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CURRENTLY, SALT LAKE CITY International Airport (SLC) consists of two terminals, five concourses, and 83 gates. Over the past few decades, the

total complex has been built, rebuilt, and remodeled several times, but is still at extreme seismic risk. To renovate the existing structures would be a massive and overly-expensive move, as well as an inefficient one, undermining the airport’s ability to attract new services or to expand current operations.

The terminals were built in 1960 (Terminal 1, again remodeled and expanded in 1981), and 1984 (Terminal 2, expanded in 1995 to include the current International Terminal and Concourse E). Back then, the only airlines in the country with true hub operations were Delta Air Lines and Eastern Air Lines in Atlanta, so Salt Lake’s original terminal was not designed for hub operations, as the only airlines serving the airport

at the time were Western, United, West Coast Airlines, Bonanza, and the original Frontier Airlines. What remains of the original terminal is the majority of the ticketing area (from United’s counter down to the American Airlines one), part of the baggage claim (extended in the 1981 extension project), the extreme lower end of Concourse B (where Southwest and Delta have gates), and what is now the security processing area and post-security first floor area.

JUST A STOP ALONG THE WAY

Salt Lake City has a long history with commercial aviation. It was one of the stops on the original transcontinental airmail route — operated by United Airlines from New York to San Francisco — as well as the North terminus for Western Air Express’s C.A.M 8 route from Los Angeles, via Las Vegas.

SALT LAKE CITYAIRPORT REVIEW

BY GEORGE NICON ANDRITSAKIS

THE AUTHOR

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INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

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SALT LAKE CITY | AIRPORT REVIEW

a presence in Salt Lake City, as did United and Frontier, but its base of operations was Los Angeles. During the deregulation upheavals that the major carriers faced in the early 1980s, Western was caught off guard and had to retrench and start cutting costs across the board. Focus cities such as Denver, Phoenix, Anchorage, Seattle, Las Vegas, and San

Francisco were “right-sized” and Western’s senior management retrenched the system, concentrating around flights in and out of Salt Lake City, requiring additional facilities and services and leading to the eventual building of Terminal 2 and the C and D concourses to house the new hub. Terminal 1 was also expanded in 1981, with Concourses A and B

SLC was originally known as Woodward Field, after local pilot John P. Woodward, and consisted of 100 acres for which Salt Lake City paid $40.00 an acre. Throughout the 1920s, the field was used for aerobatic shows, private flying, and the first sustained commercial passenger flight by Western Air Express — the forerunner of Western Air Lines — which merged with Delta Airlines in 1986. In 1927, Charles Lindbergh made a stopover in Salt Lake City with the Spirit of St. Louis and, from there, aviation grew in the valley.

By 1930, Woodward Field was renamed Salt Lake City Municipal Airport, having grown to 400 acres, 11 hangars, and two gravel runways. The main airlines at the time were Western Air Express, United Air Lines, National Parks Airways (later merged with Western Air Express) and Challenger Airlines (forerunner of the original Frontier Airlines). Later that decade, the city built an airport administration building that housed a passenger lounge, a mail room, an airport manager’s office, a lunchroom, a weather observatory, a radio control room, and airline office space. A third runway was also built.

During World War II, the airport was transformed into a training base and replacement depot for the US Army Air Force, in addition to the Tooele Army Depot to the West, and Hill Air Base to the North. The demand was so great that the city built Salt Lake City Municipal Airport II (now known as South Valley Regional Airport) at the southwest end of the valley to accommodate the number of trainees.

The dawn of the Jet Age brought about more and bigger improvements to the airport, including the upgrading of the three runways to support the largest commercial jet aircraft (Boeing 707s and Douglas DC-8s), equipping of the primary runways with a Category II Instrument Landing System (ILS), as well as the building of a new terminal building (the current Terminal 1), which took seven years to complete and cost $8 million. New non-stop service to Calgary, Alberta, Canada, was begun by Western Air Lines in 1968, enabling the airport to rename itself the Salt Lake City International Airport.

Fast forwarding to 1978 and the passage of the Airline Deregulation Bill, airlines nationwide were scrambling to stay alive against new entrants like Midway, Air Florida, and America West. Throughout its history, Western Airlines had had

DURING WORLD WAR II, THE AIRPORT WAS TRANSFORMED INTO A TRAINING BASE AND REPLACEMENT DEPOT FOR THE US ARMY AIR FORCE, IN ADDITION TO THE TOOELE ARMY DEPOT TO THE WEST, AND HILL AIR BASE TO THE NORTH.

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AIRPORT REVIEW

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SALT LAKE CITY | AIRPORT REVIEW

being built to house American Airlines, Republic Airlines, Texas International, PSA, TWA, Continental, Frontier, and Eastern Airlines. The baggage claim in Terminal 1 was also enlarged to what it looks like today in order to accommodate the expanded services by the majority of the airlines.

The remainder of the 1980s was a period of steady enhancements within SLC, as Delta Air Lines merged with Western and required additional facilities and improvements. Due to Delta’s growth of the hub, and increases in daily visitors, a new multi-level parking garage was built in 1991, and a new runway was also built in 1995 to handle the increase in activity. The current international terminal was relocated when SkyWest Airlines moved from its gates on Concourse B to the new Concourse E that year to accommodate its new fleet of Canadair Regional Jets. A brand-new reservation center was also built for newcomer Southwest Airlines (after its merger with SLC-based Morris Air in 1994) on the east side of the airport in 1996. The rest of the 20th century saw the building of a new Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighter (ARFF) training center on the northwest side of the airfield, a brand new cargo complex on the north side, and a new air traffic control tower. The airport’s interior also received major renovations for the then-upcoming Winter Olympics in 2002.

REDEVELOPMENT BEGINS

In recent years, Salt Lake City International Airport has been serving up to 20 million passengers in an infrastructure that was designed for 10-12 million. On January 17, 2012, Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker, in his State-of-the-City address, announced the launch of the Terminal Redevelopment Program for the Salt Lake City International Airport. He stated the project would cost around $1.8 billion, generate nearly 24,000 jobs, and be phased in over the next 8-10 years. The new airport will have a single terminal, new concourses (the youngest of the existing concourses will remain for the first few phases of the project), a new parking facility, a new and expanded light rail station, an expanded and enhanced ability to introduce alternative-fueled ground service equipment, the ability to easily charge electric vehicles, as well as the requisite support facilities. Requests for Proposals went out and the competition was narrowed to four qualified companies who are all joint ventures between local and national firms.

Holder-Big D Construction was selected as the winner and Construction Manager at Risk for the entire Terminal Redevelopment Program (TRP) on October 28, 2013. Holder-Big D immediately went to work with the architects and sub-

consultants on the TRP and came up with a solution that not only appeased the city, but also the tenants and major hub carrier, Delta Airlines. Funding for the project will come from existing federal grants, Passenger Facility Charges (PFC), general airport revenue bonds, and PFC-backed general airport bonds. No local tax dollars will be used in any way for the project. As Mayor Becker stated, “This project certainly reflects our status as an ever-growing crossroads and regional leader. Not only will we be creating vast improvements in efficiency and convenience for all airport users, but also doing so in a way that seeks unprecedented environmental goals for a facility of this kind, helping to address our serious air quality issues and accomplishing this all without additional expense to taxpayers.”

Plans for the TRP have been in the works since the late 1980s, with various concepts drawn up and shelved for a variety of

reasons. Options were analyzed, with public as well as partner and tenant input being sought for the initiatives. The current project goals include addressing seismic risk, constructing right-sized facilities, solving major operational issues currently hampering the airport and surrounding areas, improving the customer service experience, accommodating future growth, as well as maintaining competitive cost.

BREAKING NEW GROUND

A groundbreaking ceremony was held on July 18, 2014, on the site where the new parking and rental car facilities will be located. This will be the first major project in the TRP, with the rental car facility to be completed in 2015, and the remaining parking garage in 2018. New, surface parking lots and road adjustments are already being completed at the time of this writing, as well as the laying of new utilities. Construction of the single terminal and West Concourse will begin in 2015, with a tentative opening of 2018.

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AIRPORT REVIEW

The main terminal will have 3 levels, encompassing nearly 700,000 square feet, starts with the bottom floor, which will house international baggage claim, commercial vehicle drop-offs (taxis and buses), employee security screening, and the main baggage handling system. Level 2 will accommodate the domestic baggage claim, TSA security checkpoints for all passengers, retail and dining options, as well as access to the concourses and gates past security. This level also includes the pedestrian bridges to both the parking terrace and to the main roadway for passenger pickup in private vehicles. Level 3 is where airline ticket and check-in will occur and departing passengers will be dropped off. Airport administration offices will also be housed upstairs in Level 3.

The concourses themselves will comprise a total of about 75 gates, all jet-bridge equipped. The current layout has 86 gates, but only 56 have jetways. The rest are open access on Concourse E for Skywest’s Brasilia and smaller CRJ-100 and -200 operations. Delta Airlines spokespersons and the Salt Lake City manager have announced that Delta’s operation at the new airport will be a completely “two-class” operation, meaning that all

of the one-class aircraft such as the Embraer 120 Brasilias in use by SkyWest (as Delta Connection) will be retired by the time the new airport opens so that First and Economy Classes will be available on every flight. Delta has also unveiled plans for their SkyClub to have an airside SkyDeck, where club members will have an outdoor patio view of the ramp below. This feature has proven quite popular in Delta’s newest clubs in Atlanta, New York/JFK, and Detroit.

The new concourse built west of the terminal will house 18 gates at first, but could be rapidly expanded by up to nine more. Once the terminal is completed in 2018, the three existing concourses will be connected to the new East Concourse, with an additional 13 gates, as well as connectors to the existing Concourses B, C, and D. Concourse A will be demolished along with the old terminals and original parking garage.

The main roadway will be split into two levels, accessing terminal Level 1 for picking up (both private and public) and Level 2 for dropping off departing passengers. This will make the process a lot faster than at present, with less worry over

FACT

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SALT LAKE CITY | AIRPORT REVIEW

RUNWAYS

Albuquerque, Amsterdam (May 2015), Anchorage, Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Billings, Boise, Boston, Bozeman, Burbank, Butte, Calgary, Cancun, Casper, Cedar City, Charlotte, Chicago/Midway, Chicago/O’Hare, Cincinnati, Cody, Colorado Springs, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Denver, Des Moines, Detroit, Elko, Eugene, Fargo, Fresno, Gillette, Grand Junction, Great Falls, Guadalajara, Helena, Honolulu, Houston-Hobby, Houston-Intercontinental, Idaho Falls, Indianapolis, Jackson Hole, Kalispell, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Lewiston, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Madison, Medford, Memphis, Mexico City, Miami, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Missoula, Moab, Nashville, New Orleans, New York/JFK, Newark, Oakland, Oklahoma City, Omaha, Ontario (CA), Orange County, Orlando, Palm Springs, Pasco, Paris-Charles DeGaulle, Pasco, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pocatello, Portland (OR), Puerto Vallarta, Rapid City, Raleigh/Durham, Redmond, Reno/Tahoe, Rock Springs, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose (CA), San Jose del Cabo, Seattle/Tacoma, Spokane, St. George (UT), St. Louis, Sun Valley, Tucson, Tulsa, Twin

Falls, Vancouver, Vernal, Washington-National, West Yellowstone

DESTINATIONS

AIRLINES

FAST FACTS: SALT LAKE CITY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Name:Address:

Passengers:Size:

Elevation:Gates:Shops:

Restaurants:Website:

IATA/ICAO:Coordinates:

COMMUNICATIONS

ATIS: 124.75, 127.625Ground: 121.9, 348.6 (Rwys 14-32, 17-35) 133.65 (Rwys 16L-34R, 16R-34L)Tower: 119.05, 257.8 (Rwy 16L-34R) 118.3, 257.8 (Rwys 14-32, 17-35) 132.65, 336.4 (Rwy 16R-34L)

16L/34R: 12,004 ft (3,659 m)16R/34L: 12,000 ft (3,658 m)17/35: 9,596 ft (2,925 m)14/32: 4,892 ft (1,491 m)

Salt Lake City International Airport, 776 N. Terminal Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 8412220.2 million (2013)7,700 acres (3,116 hectares)4,227ft (1,288m)86 (56 jetway equipped)2631www.slcairport.comSLC/KSLC40°47′18′N, 111°58′40′W

Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, American Eagle, Delta Air Lines, Delta Connection, Frontier Airlines, jetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, United Express

traffic backing up at peak times. The Utah Transit Authority’s Airport Light Rail Station will also be relocated from the South end of the current Terminal 1 to the East end of the new rental car facility.

A GREENER FUTURE

Not only is this a massive project from the get-go, but it is also one of the cleanest, most environmentally-friendly projects in the Salt Lake Valley. The Department of Airports, the contractors and architects have come together to produce a project that will achieve LEED Silver Certification upon completion, but will strive to achieve Gold Certification once opened and in use. All TRP projects will incorporate sustainable best practices, maximizing energy reduction, using advanced technologies and controls, all the while anticipating future facility enhancements concurrent with keeping the LEED Gold Certification. All Department of Airports and especially Salt Lake City International Airport vehicles will make the transition to electric power, contributing to the targeted emissions-reduction program already in effect at the airport, and aligning with Salt Lake City’s emissions reduction goals.

LOOKING AHEAD

Construction of the of the two-level terminal roadway system is scheduled to begin in 2017. Demolition of the two current terminal buildings and transition into the single terminal will happen in 2018, and occupation of the South side of the East Concourse will happen in 2020, linking Concourses A and B to the new Terminal and Concourses C, D and the West concourse. The final coup de grâce for the original terminal will be the demolition of Concourse A and the current International Arrivals Building to make way for a new connector to Concourse D and the occupation and opening of the gates on the North side of the East Concourse. The three remaining concourses are scheduled for renovation in 2022 and beyond, although, when need and growth further arise, they will be demolished to make way for redesigned concourses north of the new facility in a layout much like those Denver and Atlanta have now. –CV

Special thanks to the Salt Lake City Department of Airports for its assistance in the preparation for this article, especially to Airport Executive Director Maureen Riley and to Barbara Gann, Public Relations and Marketing Director.