How The 10 Busiest U.S. Airports Plan For Growth

<B>How The 10 Busiest U.S. Airports Plan For Growth</B>

By Amanda Young

To meet growing demand, officials at the 10 busiest domestic airports must forecast the number of passengers and average daily flights for the next decade. Individual Master Plans for the airports with the highest number of passengers for the year to date, according to the Airports Council International, reveal a common focus on international passengers, improved security systems, gate expansion and passenger flow.

Newark International Airport is the most delay-prone domestic airport, but it's not hard to understand given the amount of traffic in the Northeast corridor. In 1999, Newark surpassed New York's JFK International and LaGuardia airports in passengers, and became the 10th busiest U.S. airport.

For the past 10 years, passenger growth at Newark has risen more than 60 percent to nearly 34 million passengers. As part of a massive expansion project, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and Continental Airlines will have invested nearly $4 million by 2003 to improve infrastructure and passenger flow.

Continental operates the only major hub in the New York metropolitan area and carries most of the passengers at Newark, nearly a quarter of the traffic in the region. The Global Gateway program is Continental's four-year reinvestment strategy that will complete a third concourse with 12 widebody aircraft gates, a new baggage handling system, a 20,000-sq.-ft. Presidents Club and a Customs and Immigration area designed to process 1,500 international passengers per hour. Retail developers hired by the Port Authority and Continental will renovate more than 13,000 square feet of dining space and shopping space in terminals A, B and C, creating more than 110 new stores and restaurants.

Continental expects to open the new arrivals hall by year-end but, in the meantime, passengers will see a lot of construction. The Global Gateway program will continue through mid 2002.

The Port Authority also is repairing the monorail system. Monorail service was shut down completely in September as work proceeds for the next several months. To deal with construction, the Port Authority has beefed up airport staff and ground transportation to carry passengers to the terminals, parking lots and rental car outlets.

By next year, a one-mile extension to the Northeast Corridor Rail Station will provide rail access to the airport via Amtrak and New Jersey Transit.

Passenger flow and security are priority concerns at Miami International. The airport has spent $3.8 million for a new security checkpoint in Concourse G, and once the system is operational at all the concourses at the end of the summer, it should improve passenger flow substantially.

A video camera system records everything that happens at the security checkpoint. The operator also has more control with the option of shooting a Polaroid photo of anyone taking bags off the conveyor belt. The security system has red and green lights to signal which stations are open and closed. Customers who go through the first metal detector are routed through another line, where they can be screened discreetly while other passengers can keep moving without delay.

Miami International rolled out its $5.4 billion expansion program in 1999 with the renovation of Concourse A, adding 10 new passenger gates, 242,000 square feet of public areas and concessions and 305,000 square feet of passenger-accessible space. Concourse A serves a handful of international carriers, including AeroMexico, British Airways and Swissair.


When Northwest Airlines began developing the new Midfield Terminal at <B>Detroit Metropolitan Airport,</B> officials hadn't anticipated an increased demand for gates. Now Northwest is adding 24 gates to the $1.2 billion terminal complex under construction.

Ranked as the country's eighth busiest airport in passenger count, Detroit's existing terminals were designed and built with the intent of handling only a few million passengers a year. By 1996, more than 30 million passengers per year were traveling through the 77-gate facility. Crowded buildings, flight delays and limited road access all contributed to general operation problems. Developers from Wayne County and Northwest Airlines, DTW's dominant airline, formalized a plan that year to build a fourth terminal.

The Midfield Terminal project is on track to open in late 2001. When completed, it will house 123 gates. Of the recently added gates, 18 are for jumbo jets and six are for commuter planes. Northwest said the new installment is scheduled to be operational in 2003.

Key points of the Midfield Terminal building include: a Federal Inspection Service facility to handle 3,200 passengers per hour, 11 domestic luggage claim carousels and an enhanced luggage handling system; a connecting link with 15 shops and restaurants and a 19,000-sq.-ft. World Club; and an East Concourse to house 66 jet gates and 10 international gates, with 31 shops and restaurants, an automated people mover and a 6,800-sq.-ft. World Club. An underground pedestrian tunnel with moving walkways will connect the East Concourse to the smaller West Concourse.

DTW said the parking garage is slated to be the largest in the world, with 11,000 parking spaces and 10 levels.

Airport officials want to capitalize on their corporate travelers by building a full-service, upscale hotel next to the East Concourse. DTW expects to select an operator by Thanksgiving and have the hotel ready to open in 2002.


In its formative years, the Twin Cities Motor Club used the site of <B>Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport</B> as a racetrack. After two world wars, three name changes and massive reconstruction projects in the 1960s, MSP prides itself as being one of the most efficient, passenger-friendly airports. The seventh busiest in passenger volume, MSP sees more than 34 million business and leisure travelers annually. By 2010, MSP will handle more than 40 million passengers a year, according to the Metropolitan Airports Commission Dual Track Airport Planning Process final report.

Like most hub cities, Northwest Airlines has operated a large portion of Minneapolis/St. Paul flights, passing down high airfares and restrictions. Last summer's addition of Sun Country Airlines, which serves 16 cities, offers a low-cost alternative with fewer restrictions. To accommodate Sun Country, MAC made improvements to the existing Humphrey Terminal until the new structure opens in 2001. Most recently, a nine-level addition to the parking ramp opened. The first three floors accommodate the auto rental service center.


Unlike most older, established airports, <B>Denver International Airport</B> has plenty of room to spread its wings. The five-year-old airport is built to accommodate 50 million passengers a year, and 1999 was a testament to its performance, hitting an all-time high passenger count of 38,034,231. At full build-out, the sixth busiest airport would encompass 12 runways, five concourses and two terminal buildings, ultimately capable of handling more than 100 million passengers.

In June, DIA completed an environmental review of a sixth runway, which has been forwarded to the Federal Aviation Administration for final approval. Meanwhile, the airport intends to apply for at least $110 million in FAA grants, 75 percent of the estimated $145 million to $160 million project cost.

Also in June, United Airlines unveiled plans to build a $100 million regional aircraft terminal that will add 36 gates on the east wing on Concourse A. It will be the largest dedicated United Express facility in the company's history and will provide larger waiting areas and rest-rooms and concessions. Construction will begin in 2001, with the first flight expected to arrive at the United Express gates in 2003. DIA is United's second busiest hub next to Chicago O'Hare. United is DIA's largest carrier, accounting for 65 percent of its traffic.


<B>San Francisco International</B> will invest $2.4 billion in construction projects that focus on international growth. The SFO Master Plan entails more than 50 projects designed to improve and consolidate domestic and international passenger service, aircraft maintenance, cargo and safety and support services.

At the heart of the Master Plan is the new International Terminal, scheduled for grand opening Dec. 10. Covering 2.5 million square feet, the complex and two new boarding areas will house 24 international gates, compared with 10 today. The customs and immigration facilities will process 5,000 passengers per hour, up from 1,200 today, and the average international checkout should be reduced to 45 minutes or less.

SFO's $430 million Airport Rail Transit will make 10 stops between terminals, parking lots and a hotel still in the Draft Request for Qualifications and Proposal stage. The free ART service, set to open in December 2001, aims to reduce roadway traffic by 23 percent and eliminate half of all commercial vehicle trips on terminal roadways.

The Bay Area Rapid Transit's eight-mile extension to SFO and nearby Millbrae will provide direct rail access to the airport from downtown and the East Bay. Also expected to open in December 2001, BART will take about 30 minutes to reach SFO from downtown.

The fifth busiest airport, SFO's total passenger count of 40,387,422 in 1999 held steady from the previous year.


Since 1993, international passengers at <B>Dallas/Ft.Worth</B> nearly have doubled. Nonstop international destinations have increased to 30, representing a 58 percent increase in the past five years. The nation's second-largest airport is investing $2.5 billion in a five-year Capital Development Program, currently in the design stage. Plans include a new International Terminal, an automated people mover system, a 9,560-ft. eighth runway and the extension of three existing runways from 11,400 to 13,400 feet, more parking facilities and a state-of-the-art consolidated rent-a-car facility.

The new Terminal D will house 23 gates, 10 of which would hold widebody aircraft; a customs facility capable of serving up to 2,800 passengers per hour; and a 7,000-car parking garage with connecting skybridges to the east side terminals and the onsite Hyatt Regency.

At Terminal B, a recent $109 million project added five new and seven renovated gates. Three 2,000-ft. runway extensions also were completed.

Early this year, DFW opened a 200-acre Rental Car Center that consolidates all of the airport's present and future rental car companies into one location. The center holds 10 rental car companies, but after expansion will hold 12 companies and 5,000 cars.


In its most extensive makeover since sprucing up before the Olympic Games in 1984, aesthetic improvements at Los <B>Angeles International Airport</B> are only the icing on the cake.

LAX, the world's third busiest airport, is striving to become more passenger-friendly, with projects that include new business centers opening in five major terminals and $112 million worth of other enhancements, such as new signage, lighting and pedestrian walkways. Improvements coincide with a marked increase in service from American, Delta, TWA and United airlines.

LAX recently opened it's first airport-run business centers in Terminals 3, 7 and the Tom Bradley International Terminal. Similar facilities soon will open in Terminals 4 and 8. The 1,000-sq.-ft. spaces contain cubicles with workstations, copiers, fax service and Internet access. A concierge handling requests for office supplies and other needs staff each center.

Construction started earlier this year on the Gateway LAX project. When fully completed this fall, the airport entrance along Century Boulevard will be marked by a series of lighted columns in various colors and "LAX" in 40-ft.-high letters. Other features include upgraded and expanded pedestrian walkways linking the terminals, new landscaping and greenbelts, improved public address and emergency systems, and public art in the form of murals, statues, sculptures and mosaics.

Several airlines are increasing their operations at LAX. United, which upgraded to hub status a year ago, now has 11 nonstop international routes out of LAX, the most of any airline. United also has made improvements to its facilities in Terminal 7, including the renovation of its first class lounge and installation of a federal inspection service for overseas connections.

TWA recently named Los Angeles its second "focus city," where the carrier will expand service to a number of destinations other than its hubs. TWA is partnering with American Eagle, a regional carrier, to provide service to seven other Californian cities.

The Central Terminal Area has added 953 parking spaces in a four-level, $18 million structure opened two months ahead of schedule in July. The Master Plan also includes a parking structure that will provide 12,000 spaces.


The number-one spot breezed by the Windy City this year, even as <B>Chicago O'Hare</B> handled well more than 70,000 passengers. Much of O'Hare's ongoing expansion involves a $2.5 million gate renovation at American Airlines' 48 gates in Terminal 3, Concourses H, K and L.

In April, American installed a gate information system that features two 36-inch monitors at each gate. The system answers questions routinely asked of gate agents, such as flight numbers, destination cities, departure times, aircraft type, flying time, the destination city's weather conditions, standby list status and information on the next flight arriving at the gate. Passengers also are told why flights are delayed or canceled.

American Eagle's 18 gates will have a one-screen version of the new gate information display system.

Also new is the entrance of six airlines under a new rule by FAA. Airlines granted daily take-off and landing slots are America West, Legend, Mesa, National, Spirit and Sun Country.


More people fly through <B>Atlanta Hartsfield International</B> than any other airport. Each day nearly 78 million passengers flow through its terminals, with an average of 2,420 flights.

Atlanta's runway backups cause an average nine-minute delay. The only feasible solution for the near future is the extension of a commuter runway to an air carrier length of 9,000 feet. This $869 million runway lies five years away but, at the predicted level of activity for 2005, the runway extension will reduce average delays from nine to five minutes.

A fifth runway is one of the major components of a $5.4 billion capital improvement plan to be carried out over the next 10 years.

The Master Plan forecasts a demand for 29 international gates in 2005 and 32 gates in 2010. Increased activity in Concourse E, the international concourse, requires the need for a new International (or east) Terminal, which according to plan, will not be a stand-alone building but a $700 million, 900,000-sq.-ft. extension of Concourse E that will house the additional gates, international ticketing and concessions. The project includes 2,000 public long-term parking spaces adjacent to the terminal.

Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines, which accounts for 80 percent of the traffic at Hartsfield, has implemented a faster security checkpoint system, more technology-driven systems at boarding gates and a system to notify frequent flyers of flight schedule changes by pager and wireless phone messages. A new Delta system that reads bar codes on tickets is doubling the speed at which a gate agent can load a jet.