Airport Check-in: BWI clears the way, Toronto tries out a new terminal
By Roger Yu, Excerpted from USA TODAY, 11/5/2006
Baltimore - Construction projects completed
After five years, Baltimore/Washington is now construction-free. Officials unveiled the new look after overhauling its roads and outside walkways.
The projects completed last week were the last phase of a $1.4 billion capital improvement program, the most expensive in BWI history, says Ryan Nawrocki, an airport spokesman.
The airport has nearly doubled the width of the upper and lower roadways. It hopes to ease congestion by assigning the inner lanes for commercial vehicles, such as shuttles, and the outer lanes for public vehicles. An island in the upper roadway where passengers can be dropped off divides the two sets of lanes.
A new express exit lane on the lower level allows drivers to leave the airport without driving through the entire length of the main horseshoe-shaped roadway that surrounds the terminal.
In earlier phases, the airport built a concourse for Southwest Airlines, consolidated rental car operations and added 13,000 parking spots. The airport, which handled about 20 million travelers last year, can now handle about 30 million.
Toronto - Volunteers put new terminal to the test
Using an army of volunteers, Toronto Pearson on Oct. 28 tested its new $519 million concourse in Terminal 1.
It will open Jan. 30. Its 25 gates will be used for most of the international flights, including those of Air Canada, United, Lufthansa and Singapore airlines.
For the trial run, the airport handed out tickets and luggage filled with books and shredded paper to about 1,800 volunteers posing as travelers. Each volunteer followed a script.
Without actually flying, they completed the boarding process — walking from parking garages, checking in with bags, standing in line and walking to their gates.
Some were passengers in need of wheelchairs. Some volunteers repeated the process in reverse later in the day to simulate arrivals and to test customs. The airport used its website and newspaper ads to recruit volunteers, who weren't paid but were served breakfast and given a gift certificate for $10 Canadian, or $8.85.
The airport also has been testing its gates overnight, using Air Canada planes.
Detroit - Drivers waiting for calls get lane
Detroit Metro has set aside a cellphone lane. Able to fit about 30 cars, the lane leading to the Smith Terminal allows drivers to park free and wait for a call from arriving passengers. The airport is considering a similar area closer to the McNamara Terminal.