AUSTIN | ABIA Updates

[jbssfelix]

Originally Posted by DoubleC

Can't remember the last time I saw a CRJ7 whizz by, still a few e170s especially from IAH. I expect regional jets will probably come back once the summer travel dies down a bit.

Connect through IAH about twice a month on United...definitely less and less puddle jumpers at the gate in the morning on my side of the airport. 73's seem to be he de-facto now.

[We vs us]

I picked up my spouse and kids at the South Terminal yesterday -- and it was the first time I'd seen it. IMO, that thing is completely temporary. It's cool enough for what it is, and an interesting idea for Allegiant and whatever other superlow cost carrier ABIA can round up to fill open departure/arrival slots, but it's absolutely not a permanent solution. It's isolated, hard to get to, small, looks kind of shoddy, and even the branding on approach (billboards, street signs) emphasizes how utterly separate it is from ABIA proper.

Taken in tandem with the actual experience my fam had with Allegiant (awful service; two separate airplanes with mechanical issue, one resulting in a full day layover; etc) the feeling that South Terminal is completely provisional and might have a useful lifetime of 10 years at most seems legit. Probably will track the lifetime of Allegiant as an actual functioning airline TBH.

[Speculator]

Originally Posted by We vs us

I picked up my spouse and kids at the South Terminal yesterday -- and it was the first time I'd seen it. IMO, that thing is completely temporary. It's cool enough for what it is, and an interesting idea for Allegiant and whatever other superlow cost carrier ABIA can round up to fill open departure/arrival slots, but it's absolutely not a permanent solution. It's isolated, hard to get to, small, looks kind of shoddy, and even the branding on approach (billboards, street signs) emphasizes how utterly separate it is from ABIA proper.

Taken in tandem with the actual experience my fam had with Allegiant (awful service; two separate airplanes with mechanical issue, one resulting in a full day layover; etc) the feeling that South Terminal is completely provisional and might have a useful lifetime of 10 years at most seems legit. Probably will track the lifetime of Allegiant as an actual functioning airline TBH.

I did think that the staff was very good at helping arrivals figure out where they were and how to get their rides to the right terminal.

[We vs us]

Originally Posted by Speculator

I did think that the staff was very good at helping arrivals figure out where they were and how to get their rides to the right terminal.

Yes, I don't mean to say that the staff at the terminal is bad. They were very kind and helpful. I was talking more about the Allegiant folks.

[brando]

Originally Posted by We vs us

Yes, I don't mean to say that the staff at the terminal is bad. They were very kind and helpful. I was talking more about the Allegiant folks.

Yea but you had to know that going in. Their reputation in the airline industry is infamous. It's like complaining that you got sick after eating rotten food out of a garbage can.


Construction Update:

Construction has started on the complete replacement of Carousel 1, the first of six bag claim carousels to be modernized at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, as part of overall terminal improvement project. Modernizing, updates, and improvements for gate hold rooms have started.

Carousel 1 bag claim to double in size




Carousel 1 at the Austin airport was taken out of service on June 2 and a construction wall has been erected around the area. This starts the demolition stage of a carousel replacement project and to double the size of Carousel 1.

The old I-shaped carousel layout covered 135 linear feet and the new U-shaped carousel layout will cover 264 linear feet, doubling the footprint size and taking advantage of available space in the lower level baggage area.

Carousels 2-6 will be replaced and modernized individually retaining their same size and remaining in the same location. The bag claim updates are estimated to be completed in 2018. The Austin airport has eight total bag claim carousels including Customs. Carousel 7 was installed in 2015 and Carousel 8 in 2014 in Customs.



Upgrades to passenger gate rooms begins



Between Gates 15-19, passengers will notice removed ceiling tiles in the gate passenger hold room areas in the Barbara Jordan Terminal. This is for modernization and to allow upgrades to for new lighting fixtures, sound and public address speakers, electrical and technology equipment along with fire sprinkler and safety improvements.

The majority of the renovation work to the hold room areas will take place at night after the last flight has departed or arrived and will not interrupt airline and passenger services.


Trusses, columns give terminal expansion depth



The addition of floor and roof trusses is visible as construction continues on the 9-gate expansion project on the eastside of the terminal. The trusses are being added to the columns giving height and depth to the skeletal frame.

More steel and concrete columns along with slab on grade continue to advance towards east. The expansion will eventually provide 88,359 square feet of new concourse space to the Barbara Jordan Terminal, an increase of 29 percent of new hold room, concession, restroom and circulation space.

[DoubleC]

Anyone know why we've received some OAE 777s lately? The first time I was aware of it, one came from DFW, but now it's coming from SLN, Kansas.

It then flies towards Anchorage.

[Austin1971]

Originally Posted by doublec

anyone know why we've received some oae 777s lately? The first time i was aware of it, one came from dfw, but now it's coming from sln, kansas.

It then flies towards anchorage.

m

[quikkings711]

http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.c...london-austin/

Norwegian flying to AUS starting in March 2018! 3 routes to Europe by next year. Where is our route to Asia??

[paul78701]

Originally Posted by quikkings711

http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.c...london-austin/

Norwegian flying to AUS starting in March 2018! 3 routes to Europe by next year. Where is our route to Asia??

AUS now has two direct flights to London.. Wow... I'd say that's definitely a confirmation of that route...and bodes well for future long haul international routes.

[clubtokyo]

Excellent!

[Jdawgboy]

That's awesome to hear! Waiting patiently for the rumored Asian route...


By the way, on the City of Austin announcement of this upcoming service I also noticed that we suddenly have a seasonal route to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (PUJ) with Vacation Express. When did that happen and how did we miss it???

[the Genral]

Its interesting how the flights to Chicago and Austin are on every other day with Chicago getting 4 and Austin 3. I'm surprised Chicago didn't get a daily. I suppose they may fill extra seats via connection flights between the two cities if someone needed to travel on one of the days not offered and there were no other cheaper options. At first quick glance, some observers might think the US Coastguard landed at ABIA. The interiors of their planes definitely look nicer than their exterior. Funny how I can nitpick the aesthetics now that these type of announcements are no longer uncommon for us, albeit not regular. Still waiting on an Asian connection and maybe in 5 to 10 years, Emirates taking the field.

[DoubleC]

Was actually rooting for SAT to get the NLH service, but looks like we beat them to it. Congrats to us! I wonder what this will do to BA's numbers... that's a lot more seats even if just for three days a week, plus the load factors were never that high on Speedbird 190/191, on average... 80-85%*?. In theory they could always revert to the 787-8 if NLH takes enough of the PAX, but that would cut first class and decrease cargo capacity (which is more of a secondary motive).

Clearly the expansion of available airlines per routes has hurt Southwest on the Seattle-run as it appears to be ending service next January, which is competing with Alaska and Delta, until that point.

*129,941 total on the Speedbird, divide by 2 and 365 gives you an average of 178 passengers one-way, divide by 216 seats = 82%

[hookem]

I was wondering if I was the only one who thought maybe this wasn't such a great thing for AUS. I do think the Austin-London route has been proven (as a thin route anyway), but this looks like NLH trying to simply poach a somewhat lucrative route as a LCC against a mainline operator. Certainly such predatory practices on routes have been employed before (both by mainline and LCC airlines).

I don't know if any kind of exclusivity agreements are even legal with ports and carriers, but if they were I'd imagine one would have existed with AUS and BA (after all, there were significant incentives involved in getting BA here)... But perhaps they expired.

Hopefully some of the airline experts who post here sometimes can chime in on this. Is it really a good thing for TATL service in Austin? Will BA retaliate against this new competition, or are these flights really addressing different customer bases?

[Jdawgboy]

I would think the service will cater to different demographics. As I've stated in the past, I'm an amateur when it comes to the airline industry so this is just off speculation but I think this opens up the door for more people (like myself) to be able to afford to travel to London. There will continue to be loyal BA customers and the Austin metro has a large wealthy enough population where convenience wins over cost. I also think that as the port continues to grow, it will also fuel demand.

I'm sure BA will have to adjust some but having options is a good thing. Sure as more airlines compete on the same routes, some may have to end service but at the same time it opens the door for new service to new cities. Austin is obviously proving to be a strong air travel market which airlines around the world are taking notice. I think we will continue to see similar announcements especially once the 9 gate expansion is complete. I also think it's not a matter of if, but a matter of when a direct Asian route is announced.

[brando]

Originally Posted by quikkings711

http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.c...london-austin/

Norwegian flying to AUS starting in March 2018! 3 routes to Europe by next year. Where is our route to Asia??

Where did you see the bit about 3 routes to Europe? It seems like the plan is to just fly to their Gatwick hub and connect them to other European cities.


Also, Vacation Express (via Swift Air) announced nonstop service from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) to Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ), Dominican Republic, with Austin departures starting on May 28, 2018.

[quikkings711]

Originally Posted by brando

Where did you see the bit about 3 routes to Europe? It seems like the plan is to just fly to their Gatwick hub and connect them to other European cities.


Also, Vacation Express (via Swift Air) announced nonstop service from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) to Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ), Dominican Republic, with Austin departures starting on May 28, 2018.

I meant three total routes to Europe (BA, Condor, and Norwegian).

[Austin1971]

B

[wwmiv]

Originally Posted by Jdawgboy

I would think the service will cater to different demographics. As I've stated in the past, I'm an amateur when it comes to the airline industry so this is just off speculation but I think this opens up the door for more people (like myself) to be able to afford to travel to London. There will continue to be loyal BA customers and the Austin metro has a large wealthy enough population where convenience wins over cost. I also think that as the port continues to grow, it will also fuel demand.

I'm sure BA will have to adjust some but having options is a good thing. Sure as more airlines compete on the same routes, some may have to end service but at the same time it opens the door for new service to new cities. Austin is obviously proving to be a strong air travel market which airlines around the world are taking notice. I think we will continue to see similar announcements especially once the 9 gate expansion is complete. I also think it's not a matter of if, but a matter of when a direct Asian route is announced.

I'd instead argue that this is less about Austinites traveling to London and more about Austin becoming an international tourist destination. The demand to come to Austin is increasing rapidly (on a per capita basis), but the demand to leave (again, on a per capita basis) is probably flat. Just my two cents... but I'm also nowhere near an expert in this data.

[LoneStarMike]

May 2017 passenger, cargo traffic at Austin-Bergstrom

May 2017

Passenger Activity: Total passenger traffic for May 2017 was 1,217,824, up 12.5% compared to May 2016.
May 2017 enplanements totaled 623,867, up 13.5%.

Southwest Airlines passengers totaled 457,553, up 11.5% compared to May 2016;
American Airlines passengers totaled 211,495, down 8%;
United Airlines passengers totaled 206,068, up 28%;
Delta Air Lines passengers totaled 155,569, up 15%;
Frontier Airlines passengers totaled 52,257, up 93%;
jetBlue Airways passengers totaled 51,439, up 3%;
Allegiant Air passengers totaled 25,805, up 73%;
Alaska Airlines passengers totaled 21,137, down 5%;
Virgin America passengers totaled 13,784, down 9%;
British Airways passengers totaled 11,266, down 5%;
Air Canada passengers totaled 3,432, down 9%;
Condor passengers totaled 3,390;
AeroMexico passengers totaled 3,009;
Volaris passengers totaled 1,151; and
ViaAir passengers totaled 121.

January – May 2017

Passenger Activity: Total passenger traffic for January – May YTD was 5,305,648, up 8.5%, compared to January – May 2016.
January – May 2017 enplanements totaled 2,663,479, up 9%.

Southwest Airlines passengers totaled 2,003,672, up 5.5%;
American Airlines passengers 1,013,366, up 1%;
United Airlines passengers totaled 869,510, up 13%;
Delta Air Lines passengers 660,054, up 9%;
jetBlue Airways passengers totaled 243,270, up 8.5%;
Frontier Airlines passengers totaled 155,223, up 55.5%;
Allegiant Air passengers totaled 98,726, up 59.5%;
Alaska Airlines passengers totaled 97,474, up 12%;
Virgin America passengers totaled 66,336 down 5%;
British Airways passengers totaled 51,968, up 1%;
Air Canada passengers totaled 16,644, up 1%;
AeroMexico passengers totaled 14,930;
Volaris passengers totaled 7,171;
Condor passengers totaled 3,390;
Texas Sky passengers totaled 604, down 5%; and
ViaAir passengers totaled 121.