Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport

[pkp]

As bad as ATL is, it still handles more flights more effectivley than pretty much any other airport.

[Connect]

I won't argue the claim to world's busiest.
But I'm curious as to what effect that really has on marketing the city. The reason I say this is because places like NYC, Chicago & DC/Baltimore each have more than one major airport. I'm confident that if added together that means more service.
Does anyone know what effect HJ's claim to busiest has on business growth?

[STrek777]

Originally Posted by Rail Claimore

It's in the ATL master plan and is even specifically mentioned somewhere on the airport's website. I don't expect everything in the master plan to get built, but extending a runway 1411 ft isn't exactly the expensive and complex project two new terminals are.

Speaking of the new terminals has anything been released about them? What happened to the lawsuit? Have they released any possible renderings and are they still actually pursuing the new South Terminal complex?

[Rail Claimore]

^The company that designed the initial new international terminal countersued the city, IIRC.

It's a mixed blessing if you ask me. The design for that terminal was NOT the best they could have done. They wanted to add 11(?) new gates when they could easily add double that amount by simply building something symmetrical with the other concourses AND stunning in architecture.

[ATLBlaxican]

Quick Question for those who may have the answer. Can Airplanes and Cruise Ships run on Ethonal, Hydrogen and or Gas Electric like cars. If so, is there any type of push to make engines that can run on these fuels??? Do you think this will help the Airline industry in the end?

[SteveD]

Originally Posted by Connect

I won't argue the claim to world's busiest.
But I'm curious as to what effect that really has on marketing the city. The reason I say this is because places like NYC, Chicago & DC/Baltimore each have more than one major airport. I'm confident that if added together that means more service.
Does anyone know what effect HJ's claim to busiest has on business growth?

If you check earlier posts in this same thread you'll see that Hartsfield Jackson is still busier than most larger metros even if combining multiple airports. New York's aggregate of three (or four if you count White Plains) adds up to more (ATL is busier than any two NYC airports combined), and Chicago, if you add Midway is larger, but it ends there. As for your question, few would likely argue that Hartsfield Jackson AIA is undoubtedly the single most important factor in Atlanta's explosive growth over the last several decades. More important than favorable climate, pro-business atmosphere, large educated available workforce, and favorable cost of living (compared to equally sized or larger metros).

[STrek777]

Originally Posted by ATLBlaxican

Quick Question for those who may have the answer. Can Airplanes and Cruise Ships run on Ethonal, Hydrogen and or Gas Electric like cars. If so, is there any type of push to make engines that can run on these fuels??? Do you think this will help the Airline industry in the end?

Maybe and I mean a BIG MAYBE about cruise ships running on alternate fuels but jet engines are a whole different ball of wax. Jet engines work when the air sucked in is compressed through a series of rotating blades to the back of the engine where the fuel is ignited producing an enormous amount of thrust. I am not sure if ethonol would burn the same as petroleum based products. Introducing a radically new fuel source would, I feel, not only require a total redesign of the engines for aircraft but the aircraft it’s self.

However, Allen Greenspan was on C-SPAN the other day and he made a very interesting point. He suggested that the best way to force the gas price lower is to decrease the demand that the US is putting on the product. He came out and said point blank that the auto industry is the easiest commodity to reform and decreasing demand by default will increase supply thereby lowering the price. He gave some very interesting figures and the fact that he did it all from memory never looking at a single piece of paper is genuinely impressive!

[mayhem]

Id love to see a walk / stand markings and a seperating line on all escalators. All the ones in Tokyo had that and it's really efficient.

[tennreb]

Originally Posted by ATLBlaxican

Quick Question for those who may have the answer. Can Airplanes and Cruise Ships run on Ethonal, Hydrogen and or Gas Electric like cars. If so, is there any type of push to make engines that can run on these fuels??? Do you think this will help the Airline industry in the end?

Ethanol can't be used for planes because it has a lower yield of energy. Hydrogen isn't usable in the forseable future. Remember the Hindenburg? I think a small nuclear reactor would work better and would be easier to design to not explode on impact. You'd have to put so much armoring around hydrogen tanks that the plane would be too heavy to take off.

[Chachi]

Originally Posted by tennreb

Ethanol can't be used for planes because it has a lower yield of energy. Hydrogen isn't usable in the forseable future. Remember the Hindenburg? I think a small nuclear reactor would work better and would be easier to design to not explode on impact. You'd have to put so much armoring around hydrogen tanks that the plane would be too heavy to take off.

Believe it or not, but the US Air Force has tried to get a plane to fly using electric power generated by an onboard nuclear reactor. I'm not a nuclear engineer, but I play one on TV, but the experiment failed because the power generated was not enough to keep the heavy plane flying.

[Andrea]

Originally Posted by Chachi

Believe it or not, but the US Air Force has tried to get a plane to fly using electric power generated by an onboard nuclear reactor. I'm not a nuclear engineer, but I play one on TV, but the experiment failed because the power generated was not enough to keep the heavy plane flying.

Isn't that the project Lockheed was working on up in Dawson Forest (just north of Atlanta) back in the 1960's? They took the reactor down and later sold the land (10,000 acres or so) to the city for a fairly nominal sum.

[Chachi]

Originally Posted by Andrea

Isn't that the project Lockheed was working on up in Dawson Forest (just north of Atlanta) back in the 1960's? They took the reactor down and later sold the land (10,000 acres or so) to the city for a fairly nominal sum.

Very well could be. I know this test was a few decades ago.

[STrek777]

So after long last they are completely repaiving the 10,000 ft. runway at ATL. They have demolished the old ATC Tower to make way for a brand new, grand, modern, engaging international terminal. Keep in mind they still have absolultly no idea what the final design will look like but by god they are moving dirt like there is no tomorrow. There is still no word as to wether or not they will presue the construction of the proposed "new" South Terminal. Delta is completely renovating the entire south terminal as well as its gate areas on the T,A,and B concourses. The consolidated car rental facility is well underway. Are there any other updates that I have forgotten, and does anyone have any current pictures of the airport or the implosion of the old ATC Tower? Everyone have a good day!! : )

[ATLssMania]

Originally Posted by STrek777

So after long last they are completely repaiving the 10,000 ft. runway at ATL. They have demolished the old ATC Tower to make way for a brand new, grand, modern, engaging international terminal. Keep in mind they still have absolultly no idea what the final design will look like but by god they are moving dirt like there is no tomorrow. There is still no word as to wether or not they will presue the construction of the proposed "new" South Terminal. Delta is completely renovating the entire south terminal as well as its gate areas on the T,A,and B concourses. The consolidated car rental facility is well underway. Are there any other updates that I have forgotten, and does anyone have any current pictures of the airport or the implosion of the old ATC Tower? Everyone have a good day!! : )

I was at the Airport last Thursday and Sunday and I noticed that they are putting down granite floors (instead of those awful brick ones) in the CPTC and in between Concourses. Also, I flew into Concourse C and D and in both Concourses they were ripping up carpet and installing tile floors, putting up new wall surfaces, and placing stainless steel around the poles that line the Concourse. They have already installed new lighting throughout the Airport. It is going to look like a totally different Airport when they are finished!!

[ThrashATL]

Originally Posted by STrek777

does anyone have any current pictures of the airport or the implosion of the old ATC Tower? Everyone have a good day!! : )

Try this link at 11Alive news:
http://www.11alive.com/video/player....939&bw=&cid=51

[lilred731]

The old control tower was stuck for a moment. I didn't think it would fall. Then it did.

[Tombstoner]

Originally Posted by ATLssMania

I was at the Airport last Thursday and Sunday and I noticed that they are putting down granite floors (instead of those awful brick ones) in the CPTC and in between Concourses. Also, I flew into Concourse C and D and in both Concourses they were ripping up carpet and installing tile floors, putting up new wall surfaces, and placing stainless steel around the poles that line the Concourse. They have already installed new lighting throughout the Airport. It is going to look like a totally different Airport when they are finished!!

Great. It was looking a bit "trapped in the '80s." I've been traveling around Asia for the last two weeks and there are so many really mind-blowing airports that have just been completed. Atlanta H-J can't really compete for architecture, but it is an efficient airport that could at least look up-scale.

[Atlriser]

My company's been involved with the E, D and now looks like the T renovations (hopefully we'll get our LOI this week). Honestly, in less than a year the WHOLE process has changed tremendously in regards to costs and estimates so forth.....

E was first and we have over 76 changes because of the city's lack of planning ahead and allowing the architects/engineers to actually do a thorough job before releasing drawings and contracts for construction. D has had less than 45 so far and it was much more intense in the renovations and additions.

T documents were much better and appear to finally start to get the process correct after spending $100's of millions on renovations. However, many of the finishes put in D and E over the past couple months are now going to be pulled right back out over the next year or so to match A & B.

Anyway, lol, it's a lot of work and undertaking at one time to keep the airport running daily while doing close to $500 million in cosmetic upgrades; however, the city has done a poor job IMO of upholding it's part in the process overall. Seriously, the International Terminal is going to end up costing the city so much more than it ever should have and it's the city's fault that they now are having to start over. It's a shame that no one from the airport would step up to the council and admit how much the city changed it's initial proposal for construction to the final prodcut designed....which is now being scrapped and ending in law suits that I think the city will loose. Eventhough I have no involvement in design/architecture.....I do know how the city tends to operate. I also know what the city initially requested in design and how they kept adding square footage, equipment, additional gates and so forth to that request but then never wanted to pay for these changes. Then, the council balked at the revised cost estiamtes, but no one from the airport publicly would admit that they had requested such a huge change from initially. Now, it will be 15 years probably before the new terminal ever opens honestly.

[Andrea]

Originally Posted by Atlriser

Now, it will be 15 years probably before the new terminal ever opens honestly.

Wow.

Where does the accountability for that lie, in your opinon, Atlriser? Or is it just because the process is so complicated?

Sorry to put you on the spot but it would be valuable to hear a professional's view on this rather than political spin.

[ATLssMania]

[QUOTE=E was first and we have over 76 changes because of the city's lack of planning ahead and allowing the architects/engineers to actually do a thorough job before releasing drawings and contracts for construction. D has had less than 45 so far and it was much more intense in the renovations and additions.

T documents were much better and appear to finally start to get the process correct after spending $100's of millions on renovations. However, many of the finishes put in D and E over the past couple months are now going to be pulled right back out over the next year or so to match A & B.[/QUOTE]

I was in the D terminal last week and it did not look finished. What kind of things do you think will be "pulled out" to match the other terminals?

Do you know if they will be replacing those lenoleum floors with the tile througout the Airport or are they only putting tile down over the brick floors and carpet?