Here's why I feel we need a new airport (not that my opinion matters
). I travel about 10-15 times a year and I will be the first person to agree that our current airport IS convenient for local travelers. However, that doesn't mean we should accept the status quo. Everytime I'm in the terminal waiting to get on my flight I almost always overhear someone complaining about the lack of services or having to wait in a line 5-6 deep to use the 2 stall bathroom. That's unacceptable for the 'front door' to our city. It's also unacceptable for anyone who is connecting or delayed at the airport. With airlines packing planes full these days, delays and connections are becoming more and more common especially with weather events. I'm also concerned that the supporters for the existing terminals think it is wise to spend $500-750 million to make the existing terminals more efficient. Didn't we just spend $250+ million to do that 10 years ago? This airport has served its purpose and is now living on borrowed time, I just don't understand how anyone can think the economics to do such a renovation make sense. This isn't Union Station which was overbuilt for its time and when finally refurbished was ultimately changed into something very different from its original intended use. This Airport is no longer capable of handling the future of air travel. Travelers expect convenience, but that convenience comes in the form of ample bathrooms, space, electrical outlets, good restaurants, and shopping to bide their time. The discussion that this city SHOULD be having is how can we make the next airport be all of those things as well as being convenient for local travelers. This isn't hard to do. Even though there may more actual distance between the checkout counter and the terminal that can be solved with moving walkways, people movers, etc... I know that means more $$$ but if these facilities are going to last for upwards of 50+ years then we need to get this right and not put another expensive bandaid on the current facility. With the creation of the TSA pre-check the likelyhood of long security lines is starting to fizzle across the nation and the argument against a new terminal is starting to lose ground. I just hope our city officials are able to accurately communicate these points.
Okay, rant over, thanks for reading