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Originally Posted by Austin1971
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I'm surprised the article didn't mention a possible Asian trans-Pacific long haul route it only mentioned trans-Atlantic.
I agree that it may be awhile before another Trans-Atlantic route is added but I do think a direct route to Asia, most likely Tokyo from the chatter of the last several months is more likely to occur before a second trans-Atlantic route. It's probably not going to happen this year but it could definitely happen in 2016 or 2017.
Austin is very lucky to have ABIA. There could not have been a better opportunity when Bergstrom Airforce Base was chosen to close and it couldn't have happend at a better time when the city was already in the process of preparing to build a new airport. It's location coupled with complete infrastructure including two long runways (one being the longest outside of DFW International in the state) made it a no brainer and the cost was nearly cut in half compared to building an airport from scratch. I also doubt we would have ended up with a 9,000 and 12,250 foot runway. The design of the terminal was also an excellent choice. It's beautiful, bright, airy and is easy to navigate. I do not think that we would be so lucky if the opportunity never occurred and we built an airport likely out by Manor. The fact that Austin has done so well is icing on the cake.