Philadelphia International Expansion Hits High Gear
<B>Philadelphia International Expansion Hits High Gear</B>
By Frank Rosci
Construction of two major components of a $1 billion expansion project at Philadelphia International Airport are in high gear, with one phase, a new regional terminal, nearly complete.
Philadelphia's new Terminal F, which will be home to US Airways Express, is scheduled to open June 15, while the airport's new international terminal is expected to be up and running by next summer.
"Together, Terminal F and the new international terminal will make the airport a more modern and more efficient facility," said David Castelveter, director of public relations for US Airways, which has its hub in Philadelphia. "The airport's new look will provide value to both leisure and business travelers, of course, but especially to business travelers since they travel the most." Terminal F, a $100 million project, will serve as a 190,000-sq.-ft. facility for US Airways Express, which operates 150 flights daily at Philadelphia, including a growing number of regional jet flights. Most flights now are aboard commuter turboprops.
The terminal will have 38 gates and is designed to handle as many as 3 million passengers annually by 2010. It will stand adjacent to the new 5,000-ft. regional aircraft runway, which opened at the end of 1999. US Airways Express initially will occupy the terminal, and Air Tran is expected to move in eventually, said airport officials, though a date has not been announced.
International Terminal One, scheduled to open next summer, will be an 800,000-sq.-ft., four-level facility with 13 new gates for wide-body aircraft, including the new generation Airbus A330-340 and Boeing 747-400 aircraft.
"The new international terminal will mean greater convenience and better service for the increasing number of travelers doing business overseas flying out of Philadelphia," said Mark Pesce, a spokesman for the airport.
US Airways will operate its new Airbus A330-300 aircraft from the terminal as part of its growing transatlantic service from Philadelphia.
Additionally, the airline will operate a 23,000-sq.-ft. US Airways Club on the fourth-level mezzanine, and there will be 13,000 square feet of other airline clubs on the second and third levels of the terminal. The US Airways Club/Business Center will be outfitted with numerous amenities for business travelers, including private work carrels with dataports, conference rooms for a nominal fee and a host of such business services as fax machines and document shredders, Castelveter said.
"Whether it's a flight to Lebanon, N.H., or Paris, France, Philadelphia International will offer the traveler a point of departure of distinction and convenience," said US Airways chairman Stephen Wolf.
Both new terminals will be linked to the airport's newly renovated terminal building, a $135 million project that combined Terminals B and C, and includes a new ticketing hall and baggage claim facilities, a new US Airways club, moving sidewalks and a major shopping area, Pesce said. The airport's newest international service will be US Airways' service to Belgium, beginning May 9.