Despite the bad economy and airlines struggling with load factors, some U.S. airports still continue on with plans for improvement. Southern California’s John Wayne / Orange Country Airport (SNA) has begun construction of a new terminal complex and parking garage. Dallas Fort Worth Airport (DFW) has opened new taxiways that are expected to cut taxi times, however American Airlines speculates otherwise.
Dallas Forth Worth:
If you recall from my American Airlines Review, I noted that Dallas Forth Worth was a source of American’s congested route map – meaning that one flight to Dallas Fort Worth causes all sorts of chaos, on-time wise. Regularly, the taxi time from the runway to the gate can be as high as 20 minutes. The new taxiways are supposed to cut the 15-20 minute taxi to… about 10 minutes or less. How? New perimeter taxiways will allow inbound aircraft to taxi directly to the terminal without having to cross any runways. It’s not only supposed to be faster, but safer too. The 1,500 runway crosses a day at DFW increase the risk for potential incursions.
American Airlines says that they see this could cause longer taxi times, since aircraft now have to travel a much farther distance. However, the airline also said that the safety benefits are welcome.
John Wayne Airport:
Orange County’s John Wayne airport has not seen any major construction since 1990. That’s seems quite a long time considering how large the airline industry has grown since then. This new $652 million project is expected to meet high future travel demands, and offer a much nicer alternative to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Currently, the airport has 14 gates; the new terminal will expand that number to 20. Along with the new terminal comes: a 2,000 + spaces parking garage, improvements to the existing terminals (shopping / restaurants), and permanent facilities for commuter aircraft.
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