Airport Check-in: San Jose gets street-level ticketing lobby
— -- WHAT'S NEW
The lobby, part of a broader $1.3 billion terminal improvement project, expands the number of ticketing stations by 60%, the airport says. Counters and kiosks are common-use capable, meaning airlines can share them depending on traffic and capacity. The street curb is also longer.
The space vacated by the old upstairs ticket counters will be cleared for an expanded security checkpoint that will be completed this fall. The number of lanes will increase from six to eight in November, and will eventually reach 12. SJC's improvement program also calls for a new Terminal B that will replace the aging Terminal C. Terminal B's concourse will open this summer, while the rest of the terminal will be completed next summer.
After strong opposition from airlines, the Department of Transportation said last week it will cancel plans for slot auctions at New York-area airports.
The initial proposal, announced in October, sought to reduce congestion and delay in the region by withdrawing takeoff and landing times from airlines operating at New YorkJohn F. Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty and auctioning the slots to the highest bidder. It also called for caps on the number of flights per hour at the airports. Due to litigation and a court-ordered stay, the auctions had not started.
The DOT noted in a statement that "the rulemaking was highly controversial and that most of those filing comments opposed the slot auctions." The slowing economy was also a factor in the decision, it says. Trade groups for airlines and airports applauded the decision.
Dallas/Fort Worth says it will launch a mobile-device website today. Easier to access on smartphones than DFW's regular website, it will include a flight tracker and a feature that lets people find services near their gate.
The board of directors of BART, the Bay Area's rail system, voted last week to fund a project to link BART's Coliseum Station and the Oakland Airport. The Oakland Airport Connector would cost about $500 million and would use $70 million in federal stimulus money. The 3.2-mile elevated people mover, which would replace the current bus connection, is scheduled to enter service in 2013.
