readywhenyouare

http://www.commercialappeal.com/stor...lan/100416894/

It looks like Delta will be returning to Concourse A until the new Concourse B opens in 2020. So Delta and Southwest will be on A and other airlines will remain on C. I wonder if the B security checkpoint and the Sky Club will remain open?

DiverDave

Makes me wonder how they are paying for this, since as far as I can find MEM still does not impose a Passenger Facility Charge.

David

readywhenyouare

I'm not sure either. Perhaps an increase in landing fees or leases?

xliioper

"The majority of the modernization costs will be funded by federal and state grants with the balance from our operating budget. The Airport Authority also plans to issue general airport revenue bond debt to help fund the project. The remaining costs are factored into the airport’s terminal rates and charges, which are paid by passenger airlines and other terminal tenants that operate at MEM. "


http://www.localmemphis.com/news/loc...urse/694963139

kop84

Already figured out

SJC ORD LDR

You would think they would shrink the size of the concourse since they are no longer a hub and they aren't ever going to be a hub again.

Also, wouldn't it make more sense to have the International arrivals area connect directly to the terminal since no one is really connecting there anymore?

readywhenyouare

Agreed. I would have thought a brand new terminal would have been a better and cheaper solution. Something like 15-20 gates would have been perfect.

kop84

I wonder if they're not making a play to either get additional DL service, or hope that UA will stop being so pitiful in the SE. Or if they're angling for another airline to serve MEM like AS or B6 or even....NK

readywhenyouare

An AS operation on the east coast would certainly be nice. But if they were really interested in creating a real hub on the east coast MEM would face some tough competition from other airports like RDU or PIT. As for UA, I think it might be better to reduce IAD to a focus city with flights to places where there is enough local demand and finally serve the southeast with an operation at an airport like MEM.

kop84

If MEM has any hope of returning to Hub or at least Hub-lite status UA is the only option.

Everyone on the AS board also thinks that AS is going to start some major focus city in the Mid West/ East Coast too, and it just seems ludicrous to me.

AS has basically zero brand recognition East of DEN. They might be able to pick up some people who still like earning miles on distance, but those people already exist and just fly AA (and formerly DL) but credit to AS.


AS is to busy consolidating VX and trying to be the dominant WC carrier to worry about one focus city with low O/D demand, and totally bracketed by huge fortress hubs.

I agree with you though that IAD is a dump, and UA should [I]drag[I] some of their operation down to MEM If they want to compete even a little bit in the SE.

pvn

They are shrinking the concourses. The south end of A (which was mostly RJ/turboprop gates for NWA Airlink) has already been demolished, which allows easier access for planes taxiing to the west side of B. Delta and allegiant will have to move out of B during the renovation (AA also uses gate B4 but is mostly in C). After the B renovation is complete, everyone will move in to B, and then A and C will be mothballed. The south end of C will be demolished just like the south end of A was.

pvn

It seems like the chances of UA expanding operations in MEM are pretty small, but if they did there's room for a polaris club between A and B.

kop84

I agree with you. It seems that people think that the big 3 should be able to have a large presence everywhere in the country. But to defend everything is to defend nothing.

DL is bad in TX
AA is bad in the Pacific Northwest
UA is bad in the SE.

WN is the best at covering the lower 48, but their horrible if you need to go to most second, and nearly all third tier cities or TPAC, TATL, or S. America or Canada or a non beach MX destination. And they can't get you to AK or HI.

No one carrier can have it all. IF they could, someone would have tried it by now!

readywhenyouare

I lived in Memphis up until graduating from high school in 2007 and always used Delta. Back then Delta used gates A25, A27, and A29. The ATL flights used A25 and A27 while CVG always used A29. It was really nice clearing security and having the gates be just a few feet away. I read somewhere that a long time ago Delta had a Crown Room at MEM but I never could figure out where it would have been located.

haddon90

the UA comments are funny. first, no way they downsize IAD with the government traffic they have there. UA owns IAD. second, UA already has a fortress airport in IAH. why would they build MEM into a hub?

MEM is now an O&D market. IAH, DFW, and ATL have the SE covered.