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CHICAGO O'HARE: AIRPORT FOR THE MASSES
by Heiko ReuterWhen Bill Lonergan talks of his snowplows, he gets going. As Deputy Commissioner Airside Operations, he is controlling a fleet of 200 of the yellow vehicles. His job is "to keep O'Hare open - under all circumstances". Not an easy task. The winter brings plenty of ice and snow and, in this part of the country, the cold season sometimes lasts for six months.
Chicago O'Hare is holding numerous superlatives. It is not just an airport. O'Hare is an air traffic hub of gigantic dimensions and, a significant economical factor. Measured by the number of passengers, the airport located at the southern extension of Lake Michigan has been the world's number one for years. More than 69 million passengers arrived or departed from O'Hare in 1996. Frankfurt airport in Germany, which is the largest airport in continental Europe, "only" counted 39 million passengers in the same time frame. With 32 million passengers, the new Denver airport, which is celebrated as the largest airport in size, only ranges in 11th place on the global scale: No comparison, an O'Hare representative says.
The O'Hare managers are praising their airport as "the world capitol of commercial air traffic" and are not getting tired of pointing out the achievements. Just to address some of them: No other airport counts that many take-offs and landings (in 1996: 900.000 movements on the seven runways). The airport gets its power supply from its own power plant. The amount of concrete used for the ramp areas would have been enough to build a 130 centimeter wide sidewalk from Chicago to New York.
Still, the airport's gigantic dimensions generate some problems. 2400 take-offs and landings per day can only be regulated via a rigorous slot system. The biggest dilemma is the noise. Chicago has now started a "fly quiet" program: pilots must strictly adhere to tight approach and departure sectors. Furthermore, noisy stage-2 aircraft, such as the old Boeing 737-200, are excluded to operate at the airport beginning at the turn of the centuries.
Passengers are criticizing the long ways in the airport. Other than that the airport is user friendly. A train called "people mover" connects the terminals and the parking areas in a two-minute cycle. A subway that stops underneath the airport connects in 45 minutes to downtown Chicago. The airport's architecture is trend-setting: high ceilings, large windows, and bright colours. The United terminal reminds one of the design of a 19th century train station. Modern pictures and sculptures decorate terminal 5 (international flights). The arriving passengers are to be reminded of Chicago as the stronghold for art and architecture. Around the world, airport designers and architects have learned from O'Hare how to build an airport. The interior design of the Munich airport in Germany, for example, is a detailed copy (even the surface material) of the United terminal in Chicago.
The mega-hub Chicago has not had its new design for very long. The airport operators decided at the beginning of the eighties on a large-scale extension, worth $2 billion. In 1982, the "O'Hare Development Program" took off with newly built Delta Air Lines gates in terminal 3. Eleven years later, the program found its provisional end with the opening of the new terminal 5.
None of the airport managers comments on the real passenger capacity of O'Hare. The London based market researchers from JRA Ltd. are forecasting an annual plus in passenger numbers of 1,5 percent up to the year 2005. The city of Chicago, as official airport operator, has already ordered another expansion. For $130 million, the Army and the Air Force are to give up their bases at the airport. Chicago's omnipresent mayor, Richard Daley, reportedly wants two more runways. However, it seems that the old Midway airport has priority now. With O'Hare rising, the old hub has basically degraded to a regional airport. Now, Midway is to get a new terminal for $1,3 billion.
O'Hare on the other hand plans to expand its international route network. Due to its location, Chicago is mainly a hub for domestic traffic. 80 percent of all flights are United and American Airlines services. However, only a small part of these are going abroad. For example, of 550 daily American flights, only 10 are departing for Europe. This is to change.
Especially the route network to the Far East, which is the strongest growing air traffic region period, is not much developed. While 25 non-US carriers connect to O'Hare, only three come from Asia (Japan Airlines, China Eastern, and Korean Air Lines). The city fathers quickly founded the Midwest-Asia Aviation Coalition. This lobbying group is supporting a special open skies agreement between the city of Chicago and the booming nations in Asia.
The airport managers and the mayor want to prevent that another airport kicks Chicago O'Hare off the throne. This danger comes from the south of the country where the Dallas/Ft. Worth airport has just entered the passing lane. The hub in Texas, so far number 5 in the global competition, plans to invest approximately $2 billion in the expansion and modernization of the airport. Some experts believe that the change of lead will occur in about four years. However, Chicago will not give up its lead easily. For Bill Lonergan, this means even more overtime for his snowplows.
From page 42 of FLUG REVUE 11/97
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Last updated October 16, 1997
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