Love Field Modernization Project

[LoneStarMike]

Lots of info on the Love Field Modernization Project (to be completed around 2014.)

Layout

Articles from the Dallas Morning News (with walk-through video from Corgan Associates)

$519M makeover planned at Dallas' Love Field
January 27, 2009

Convenience will mark upgrade at Dallas Love Field
January 27, 2009

City of Dallas

Love Field Master Plan Update (23 pages)

People Mover - Recommended Alignment

Corgan Associates

Some interior & exterior renderings. The interior renderings look really nice.

Link

To see all the renderings, move your cursor to the far right (making sure it's still touching part of the rendering.) The images scroll by pretty quickly, though. To stop the scrolling, just move your cursor to a point where it is no longer touching the rendering.

(I hope that made sense.)

Links to 3 photos taken January 15, 2009 of recently completed renovations:

Skybridge from garage to terminal (1 of 2)

Skybridge from garage to terminal (2 of 2)

Baggage Claim

I can't wait until everything is finished. It will be quite a change from what Love Field is like today.

 

[JS]

What's wrong with Love Field the way it is today? This is just as idiotic and wasteful as the plan to blow up the horseshoe-shaped terminals at DFW and re-build them, or the similar plan for LAX.

If LAX, DFW and DAL didn't exist and we needed to plan them, then sure, by all means, build something new just the way you like it, much like the new terminal at DTW or DFW's terminal D. But when the airport is already there, and it works fine the way it is (unlike the old DTW terminal or the non-existent DFW terminal 4W), don't waste money trying to fix something that ain't broke!

 

[LoneStarMike]

But when the airport is already there, and it works fine the way it is (unlike the old DTW terminal or the non-existent DFW terminal 4W), don't waste money trying to fix something that ain't broke!

Here's the problem. Back when the details of the Wright Amendment Compromise were being worked out, AA, DFW, and Fort Worth pointed out that WN had an unfair cost advantage because the cost per enplaned passenger at Love Field was much lower than DFW. One of the elements contained in the compromise is a mandate that the construction project cost at least a certain amount. That way WN's costs at Love Field would rise, putting AA and WN on a more level playing field.

 

[jimntx]

The issue of whether or not WN has the right to fly into and out of DAL is settled. Done. Over with. Why shouldn't the largest domestic carrier have a modern terminal at its home base city? I'm quite sure that the city of Dallas has put pencil to paper and done the math to make sure that there is payback on this project. Lord knows, they have delayed other needed projects for "lack of funds/payback/etc."

Most major cities have more than one commercial airport. Why shouldn't the metroplex have more than one? Granted DFW as it stands right now could be said to be overbuilt given than Terminal E is all but empty. But that is not WN's fault. If anyone is to blame it would be my airline, AA, for beating DL out of the market. Or, blame the airport operating authority for not being willing to set landing fees/gate rentals at a price that would attract WN to abandon DAL in favor of DFW.

As far as the future, I think we are going to see a resurgence of flights from DAL from several airlines. There is a market there. When people are on business in Dallas--and that is a lot of people on any given day--they are forced to rent a car and deal with Dallas's totally inadequate freeways--(have a flight out of DFW between 1630 and 1830? Leave downtown Dallas no later than 1430 for that 1630 flight or 1600 for that 1830 flight). That leaves you less than half a day for business. Or, you can pay $40++++ for a cab each way between DFW and downtown Dallas. Depending on the time of day the price will go up substantially above $40. Here again, plan on losing half a day just in the tripping between airport and work site. Or, you can pay $25+- for the shared ride shuttle that may drive around DFW from terminal to terminal for over an hour looking for more passengers before leaving the airport (it happened to me more than once when I came into DFW and my car was at DAL).

 

[JS]

The issue of whether or not WN has the right to fly into and out of DAL is settled. Done. Over with. Why shouldn't the largest domestic carrier have a modern terminal at its home base city? I'm quite sure that the city of Dallas has put pencil to paper and done the math to make sure that there is payback on this project. Lord knows, they have delayed other needed projects for "lack of funds/payback/etc."

Most major cities have more than one commercial airport. Why shouldn't the metroplex have more than one? Granted DFW as it stands right now could be said to be overbuilt given than Terminal E is all but empty. But that is not WN's fault. If anyone is to blame it would be my airline, AA, for beating DL out of the market. Or, blame the airport operating authority for not being willing to set landing fees/gate rentals at a price that would attract WN to abandon DAL in favor of DFW.

As far as the future, I think we are going to see a resurgence of flights from DAL from several airlines. There is a market there. When people are on business in Dallas--and that is a lot of people on any given day--they are forced to rent a car and deal with Dallas's totally inadequate freeways--(have a flight out of DFW between 1630 and 1830? Leave downtown Dallas no later than 1430 for that 1630 flight or 1600 for that 1830 flight). That leaves you less than half a day for business. Or, you can pay $40++++ for a cab each way between DFW and downtown Dallas. Depending on the time of day the price will go up substantially above $40. Here again, plan on losing half a day just in the tripping between airport and work site. Or, you can pay $25+- for the shared ride shuttle that may drive around DFW from terminal to terminal for over an hour looking for more passengers before leaving the airport (it happened to me more than once when I came into DFW and my car was at DAL).

This is ridiculous. If someone has a day trip to Dallas and their time is worth anything, they will take a taxi. Even renting a car doesn't take that long. Claiming that DFW requires one to spend more than half the day in transit is total nonsense.

 

[jimntx]

Ridiculous? Based on what? I live in Dallas in N. Oak Cliff. I am 2 miles from downtown Dallas. Within the past two weeks I have had one trip to DFW that took 1.5 hours in the afternoon due to a wreck on 183 and once you commit to 183 there is no alternate that you can get to easily, and I have had two trips from DFW to home take almost 1.5 hours due to traffic and our inadequate freeway system.

This is neither unusual nor uncommon. I make the drive as often as 4 times/week. The only time it has taken less than 45 minutes was last night leaving home at 7:45pm.

 

[JS]

Listen to the traffic report and take an alternate route when there's a wreck. If you plan your life around a worst-case traffic scenario, you will spend a lot of time cooling your heels at the airport (other than the once every two weeks when it does happen). You're a flight attendant, so you don't have any choice but to assume the worst. A business traveler doesn't have to worry about that unless it's the last flight of the day which is pretty rare flying out of DFW in the late afternoon.

I've lived in four different places in the Metroplex and driven all over the place at various times and have never just sat there for an hour going nowhere. There is always an alternate route except for extremely unusual circumstances (e.g., you just passed the last exit before going over the Trinity River and there's a wreck ahead of you before the next exit).

 

[KCFlyer]

Listen to the traffic report and take an alternate route when there's a wreck.

But he said once you commit to 183 there is no alternate that you can get to easily,. I've lived in Dallas too, and I know that when I hopped in my car to head across town, it could be several minutes before a traffic report came on. All too often, I've found myself past that point of no return.

I've lived in four different places in the Metroplex and driven all over the place at various times and have never just sat there for an hour going nowhere. There is always an alternate route except for extremely unusual circumstances (e.g., you just passed the last exit before going over the Trinity River and there's a wreck ahead of you before the next exit).

When I lived in Dallas, I tended to stay off the freeways. Because I could get from the Lake Highlands area to Irving in half the time if I took Royal Lane instead of LBJ. However, there were times that I've been stuck on the freeway (Grapevine to Garland) with no way to get off LBJ. Also, it's amazing how you don't notice the increase in traffic when you live there. I used to go back every Thanksgiving to visit my parents. The last several years I did that, LBJ was STOPPED from Central Expressway to beyond Skillman - on a Saturday afternoon. Everybody else seemed to think that was normal.

 

[JS]

That's because Thanksgiving traffic on any freeway in this country is far worse than rush hour.

 

[jimntx]

Well there you have it. You are the expert on Dallas traffic and freeways, and the rest of us are idiots. Only your driving experience in Dallas counts. Do post your home and cell phone numbers so the rest of us can call you for the correct routing when necessary.

 

[KCFlyer]

That's because Thanksgiving traffic on any freeway in this country is far worse than rush hour.

On the SATURDAY before Thanksgiving?

 

[JS]

Well there you have it. You are the expert on Dallas traffic and freeways, and the rest of us are idiots. Only your driving experience in Dallas counts. Do post your home and cell phone numbers so the rest of us can call you for the correct routing when necessary.

Sorry but I don't take calls from idiots.

 

[I'mRayFlyMe]

Ruh roh... I think we ALL know where this is going...

 

[JMeyersMD80]

I really like this, and as much of a traditionalist that I tend to be, the improvements to Love Field are very much needed.

 

[DarkSnowyNight]

Jimntx,

Relax. I now live in the DFW area too, and of all the major cities I've lived in (DCA, NYC, LAX, MCO, and PHL), DFW is by far the best when it comes to traffic infrastructure. Think N Oak Cliff to DFW is harry? Just try the run from Rockville, MD to IAD sometime. Or Costa Mesa to LAX. Or Waterbury, CT to LGA. DFW has a wonderful system of freeways you can use for more or less any direction you need. Rare is the day that I spend more than 45 mins at a time in my truck, regardless of where I'm headed or what time it is.