ABIA Expansion Thread

[Armybrat 40818]

56 minutes ago, VolenteHawk said:

SFO requires some creativity to find rideshare.

 

So does Las Vegas.

[kevwun 15758]

New Orleans has a really good setup for it.

[Pasken 1309]

I believe the plan is to move rideshares back to the roadway for the new terminal building. It'll be wider and much longer. The location isn't really that much closer than its current location. You'll just be walking through the new terminal building instead of the current short term parking garage. 

 

click to enlarge:

[Walte464 450]

Nashville’s rideshare is worse than the current ABIA situation

[hornian 5210]

8 hours ago, Walte464 said:

Nashville’s rideshare is worse than the current ABIA situation

Yay we’re better than Nashville! 

[dirtonia 269]

When will checkpoint 1 have a precheck line all the time?

[Pasken 1309]

33 minutes ago, dirtonia said:

When will checkpoint 1 have a precheck line all the time?
 

I don’t know but I do know they are adding 2 more security lines to checkpoint 1 later this year. I don’t know how they’ll be designated.

[Shaggy3.0 1695]

Cannot fucking wait. The gate announcements in the new Delta gate area are out of control. 

This is true. The club looks like fun.


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[Chopper 17230]

A couple reviews of the delta club

https://renespoints.boardingarea.com/2019/05/23/delta-sky-club-austin-airport-lounge-review-opening-celebration/

https://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2019/05/20/deltas-new-austin-club-has-a-sky-deck-and-its-gorgeous/

[Chet Steadman 940]

Looks fantastic.  +rep.  

Closing at 645 though?  Not sure I’ve ever seen one which shuts its doors that early.  

[The Dog 44017]

Looks fantastic.  +rep.  
Closing at 645 though?  Not sure I’ve ever seen one which shuts its doors that early.  

Last flight is at 6:15pm so no reason to stay open any later.

[Guest Lobo]

Yeah, that’ll change as they add more service as we take on focus city status.  

 

[Guest Lobo]

Well, ViaAir just opened some gates up at ABIA.  As session ends, so to does their non-stop service to Amarillo, and other four state destinations of allure and prowess.  

[Pasken 1309]

5 hours ago, Lobo said:

Well, ViaAir just opened some gates up at ABIA.  As session ends, so to does their non-stop service to Amarillo, and other four state destinations of allure and prowess.  

Yea, south terminal gates. Add some more Allegiant flights no one should ever take.

[Armybrat 40818]

This is what the old Mueller Airport main terminal building looked like when I first flew into Austin (In a DC-7, IIRC) in January, 1959. It had been doubled in size since first constructed in the 1930s. It was replaced by the modern terminal building with its iconic flared control tower in 1961.

[Pasken 1309]

8 minutes ago, Armybrat said:

This is what the old Mueller Airport main terminal building looked like when I first flew into Austin (In a DC-7, IIRC) in January, 1959. It had been doubled in size since first constructed in the 1930s. It was replaced by the modern terminal building with its iconic flared control tower in 1961.

 

Was this the plane you flew on?

[Shaggy3.0 1695]

Delta Club. I feel hip, like DUMBO Brooklyn and shit.






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[Shaggy3.0 1695]

And take the stairs up, you lazy fucks.





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[Shaggy3.0 1695]

Dp. Fuck tapa

 

[Armybrat 40818]

That ultra modern furniture looks as comfortable as a concrete park bench.

[Machinator 32099]

 

[Pasken 1309]

 

Z- Cafe Opens  before Security Checkpoint 2.

 

Brighton jewelry and fashion is now open across from Gate 15 while Hammer Made men’s fashions and InMotion Entertainment are currently under construction at the Barbara Jordan Terminal.

 

 

 

Over 5,000 spaces are now available with Levels 1–5 open in the Blue Garage.  The new garage is utilizing the Park Assist guidance system and app to help customers find available spaces. The system includes pathway signage and an app that shows customers the number of spots available. The free Park Assist app is available from the Google Play and Apple App store and can tell you even before arriving where to find available parking spaces. There are Park Assist kiosks located near the main elevators on the first and second levels that also allow customers to find their car by inputting their partial or full license plate number.

 

 

 

The Consolidated Maintenance Facility is about to start construction. It will provide maintenance support for airport daily operations. The new site, located off of Golf Course Road that intersects with SH 71 will serve as the headquarters for maintenance (airline, building, and field), motor pool, warehouse, trades (carpeting, mechanical, plumbing, welding, and wildlife), deicing, recycling, truck wash bay, airport police unit and police K-9 center.

 

 

 

: Total passenger traffic for May 2019 was 1,543,108 up 9.1% compared to May 2018.  Total passenger traffic for January – May 2019 was 6,660,334, up 9.2%, compared to January – May 2018. More details about airline growth in Spoiler:

May 2019

 
Passenger Activity: Total passenger traffic for May 2019 was 1,543,108 up 9.1% compared to May 2018. May 2019 enplanements totaled 785,799, up 9.3%. Southwest Airlines passengers totaled 514,694, up 5.9%; American Airlines passengers 254,971, up 5.9%; United Airlines passengers totaled 222,615, up 7.6%; Delta Air Lines passengers 211,652, up 11.3%; Frontier Airlines passengers totaled 81,461, down 35.7%; Spirit Airlinespassengers totaled 79,248; Alaska Airlines passengers totaled 55,366, up 12.3%; JetBlue Airways passengers totaled 51,119, up 4.6%; Allegiant Air passengers totaled 23,792, down 15.5%; British Airways passengers totaled 17,962, up 5.1%; Lufthansa passengers totaled 7,160; Air Canada passengers totaled 6,840, up 63.3%; Norwegian Air passengers totaled 7,743, down 6.4%; AeroMexico passengers totaled 3,292, up 4.6%; Sun Country Airlines passengers totaled 2,604, up 322.7%; WestJet passengers totaled 1,859, Swift Air passengers totaled 274, down 4.2%; and ViaAir passengers totaled 154, down 93.3%.

May 2019 air cargo totaled 12,358,153 lbs., down 8.2% compared to May 2018.  International air cargo totaled 1,315,562 lbs., down 31.9%. Federal Express carried 8.1 million lbs., down 6%; and United Parcel Service carried 3.2 million lbs., down 11.8%.

Air Services transferred 927,781 lbs. of mail, up 38.5%; and 2,218,516 lbs. of belly freight, up 19.6%.

Aircraft Operations: General Aviation operations totaled 3,345, down 26.1%. Combined operations (including commercial and military) totaled 17,920, down 6.3%.
 

January - May 2019
 

Passenger Activity: Total passenger traffic for January – May 2019 was 6,660,334, up 9.2%, compared to January – May 2018. January – May 2019 enplanements totaled 3,337,311, up 9.4%. Southwest Airlines passengers totaled 2,326,329, up 6.1%; American Airlines passengers 1,236,744, up 12.1%; United Airlines passengers totaled 990,628, up 9.2%; Delta Air Lines passengers 895,303, up 9.8%; Frontier Airlines passengers totaled 255,874, down 26.9%; Alaska Airlines passengers totaled 242,837, up 12.4%; Spirit Airlines passengers totaled 239,048; JetBlue Airways passengers totaled 230,763, down 5.3%; Allegiant Air passengers totaled 83,712, down 34.7%; British Airways passengers totaled 72,747, up 16.8%; Air Canada passengers totaled 26,202, up 42%; Norwegian Air passengers totaled 23,094, up 38.8%; AeroMexico passengers totaled 15,054, down 9.9%; Lufthansa passengers totaled 7,419; Sun Country Airlines passengers totaled 6,301, up 178.4%; ViaAir passengers totaled 3,218, down 47.8%; Swift Air passengers totaled 1,267, up 49.9%; Volaris passengers totaled 434; and Scandinavian Airlines passengers totaled 423.

May 2019 (January – May 2019) air cargo totaled 60,848,762 lbs., down 4.9% compared to May 2018. International air cargo totaled 8,419,574 lbs., down 10.9%. Federal Express carried 39.9 million lbs., down 3.2%; and United Parcel Service carried 15.2 million lbs., down 4.7%.

Air Services transferred 4,632,186 lbs. of mail, up 54.3%; and 9,347,068 lbs. of belly freight, up 16.1%.

Aircraft Operations: General Aviation operations totaled 18,063 for January – May 2019, down 11.4%. Combined operations (including commercial and military) totaled 85,366 up 0.4%.

 

[<spoiler]

 

 

 

Edited July 2, 2019 by Pasken

[MrBig 5370]

They can expand the airport all they want, but until there is some traffic control in both the Departures & Arrivals, it’s not going to make two shits of a difference.

[Pasken 1309]

25 minutes ago, MrBig said:

They can expand the airport all they want, but until there is some traffic control in both the Departures & Arrivals, it’s not going to make two shits of a difference.

 

The next stage of expansion would build an entirely new building for processing Departures & Arrivals where the original short term garage is. They're also adding 2 more security lines in checkpoint 1 to help in the short term.

 

click to enlarge:

Edited July 2, 2019 by Pasken

[Pasken 1309]

Port Updates

-The first of new southern gate openings in the eastern terminal extension is now delayed to August with substantial competition prior to October 2019. The delay was due to excessive spring rain and procurement of substandard flowable fill.

-The FAA is still reviewing the 2040 master plan.

-New IT building needs final cost approval from City Council.

-New Consolidated Maintenance Center starts construction next month subject to negotiation on minor issues and details with contractor. 

-TSA is reviewing remodel to security checkpoint 1 that adds 2 more security lanes. 

-New Parking garage substantially complete and attached admin building on schedule for  March 2020 opening. 

[Neonmoon 38129]

On 6/10/2019 at 7:33 AM, Armybrat said:

That ultra modern furniture looks as comfortable as a concrete park bench.

Seriously...it’s like all furniture designers binged watched Mad Men and won’t stop making that shit. 

[Armybrat 40818]

1950s & 1960s modern furniture looked trendy but sucked for sitting.

Edited July 5, 2019 by Armybrat

[used2b 249]

I need some information please.

We were booked to fly on Frontier (I know I know) and the flight out last week got canceled so we were rebooked on American. I parked in the Main Terminal garage.

We fly back into the South Terminal on Frontier now, which I didn't realize at the time.

So are there shuttles to the Main Terminal/Garage from the South Terminal? It will just be me and my 3 kids and I like to know exactly what to do ahead of time.

What a pain in the ass.

On another note I fly without kids on Delta later this week so looking forward to that lounge.

Edited July 8, 2019 by used2b

[SquishMitten 10403]

.  And it's a real thrill when it's 90+ and humid as shit, and you're wearing a suit.  

Holy fuck, this. First time I’ve flown since the change. Walk half a mile through a garage/sauna then stand in another garage/sauna for 10 more minutes. No way I’m not leaving a sweaty ass print on this dude’s seat. I’ll be shocked if I don’t have to get this suit dry cleaned due to sweat stains.

[CooterBrown 18002]

So are there shuttles to the Main Terminal/Garage from the South Terminal? It will just be me and my 3 kids and I like to know exactly what to do ahead of time.

Too late for your info but there is a shuttle between the terminals. However, since you usually have to call for it to come get you, it’s faster to uber over there.

[Pasken 1309]

14 hours ago, SquishMitten said:

 

Holy fuck, this. First time I’ve flown since the change. Walk half a mile through a garage/sauna then stand in another garage/sauna for 10 more minutes. No way I’m not leaving a sweaty ass print on this dude’s seat. I’ll be shocked if I don’t have to get this suit dry cleaned due to sweat stains.

 

It'll be interesting to see what they do when they start tearing down the old garage between the terminal and ride share area. I guess they'll have more trams running because it will be a long walk around the garage. 

 

 

Two of the final 4 gates in the eastern extension look like they are close to opening. I"m pretty sure gate 14 will have to shut down and temporarily move to one of the new gates so they can take apart the last remaining stinger jetways. 

 

[gecko 1104]

My biggest question....when are they going to make meaningful progress on 183 right outside the airport.  That's been a joke for well over a year.

[Pasken 1309]

3 minutes ago, gecko said:

My biggest question....when are they going to make meaningful progress on 183 right outside the airport.  That's been a joke for well over a year.

Starting next week possibly. They are about to open the northern section of the project on Wednesday and then a lot of workers will shift south. They still need to build the super long bridge for the 71 WB mainlanes over that reservoir, as well as the WB bridge over 183. They still need to traffic switch the WB traffic to the new EB bridge first.

Edited July 30, 2019 by Pasken

[bschoolprof 6251]

12 minutes ago, Pasken said:

It'll be interesting to see what they do when they start tearing down the old garage between the terminal and ride share area. I guess they'll have more trams running because it will be a long walk around the garage. 

 

 

what are they doing with the old garage?

[Pasken 1309]

4 minutes ago, bschoolprof said:

what are they doing with the old garage?

 

Demolishing it and putting a new building to serve as passenger processing where you check your bags, get tickets, go through security, and do baggage claim. It'll be a more open design where they can more customize how each space is used.  The BJ terminal will all become post security, a new center concourse will be built at the same time and the south terminal will close.

 

 

Also, the new vehicle lanes will be wider and have a level in the middle for pedestrians. No more people walking across car lanes.

 

Edited July 30, 2019 by Pasken

[Guest Lobo]

But how are we supposed to get to Gattis?

[Pasken 1309]

Why Austin's airport lost 19 nonstop routes in the last year
By Daniel Salazar  – Staff Writer, Austin Business Journal

 

Quote

For an airport constantly breaking passenger records, one Austin-Bergstrom International Airport statistic on a downswing may come as a surprise: the number of nonstop routes.

Last year, Austin Business Journal profiled ABIA's portfolio of nonstop routes — which had reached roughly 84 domestic and international destinations at the time.

But with peaks come valleys.

Now, about a year later, you can reach 64 airports in the Americas and Europe from Austin without a connection, according to the airport.

ABIA still secured some headline-making international routes like Lufthansa service to Frankfurt and WestJet flights to Calgary in the past year. But there are 19 domestic nonstop routes — from Reno, Nevada, to Providence, Rhode Island — that have been discontinued since last summer. That’s in addition to Volaris discontinuing an international nonstop to Guadalajara, Mexico, at the beginning of this year.

Here's why most of those domestic services were cut and what it means for the growing airport.

Frontier Airlines
Denver-based Frontier Airlines nearly doubled its number of nonstop routes in one fell swoop last year when it launched 14 new seasonal routes. Frontier's expansion signaled the only nonstop service to seven new cities, according to the February 2018 announcement.

But it discontinued those seven routes — Buffalo, New York; Jacksonville, Florida; Milwaukee; Omaha, Nebraska; Providence, Rhode Island; Reno, Nevada and Charleston, South Carolina — last fall and did not bring them back this year, said Frontier Senior Vice President Daniel Shurz. He said Providence and Charleston were the weakest performing routes.

Frontier also cut service to Louisville, Kentucky, which was added last year, and John Glenn Columbus International Airport in Ohio, which was added in 2017.

"Our expansion ... was very large," Shurz said. "We've learned a lot about the market in the meantime."

Shurz said Frontier primarily cut the routes in conjunction with facility constraints as part of its move to ABIA's South Terminal, a smaller, completely separate facility from the main Barbara Jordan Terminal.

"That was probably the biggest risk of being at the South Terminal — customers not knowing where it is," he said.

But Shurz said the airline enjoys shorter taxi times for planes and a less stressful environment for customers, some who could be infrequent flyers trying out a budget airline for the first time.

"It's definitely good from an operational perspective," he said. "[And] we think it's good from a customer perspective."

And Shurz said Frontier has seen solid demand from new routes it kept, such as Chicago and San Francisco, and its more frequent service to existing markets such as San Diego.

"We're seeing much more success this year with a focus on being in bigger markets [and] adding frequencies in some of these," Shurz said. "We absolutely intend to grow in Austin."

Via Air
In recent years, budget carrier Via Airlines added nonstop service from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to Amarillo; Branson, Missouri; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Little Rock, Arkansas; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Oklahoma City; Tucson, Arizona and Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

The Florida-based airline was the only operator providing nonstop service between those cities and Austin.

But in May the airport stopped doing business with Via Air after it failed to make payments to the airport and operators out of the South Terminal.

ABIA spokesman Bryce Dubee said Via's last day of operation at the Austin airport was May 30. The routes it served have not yet been picked up by another airline.

Media reports and aviation blog posts depicted a hasty, chaotic retreat by Via Air with idle aircraft and radio silence to inquiries about its shuttering service.

The airline had issues long before that, however. An investigation by KXAN News last year showed a business marked by unresponsive customer service, poor reviews and broken promises around refunds and reimbursements.

The Orlando Sentinel reported in July that the financially troubled airline was acquired by an Atlanta-based charter service.

Via Air staff did not return a request for comment from ABJ.

Allegiant Air
Allegiant Air, another budget airline, cut ABIA service to St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport in Florida and Columbus' Rickenbacker International Airport about a year ago.

"The decision was made that demand was not strong enough to continue flying those particular routes at this time," Allegiant spokeswoman Hilarie Grey wrote in an email.

Allegiant is still the only nonstop operator connecting Austin with Pittsburgh and Memphis, as well as Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport and Orlando Sanford International Airport in Florida. But it also flies routes with more competition such as Albuquerque, New Mexico; Cincinnati; Indianapolis and Las Vegas.

Grey said Allegiant's remaining routes are doing well, although she declined to get into specifics.

"Generally we work to pick up demand other carriers are not serving — whether that means a completely non-competitive route that no other airlines fly or one that has additional capacity for growth not already being served," she said.

'It's an ebb and flow'
Howard Mann is the vice president of Alexandria, Virginia-based Campbell Hill Aviation, which serves as an air service consultant to ABIA.

Mann said ultra-low cost carriers such as Frontier are more willing to launch a bunch of new nonstop routes at a time to see what sticks.

"You're seeing airlines take a chance on Austin based on the type of growth and demographics," Mann said. "They're trying to test a lot of markets with low-fare stimulation ... Some of those work and some of those don't."

Mann said it's not an indictment on the carrier or the city if a route doesn't show the demand that was expected.

"Every airplane is a limited asset where they have to figure out the best return," Mann said.

"Airlines are going to continue to take a risk and test out new opportunities in Austin," he added.

The Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce's Walter Zaykowski said ultra-low cost carriers have still seen gains in the last year, citing Frontier's rate of growth and Spirit Airlines entering the market earlier this year.

"It's an ebb and flow. This market is still very desirable for airlines," he said. "We hate to see markets lost but it's important to remember that a lot of these flights were semi-weekly."

Zaykowski said continued passenger growth shows the market is still healthy. He added he's confident that the airport can add back some of the routes it lost.

"Airlines are going to continue invest, whether it's increased frequency or adding new routes, whatever it might be," he said. "There's money to be made here."

 

TLDR: Normal fluctuation of budget airlines

-Via Airlines went out of business (8 flights)

-Frontier Airlines expanded to fast and cut 7 of the 14 new flights they started a couple years ago due to lower performance and facility constraints with the south terminal.

-Allegiant Air cut a couple lower performing routes. 

-Volaris discontinuing an international nonstop to Guadalajara, Mexico, at the beginning of this year.

Edited August 1, 2019 by Pasken

[4th&Five 41506]

Flying out of the South Terminal now for the first time. As silly as it is that a city as big as Austin has this thing I’ve got to say it was a really good and easy experience. Taco truck was good too. 

[Guest Lobo]

Yeah, they kinda failed to lead with the most important part of that story.  We're cutting non-stops at one of the fastest growing airports in the hemisphere...because one airline couldn't pay their bills, and another airline knows route planning about as well a kid with his first globe.  

[Pasken 1309]

 

[Blotto 23486]

On 5/20/2019 at 5:37 PM, Brisketexan said:

I have no f'n doubt.  The funny thing is, though....the taxi cabs got hosed and jammed over there, too.  Imagine walking out of a major airport and not even SEEING a cab....anywhere.  Just a few signs telling you to walk this way for 300 yards.  And then this way for 200 yards.  And then this way for 250 yards....leaving you to wonder whether you're just following signs to a serial killer's lair or some shit.

I tried to set the pickup point ("Blue 2"), and the app actually said "that's pretty far away, are you sure you want that pickup point?"  When the app itself recognizes that the pickup point is in BFE, that's fucked.

For me, it's just an unnecessary inconvenience that I  whine about like a little girl. But what the fuck do you do if you are old or obese? The last time I hiked through that sauna, I was thinking that there was no way my 80 year old mom could make that trek with heavy luggage. You damn near need a ride share option to get to the ride share pickup zone. 

[PilotsError 2286]

Obese people shouldn't be catered to.  But yeah, it's a trek for olds.  The conspiracy part of me thinks the city is still pissed at Uber and Lyft getting to come back so this is their "fuck you" to all rideshares.

[Pasken 1309]

16 hours ago, Blotto said:

For me, it's just an unnecessary inconvenience that I  whine about like a little girl. But what the fuck do you do if you are old or obese? The last time I hiked through that sauna, I was thinking that there was no way my 80 year old mom could make that trek with heavy luggage. You damn near need a ride share option to get to the ride share pickup zone. 

Why can’t old people take the shuttle to the ride share area?

[chitwood 155]

On 8/2/2019 at 11:57 AM, 4th&Five said:

Flying out of the South Terminal now for the first time. As silly as it is that a city as big as Austin has this thing I’ve got to say it was a really good and easy experience. Taco truck was good too. 

Flew to Minneapolis and back this week out of the South terminal. Super easy and convenient. 

[Pasken 1309]

Delta beat United in July up %14.

 

 

Quote

AUSTIN, Texas – The busy summer travel season continues to break records at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport with 1,609,397 passengers traveling in June 2019. This new record surpasses the previous monthly record set a month prior in May 2019, of 1,543,108 passengers.
 

June 2019

 
Passenger Activity: Total passenger traffic for June 2019 was 1,609,397 up 8.1% compared to June 2018. June 2019 enplanements totaled 815,203, up 7%. Southwest Airlines passengers totaled 536,463, up 5.1%; American Airlines passengers totaled 257,710, up 3.3%; Delta Air Lines passengers totaled 227,132, up 14.4%; United Airlines passengers totaled 224,590, up 4.4%; Frontier Airlines passengers totaled 100,295, down 25%; Spirit Airlines passengers totaled 78,058; Alaska Airlines passengers 55,584, up 10%; JetBlue Airways passengers totaled 49,729, down 3.1%; Allegiant Air passengers totaled 23,782, down 26.7%; British Airways passengers totaled 18,807, up 5.6%; Lufthansa passengers totaled 9,336; Norwegian Air passengers totaled 8,214, up 0.4%; Air Canada passengers totaled 7,205, up 59.9%; AeroMexico passengers totaled 4,578, up 15%; Sun Country Airlines passengers totaled 4,496, up 2.1%; WestJet passengers totaled 2,252; Vacation Express passengers totaled 1,073, up 11.8% and Miami Air passengers totaled 93.

June 2019 air cargo totaled 14,244,610 lbs., down 3% compared to June 2018.  International air cargo totaled 1,721,137 lbs., up 13.9%. Federal Express carried 7.4 million lbs., down 9.5%; and United Parcel Service carried 3.2 million lbs., up 6.3%.

Air Services transferred 757,142 lbs. of mail, up 18.8%; and 1,829,984 lbs. of belly freight, up 4.3%.

Aircraft Operations: General Aviation operations totaled 3,165, down 22.7%. Combined operations (including commercial and military) totaled 17,483, down 5.3%.

January - June 2019

Passenger Activity: Total passenger traffic for January – June 2019 was 8,269,731, up 9%, compared to January – June 2018. January – June 2019 enplanements totaled 4,152,514, up 8.9%. Southwest Airlines passengers totaled 2,862,792, up 5.9%; American Airlines passengers totaled 1,494,454, up 10.5%; United Airlines passengers totaled 1,215,218, up 8.3%; Delta Air Lines passengers totaled 1,122,435, up 10.7%; Frontier Airlinespassengers totaled 356,169, down 26.3%; Spirit Airlines passengers totaled 317,106; Alaska Airlines passengers 298,421, up 12%; JetBlue Airways passengers totaled 280,492, down 4.9%; Allegiant Air passengers totaled 107,494, down 33.1%; British Airways passengers totaled 91,554, up 14.3%; Air Canada passengers totaled 33,407, up 45.5%; Norwegian Air passengers totaled 31,308, up 26.1%; AeroMexico passengers totaled 19,632, down 5.1 %; Lufthansa passengers totaled 16,755; Sun Country Airlines passengers totaled 10,797, up 61.9%; WestJet passengers totaled 4,111; VIA Airlines passengers totaled 3,218, down 61.6%; Swift Air passengers totaled 1,267, up 49.9%;Vacation Express passengers totaled 1,073, up 11.8%; Miami Air passengers totaled 869, up 181.2%; Scandinavian Airlines passengers totaled 423, down 39.3%; Volaris passengers totaled 434, down 94%; and Air New Zealand passengers totaled 302.

June 2019 (January – June 2019) air cargo totaled 89,072,626 lbs., down .8% compared to June 2018. International air cargo totaled 10,140,711 lbs., down 7.5%. Federal Express carried 47.3 million lbs., down 4.3%; and United Parcel Service carried 18.4 million lbs., down 3%.

Air Services transferred 5,389,328 lbs. of mail, up 48.1%; and 11,177,052 lbs. of belly freight, up 14%.

Aircraft Operations: General Aviation operations totaled 21,228 for January – June 2019, down 13.3%. Combined operations (including commercial and military) totaled 102,849, down .6%.

 

 

A couple of the new gates are close to opening but one gate will have to be shut down when they do in order to finish the expansion project. We won't really see a real net positive in gates until October. 

 

Also, is no one interested in this autonomous vehicle at the airport?

 

[Pasken 1309]

New Airport Construction Update

Toy Joy toystore and Yummi Joy became the first concessionaire to open and start operations in the new 9-gate expansion at the Austin airport, followed by The Austin Chronicle marketplace. XpresSpa is under construction in two locations in the Barbara Jordan Terminal and Briggo opens a second robotic coffee haus.

Toy Joy and Yummi Joy, Austin Chronicle first to open in expansion

The popular Austin toystore Toy Joy and Yummi Joy opened near Gate 10. Voted a USAToday 10 Best Toystore in 2014, the store offers toys and collectibles for all ages. The store is the first concession to open in the 9-gate expansion of the Barbara Jordan Terminal and includes their sweet shop concept, Yummi Joy. The toystore was founded in Austin in 1987 and has a brightly colored exterior, adorned with their signature pink cartoon cat.

The inside of the 880 square-foot toy store is decorated with an array of green, blue, pink and purple neons and lined with shelves topped with large toys. Display shelves containing small novelty items like wind-up toys and figurines are located in front of the checkout counter. The store also sells unique toys and games, assorted treats and stuffed animals. Toy Joy is open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is operated by concessionaire Delaware North.

The Austin Chronicle now has a marketplace open, located near Gate 8 in the expansion. The 887 square-foot store is conveniently separated with food options on the left and entertainment and souvenirs on the right. The marketplace stocks magazines, newspapers, and bestselling books as well as Texas and Austin souvenirs, electronics and snacks to serve a wide variety of traveler’s needs. Delaware North operates the marketplace serving customers daily from 4:30 a.m. until 9 p.m.  

XpresSpa Locations Under ConstructionXpresSpa massage

Luxury airport spa and massage services will be offered at the two XpresSpa locations currently under construction at the Austin airport. The west, 604 square-foot location will be below the American Airline Admirals / United Club across from Gate 21. The east, 432 square-foot location will be across from Second Bar and Kitchen near Gate 15.

XpresSpa will also offer Joint Chiropractic amenities, manicures, pedicures, facials, and waxing. Travel products and accessories that will be offered to customers will include travel pillows, massagers, and hair, nail and bath products. Construction is estimated to be completed this fall.

South Boarding Bridges Added to Terminal, Admin Building at 75-percent

Phase II continues on the 9-gate expansion of the Barbara Jordan Terminal. This includes the removal of the temporary jet bridges used during construction that are each 720, 560, 440 and 300 feet long, respectively. Construction is ongoing with apron pavement improvements to the south gates and attaching the jet bridges to gates 6, 8, 10 and 12, to make them operational for departures and arrivals this fall. Currently, the north-facing gates are being used in the terminal expansion along with east gates 2 and 4.

Adjacent to the six-story, 6,000 space Blue Parking Garage, the five-story Administrative Building has reached the 75-percent completion stage, with the addition of the outside reflective glass windows and drywalling inside. The building will allow Aviation Department staff to move out of the Barbara Jordan Terminal to make space available for possible retail, common use lounge services, and concessions in the passenger terminal.

The Administrative Building is estimated to be completed by the end of 2019. It is part of the $250 million dollar improvement project that includes the construction of the Blue Garage, updating the entry and exit plazas to the parking lots and modernizing signage on Presidential Blvd.

Second Briggo Coffee Machine Opens Near Gate 11
Located near Gate 11, a second robotic coffee barista has been added to the Austin airport. This is Briggo’s second “Robo-Joe” and it opening nearly coincides with the one-year anniversary of Briggo’s first airport coffee robot machine at Gate 17. The app-based ordering system allows travelers, airline crews and airport employees 24-hour personalized coffee service.

The robotic coffee house has a footprint of 40 square feet with digital displays. More information about how to Briggo can be found at https://briggo.com/experience/#howtobriggo

[Pasken 1309]

Followup article in the ABJ about incentives

By Daniel Salazar 

Quote

When airlines set up new routes at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, they cite familiar reasons — a healthy regional economy, sizable job and population growth, a robust technology sector and famous tourist draws such as South by Southwest and Austin City Limits.

But, behind the scenes, a little-known incentives program has been pumping millions of dollars toward airlines' facility and marketing costs for air service in Austin.

Airport officials and their allies in the business community say the program has been crucial to expanding leisure and business travel options out of Austin-Bergstrom, both to more domestic locations and to international destinations in the United Kingdom, Europe, Canada and Mexico. They argue the economic benefits of new air service to the Texas capital pale in comparison to the program's costs.

But the program operates on a far looser basis than other incentive regimes, such as the city's headline-grabbing Chapter 380 process that has subsidized the likes of Apple Inc. and Samsung Austin Semiconductor LLC. Contrary to what's spelled out in the airport's own rules, airlines have landed millions of dollars in incentives without a formal process of filling out applications — a modus operandi that concerns skeptics of economic incentive deals.

And with the amount of incentives provided through late July of this year already topping the 12-month totals from previous years, it’s a program on the rise as airlines compete to tap into Austin’s economic and tourism strong points. It could also be updated in the coming weeks to add more target destinations abroad that could qualify for incentives — and to carve out specific benefits for flights to Hawaii.

Airlines "can put a plane anywhere that they want to and they're looking at a myriad of factors on how they think the route will perform," the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce's Walter Zaykowski said. "But that only gets you so far."

How airline incentives work

The Domestic and International Air Service Incentive Program was adopted by the city of Austin's aviation department, which runs Austin-Bergstrom, in August 2015. It had a predecessor program from 2013. Both programs were adopted through the city's rule-making process without any public comments received.

The current program offers marketing assistance and temporary reductions in specific airport fees for flights to new destinations "in order to increase competition and to enhance domestic and international air service."

 

Airlines qualify for these incentives by flying to a target destination on a frequent-enough basis. For example, new routes to priority international destinations such as Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Paris and Tokyo could qualify for incentives under the program if they run at least eight times per month for a year.

Carriers typically pay what are known as facility fees to use and occupy space at Austin-Bergstrom. Facility fees include charges to use space for ticket counters and baggage storage, as well as fees to land aircraft at the airport and parking space where aircraft can remain overnight. Waivers for these facility fees make up the bulk of Austin-Bergstrom's incentives program.

"In a way, we're like a landlord," Assistant Aviation Department Director Jamy Kazanoff said. "These are mitigated fees... These aren't checks that are written out."

'What Austin does is very typical'

The marketing side of the incentive program works a bit differently. Here, the department boosts public relations efforts, media strategies and advertising work that promote new routes. It's tailored to each route and carrier and is "primarily directed at maximizing exposure to the local media and travel and tourism trades."

Marketing incentives can be reimbursements to airlines for PR work they've done to promote their Austin service or expenses by the aviation department on advertising, Kazanoff said.

"Whenever an airport would land new service, it would want to market and tell customers about it," she said. "The new routes need to work successfully pretty quickly... So we do everything we can to ensure that the route is known."

Kevin Schorr, senior vice president of Campbell-Hill Aviation Group LLC, advises Austin-Bergstrom on air service development. He said incentives are fairly common across the industry — and pointed out they are limited to two years for each route under federal guidelines.

"Nearly every airport has some kind of incentives program that is one of their tools in the tool box," Schorr said. "What Austin does is very typical ... in terms of offering fee waivers and marketing money for new service."

Schorr said airlines look at a variety of factors when they weigh new routes, such as market size, demographics and potential revenue. But he said incentives packages are somewhat "expected at this point" by airlines eyeing new markets.

"One of the things they're going to look at is what type of support they're going to get in the initial ramp up of service," he said. "That's really when they're bearing the brunt of the risk."

Kazanoff said funds for the incentives program come out of the airport's operating budget.

Most incentivized routes, airlines

Roughly $7.5 million in facility fee incentives have been doled out through the program since 2015, according to data obtained by the Austin Business Journal through a public records request. About $9.9 million in facility fee incentives were awarded from 2013 to July 2019 to more than 20 carriers.

Another $1.8 million in marketing incentives were also awarded to eleven carriers since 2013, records show.

The biggest recent recipient of incentives from Austin-Bergstrom is British Airways, which launched nonstop service to London-Heathrow about five and a half years ago.

From 2014 to 2016, British Airways received almost $2.1 million in facility fee incentives. It also received $400,000 in marketing incentives in 2014.

In only a few months in the first half of 2019, Spirit Airlines has received the second-highest amount of incentives of any carrier in the last six years. The budget carrier has gotten nearly $1.8 million in facility fee incentives since launching new nonstop service to Baltimore/Washington, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Orlando and Los Angeles earlier this year.

Spirit's incentives are the big reason why 2019 is already the largest year yet for the program — with almost $2.4 million doled out through July 25. Much of the the rest of the facility incentives so far this year went to bolstering new international service — $362,821.63 to Norwegian Airlines for London-Gatwick service to the U.K.; $191,010.91 for Lufthansa service to Frankfurt, Germany; and $35,907.24 for WestJet service to Calgary, Canada.

Marketing incentives have also peaked with this year's total already topping all other years since 2013 thanks to $400,000 in incentives to Lufthansa and $50,000 to WestJet for their respective service to Frankfurt and Calgary.

Southwest Airlines, Austin-Bergstrom's top carrier, has received $717,506.95 in facility fee incentives through a patchwork of waivers going back to 2013. That's the fourth-highest total incentive haul in the data provided, behind Norwegian's $1.1 million in incentives so far for its new London-Gatwick service.

But other legacy carriers such as American, Delta and United airlines haven't benefited as much from the program as some low-fare and international air service providers. Those airlines — which are second, third and fourth respectively in the most recent monthly passenger totals — all have received less than $100,000 in incentives since 2013.

No application process 'a huge red flag'

The rules for the airport incentive program state carriers must submit written requests to participate.

But when Austin Business Journal asked for applications to participate in the program and city responses to those requests, the aviation department had no responsive records.

Kazanoff said they begin working on a news release with airlines once they've decided to announce a new route connecting with Austin.

"That signifies the first part of the incentive program that they intend to serve the market," Kazanoff said, referring to the marketing side of the program.

"We don't have an application process, rather we have this long-term development process with airlines explaining the incentive program," she added.

Kazanoff said an internal process follows where a legal document called an incentives rider — which formalizes the agreement — is attached to an airline’s contract with the airport.

"So we have formal documentation," she said.

The lack of an application process concerns Nate Jensen, a University of Texas professor who studies economic development incentives and is often skeptical of their use.

He said it reminds him of when the Texas Enterprise Fund, the state's deal-closing incentives program for job creation, drew scrutiny several years ago for awarding millions of dollars to companies that never formally applied for incentives.

Jensen said requiring applications for incentives is viewed as a best practice in economic development — meaning no applications can be a sign of malpractice or "not taking the process very seriously."

"It's a huge red flag because often that can mean it's not going through any formal ... evaluation," he said.

"No protocol is just a recipe for disaster," he added.

Zaykowski said he feels the program's process is working well, adding that airlines should not be "bogged down in a ton of red tape."

"It gives them flexibility," he said. "It allows them to be nimble on their feet."

'What is most in demand'

ABJ also asked for updates to the list of target nonstop destinations, which determines what routes can qualify for certain incentives. But that list hasn't been updated since 2015.

Some routes have seen expanded service like Kansas City, Sacramento and Pittsburgh through incentives, while others, such as Honolulu and Panama City, remain more elusive.

Airport spokeswoman Mandy McClendon said the list is still relevant since it takes years to pursue markets for new air service. Kazanoff added that the airport is constantly pitching airlines on why they should put more planes in Austin, citing the years of work to add the first nonstop London service that began in March 2014.

"The lead up to landing British Airways was six or seven years of pounding on the corporate door," she said.

Kazanoff said the department and particularly the airport director have leeway to update the priority list at any point. But she said it's driven by analytics that show where passengers' ultimate destinations are out of Austin.

"This data ... drives what is most in demand and next on the list for Austin," she said.

Subsidized routes falling through

Some routes that have received incentives have since been discontinued by their airlines.

For example, Volaris received $377,175.53 in facility and marketing incentives for its Guadalajara service from 2016 to 2017, according to records. Frontier Airlines received $100,000 in marketing incentives to advertise service to Buffalo, Jacksonville, Milwaukee, Omaha, Reno, Providence and Charleston — in addition to separate fee waivers for all but one of those routes.

In 2018, ViaAir received more than $50,000 in facility fee incentives for Tucson, Oklahoma City, Little Rock and Tulsa nonstop routes that no longer exist. But Via was denied another $230,000 in potential marketing incentives for those routes, plus Amarillo and Birmingham, due to non-compliance, according to records.

With some incentivized routes being discontinued and other flights not receiving incentives at all, Jensen said it's not clear how officials can tell which incentives are pivotal to the success of new routes.

"There doesn't seem to be any acknowledgement of whether the marketing worked or not," he said.

Jensen also dislikes the argument these incentives aren't taxpayer funds, since revenues waived through the program could go toward airport improvements or other efforts.

"Money is fungible, so this money that is being given to the airlines could be used in a host of ways," he said.

Zaykowski thinks the program is still beneficial even if incentivized routes are discontinued, citing the need to compete with other cities for nonstop routes.

"You're not going to have a 100% success rate so I think it's absolutely worth it," Zaykowski said. "Because if you turn down a certain airline and say, 'we're not going to offer incentives here,' then maybe they're hesitant to come back to the table at another time when the route would've worked."

What's next

The aviation department is expected to adopt new rules for the program in September or October through the city's rule-making process. The updated program could spell out specific incentives for airlines that launch new nonstop service to Hawaii, Ireland, China and South Korea.

Kazanoff said an update to the program makes sense with a new executive director on board and the airport's ongoing work to meet expected air traffic demand, such as the 2040 Airport Master Plan.

"It's time to update the program to make clear to the airlines in the community that we offer a competitive program," she said. "We are constantly in pursuit of landing more options for our customers."

Zaykowski believes the current program was crucial to securing the British Airways flight to London and the new Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt, which launched earlier this year.

"Without this incentive program, I think it's fair to say we wouldn't have some of the international routes that we have," Zaykowski said. "It's a vital part of growing the airport's route tree."

"Without these routes, the region [and] the economy risk falling behind," he added.

Zaykowski said he hopes the program remains flexible to airlines' needs as it aims for more ambitious air service targets around the globe.

"Whether it's Europe or South America or Asia or wherever it might be, we've got to be prepared to make offers that are competitive."

Edited August 22, 2019 by Pasken

[Guest Lobo]

About $2.0mm for Spirit Airlines in incentives?  Anybody wanna explain that one to us?  

[Pasken 1309]

16 minutes ago, Lobo said:

About $2.0mm for Spirit Airlines in incentives?  Anybody wanna explain that one to us?  

What's so complicated about it?

[Pasken 1309]

Delta fell back behind United in July.

Quote

AUSTIN, TEXAS –The busy summer travel season has ended with another record-breaking month at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. July 2019 was the busiest month in the airport history with 1,643,016 passengers traveling. The new record surpasses the previous monthly record, set last month in June 2019 of 1,609,397, with 33,619 more passengers. Overall, this year, Austin-Bergstrom is up 9 percent compared to this time last year with 9,912,747 passengers traveling from Jan. – July of 2019.

July 2019
Passenger Activity: Total passenger traffic for July 2019 was 1,643,016 up 8.7% compared to July 2018. July 2019 enplanements totaled 821,140, up 9%. Southwest Airlines passengers totaled 550,895, up 7%; American Airlines passengers totaled 269,956, up 7.3%; United Airlines passengers totaled 224,934, up 3%; Delta Air Lines passengers totaled 220,227, up 10.5%; Frontier Airlines passengers totaled 105,916, down 19.6%; Spirit Airlines passengers totaled 80,960; Alaska Airlines passengers 55,821, up 9.5%; JetBlue Airways passengers totaled 50,841, down 7.2%; Allegiant Air passengers totaled 24,481, down 31.6 %; British Airways passengers totaled 18,424, up 5.4%; Lufthansa passengers totaled 9,445; Norwegian Air passengers totaled 8,176, up 6.4%; Air Canada passengers totaled 7,504, up 75.5%; Sun Country Airlines passengers totaled 6,875, down 7.7%; AeroMexico passengers totaled 5,501, up 9.7%; WestJet passengers totaled 2,093; Vacation Express passengers totaled 677, down 51.4% and Swift Air passengers totaled 290, down 2.4%.

July 2019 air cargo totaled 14,083,706 lbs., up 1.2% compared to June 2018.  International air cargo totaled 1,423,128 lbs., down 3.4%. Federal Express carried 7,417,727 million lbs., down 2.3%; and United Parcel Service carried 3,250,827 million lbs., up 10.9%.

Air Services transferred 710,529 lbs. of mail, up 10%; and 1,622,074 lbs. of belly freight, up 3.7%.

Aircraft Operations: General Aviation operations totaled 3,166, down 21.4%. Combined operations (including commercial and military) totaled 17,710, down 4.7%.

January - July 2019
Passenger Activity: Total passenger traffic for January – July 2019 was 9,912,747, up 9.0%, compared to January – July 2018. January – July 2019 enplanements totaled 4,973,654, up 8.9%. Southwest Airlines passengers totaled 3,413,687, up 6.1%; American Airlines passengers totaled 1,764,410, up 10%; United Airlines passengers totaled 1,440,152, up 7.4%; Delta Air Lines passengers totaled 1,342,662, up 10.7%; Frontier Airlines passengers totaled 462,085, down 24.9%; Spirit Airlines passengers totaled 398,066; Alaska Airlines passengers 354,242, up 11.6 %; JetBlue Airways passengers totaled 331,333, down 5.3%; Allegiant Air passengers totaled 131,975, down 32.8%; British Airways passengers totaled 109,978, up 12.7%; Air Canada passengers totaled 40,911, up 50.2%; Norwegian Air passengers totaled 39,484, up 21.5%; Lufthansa passengers totaled 26,200; AeroMexico passengers totaled 25,133, down 2.2%; Sun Country Airlines passengers totaled 17,672, up 25.2%; WestJet passengers totaled 6,204; Via Airlines passengers totaled 3,218; Vacation Express passengers totaled 1,750, down 25.6%; Swift Air passengers totaled 1,557, up 36.3%; Miami Air International passengers totaled 869; Volaris passengers totaled 434; Scandinavian Airlines passengers totaled 423; and Air New Zealand passengers totaled 302.

July 2019 (January – July 2019) air cargo totaled 103,156,332 lbs., down 0.5% compared to July 2018. International air cargo totaled 11,563,839 lbs., down 7%. Federal Express carried 53,733,742 million lbs., down 4%; and United Parcel Service carried 21,638,451 million lbs., down 1.1%.

Air Services transferred 6,099,857 lbs. of mail, up 42.3%; and 12,799,126 lbs. of belly freight, up 12.6%.

Aircraft Operations: General Aviation operations totaled 24,394 for January – July 2019, down 14.5%. Combined operations (including commercial and military) totaled 120,559, down 1.2%.

Edited September 5, 2019 by Pasken