Omaha Eppley Airfield - DISCUSSION

[joleo]

United is dropping Newark and San Francisco from Omaha in April.

The Newark flights tended to be late more than they were on time!

I say fasten your seatbelt! There are certainly more such announcements coming as the impending recession deepens.

Chances of April and May not down 90% or more will be slim! I would really guess that all flights will be grounded in the next few weeks.

[Bearcat06]

Yikes...granted they have a lot of international flights, but still.

[Mr.Nuke]

Yikes...granted they have a lot of international flights, but still.

Eppley is down about 70% this week per this article and it will get worse with schedule cuts taking effect.
https://www.omaha.com/livewellnebraska/ ... 038ea.html

With airport numbers are likely to be down nationwide due to the Covid-19, I'm curious to see if they will move forward with the anticipation that numbers will bounce back or if they delay construction.

They are going to have a choice to make. The passenger metrics (PAL levels) they've used to justify building a new facility won't be there this year (we'll see how long it takes to recover); neither will the funding sources via the PFC, airport usage: concessions, landing fees, parking, etc. On the other hand interest rates for financing should be low and construction costs could be potentially lower in the middle of a recession. With that said, they've been very careful to mention "built in off-ramps" any time they've talked to the media. It wouldn't surprise me to see one taken.

[joleo]

Yikes...granted they have a lot of international flights, but still.

Eppley is down about 70% this week per this article and it will get worse with schedule cuts taking effect.
https://www.omaha.com/livewellnebraska/ ... 038ea.html

With airport numbers are likely to be down nationwide due to the Covid-19, I'm curious to see if they will move forward with the anticipation that numbers will bounce back or if they delay construction.

They are going to have a choice to make. The passenger metrics (PAL levels) they've used to justify building a new facility won't be there this year (we'll see how long it takes to recover); neither will the funding sources via the PFC, airport usage: concessions, landing fees, parking, etc. On the other hand interest rates for financing should be low and construction costs could be potentially lower in the middle of a recession. With that said, they've been very careful to mention "built in off-ramps" any time they've talked to the media. It wouldn't surprise me to see one taken.

Yes, I agree, contractors are already being very aggressive with pricing. I just had a publicly bid school project bid opening yesterday (In Iowa), the contractor bids were amazing! So low I couldn't believe it!

We are having discussions right now with owners and going to rush to get some projects bid out for clients over the next 1-2 months to take advantage of these super low prices from general contractors...they are very hungry for work right now with all the unknowns in the private development sector!

[Ryan Air]

What exactly does this mean?


https://www.hstoday.us/subject-matter-a ... ervices-2/

[Garrett]

What exactly does this mean?


https://www.hstoday.us/subject-matter-a ... ervices-2/

Jetlinx Aviation looks like a private jet service. So basically an expansion of private chartered jet services so rich people can fly internationally straight from Omaha?

[Mr.Nuke]

What exactly does this mean?

Not much...

So basically an expansion of private chartered jet services so rich people can fly internationally straight from Omaha?

You can already do that. CBP is onsite at Eppley attached to Tac Air M-F from 8-4* to process private planes arriving from outside of the United States. This appears to be an agreement between Jet Linx and the CBP saying that Jet Linx will pay the overtime to the U.S. Government to have access to customs at their leisure outside of those hours.


*outside of those hours already can be pre-arranged but not guaranteed.

[Omaha Cowboy]

What exactly does this mean?

Not much...

So basically an expansion of private chartered jet services so rich people can fly internationally straight from Omaha?

You can already do that. CBP is onsite at Eppley attached to Tac Air M-F from 8-4* to process private planes arriving from outside of the United States. This appears to be an agreement between Jet Linx and the CBP saying that Jet Linx will pay the overtime to the U.S. Government to have access to customs at their leisure outside of those hours.


*outside of those hours already can be pre-arranged but not guaranteed.

So it basically means pretty much nothing..

Which is what I gathered from reading the link...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

[Bearcat06]

Southwest is updating their June 6-27 flight schedule with nearly 50% reduction in flight activity.

https://mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/ ... ssion=true

[Bearcat06]

Per the Associated Press today:

The number of Americans getting on airplanes has sunk to a level not seen in more than 60 years as people shelter in their homes to avoid catching or spreading the new coronavirus.

The Transportation Security Administration screened 94,931 people on Wednesday, a drop of 96% from a year ago and the second straight day under 100,000.

https://apnews.com/05ce7d3272bc383914a8 ... APBusiness

[Bearcat06]

And this today from Omaha Scanner on the Twitter.

[ita]

Here's an update on Eppley's numbers for WOWT. Per the reporter, daily passengers for last week was just 5% of last year's number the first week of April.

https://www.wowt.com/video?vid=569529462

[Omahacritic]

Just wondering ... who would be willing to board a flight within America in 2020?

Will you wait for a vaccine?
Would you fly if you knew you already had and recovered the virus? (As shown by anti-body testing)

Do you have a set of criteria for getting on a plane?

[damonhynes]

Just wondering ... who would be willing to board a flight within America in 2020?

Yes. I had plans for Savannah, Houston, maybe Vegas, we'll see.

Will you wait for a vaccine?

No.

Would you fly if you knew you already had and recovered the virus? (As shown by anti-body testing)

Yes.

Do you have a set of criteria for getting on a plane?

Clorox wipes, goggles, mask.
(Also, I won't fly on a 737MAX for at least three years of no accidents.)

[mrsticka]

Is this the new design for Eppley's reconstruction/expansion? If so, personally I prefer it over what they originally planned.

[joleo]

Is this the new design for Eppley's reconstruction/expansion? If so, personally I prefer it over what they originally planned.

It is the most current that has been released to the public.

I would also like to know the status of the terminal project. I have lots of clients that are pushing hard on projects to get them worked on while roads, schools and buildings are not busy. We have been pulling our hair out the past 5 weeks moving projects up for our clients working 70+ hours a week. I've seen news articles that cities around Iowa are doing the same thing as well.

I wonder if Eppley is doing the same thing and we will see construction start very soon?

On a side note, DSM announced yesterday they were closing one of the terminals to save money. DSM has a single security checkpoint and Eppley has 2. I would think Eppley would be saving a ton more money than DSM if Eppley were to do the same thing. Single security, less concessions, save on utilities, cleaning, maintenance etc. Looking at flight information, it doesn't appear they are doing that right now in Omaha. I wonder why they are not as lots of airports around the nation and world already are.

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story ... 988750001/

[mrsticka]

Which sounds better? Omaha International Airport or Omaha Eppley International Airport?

[Omababe]

I'm quite sure that the diminished revenue will certainly put the kibosh on any near-term expansion plans!

[ricko]

Which sounds better? Omaha International Airport or Omaha Eppley International Airport?

Oh, let's call it the Malcolm X International Airport and watch everybody's head explode.

[OmahaJaysCU]

I’ve got to believe this pushes the terminal plans back at least 5 years if not longer...

[Bearcat06]

I’ve got to believe this pushes the terminal plans back at least 5 years if not longer...

It could certainly, but maybe they take advantage of the low interest rates and push forward now? They know numbers they had the last few years...demand was increasing. The question that nobody knows the answer to is how long will it take the economy to recover?

I read an article the other day that Delta was keeping their prices about the same, American had reduced their fares. The discussion centered around trying to increase demand at the current time, while the virus is still running rampant, but I would imagine when things start opening up the airlines will at least temporary reduce fares to entice people back to the skies.

My thought would be take advantage of the lower interest and possible contractors bidding out work and build while pax numbers are down, knowing that they will eventually bounce back up to where they were. Field of dreams scenario, if you build it they will come. I'm thinking with all the events cancelled this year, IF the virus is under control this year next year may see a bit of a boom for the major annual events and the swim trials.

[Omahacritic]

I think an interesting thread would be ... what to do with $2 billion of post-Covid stimulus money. Perhaps direct some for terminal refit?

[mrsticka]

I tried my own take on a possible expansion of Eppley. I made it a little longer than the proposed plan in the picture I shared a couple days ago. I even expanded the parking garage. Of course, I had to slightly reroute Abbott Drive, but it was okay.

[Bearcat06]

I tried my own take on a possible expansion of Eppley. I made it a little longer than the proposed plan in the picture I shared a couple days ago. I even expanded the parking garage. Of course, I had to slightly reroute Abbott Drive, but it was okay.

The tricky spot is the north side of the terminal and the pinch point for those couple gates to the west. The rendering currently online on the OMA website shows a pretty long jetway. I believe they have 22 gates in, while your drawing shows 28...I'm guessing their thought is leaving room for expansion on the north side should they need more gates down the road.

[mrsticka]

I tried my own take on a possible expansion of Eppley. I made it a little longer than the proposed plan in the picture I shared a couple days ago. I even expanded the parking garage. Of course, I had to slightly reroute Abbott Drive, but it was okay.

The tricky spot is the north side of the terminal and the pinch point for those couple gates to the west. The rendering currently online on the OMA website shows a pretty long jetway. I believe they have 22 gates in, while your drawing shows 28...I'm guessing their thought is leaving room for expansion on the north side should they need more gates down the road.

Yeah, those gates on the north were somewhat of a challenge. I did the best I could so the planes wouldn't squeeze in the terminal and the gates. Maybe I made the gates a little too longer than they should've been?

[Cermak]

It will be nice to have just one terminal, I’ve always thought Omaha’s 2 terminal’s is a little odd. But some other airports have it as well. Tampa’s airport comes to mind as having multiple terminals. I really hope Omaha goes all out on the design. I don’t hate Omaha’s current airport, it does have a certain charm about it and is always extremely clean.

[mrsticka]

Okay, here's a somewhat better rendition of it. I made the north concourse a little shorter because I thought there might not be enough from for planes pulling in or out of the gates on the east side. And I also made the smart move of simply moving the gates on the west side so that way planes don't have to squeeze in. You probably can't tell much of a difference, but if you look closely, you'll see it.

On a side note, sometimes I imagine Omaha being sprawled out west to 204th Street where it is today out by the late 70's and they remake Eppley like this in the mid-to-late 80's.

But anyway, I hope this is more to people's liking.

[Mr.Nuke]

I wonder if Eppley is doing the same thing and we will see construction start very soon?

Nothing has changed since last month (other than passenger levels tanking even further). They'll still have a very difficult choice to make...

On a side note, DSM announced yesterday they were closing one of the terminals to save money. DSM has a single security checkpoint and Eppley has 2. I would think Eppley would be saving a ton more money than DSM if Eppley were to do the same thing. Single security, less concessions, save on utilities, cleaning, maintenance etc. Looking at flight information, it doesn't appear they are doing that right now in Omaha. I wonder why they are not as lots of airports around the nation and world already are.

I don't know how much money you'd actually save. The airport doesn't pay for security (other than the airport police). Passenger fees and the airlines pay for the TSA. The concessions post security are operated by separate entities. Assuming they're both still open, one is getting screwed over by telling them to close. Again like security, that isn't really a cost bore by the airport authority.

The CARES funding states that the airport authority has to retain 90% of their staff so other than cleaning supplies you aren't saving anything there. You may save on utilities assuming the CUP is capable of multiple zones and you could shut one terminal off. On the other hand in the middle of social distancing, keeping the minimal traffic more separated seems like an added benefit of maintaining both terminals.

I'm quite sure that the diminished revenue will certainly put the kibosh on any near-term expansion plans!

That would be my inclination as well given that ~2/3 of the funding is tied to passengers that aren't there as well as their instance on mentioning off-ramps in every interview.

[Mr.Nuke]

I’ve got to believe this pushes the terminal plans back at least 5 years if not longer...

I think at they very least, depending how far in the planning stage they’ve made it, they likely pause things at some point here shortly and wait to see how passenger traffic recovers. Per a KETV story a couple of days ago, Eppley has been averaging 263 departing passengers a day in April when last April it was 6,900.

It could certainly, but maybe they take advantage of the low interest rates and push forward now? They know numbers they had the last few years...demand was increasing. The question that nobody knows the answer to is how long will it take the economy to recover?

Yes, interest rates are low, and that would be one major reason to proceed now; but interest rates for the airport authority as a municipal agency are always going to be fairly low. The other thing you hit on later in your post is the other major reason to consider going forward right now. It is hard to envision how this isn’t going to be massively disruptive at times on the terminal drive, in the terminal etc. during construction given how much of the existing footprint they are planning on reusing. Now would be an optimal time to do it while passenger levels are low. The last question you pose in the above quote, and particularly how air travel recover in conjunction with that is one major reason why you’d want to wait.

I read an article the other day that Delta was keeping their prices about the same, American had reduced their fares. The discussion centered around trying to increase demand at the current time, while the virus is still running rampant, but I would imagine when things start opening up the airlines will at least temporary reduce fares to entice people back to the skies.

Right now, airlines are in a really odd situation that they’re being forced to fly (justifiably in my opinion) to many destinations where there is zero demand as a condition of the CARES funding. Delta’s approach is probably the right one in that situation. Anyone flying right now basically needs to be flying and they’re not going to be very price sensitive. I’m not convinced that we’ll see fare reductions at the end of this either as the majority of airline’s fleets are parked. They more than likely gradually scale back up to meet demand.

My thought would be take advantage of the lower interest and possible contractors bidding out work and build while pax numbers are down, knowing that they will eventually bounce back up to where they were. Field of dreams scenario, if you build it they will come.

Yeah like I said to you on 3/26 they’re going to have a choice to make at some point. I still think it comes down to how far along in the planning stage they’re at and how quickly you anticipate passenger levels recovering.

[Mr.Nuke]

March down 49.4% year-over-year, down 15.6% year-to-date.
https://www.flyoma.com/wp-content/uploa ... istics.pdf

[joleo]

March down 49.4% year-over-year, down 15.6% year-to-date.
https://www.flyoma.com/wp-content/uploa ... istics.pdf

Just wait til April. Going to be down about 97% is my gut. 93% best case, 98% worst case is my prediction.

[Mr.Nuke]

March down 49.4% year-over-year, down 15.6% year-to-date.
https://www.flyoma.com/wp-content/uploa ... istics.pdf

Just wait til April. Going to be down about 97% is my gut. 93% best case, 98% worst case is my prediction.

Yeah based on the on week of data that we sort of have, it would be down 96%.

[Bob from Omaha]

It doesnt matter at this point. Cant do anything about it.

[Omaha Cowboy]

It doesnt matter at this point. Cant do anything about it.

Yep. This is happening at pretty much every US airport. Not unique to OMA by any Pandemic stretch of the imagination...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

[Uffda]

March down 49.4% year-over-year, down 15.6% year-to-date.
https://www.flyoma.com/wp-content/uploa ... istics.pdf

Just wait til April. Going to be down about 97% is my gut. 93% best case, 98% worst case is my prediction.

Article in the Tampa Bay Times TPA Tampa international is down about 97%. From 80,000 to 2500 passengers a day.

https://www.tampabay.com/news/hillsboro ... 7-percent/

[damonhynes]

Did some dummy bookings for the end of May; it gets grim. DL to ATL is down to one nonstop. AA has 3 flights to DFW, but they're all RJs.

[Bob from Omaha]

I got this link from our friends at UrbanDSM. Scroll down and you can search any airport. I don't know if they will be updating it but if you hover over a point you get the number of passengers screened that day. Pretty scary stuff.

https://www.apmresearchlab.org/covid/tsa-screenings-by-airport

[Bearcat06]

CEO of Southwest told USA Today that they don't expect pax numbers to increase until restaurants and places like Disney World are back up and running. Currently they are running about 6% capacity and they don't think they will push 10% through May. He also notes that SW will decrease in size if things aren't improving come July.

https://amp.usatoday.com/amp/3038342001 ... ssion=true

[Bearcat06]

Just wondering ... who would be willing to board a flight within America in 2020?

Will you wait for a vaccine?
Would you fly if you knew you already had and recovered the virus? (As shown by anti-body testing)

Do you have a set of criteria for getting on a plane?

To follow up on this, with all major carriers now implementing everyone needs to wear a mask, does that change anyone's travel opinion?

Yay, Nay or depends on what is open where I want to go?

[Omahacritic]

It doesn’t affect my decision. Blocking off the middle seat (lowering density) makes me more comfortable.