US Airways Dividend Miles (Pre-FlightFund Merger) - New International PHL Terminal - Where is everybody?

I had some time yesterday and walked down to check out the new A terminal in PHL. It's a good walk from Terminal C - I should have timed it, but I'm sure it's more than enough to irritate someone whose traveling with little kids.

My concern it was the Friday before Memorial Day and the new terminal was empty at 4pm. So, you've got new businesses with no sales and a brand-new terminal that no-one gets to enjoy. Is this terminal just going to sit idle most of the day for the 8pm departures? It's very nice and I'd like to see it used. Maybe they should move some of their domestic flights down there until the demand picks up?

i aggree with you. Other than the busy Trans-atlantic time 4-8 and some caribbean flights around 8 the terminal is virtually empty with maybe 3 other flights all day. US should deffinitely move flights from B and C to A-west to releive congestion at B and C. It is pointless to let A-west sit idle from 6am-2pm

It doesn't. I checked it out one day after an AA arrival in A-East. There were flights departing to BOS and CLT in the new A-West.

Also, if you don't want to walk from C, the shuttle at C-16 goes to A-1.

[This message has been edited by PHL (edited 05-24-2003).]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by bfunkjeep:
I had some time yesterday and walked down to check out the new A terminal in PHL. It's a good walk from Terminal C - I should have timed it, but I'm sure it's more than enough to irritate someone whose traveling with little kids.

My concern it was the Friday before Memorial Day and the new terminal was empty at 4pm. So, you've got new businesses with no sales and a brand-new terminal that no-one gets to enjoy. Is this terminal just going to sit idle most of the day for the 8pm departures? It's very nice and I'd like to see it used. Maybe they should move some of their domestic flights down there until the demand picks up?</font>

I believe you will find that once the ticket counters open, the place will get a bit livelier. Keep in mind, though, that soon all international flights will arrive and depart from this concourse. That includes Caribbean and Transatlantic. Moreover, I predict that within five years, there will be continued expansion to Central and Latin America as well as more service to Europe. After all, they have to put the optioned A330-200s somewhere. Don't be surprised if Star Alliance partner Lufthansa and Air Canada start using that concourse as well. I wouldn't be upset if Air France and British Airways didn't end up in there, especially if they consolidate customs and immigration to one location.

[This message has been edited by Randeman (edited 05-29-2003).]

Lufthansa will most likely move to A-West as soon as US joins Star. Expansion in 5 years to caribbean???...Try one year. US has already said they want to add another 3 or 4 caribbean/latin american destinations by years end. On top of the new MEX service and possible service PHL-CZM. However not all caribbean flights use A-west yet...on average about 4 or 5 caribbean flights a day use A-west and probably 7 on weekends.

Air Canada will soon be all CRJ's in PHL so they will most likely stay with subleasing from UA, besides UA has plenty of gates over in D.

I have started to see some more flights to A-west from PIT, LAS, SJU, and CLT. However they are very spotty and there is still room for more utilization. In fact the club in A-west is only open between like 6-11am and 2-9pm.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Randeman:
After all, they have to put the optioned A330-200s somewhere. </font>

When the 330-200's arrive, you can say goodbye to the 767-200ER's. By 2007 (when delivery is supposed to begin), most 767's will be 20+ years old.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by usairways85:
Expansion in 5 years to caribbean???...Try one year.

</font>

Note that I used the word "within."

anyone else notice that Airfrance is using A-west now. They seem to be using gate A-16 quite frequently now. I am not sure if they still leave from E but they arrive at A-16. I am a bit surprised with that because US didnt want any other carriers in the terminal. I would suspect LH will move in in several months when US enters Star operations.

I was in the terminal and the new Club on my recent SJU trip. There were only 3 of us in the Club but the attendant told me it gets busy for the evening transatantic flights. The terminal is nice and big but a loooong haul from the other concourses. I was lucky to arrive on AA after an involuntary reroute and sprint with 30 minutes before departure from RDU Terminal A to Terminal C, so the walk from A3 to A23 wasn't that bad. Except for the SJU AM flight, no one else was around so it appeared like a ghost town early on. Nice though because I did not feel like I was in a cave like B or C.