If El Paso can spend $139M, Omaha can

[NovakOmaha]

El Paso's airport is doing $139 million in improvements, i.e. consolidated car rental, something about bathrooms, etc.  It handles about 3 million people a year.  Omaha does over 4 million.  How about Eppley doing some preliminary work toward an expansion?  Maybe upper and lower roads?  Better bag claim?  Any other ideas?

[lmdramos]

I completely agree, but I doubt we'll see anything in the next 10 to 20 years.

[jag42]

how about getting rid of "Airfield" from the name of our airport.

[NovakOmaha]

I think the days of Omaha or pretty much any airport being served by 10 airlines are over.  My point has always been that it would be cheaper and easier to expand the north and south satellites rather than build a new terminal.  You could add 5 gates to each and reach 30 gates easily, IF more gates are needed.  On the other hand, having upper and lower roads would easily ease congestion.  I'm no engineer and don't know the cost.  I've flown into ELP and it's pretty much Southwest and American.  Do they really need $140M worth of improvements?  I don't know but they are getting them.

[almighty_tuna]

I don't fly too often but for my $.02, get some decent food/drink options inside both terminals' security areas. It's not like we have people here on layovers (hahaha yeah right) requiring food courts everywhere, but I always feel better getting through security before I relax and enjoy a morning coffee or something. And for pete's sake can they acquire eppleyairfield.com instead of letting the most intuitive web address for their airport be a page squat?

It'd be interesting to see a localized traffic study at the airport about how much traffic shows up for arrivals vs departures. A little more organization around that would be nice (double levels?) or get the pedestrians off the street so it's not such a stop-and-go cluster at times.

[RNcyanide]

If only they had the foresight to locate the airfield somewhere else. Shame that it is bounded on all sides and has no room to grow.

[iamjacobm]

If only they had the foresight to locate the airfield somewhere else. Shame that it is bounded on all sides and has no room to grow.

Ehh, the location is a huge asset to downtown.  I think there is a lot more that Omaha could do to attract air business than spend over a hundred million on the airport.  Become an attractive destination and business center will do a lot more for air traffic than an urber-modern airport will.

[guitarguy]

Well said.. Over the last few years the passenger statistics have been steadily increasing at Eppley. The more of a destination Omaha becomes the more reasons there will be to upgrade the airport. Lets face it.. 5 million passengers in a year is a healthy amount but until we are doubling or tripling that number I see no reason why Eppley isn't big enough.. and even if its not extending the concourses is a better alternative to building a whole new terminal. Having Denver as one of the closest airports and also being THE center hub of airports in the US means the only flights coming to Omaha are for people actually traveling to Omaha with very few staying for a layover and that will never change.

[jessep28]

Eppley is big enough. There's no reason to expand unless traffic explodes. KMCI isn't that terribly far away if someone needs access to a high volume airport.

[Omababe]

I have very few complaints about Eppley. I fly semi-frequently, both business and pleasure, and most of it is to/from Eppley.

My only real issue is I wish we had more nonstop or at least single-seat flights to some of the more popular destinations, LAX, SAN, SFO come to mind immediately.

Yeah, the teeny-tiny planes are sometimes annoying (EWR, LGA, sometimes even Chicago) but I would rather have a tiny plane than a transfer.

At Eppley the security lines are always tolerable, usually much shorter than at other airports. It's an easy walk to bag claim from the gate and then to parking shuttle. Long-term parking is reasonable compared to most other airports. Some of the check-in lines (Southwest, Untied) are often long and slow enough to be majorly annoying. You get that anywhere. I'm spoiled from living in Omaha for 30-some years. I'm used to short lines almost everywhere!

As for food, yeah, they could use more variety, on both sides of security. One thing that's really lacking is a true sit-down full-service breakfast. Most of the time I fly out in the morning and usually end up stopping for breakfast elsewhere (or sometimes on a layover in MSP if there is enough time).

As for the name the "Airfield" part is almost retro-cool. At least they don't get pretentious and call it "International" with very little international traffic, or "Intercontinental"  ("Intergalactic?") and the like. The Eppley guy was a local benefactor, so really, that part of the name is truly appropriate.

I think we're lucky to have our main airport so close to the center of the action. Kansas City and Denver are absurdly distant! San Diego and Las Vegas are, like Omaha, close in. El-Lay is not too bad.

Oh well, I guess I really don't have too much to complain about here.

[RNcyanide]

I can't really come up with anything to complain about Eppley. Yeah it would be cool to have an true full-blown international airport, but that's what we have Minneapolis and Denver for. The only thing that sucks for me is that it takes almost 25 minutes to get there from Chalco.

[nativeomahan]

I like the Intergalactic idea!  It certainly would put us on the map.

[RNcyanide]

I like the Intergalactic idea!  It certainly would put us on the map.

Finally, a legitimate reason to build Vortex Tower as the traffic control tower.

[Brad]

IThe only thing that sucks for me is that it takes almost 25 minutes to get there from Chalco.

That's not bad.  I am sure there are a lot of cities that would love to have a 25 min commute to the airport.


Honestly, I would not really change anything about eppley.  It's very easy to get around in there.  It's also nicer and cleaner than a lot if airports I have been in... Lagurida (sp), Regan, etc.

If anything, more food options in the terminals.

[Coyote]

Yes - more food options... If they were to combine the terminals somehow and make it one long one instead of a N and S terminal - I bet they could put a few in the middle, I can't remember the long term plans they have, nor if they were real ones or pipe dreams.

[guitarguy]

IThe only thing that sucks for me is that it takes almost 25 minutes to get there from Chalco.

That's not bad.  I am sure there are a lot of cities that would love to have a 25 min commute to the airport.


Honestly, I would not really change anything about eppley.  It's very easy to get around in there.  It's also nicer and cleaner than a lot if airports I have been in... Lagurida (sp), Regan, etc.

If anything, more food options in the terminals.

Laguardia is the cleanest of the NYC area airports.. also the most conveniently located being right next to the LIE ( Long Island Expressway.. main through way through the NYC area ) you have to remember that NYC is constantly covered in smog so its impossible to keep exposed concrete clean there.

And yes.. when I picked my buddy who drove back with me up at Laguardia it took me an hour and a half to get there and the traffic was fairly light too  :? on the way back to my place it took us 3.5 hours though so yes.. I would have killlllleeddddddd to have a 25 min drive to the airport haha

[RNcyanide]

IThe only thing that sucks for me is that it takes almost 25 minutes to get there from Chalco.

That's not bad.  I am sure there are a lot of cities that would love to have a 25 min commute to the airport.


Honestly, I would not really change anything about eppley.  It's very easy to get around in there.  It's also nicer and cleaner than a lot if airports I have been in... Lagurida (sp), Regan, etc.

If anything, more food options in the terminals.

Laguardia is the cleanest of the NYC area airports.. also the most conveniently located being right next to the LIE ( Long Island Expressway.. main through way through the NYC area ) you have to remember that NYC is constantly covered in smog so its impossible to keep exposed concrete clean there.

And yes.. when I picked my buddy who drove back with me up at Laguardia it took me an hour and a half to get there and the traffic was fairly light too  :? on the way back to my place it took us 3.5 hours though so yes.. I would have killlllleeddddddd to have a 25 min drive to the airport haha

Lol I guess I have no perspective, considering I've lived here my whole life.

[Omababe]

 It's also nicer and cleaner than a lot if airports I have been in... Lagurida (sp),

Of the three NYC (area) airports, I consider LGA to be the nicest and yes, the "cleanest" one. It's really the quickest as far as check-in and security and such.

Only real issue is that there's no real convenient transit access. It's either rent a car or take a taxi.

[Brad]

May be we were on a bad day, but it just seemed really old and run down.

[guitarguy]

 It's also nicer and cleaner than a lot if airports I have been in... Lagurida (sp),

Of the three NYC (area) airports, I consider LGA to be the nicest and yes, the "cleanest" one. It's really the quickest as far as check-in and security and such.

Only real issue is that there's no real convenient transit access. It's either rent a car or take a taxi.

You're so right about the transit issue it hurts! haha.. ever since I experienced the hassle of flying out of LGA I vowed to only flight in and out of JFK only because it has a train line that connects to the main train line built right into the airport.. LGA is about a 5 step process to get out to where I lived haha

[Omababe]

You're so right about the transit issue it hurts! haha.. ever since I experienced the hassle of flying out of LGA I vowed to only flight in and out of JFK only because it has a train line that connects to the main train line built right into the airport.. LGA is about a 5 step process to get out to where I lived haha

I don't think there's much of anything that's convenient between OMA and JFK. I do admit that the Airtrain is nice. Last several trips were all EWR or LGA.  EWR does have the Airtrain which does connect to transit, but it's still kind of a difficult path (pun intended) for those who don't know the area. Last couple of trips I've stayed in the LIC area, so the taxi ride from LGA was not that bad at all.

[cp jay 07]

LGA can be very convenient depending on what time of day you fly in and if you have a car service there for you. The cab lines at LGA can be a nightmare sometimes, the few times I have flown into EWR it wasn't bad but having to take Jersey transit to Penn Station then having to get a cab if you are not staying by 34th st can be a real pain as well. As far as flying out nothing can touch LGA IMO, JFK and EWR security lines can get out of hand but I have never had that long of a wait at LGA. JFK is just not very convenient to fly into from Omaha so I have never flown in but heard it can be a diasaster at busy times, coming in and out.

One time when I stayed with family in Westchester I flew into White Plains, don't remember much about it but I did think it was funny that I flew from Omaha to NYC basically and Omaha was the bigger airport I was in that day.

[Brad]

and if you have a car service there for you.

When in NY, DC, SF - Get the uber app on your cell phone, it works great!

https://www.uber.com/

Its awesome!

[Omababe]

One time when I stayed with family in Westchester I flew into White Plains, don't remember much about it but I did think it was funny that I flew from Omaha to NYC basically and Omaha was the bigger airport I was in that day.

White Plains ("the airport nobody knows about") is real handy to Connecticut and not too far from the city, actually. I have relatives who use it.

There are also two other larger airports which have a good potential if the NIMBYs would let it happen. Stewart, just a wee bit upstate, and Islip, out on Lon Gisland. Both within an hour or so of the city.

IIRC, Stewart is a bit smaller than Eppley and Islip is slightly larger.

[cp jay 07]

One time when I stayed with family in Westchester I flew into White Plains, don't remember much about it but I did think it was funny that I flew from Omaha to NYC basically and Omaha was the bigger airport I was in that day.

White Plains ("the airport nobody knows about") is real handy to Connecticut and not too far from the city, actually. I have relatives who use it.

There are also two other larger airports which have a good potential if the NIMBYs would let it happen. Stewart, just a wee bit upstate, and Islip, out on Lon Gisland. Both within an hour or so of the city.

IIRC, Stewart is a bit smaller than Eppley and Islip is slightly larger.

I see potential in Stewart being a nice option if the NIMBY's would every let it, which you are right they won't,  I think flying into Long Island and trying to get to the city would be more of a hassle than flying into Jersey.

Also I find it funny hearing you call Stewart upstate, all my family is from Utica/Syracuse area so when we hear NYC'ers call Newburgh upstate it's kinda funny. I always hear the joke that in NYC'ers minds Westchester is upstate and Buffalo/Syracuse is Canada.

[guitarguy]

MacArthur is the absolute BEST airport for flying into NYC but you can about double the ticket price to get there.. the beautiful thing is that airport and the main LIRR station sit next to each other so after flying into this nice small Eppley sized airport you can jump right on a train into the city. It's by far the easiest to get there but the train ride into the city after flying in takes about an hour.. not bad considering LGA would have you tied up for at least that long unless you have a buddy out there picking you up at the airport.

[cp jay 07]

The reason I have never given MacArthur a chance is because like you said the ticket prices, and the fact that Queens is basically the start of Long Island so if I am going to fly into Long Island I will save some money and fly into LGA, plus I have not had the best luck with the LIRR in the past. I think what time you fly into LGA really makes a difference, I have had a couple times where it took a while to get a ride to the city but I have had good luch flying in on a Wednesday at like 2 in the afternoon for example with getting cabs to the city pretty easy.

You got me thinking maybe I should give it a try when I fly back out there in March though.

[guitarguy]

I always was heading out onto the island when flying in but heading into the city from LGA depending on the taxi traffic in theory should be a synch. You only stand there waiting forever when its busy.. and to be honest it doesn't matter where I fly I usually will either schedule a first flight at 6am or a noonish flight to avoid traffic. The main reason I advocate for the use of trains in the city is because they don't get held up with road traffic which can sometimes be a nightmare thats hard to describe and the easiest airports for jumping on the train heading for Manhattan are JFK and MacArthur..

[Swift]

I think I speak for most New Yorkers when I say, "What the |expletive| is MacArthur?"  :D

Any flight into/out of Manhattan always requires a cost vs. time vs. comfort breakdown.

-LGA is the fastest into Manhattan. A cab is $45-$60 depending on where you're going. Or you can pay $2.50 and take the M60 bus (it's really much nicer than you would expect for a bus) into upper Manhattan--usually takes 45 minutes to an hour, but intersects most of the subway lines. It's often both the cheapest AND the fastest way into the city.

-Newark is usually the second fastest--Airtan to NJTransit into Penn Station for roughly $15. DON'T take a cab from Newark. Including fare and toll usually brings it in around $80-$85, not including tip--$100 for a cab ride isn't worth it. Plus they aren't NYC taxi drivers so their cabs are filthy and they don't know the streets in Manhattan very well. One time, after the driver took the Lincoln Tunnel when I specifically told him to take the GW Bridge, he tried to drive from midtown to Morningside Heights on 10th Ave  :banghead: It took me 15 minutes to convince him to leave the bumper-to-bumper traffic to drive two avenues over to the West Side Highway, which was completely clear through to 125th street. It blew his mind.

-JFK is in many ways the nicest airport, but takes the longest to get to. It is the only airport with an (almost) direct connection to the subway. But to many sections of the city, you're talking an 1.25 hours on the subway or more. A cab is usually the best option--but if you get in too late then forget. There's always a gigantic line (200-300 people long) waiting to catch a cab in the airport. And I don't know how they do their dispatches, but I recently flew in to JFK at about midnight on a Friday, and the line was roughly 500 people long, but no cabs came to pick anyone up for almost 45 minutes. I didn't get home until 3am.

Also, on a side note, if you call a car service, you can usually negotiate a ride into Manhattan for less than the price of a cab, and typically their cars are cleaner than cabs, too. The two big car services that people tend to use the most are 212-666-6666 and 212-777-7777. Easy to remember, for just such a situation.

[guitarguy]

Ahhh Brings back good memories of living there.. Omaha has been heaven compared to negotiating NYC all the time  :mrgreen: