Great news as far as air travel goes.

http://newsok.com/article/1365727/?template=business/main

If pax traffic keeps rebounding, that east concourse will likely be built sooner than expected. I hope. Nonetheless, something positive there.

OUman

Hey OUMan, thanks for providing the optimistic info. I'm with you....I think we need to go ahead and build the East Concourse. The traffic will be there!

One problem I do see....Karen Carney and company seems to be so pessimistic about these numbers. Last time I spoke with her, I was boasting about the increases in passenger traffic, and her response was..."well, the numbers still aren't where they were before 9-11 and probably never will be." Although it may be true that we're still not back to pre-9-11 numbers, I question her attitude.....she always seems to be such a pessimist. It's gonig to take an optimist for air travel to improve in our city. That's why for many years now, I, along with many others on this board, have thought it might be time for Carney, Luther Trent, and others on the Airport Trust to be replaced. Sure, they have experience, but their pessimism is enough to stop anything from ever happening in our city. We need someone who's optimistic and thinks big! Someone who matches the "Renaissance" spirit of our city.

Who's in charge of hiring and firing those people? Let's give 'em a call.

Mmmmmm.....I believe our city council appoints those people. Unfortunately, I've complained many times, and it seems like my complaints always fall on deaf ears. Our council seems to buy into the story the Airport Trust always gives....they just don't think we're a large enough city to compete with other cities for mini-hubs and the like.

Mick Cornett always seems to be upbeat and optimistic about things, but he's in the minority. We need more young blood like Mick in office!

You know, first off, OKC's pax traffic's not gonna remain stagnant. It's always gonna change, every year. Secondly, if they think that in another 4-5 years we'll still not go above pre-Sep. '01 levels, something's really wrong somewhere.

So either they're hiding something, or they just don't wanna build the concourse. I don't want to slam anyone here, but I can't come to any other conclusions.

I have come to the conclusion that they're not marketing the airport enough, and with that pessimistic attitude, our airport's not going to make any significant gains. I wouldn't be surpised if Little Rock National gains focus-city airport status before Will Rogers does, for crying out loud. I'm sorry, but I've never seen such a pessimistic attitude about a local airport. Even city leaders of airports like Flint are being optimistic and working hard to get back flights they lost after Sep. '01.

Hopefully, city leaders will entice the airlines and get more service.

OUman

You know, first off, OKC's pax traffic's not gonna remain stagnant. It's always gonna change, every year. Secondly, if they think that in another 4-5 years we'll still not go above pre-Sep. '01 levels, something's really wrong somewhere.

I don't want to slam anyone here, but I can't come to any other conclusions.

I have come to the conclusion that they're not marketing the airport enough, and with that pessimistic attitude, our airport's not going to make any significant gains. I wouldn't be surpised if Little Rock National gains focus-city airport status before Will Rogers does, for crying out loud. I'm sorry, but I've never seen such a pessimistic attitude about a local airport. Even airport managers of airports like Flint's, Michigan are being optimistic and working hard to get back flights they lost after Sep. '01.

Hopefully, city leaders will entice the airlines and get more service.

OUman

Hey OUMan, I think you definitely hit the nail on the head. That's exactly what many of us have been trying to tell our city leaders for years now. Unfortunately, they just either don't seem to get it, or they just claim that they're sticing with "reality" and aren't living in the "dream world" we're living in. My point is, if you don't dream it will never happen. Just look at MAPS...looking back to our city in 1992, Norick and company were really dreaming when they came up with those plans. That's what we need in our Airport Trust.
Unfortunately, not only do they not dream, but they don't boast about what we DO HAVE! Pessimism is abundant among our airport leaders. I've never figured it out either.....I'm not quite sure if they just don't want to try or if they're just too lazy to try. Unfortunately, people around here want things to be handed to us. Problem is, that jsut doesn't work. If we want things we're gonig to have to go out there and fight for them, and boast about our city. If we're being pessimistic, companies and airlines aren't gonig to want to locate here.

Concerning the East Concourse, our airport trust just doesn't think ahead. But then, neither does anyone else in this town. I can't think of too many projects they've thought ahead about. Take I-35 for instance. Had our leaders thought ahead, when they were tearing up the old highway, they would've expanded I-35 to 8 lanes instead of 6 lanes. Here in about 20 years when the population increases, they're going to need those 8 lanes, and then some. And it will cost so much more in 20 years than it would've today.

I'm not sure about those eight lanes for I-35, Patrick. Tulsa might throw a fit. They already call us tax hogs. :Smiley145

True okcpulse. In all reality, I think Tulsa is getting rooked too, definitely more than we are. With as busy as I-44 is through the middle of Tulsa, I'd be all for a new 8 lane I-44 in Tulsa. They desparately need it. Our state should be ashamed of itself for leaving Tulsa's freeways in shambles, while pouring all the money into those here in OKC. Truth is, there just isn't enough money to go around, and it's not being spent fairly. I'd support an increase in gasoline taxes comparable with those in Texas. Our extremely low gas taxes are part of the reason our roads and bridges are in such bad shape. Of course, for Tulsa to support such a measure, there'd have to be some restrictions with how the money is distributed, and even then, Tulsan's might not trust the state. Why should they?

Well, in all honesty, I've followed the way Tulsa leaders handle transportation dollars since 1999. I haven't seen them push for more transportation dollars for the Tulsa area, and ultimately, state representatives from rural areas surrounding Tulsa wind up siphoning state transportation dollars away from Tulsa.

I don't blame Tulsa leaders for the lack of highway money going to Tulsa, although they do not fight hard enough. I blame rural legislators. For instance, drive US-75 from Tuls to Barltesville. In Tulsa, US-75 is rikety and uneven. Past Tulsa, US-75 is smooth and well maintained.

ACOG (Association of Central Oklahoma Governments) has always been more vocal in the capitol than INCOG (Indian Nations Council of Governments). You have to dig a little deeper to find INCOG's long range transportation plan than you would ACOG. The state government and ODOT are both responsible for Tulsa's poor shape of highways, but then, I really don't hear much protest from Tulsa's legislators, if any.

As far as Will Rogers World Airport is concerned, I believe it is time to exercise our duty as citizens and pick at the city council over a period of time until they weaken, give in, and replace the Airport Trust, and replace it with an effecient Airport Authority.