Quote:
Originally Posted by masonh2479
That would be a construction nightmare for sure, I see how this would end up and think this might as well be the next large construction phase once the east extension is completed. I wonder if a west terminal infill will happen soon, that part of the terminal looks bare.
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Devil’s Advocate: what would more space for drop off accomplish, other than just giving more room for the stupid? Part of the problem can’t be fixed through architecture: people are parking in the drop off lanes for far longer than they need to. The current space isn’t utilized well (also, the line markings are hella confusing, especially close to the terminal). I’ve seen the same problem at bigger airports: what happens is that you have a bunch of lanes free on the left for passing traffic and the exact same congestion in the two right lanes next to the terminal.
IMO, the problem could be dealt with by moving busses and taxis to the arrivals level, remove the island, and let traffic use the width of the upper deck. At that point, we have just as much room in front of the terminal as nearly every other major airport in the country, without the need for billions in new construction.
Inside the terminal itself, the west terminal infil would give a much larger security checkpoint 3 (by JetBlue).
Inside the airport the issue could be solved by thinking for the 21st century.
Common use check in desks would help a lot. Why do the BA desks, which service one flight in the afternoon, stand empty the rest of the day, when neighboring AA and UA are pandemonium first thing in the morning and could use the room to spread out?
And, yes, when Austin is ready for the secondary terminal, they need to think bigger...