Airport Check-in: Philadelphia's friendlier; Paris plans nixed
— -- WHAT'S NEW
Getting around at Philadelphia
• Philadelphia International has opened a new connecting building between Terminals D and E, providing more shops and restaurants and letting travelers roam more freely in post-security areas.
Located on the second-floor departures level, the Connector also has a new consolidated 14-lane security checkpoint for the two terminals, which handle about a quarter of the airport's traffic. Southwest luv, AirTran aai, United uaua, Continental cal, Air Canada and Northwest nwa operate gates at the two terminals. Passengers in Terminal E can now access other areas of the airport without having to repeatedly go through security.
The new concessions include Borders, Brookstone, Crocs, InMotion Entertainment, Lids, Peet's Coffee & Tea, Sunglass Hut and Vino Volo.
Opening the security checkpoint and concessions is the first phase of a broader $300 million project that also calls for adding 23 ticket counter positions, three aircraft gates in Terminal E and two baggage carousels. When the project is completed in 2010, about 222,000 square feet will have been added to the airport.
• Starting Monday, the cellphone/waiting area at Nashville International will be closed for several months because of road construction. Those waiting for arriving passengers can use the short-term parking garage or the 10-minute waiting area on the baggage claim level. The roadway project is scheduled to be completed in the fall.
• Travelers at Baltimore/Washington International can now print parking coupons from the airport's website. The coupons cut the rate at the BWI Express lot or the BWI Daily Garage to a maximum $9 a day.
• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta, the world's busiest airport, has released a list of New Year's resolutions. The airport outlines 10 goals it hopes to accomplish in 2009, including a redesigned airport website with real-time information on parking availability, security wait times and flight status; Spanish, German, French and Chinese versions of the website; more than 70 new shops opening through summer 2009; a new 68-acre consolidated rental car facility opening in November; and a recycling program that aims to reduce the airport's waste stream by up to 70%.
ROUTE NEWS
Delta delays Raleigh-Durham-Paris
• Citing current economic conditions, Delta dal is delaying the launch of its non-stop service between Paris Charles de Gaulle and Raleigh-Durham until 2010. Delta had planned to start the service on June 2. Raleigh-Durham International's marketing director, Teresa Damiano, says the airport is confident the service will return "as the global economy rebounds."
• Continental Airlines will launch seasonal daily non-stop service between Cleveland and London Heathrow on May 2. The new route, operating until late September, will replace the current seasonal service between Cleveland and London Gatwick.
Citing "economic challenges," the carrier will also end seasonal service from Cleveland to Paris Charles de Gaulle, a summer route that was launched in late May and ran daily through Sept. 2.
FACTS AND FIGURES
• Among the 50 largest U.S. airports, Oakland, Pittsburgh, San Juan and Cincinnati had the steepest drops in departing seats in 2008 compared with 2007, according to USA TODAY's analysis of schedule data from OAG-Official Airline Guide.
The number of seats flown from Oakland fell 16% in 2008. Pittsburgh fell 15%, while San Juan and Cincinnati each were down about 13%.
Updates of airline capacity changes at 300 U.S. airports can be seen at travel.usatoday.com.
Contributing: Barbara Hansen
Every Monday, we report on the latest news in airports across the USA. See something noteworthy in your travels? E-mail your suggestions to ryu@usatoday.com.