a flex plan in terms of gates with the port waiting as long as possible on committing. Right now, they've only really committed to and are locked in to the new taxiway.

We should find out soon if the plan is to do a full buildout of the new concourse and demo/move the de-icing facility. This would make it roughly the same length of BJ terminal (at least before the international expansion). I can't remember how many gates that would be but I can find it later. Going to make another vid for it.

The next step would be starting prep work on the 2nd center concourse which would be exactly where the ATC tower is and (obvi) a new tower as a part of that project. The tower would be part of the concourse instead of free standing.

I hope that's the last expansion we will need and high speed trains will canabalize a lot of use but if not, then there is another parallel concourse they can build along with a 2nd terminal on the south part of the port.

[IluvATX]

Originally Posted by drummer

Hmm....maybe an HEB airport concept?

I mean, they have the convenience stores at some of their fuel locations now. Wouldn't be too far of a stretch. I've seen 7-11s in airports in Asia.

They have Boots all over LHR. An airport pharmacy would be nice to be able to take mass quantities of whatever medicine to deal with said airport…

[ILUVSAT]

Originally Posted by freerover

The new concourse has always been a flex plan in terms of gates with the port waiting as long as possible on committing. Right now, they've only really committed to and are locked in to the new taxiway.

We should find out soon if the plan is to do a full buildout of the new concourse and demo/move the de-icing facility. This would make it roughly the same length of BJ terminal (at least before the international expansion). I can't remember how many gates that would be but I can find it later. Going to make another vid for it.

The next step would be starting prep work on the 2nd center concourse which would be exactly where the ATC tower is and (obvi) a new tower as a part of that project. The tower would be part of the concourse instead of free standing.

I hope that's the last expansion we will need and high speed trains will canabalize a lot of use but if not, then there is another parallel concourse they can build along with a 2nd terminal on the south part of the port.

I believe Concourse B could have about 40 gates at full build-out. As for the future - the 2nd "terminal" concept has long been canceled/no longer necessary (as they are building a new terminal attached to the BJT).

ABIA will continue to build satellite concourses as needed. ABIA has a new long-term plan to be able to continue to construct concourses out to Concourse E or F and handle over 80 million PAX. Think ATL and DEN.

ABIA will fully build out long before high-speed rail ever takes a continental-wide foothold. Look at Europe and Asia, they have pretty good/connected rail services yet their airports are still expanding. Flights and rail are not mutually exclusive.

[freerover]

Originally Posted by ILUVSAT

I believe Concourse B could have about 40 gates at full build-out. As for the future - the 2nd "terminal" concept has long been canceled/no longer necessary (as they are building a new terminal attached to the BJT).

ABIA will continue to build satellite concourses as needed. ABIA has a new long-term plan to be able to continue to construct concourses out to Concourse E or F and handle over 80 million PAX. Think ATL and DEN.

ABIA will fully build out long before high-speed rail ever takes a continental-wide foothold. Look at Europe and Asia, they have pretty good/connected rail services yet their airports are still expanding. Flights and rail are not mutually exclusive.

They still plan on the 2nd terminal in the long term. I've seen very recent site plans showing as much. However, they still have more expansions for BJT on the east side and 2 concourses that would be ahead of it.

As such, a "bull build out" is very far in the future. If the US can get high speed rail off the ground then it surely will affect capacity demands however that's not saying the airport will go away.

The full build out would be 3 center concourses and then the existing concourse attached to BJT and a future concourse/terminal on the souths side for a total of 5.

[GoldenBoot]

Originally Posted by freerover

They still plan on the 2nd terminal in the long term. I've seen very recent site plans showing as much. However, they still have more expansions for BJT on the east side and 2 concourses that would be ahead of it.

As such, a "bull build out" is very far in the future. If the US can get high speed rail off the ground then it surely will affect capacity demands however that's not saying the airport will go away.

The full build out would be 3 center concourses and then the existing concourse attached to BJT and a future concourse/terminal on the souths side for a total of 5.

Iluvsat is correct. A second terminal was in the airport's original long term plan (a plan that was established about 15 years ago). Since then, the entire plan has been reworked and a second terminal it is no longer in the cards.

I'll have to dig it up, but an ABIA officer did mention the possibility of 4 to 5 total satellite concourse. Placing a second terminal on the south side of the airport would effectively cap the amount of growth opportunities. Thus, they shifted to continuing to add concourses.

As for high speed rail. Don't hold your breath. All of us writing on this board right now will be long gone before that would come to fruition (if ever). It's cist prohibitive and airlines are going to tie efforts up in court battles for years.

[freerover]

Originally Posted by GoldenBoot

Iluvsat is correct. A second terminal was in the airport's original long term plan (a plan that was established about 15 years ago). Since then, the entire plan has been reworked and a second terminal it is no longer in the cards.

I'll have to dig it up, but an ABIA officer did mention the possibility of 4 to 5 total satellite concourse. Placing a second terminal on the south side of the airport would effectively cap the amount of growth opportunities. Thus, they shifted to continuing to add concourses.

As for high speed rail. Don't hold your breath. All of us writing on this board right now will be long gone before that would come to fruition (if ever). It's cist prohibitive and airlines are going to tie efforts up in court battles for years.

As I already said, I've seen site plans from 2023 (well after the next expansion pivoted from a south terminal to the current expansion) and it's still in the long term plans as the 5th concourse. I'll publish them in a video this week. I assume that thought process is that the new terminal processing building and then the new security building they build after that still has a processing limit that will be reached once they finish the new concourse B and the subsequent C where the current tower is. This is already accounting for a new International customs building between the rental car garage and the east runway that will connect to the BJT. The south side of the airpot is already limited by private and military aviation. The southern terminal and attached concourse (E) would be the narrowest concourse of them all because of it.


Also, every know knows that high speed rail is going to be hard. As I said, if it happens then it could push the expansions out as it would affect demand. Everyone here is fully aware that high speed rail in this country is obviously facing a lot of burdens. However, the eventual opening of the California line as well as TxDot's new position at looking ahead to rail development are reasons you can be hopeful. That's not saying that it will happen. I love this groups tenacity to actually each other but you know, IF doesn't mean, It Will.

[ATX2030]

delete

[ILUVSAT]

https://www.bizjournals.com/austin/n...-airlines.html


I'm not sure what "plan" you are reviewing, but, here is a quote from attached article dated April, 23, 2025:

"Shane Harbinson, chief development officer for ABIA, said ABIA has a master plan to add even more gates and terminals down the line. He said the additional capacity could be added because the current ABIA expansion is being built according to a “hub friendly” design, in which the new terminal will be parallel to the existing one and connected by a tunnel to make it easier for more airplanes to fly in and out.

If you notice it’s a parallel concourse design … and following that theme we can go up to about 75 to 80 million passengers a year,” he said. That's almost as much as the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport today, although it seems Austin's plan is to mimic the layout of Atlanta's massive airport.

Harbinson said officials are already thinking about building more parallel concourses next to the one about to spring from the drawing board. He rattled off concepts like "concourse B, C, D, E and F. That positions us very well to grow. We have to be disciplined enough to follow that plan, and the infrastructure we are doing today is setting up the table for that development plan.”


There may be confusion between the use of "concourse" and "terminal." But, based on what has been bantered about this year, plans are to continue to build satellite concourses (similar to ATL and DEN) when the need calls. It makes little sense to build a completely new domestic arrivals and departures hall/"terminal" on the south side of the airport (unless it is used for international A&D like ATL's far eastern concourse F). It was apart of the initial master plan. But, things have changed/developed differently since then.

If I am incorrect, I'll accept it. Nonetheless, in all the most recent talk about future expansion - a new A&D terminal (on the south side) has been absent from discussions.

[freerover]

It’s been absent because there are 3 or 4 concurses in front of it for subsequent expansions. It’s the ultimate layout. It’s not remotely close to actualizing. Have you thought for 1 second how 1 terminal is suppose to have processing capacity for 140 gates and 5 concourses?


Lol that you put “plan” in quotes. It’s just called a site plan. Believe what you want. I’ve been posting mostly about airport construction plans here for almost a decade now. If you think the ABJ knows more than cool. My posting record speaks for itself.

[LoneStarMike]

Originally Posted by freerover

Have you thought for 1 second how 1 terminal is suppose to have processing capacity for 140 gates and 5 concourses?

I think it would depend on what percentage of total passengers are connecting passengers vs Origin/Destination passengers. O&D passengers would have to be processed through the terminal, go through security, etc. Connecting passengers (and their luggage) just going from one gate to another would not.

Currently:

Based on U.S. DOT O&D Passenger Survey, Cirium FM Traffic and ABIA statistics: 14.5% of AUS passengers in Q2 2025 were connecting between flights at the Airport.

Source - Bottom of Page 4

[Maximusx1]

Originally Posted by LoneStarMike

I think it would depend on what percentage of total passengers are connecting passengers vs Origin/Destination passengers. O&D passengers would have to be processed through the terminal, go through security, etc. Connecting passengers (and their luggage) just going from one gate to another would not.

Currently:



Source - Bottom of Page 4

Looks like he thought for more than one second...

[ATX2030]

Originally Posted by freerover

As I already said, I've seen site plans from 2023 (well after the next expansion pivoted from a south terminal to the current expansion) and it's still in the long term plans as the 5th concourse. I'll publish them in a video this week. I assume that thought process is that the new terminal processing building and then the new security building they build after that still has a processing limit that will be reached once they finish the new concourse B and the subsequent C where the current tower is. This is already accounting for a new International customs building between the rental car garage and the east runway that will connect to the BJT. The south side of the airpot is already limited by private and military aviation. The southern terminal and attached concourse (E) would be the narrowest concourse of them all because of it.


Also, every know knows that high speed rail is going to be hard. As I said, if it happens then it could push the expansions out as it would affect demand. Everyone here is fully aware that high speed rail in this country is obviously facing a lot of burdens. However, the eventual opening of the California line as well as TxDot's new position at looking ahead to rail development are reasons you can be hopeful. That's not saying that it will happen. I love this groups tenacity to actually each other but you know, IF doesn't mean, It Will.

Looking forward to the video this week!

[ILUVSAT]

Originally Posted by freerover

It’s been absent because there are 3 or 4 concurses in front of it for subsequent expansions. It’s the ultimate layout. It’s not remotely close to actualizing. Have you thought for 1 second how 1 terminal is suppose to have processing capacity for 140 gates and 5 concourses?


Lol that you put “plan” in quotes. It’s just called a site plan. Believe what you want. I’ve been posting mostly about airport construction plans here for almost a decade now. If you think the ABJ knows more than cool. My posting record speaks for itself.

Processing capacity for 140 gates in one terminal? Yes. Absolutely. May I introduce you to ATL, DEN, IST, or PKX (just to name a few)?

How would a two domestic terminal system would work in a linear layout format (like ABIA is going to be)?

Let's say I get of at Gate C23 - am I going to the north or south "terminal" to get baggage? What if I have someone picking me up at the north terminal and my original arrival gate is B12 (which would funnel baggage to the north terminal). And, like most busy hubs, once we land, our arrival gate changes to D28 (which funnels baggage to the south terminal)- can you fathom the confusion, frustration, anger passengers would have? This is why the two domestic A&D hall terminal system does not work in the layout like what ABIA is building (again, similar to ATL & DEN).

For example, ATL has one A&D hall for domestic (servicing over 180 gates). The A&D hall in Concourse F is for international only. Domestic baggage goes to the domestic hall and international baggage to Concourse F. This makes sense.

With DEN, all arrivals (baggage) go to the Jeppsen Terminal (though. in different sections).

Additionally, building a completely new terminal on the south side would be financially inappropriate - as it is cost prohibitive versus expanding the service. and infrastructure on the north side.

Hey, I understand you may have been posting information about ABIA for "almost decade." Simply posting doesn't necessarily mean one is an expert or has the correct information at hand. There are members here that have been posing stuff for over two decades. Yet, rarely do they act (or intimate) that they are experts.

Again, based on recent quotes by airport officials, and layout plans posted on this thread, the south terminal idea seems to have been scrapped. Scrapped for a new idea on how to expand ABIA in the quickest and least costly manner. Plans (site plans) often change. In fact, it happens more than not. When the second terminal idea was bantered (included in a site plan), WN and DL were long off from stating their current plans and needs to airport officials. Plans have changed.

Nonetheless, once again, please explain to me how a second terminal would work in this layout - whereby it would create a more customer (passenger) friendly experience when using or passing through ABIA?

[freerover]

Originally Posted by ILUVSAT

Processing capacity for 140 gates in one terminal? Yes. Absolutely. May I introduce you to ATL, DEN, IST, or PKX (just to name a few)?

How would a two domestic terminal system would work in a linear layout format (like ABIA is going to be)?

Let's say I get of at Gate C23 - am I going to the north or south "terminal" to get baggage? What if I have someone picking me up at the north terminal and my original arrival gate is B12 (which would funnel baggage to the north terminal). And, like most busy hubs, once we land, our arrival gate changes to D28 (which funnels baggage to the south terminal)- can you fathom the confusion, frustration, anger passengers would have? This is why the two domestic A&D hall terminal system does not work in the layout like what ABIA is building (again, similar to ATL & DEN).

For example, ATL has one A&D hall for domestic (servicing over 180 gates). The A&D hall in Concourse F is for international only. Domestic baggage goes to the domestic hall and international baggage to Concourse F. This makes sense.

With DEN, all arrivals (baggage) go to the Jeppsen Terminal (though. in different sections).

Additionally, building a completely new terminal on the south side would be financially inappropriate - as it is cost prohibitive versus expanding the service. and infrastructure on the north side.

Hey, I understand you may have been posting information about ABIA for "almost decade." Simply posting doesn't necessarily mean one is an expert or has the correct information at hand. There are members here that have been posing stuff for over two decades. Yet, rarely do they act (or intimate) that they are experts.

Again, based on recent quotes by airport officials, and layout plans posted on this thread, the south terminal idea seems to have been scrapped. Scrapped for a new idea on how to expand ABIA in the quickest and least costly manner. Plans (site plans) often change. In fact, it happens more than not. When the second terminal idea was bantered (included in a site plan), WN and DL were long off from stating their current plans and needs to airport officials. Plans have changed.

Nonetheless, once again, please explain to me how a second terminal would work in this layout - whereby it would create a more customer (passenger) friendly experience when using or passing through ABIA?

ATL does has 2 terminals. Just so I'm clear, you think I'm making this up? Or is it that the port mistakenly identified a 2nd terminal in 2023 and created a site plan including it along with the 3 center concourses along with all the exact short term projects that they are doing it. Which is it, I'm lying or the people who put this together were wrong?

[Croon]

Any 2nd terminal depiction on the Southside is just for illustration purposes among a series of options of how and where full build out and expansion could go after required studies/approvals and budgeting. Might have been the same document that depicts 3rd runway options in the future. Again, for illustration purposes.

As for the future midfield concourse to parallel BJT, I think some us have been using "terminal" as a generic term for "concourse". Media and the city's own website literature and announcements call it Concourse B- ... which in itself suggests there's a Concourse A. But I've never heard or read of anyone use the term "Concourse A" when referring to BJT/main terminal or the gate area post-TSA.