ABIA Expansion Thread

[Stunns38 3361]

Flight I was on had PHX and LAX passengers connecting through Austin. Thought it was odd myself.

Probably flying to the east coast. Still odd that they wouldn’t connect through DFW.


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[Pasken 1309]

Clear preference for runways are the easy to build ones next to existing runways. 

Desire to work on next 2 expansions simultaneously with near term smaller expansion opening in 2021 and long term bigger expansion opening in 2024.

 

 

3 hours ago, DaysOff said:

Christ. AUS doesn't need more runways. It needs TRACON controllers from Chicago or NY. The spacing that AUS approach gives is laughable. Put those controllers on the scopes and you double the hourly capacity of the airport.

The existing capacity will reach an average of 10 minute delays per flight in 2047. However, both existing runways are going to need to be closed for extended periods for maintenance at some point. That moves up the 10 minute delay average to as early as 2029 if the little runway is closed and 2032 if the big runway is closed. The entire process for building the new runway is 5-6 years.

 

The preferred runway option they want to go with is relatively cheap compared to most of the other options.

[DaysOff 7855]

Newark laughs at this bot.

They're about to shut down 11-29 in EWR for an extended period.

[The Dog 43857]

12 hours ago, Stunns38 said:

 

Probably flying to the east coast. Still odd that they wouldn’t connect through DFW.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Other direction - flying to PHX and LAX through AUS from DFW. 

[dieucla98 2942]

9 hours ago, DaysOff said:

Newark laughs at this bot.

They're about to shut down 11-29 in EWR for an extended period.

EWR is also a high demand airport. They can live with 3 runways and airlines will still flock to their gates and pay the fees and deal with delays. AUS needs operational convenience/effeciency to attract some of these new routes.

Edit: I guess by "airlines" I really mean United.

Edited April 20, 2018 by dieucla98

[dieucla98 2942]

Also.... I love how nearly everyone complains about how Austin as a city isn't forward thinking and can't plan for growth worth a shit but when we actually do try to plan for growth it turns into "look at little Austin, being so silly". 

Edited April 20, 2018 by dieucla98

[Ghost of LL 15495]

56 minutes ago, dieucla98 said:

Also.... I love how nearly everyone complains about how Austin as a city isn't forward thinking and can't plan for growth worth a shit but when we actually do try to plan for growth it turns into "look at little Austin, being so silly". 

Preach.

[gecko 1104]

Wait....did I read on post #43 that Frontier Airlines will begin nonstop service between Austin and Buffalo, NY?  For reals...?

[Ghost of LL 15495]

For those paying attention at home, J-class has been completely full on the BA flight to LHR the last couple of days (and is again tomorrow).  And today, they're flying a Super-J configuration (i.e., 86 J seats rather than 52) as BA 190/191.  I don't know whether that is a planned substitution to get more J seats or whether it's a maintenance substitution.  

But regardless--the load factors in the premium cabins is definitely a positive sign.

[kevwun 15675]

The temporary jetway they have for that flight is fun.  Feels like it's a mile long.  I swear that the BA flight was a couple times a week when we booked the flight, but I checked it this week for a coworker and looks like it's daily now

[Gardner Barnes 1562]

On 4/2/2018 at 9:26 PM, Chet Steadman said:

Love this stuff.  It’s amazing how many people are traveling though ABIA.  Every month seems to be a new record.  If I recall correctly, we weren’t expected to hit our numbers until the early-mid 2020s.  

Likewise, I’ll never understand the constant desire to have rail to an airport.  Outside of perhaps a stadium or arena on gamedays, you’ll find a greater contingent of cabs, taxis, busses, etc. at the airport than any other place in the city.  I don’t think I’ve ever had to wait more than 3-4 minutes for a ride at a major US airport.

Why has there been such a pressing need for a third runway?  Heathrow, Gatwick, Dubai and a dozen+ other international airports operate with two or less runways and each have exponentially more traffic than ABIA.  

Rail to an airport makes sense where traffic is a bitch.  Rail to ORD is great.  Rail WOULD be great to LGA and JFK. But they don’t have it. 

 

Rail to DFW, DIA and potentially ABIA is dumb. 

[Pasken 1309]

25 minutes ago, Gardner Barnes said:

Rail to an airport makes sense where traffic is a bitch.  Rail to ORD is great.  Rail WOULD be great to LGA and JFK. But they don’t have it. 

  

Rail to DFW, DIA and potentially ABIA is dumb. 

yea ABIA doesn't really need rail for a while. The 183 toll project will make getting to the Airport much faster and the project is paying to completely rebuild almost a mile 71 so 71 WB won't narrow down to 2 lanes anymore at 183. It's also building a ramp to take 183 NB Mainlane traffic off 71 BEFORE the traffic coming from Riverside gets on 71.  

 

Airport Construction Update

Major milestone as the crane comes down from the new Terminal expansion as all the glass is in and work shifts to building out the interior of the building.  Work will continue on the outside apron with new concrete pavement for aircraft operations and movement. 

Inside the new terminal space, crews are installing the terrazzo flooring along with internal plumbing and electrical work. HVAC and Information Technology installations continue along with more detailed carpentry work separating the hold gates, restrooms, concessions, Customs arrival walkway and the retail areas.  

Apron level terminal work continues on the baggage conveyor system, tug roadways and with the installation of the Airport Operations Center, office and workstation space, and airline workspaces. Work will continue on the outside apron with new concrete pavement for aircraft operations and movement.

 

[dieucla98 2942]

23 hours ago, Ghost of LL said:

For those paying attention at home, J-class has been completely full on the BA flight to LHR the last couple of days (and is again tomorrow).  And today, they're flying a Super-J configuration (i.e., 86 J seats rather than 52) as BA 190/191.  I don't know whether that is a planned substitution to get more J seats or whether it's a maintenance substitution.  

But regardless--the load factors in the premium cabins is definitely a positive sign.

Where are you seeing that? I can book biz and first seats on the flight to LHR both for today's flight and tomorrow's. 

[The Dog 43857]

16 hours ago, dieucla98 said:

Where are you seeing that? I can book biz and first seats on the flight to LHR both for today's flight and tomorrow's. 

They can oversell the cabin and don't forget about upgrades. That said, anything above a 50-60% load factor for paid business class is great. IIRC all you have to do is sell business at that rate and the rest of the fares are pure profit. So if they are flying with a full business class every day then BA is printing money on this route - which is great for both BA and Austin.

[Ghost of LL 15495]

20 hours ago, dieucla98 said:

Where are you seeing that? I can book biz and first seats on the flight to LHR both for today's flight and tomorrow's. 

I just flew it yesterday, and J was completely full.

And the way BA does it, even frequent-flyer J class is "paid" with all the damned fees they tack on.

[dieucla98 2942]

Interesting. I wonder if they are doing any operational upgrades to get the full J cabin. Though I would highly doubt the coach cabin is full so the need for operational upgrades would probably be close to 0....

[Guest Lobo]

Thankfully I can get to Raleigh, Buffalo, or Providence RI non-stop but if any one from the dozen publicly traded energy/services companies in Austin want to fly to Midland?  nope, fuck you. 

non-stop service to McAllen, the heart of the Rio Grande Valley...one of the fastest growing regions in the country?  Nope, fuck you.  

I'll give credit to ViaAir, they're at least looking into it.

Edited April 27, 2018 by Lobo

[skittlebrau 474]

On 4/27/2018 at 2:30 PM, Lobo said:

Thankfully I can get to Raleigh, Buffalo, or Providence RI non-stop but if any one from the dozen publicly traded energy/services companies in Austin want to fly to Midland?  nope, fuck you. 

non-stop service to McAllen, the heart of the Rio Grande Valley...one of the fastest growing regions in the country?  Nope, fuck you.  

I'll give credit to ViaAir, they're at least looking into it.

Southwest used to fly to Midland and it was empty as shit.

[Guest Lobo]

11 hours ago, skittlebrau said:

Southwest used to fly to Midland and it was empty as shit.

I was on some empty birds there myself.  But when SWA starts raising its fares because of increased Jet Fuel A prices, they should take a moment and think about what that means for the city of Midland.  Plus, last time we were at oil this high, the number of people in Austin working in the energy sector was about half what it is today.  

[phdhorn 6224]

12 hours ago, skittlebrau said:

Southwest used to fly to Midland and it was empty as shit.

And the plane was pretty uncrowded, too! <rimshot>

[dieucla98 2942]

Another month, another record - busiest March on record. Nearly the busiest month ever and March is maybe the 6th busiest month. Annual passenger record is going to be shattered, again.

[dieucla98 2942]

Of note, Delta is +23% Y/Y.  That makes 3 months in a row where Delta has grown ~20%+ Y/Y giving a lot of credibility to the rumors of making Austin a focus city once the expansion opens. 

[Ghost of LL 15495]

I guess this is where this goes:

 

That's really amazing that AUS increased its traffic from March to April.  I don't know how to account for that.

Two things of note--first, Delta keeps growing, up 26% year over last.  They're going to overtake United before too long.  Second, BA is filling up that 744, with an increase of 24% year over last.  And Norwegian enplaned 6,648 on 20 (I think) flights in April.  That means there were only 6,880 seats on that route--they had a 97% LF in April.

[kevwun 15675]

I guess it's the places I fly to, but Delta never seems to be a good option to get where I want to go. 

[HenryJames 65914]

Flew them direct to JFK a couple of weeks ago. Usually it's 'no, I don't want a layover in Atlanta.'

[UrbanAchiever 276]

23 minutes ago, Ghost of LL said:

And Norwegian enplaned 6,648 on 20 (I think) flights in April.  That means there were only 6,880 seats on that route--they had a 97% LF in April.

I took the Norwegian flight in May, and it was at capacity outbound to LGW but probably 2/3 full on the return. That route is a God send for an affordable option to London on a Dreamliner.

[The Dog 43857]

14 minutes ago, UrbanAchiever said:

I took the Norwegian flight in May, and it was at capacity outbound to LGW but probably 2/3 full on the return. That route is a God send for an affordable option to London on a Dreamliner.

IIRC everything is "a la carte" on those flights. How did it work for you? 

[HenryJames 65914]

Curious about that as well.

[UrbanAchiever 276]

15 minutes ago, The Dog said:

IIRC everything is "a la carte" on those flights. How did it work for you? 

I added the meal a la carte one way ($45) and did the snack bar the other way (spent $28). I didn't check a bag or select a seat (the other a la carte options).  I have a spacious travel duffel on wheels that fits everything I need for a week. It helps that the overhead areas in the Dreamliner are massive. All in, round trip was around $600.

Edited June 8, 2018 by UrbanAchiever

[kevwun 15675]

53 minutes ago, HenryJames said:

Flew them direct to JFK a couple of weeks ago. Usually it's 'no, I don't want a layover in Atlanta.'

If it's not there, it's Cincinatti.  Their flights from Austin to NOLA still go to Atlanta first.

Edited June 8, 2018 by kevwun

[DaysOff 7855]

I took the Norwegian flight in May, and it was at capacity outbound to LGW but probably 2/3 full on the return. That route is a God send for an affordable option to London on a Dreamliner.

Norwegian is a shitbag operation, but hey the tickets are cheap. You can search the web for incidents like this

 

 

https://www.aeroinside.com/item/8695/go2sky-b738-at-kristiansand-on-nov-4th-2016-ampquotracing-startampquot

 

 

 

[HenryJames 65914]

tl;dr

 

[Beau Vine 54018]

I forgot to post about my last ABIA parking experience....

I dropped the wife off and went to park in the poors' lots.  I drive by several blocked entrances even though I see plenty of open spots.  I drive by more blocked entrances.  And more.  And more.  Finally, I'm nearly in Bastrop and the road dead-ends.  There was a guy behind me, so as I'm doing a multi-turn Uwie, I roll down my window and he's shaking his head and says, "What the fuck??"  

Literally every lot was closed even though every one clearly had open spaces.

So I head back the other way, hoping that there's something I missed.  An airport truck is coming my way and the guy stops and rolls down the window.

"Are you looking for parking?"

"Yeah, no shit."

"Follow me!"

He had about five other cars behind him, I had the guy behind me, it was getting late, and I didn't feel like doing another Uwie right there with cars behind me.  So I started looking at the nearby lot's exit gate and thinking that hey, that bar doesn't cover the whole exit.  I could hop that curb and squeeze through it.  So I start to hop the curb and the gate comes up!  And I have filed this experience away for the next time I need to park at ABIA.

[Beau Vine 54018]

On ‎4‎/‎20‎/‎2018 at 1:17 PM, gecko said:

Wait....did I read on post #43 that Frontier Airlines will begin nonstop service between Austin and Buffalo, NY?  For reals...?

I tried to book my flight to Omaha on the new Frontier nonstop service.  They have two flights per week -- Monday and Friday.

[HenryJames 65914]

1 hour ago, Beau Vine said:

I forgot to post about my last ABIA parking experience....

I dropped the wife off and went to park in the poors' lots.  I drive by several blocked entrances even though I see plenty of open spots.  I drive by more blocked entrances.  And more.  And more.  Finally, I'm nearly in Bastrop and the road dead-ends.  There was a guy behind me, so as I'm doing a multi-turn Uwie, I roll down my window and he's shaking his head and says, "What the fuck??"  

Literally every lot was closed even though every one clearly had open spaces.

So I head back the other way, hoping that there's something I missed.  An airport truck is coming my way and the guy stops and rolls down the window.

"Are you looking for parking?"

"Yeah, no shit."

"Follow me!"

He had about five other cars behind him, I had the guy behind me, it was getting late, and I didn't feel like doing another Uwie right there with cars behind me.  So I started looking at the nearby lot's exit gate and thinking that hey, that bar doesn't cover the whole exit.  I could hop that curb and squeeze through it.  So I start to hop the curb and the gate comes up!  And I have filed this experience away for the next time I need to park at ABIA.

Last couple of times I've been there, they've had employees out there directing you to the open spots.

[Samson's Wig 3182]

On 4/19/2018 at 6:29 PM, DaysOff said:

Christ. AUS doesn't need more runways. It needs TRACON controllers from Chicago or NY. The spacing that AUS approach gives is laughable. Put those controllers on the scopes and you double the hourly capacity of the airport.

Personally, I don't want to double the amount of folks funneling through there anytime soon.  It's bad enough now.

[dieucla98 2942]

On 6/8/2018 at 1:28 PM, Ghost of LL said:

 

Two things of note--first, Delta keeps growing, up 26% year over last.  They're going to overtake United before too long.  Second, BA is filling up that 744, with an increase of 24% year over last.  And Norwegian enplaned 6,648 on 20 (I think) flights in April.  That means there were only 6,880 seats on that route--they had a 97% LF in April.

I don't think they are filling that 744 up... A 744 is a ~60% seat increase over a 789.

BA ran a 789 for 7 days (14 segments) in April and the rest with a 744. That's 13.8k passengers in ~18.9k seats for a 73% LF.  Given the 789 is considerably smaller, the LF during those first 7 days must have been well north 75% and the 744 ended up running upper 60's to low 70's.

BA ran a 86% LF last April for comparison assuming they ran an 789. If it was the 772 back then, then the LF is even higher.

Edited June 13, 2018 by dieucla98

[Guest Lobo]

We added Baton Rouge today as non stop service.  Joining a long list of cities that puzzle the fuck out of me since we can’t seem to add midland/Odessa yet 

[TKthunder2 4981]

On 4/26/2018 at 1:49 PM, Pasken said:

yea ABIA doesn't really need rail for a while. The 183 toll project will make getting to the Airport much faster and the project is paying to completely rebuild almost a mile 71 so 71 WB won't narrow down to 2 lanes anymore at 183. It's also building a ramp to take 183 NB Mainlane traffic off 71 BEFORE the traffic coming from Riverside gets on 71.  

You miss the point about rail.  It’s about time and money.  So the toll roads are going to make it awesomely fast to get to the airport, fucking great!  For only what $10, then I get to pay to park my car out there for $8 a day and I get to wait on a shuttle to pick me up and drop me in the 100 degree heat.  Or I pay an uber or super shuttle for $40 each way.  Or if we had real light rail I could literally grab my shit Uber for $5-10 or have a friend drop me at the nearest stop (for me it would be Lakeline Station) which isn’t nearly as big of an imposition as asking them to take me to the airport, then I’d pay $10 happily to go downtown and change over to the airport line and get there just as fast as if I was being dropped off at departures.  That makes a lot of sense for a lot of people living here AND to top it off it make sense for Austin being/becoming such a huge destination city for the big events we have (SXSW, ACL, F1).  Getting a cab/Uber isn’t easy and very few people would choose that option if we had rail to downtown.  They’d get there luggage, hop on the rail and then take a taxi or Uber to their hotel.  You want to keep more people off the road and honestly invest in public transportation the light rail line to the airport makes the most sense because while most people won’t use it everyday, they may still vote for it because most people go to the airport regularly...and if you add that to the rail already in service to Leander and you’ll have the other people wanting to tie into this system.  This does what the stupid ACC Riverside to ACC Highland Mall through UT rail plan was trying to do for far less money.

[kevwun 15675]

The non-airport shuttle services are fast as shit.  You don't wait more than a minute or 2 and it's straight to the terminals regardless if the bus is full or not.  It's is pricey like the ABIA parking is, but it's not slow.

Edited June 14, 2018 by kevwun

[Gardner Barnes 1562]

8 hours ago, TKthunder2 said:

You miss the point about rail.  It’s about time and money.  So the toll roads are going to make it awesomely fast to get to the airport, fucking great!  For only what $10, then I get to pay to park my car out there for $8 a day and I get to wait on a shuttle to pick me up and drop me in the 100 degree heat.  Or I pay an uber or super shuttle for $40 each way.  Or if we had real light rail I could literally grab my shit Uber for $5-10 or have a friend drop me at the nearest stop (for me it would be Lakeline Station) which isn’t nearly as big of an imposition as asking them to take me to the airport, then I’d pay $10 happily to go downtown and change over to the airport line and get there just as fast as if I was being dropped off at departures.  That makes a lot of sense for a lot of people living here AND to top it off it make sense for Austin being/becoming such a huge destination city for the big events we have (SXSW, ACL, F1).  Getting a cab/Uber isn’t easy and very few people would choose that option if we had rail to downtown.  They’d get there luggage, hop on the rail and then take a taxi or Uber to their hotel.  You want to keep more people off the road and honestly invest in public transportation the light rail line to the airport makes the most sense because while most people won’t use it everyday, they may still vote for it because most people go to the airport regularly...and if you add that to the rail already in service to Leander and you’ll have the other people wanting to tie into this system.  This does what the stupid ACC Riverside to ACC Highland Mall through UT rail plan was trying to do for far less money.

I just read a stat that the rail to DIA from downtown denver has an 89% on time rate.  Assume a similar rate for an Austin rail to ABIA, are you willing to potentially miss your flight 10% of the time? 

 

I used to take the MARTA from the Brookhaven station to ATL.  The tip would sometimes take more than an hour - in the middle of the day when there was little traffic on the connector.  Likewise the Blue line from ORD to downtown also often takes longer than a trip in a car - including parking.  

 

Fuck that - it's not worth the investment IMO.  

Edited June 14, 2018 by Gardner Barnes

[TKthunder2 4981]

12 hours ago, Gardner Barnes said:

I just read a stat that the rail to DIA from downtown denver has an 89% on time rate.  Assume a similar rate for an Austin rail to ABIA, are you willing to potentially miss your flight 10% of the time? 

 

I used to take the MARTA from the Brookhaven station to ATL.  The tip would sometimes take more than an hour - in the middle of the day when there was little traffic on the connector.  Likewise the Blue line from ORD to downtown also often takes longer than a trip in a car - including parking.  

 

Fuck that - it's not worth the investment IMO.  

What does 89% on time rate mean.  That if I try to time my exact arrival time it’ll be slower 10% of the time.  Yeah, I think I’ll be okay because if I’m saving money I don’t mind leaving a little early.  That is why I’ll rarely take the airport toll roads because I’ll be at the airport way before my flight.  But yeah if you save me $40 dollars in parking for a long weekend trip by taking the rail,  For some people that may not be worth their time (those are the same people who park at the expensive garage, or pay the higher non airport shuttle services, or take the toll roads) and that’s cool because most likely public transportation isn’t going to appeal to you.  But for the rest of us who have to pinch pennies especially when traveling for non business reason, light rail would make a world of difference.  And again people traveling to our city would use it to unlike most of the other rail options that have been proposed.

[drt 637]

Doesn't everyone plan on getting to the airport early so they can have an overpriced beer and watch yoga pants walk by?

[The People’s Elbow 707]

On 6/14/2018 at 6:38 AM, Gardner Barnes said:

I just read a stat that the rail to DIA from downtown denver has an 89% on time rate.  Assume a similar rate for an Austin rail to ABIA, are you willing to potentially miss your flight 10% of the time?

What the fuck kinda reasoning is that? 

[Machinator 32098]

https://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2018/06/20/austin-will-become-a-delta-focus-city-mini-hub/

[skittlebrau 474]

On 6/15/2018 at 1:57 PM, drt said:

Doesn't everyone plan on getting to the airport early so they can have an overpriced beer and watch yoga pants walk by?

That’s how I roll. Why would someone do it any other way?

[bolverk 29449]

2 minutes ago, skittlebrau said:

That’s how I roll. Why would someone do it any other way?

6:30 am flight going out? Not so much. Where's the Austin Java when you need it. 9 pm flight coming back at DAL? Pass me a beer! I'm going home.

[SquishMitten 10402]

What the fuck kinda reasoning is that? 

Well you see, the train will only pick you up at a certain time based on your flight schedule. It is timed to drop you off 5 minutes before your flight departs. It’s a real pisser. If only you could board whatever train you wanted...

[NameAlreadyInUse 5106]

I’ve been chasing a million miles with United for awhile now, but my company prefers I fly Delta for some reason and Delta is one of my customers so I’ve been thinking maybe I should switch. I haven’t yet, but having way more nonstop options might be what finally pushes me over the edge. 

Anyone use Delta have any comments about the goodness or badness of their alliance network for international travel? That’s the only thing United really has going for it at this point. 

[Gardner Barnes 1562]

I’ve been chasing a million miles with United for awhile now, but my company prefers I fly Delta for some reason and Delta is one of my customers so I’ve been thinking maybe I should switch. I haven’t yet, but having way more nonstop options might be what finally pushes me over the edge.  Anyone use Delta have any comments about the goodness or badness of their alliance network for international travel? That’s the only thing United really has going for it at this point.  

 

All based on the points guy/limited personal experience with DAL as an AAEXP:  

 

I’m about to request a DAL status match to diamond because the 737Max changes are the last straw for me on AA.

 

Delta is the best of the big 3 for on-plane comfort, now that American is moving all planes to 737Max configuration.

 

That said, they are the stingiest on point utilization and upgrades plus getting to diamond is difficult. AAdvantage right now is a better program, but I doubt it will be for long.

 

From Austin AA is probably on par with the upcoming mini hub status with directs to DFW, LAx, ORD, Charlotte,PHL, and JFK. Both are more extensive than UAL.

 

Can’t speak to the UAL comparisons or international travel very well but perhaps this helps as an infrequent but about to be frequent DAL flyer.