In mid-October, Houston's William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) opened a new terminal, bringing the world of international travel to its passengers. The five-gate facility is the first international terminal for Southwest Airlines, which fully funded and led the development of the project.
Central Wisconsin Airport (CWA) travelers are greeted these days by a newly renovated and expanded terminal. Updates were direly needed, reports Airport Director Tony Yaron; and the nearly $38 million multiphase project took five years to complete. "The terminal was overcrowded and aging," he explains, noting that the facility hadn't been updated since the mid-1980s. "After 9/11, we had to fit a CT-80 screening device into an old travel agency office between the ticketing offices and the street. Travelers had to schlep bags through the lobby."
When was the last time you heard about a significant public facility such as a school or stadium being built without dedicated local tax dollars' Albert J. Ellis Airport (OAJ), just outside of Jacksonville, NC, recently pulled it off. The airport's $43.9 million project added new facilities for commercial and general aviation passengers, plus a wide variety of other airside and landside improvements.
The $229 million renovation of Terminal 5 in Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) wrapped up this summer on time and on budget, with optimism high about how it will enhance the travel experience for about 6.6 million domestic passengers who use the facility each year. With Delta Air Lines as the terminal's sole airline tenant, the initiative was cooperatively funded by Delta ($11.2 million to renovate its proprietary areas and equipment), a TSA grant ($25 million for inline baggage screening) and nearly $193 million by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), which owns and operates LAX, Los Angeles Ontario International and Van Nuys Airport.
After nearly three years of construction, crews completed the $53 million terminal renovation at Saskatoon John G. Diefenbaker International Airport (YXE) in April, and the improvements are already receiving international recognition. Passengers ranked the Saskatchewan airport number one in North America for comfortable waiting spaces in gate areas via the quarterly Airport Service Quality awards administered by Airports Council International.
"Out with the old, in with the new" is often the sentiment that drives large-scale terminal improvement programs. Lambert-St. Louis International Airport (STL) took a different approach during the recent $70 million renovation of its mid-century Terminal 1, by working to preserve iconic architectural elements while infusing efficiency, flexibility and modern systems to carry the facility into the future.
Year after year, Myrtle Beach International Airport (MYR) services half of its annual passenger volume in a short three-month span when tourists flock to area beaches and other Gulf attractions for spring and summer vacations. Thanks to new facilities and recent renovations, the South Carolina airport can expand during its busy season and contract when traffic subsides.
The winds of change are blowing in Kansas. In January, Wichita Mid-Continent Airport (ICT) announced its new name, Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport; and officials plan to unveil a new $160 million passenger terminal building and $40 million parking garage/rental car center in May. Together, the projects create a new front door for the city that highlights its heritage as "air capital of the world."
For years, Aruba's Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA) didn't reflect the vibrancy of its Caribbean locale. These days, the terminal is awash in ocean blues, foliage greens and the warm yellows and oranges of an island sunset.
From new restrooms and giant video walls to updated architectural finishes, Tampa International Airport (TPA) has undergone a gradual yet comprehensive transformation during the last four years. Now that its $23 million Main Terminal Modernization Project is complete, it may be more accurate to refer to the Florida airport as '43 years young' rather than 43 years old.
Hancock County-Bar Harbor Airport (BHB) overcame significant financial challenges to remodel its facilities. And in the end, the small Maine airport doubled the size of its terminal, upgraded its security area, added new customer conveniences and generally made the building more aesthetically pleasing and energy efficient. The $2.5 million facelift, completed late last year, increased BHB's terminal from 5,000 to 10,000 square feet. It also created separate arrival and departure areas ' a critical upgrade for small airports, due to post-9/11 security requirements. (BHB logs about 34,000 total operations annually.) But the project required intense number crunching to keep it within budget. A collaborative effort by airport officials, the contractor, design team and engineering consultant cut nearly 20% from the original $3.1 million cost estimate.
