Subdude Posted January 16, 2005 Share Posted January 16, 2005 Jan. 15, 2005, 11:54PMAirport lifts veil on arrivals facilityNew building will accommodate surging numbers of international airline passengersBy ERIC BERGERCopyright 2005 Houston ChronicleA new $440 million international arrivals building at Bush Intercontinental Airport was unveiled Saturday in answer to Houston's soaring number of foreign travelers.International travel through Bush Interncontinental has tripled since 1989 to 6 million passengers a year. The growth, combined with additional security checks and restrictions because of the Sept. 11 attacks, has strained the customs and inspections process."The people, the facilities, they were stretched to the limit. The lines were too long," Mayor Bill White said. "We could not have continued to do that."The 800,000-square-foot Federal Inspections Services building will increase the number of customs inspections booths from 32 to 84 and raise capacity to 4,500 passengers an hour from 2,000, officials said.Passengers will begin using the facility Jan. 25.Wait times for processing now regularly exceed one hour, said Robert Trotter, a director of field operations for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. With the new building and 36 new agents, he said, wait times should drop to 45 minutes.The new building will allow quicker, more efficient inspections, which typically last three to four minutes, he said."We pledge to continue to be diligent in meeting our responsibility to keep our country safe from terrorism and illegal contraband," he said.City officials described the inspections building as the highlight of a $3 billion program to renovate four terminals at Bush Intercontinental, add a terminal and increase parking. The airport is ranked 14th worldwide for total passengers.White and others said the international arrivals building is critical because it's the first impression foreign leaders and business travelers have of Houston.A city with a streamlined customs and baggage process may encourage return visits, officials said.Denis Simonneau, a consul general of France based in Houston, said travel to Houston has become "increasingly problematic" because of long lines in customs and immigration.Based upon international passengers served, Houston is the seventh-busiest U.S. airport. With several airlines that serve destinations in Asia and the Middle East added last year, city officials say they expect the growth in international travel to increase.eric.berger@chron.comChronicle Link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talbot Posted January 16, 2005 Share Posted January 16, 2005 Good news. Last night I saw on the news the dedication of Terminal E. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssullivan Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 I visited the new FIS building today during the open house with a couple of friends. The facility is very large and quite nice -- it should definitely make a good impression with arriving international visitors. The passport control and baggage claim/customs areas are especially nice, with lots of architectural detail and artwork. The building more than doubles the processing capacity for passengers arriving from other countries, which will dramatically increase the convenience of IAH as an international gateway. It will also make connections on Continental flights between Terminals E, C north concourse, and B much easier, as domestic connecting passengers can transit the new FIS building and cut their walking distance dramatically. The above ground TermainaLink people mover has also been extended to the new building, so it now serves Terminals B, C, D, and E. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tw2ntyse7en Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowbrow Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 Its always been international. "Intercontinental" is just a different way of saying the same thing. Just refering to Continents instead of the Nations on those continents. Word smithing.I've used the old international concourse alot. I always feel for those people that have to stand in the non-"returning american" lines. Our lines always move about 10 times faster than theirs and their line is longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tw2ntyse7en Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowbrow Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 I believe "Intracontinental" is what you were thinking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssullivan Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 Houston had international air service years before IAH opened. The name has nothing to do with it. There are tons of "international" airports that are international in name only in this country.The intercontinental name was just trying to be different.As for IAH lacking international facilities, that couldn't be further from the truth. Even before this facility opened, we have service from twelve foreign flag carriers with nonstop international service to several dozen countries and direct one stop service to a handful more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tw2ntyse7en Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowbrow Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 Cut and paste from IAH website:Aerolitoral, Aeromexico, Air Canada (Terminal A), Air France, Air Jamaica, Aviacsa, British Airways, Cayman Airways, Continental, KLM, Lufthansa and TACA.** I've used the ones in bold. BA and Lufthansa are my favs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted January 18, 2005 Author Share Posted January 18, 2005 Houston had international air service years before IAH opened.Before there was a IAH, Hobby was "Houston International Airport". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssullivan Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 For what countries (or airlines) is Houston a "port-of-entry" for?UK, France, The Netherlands, Germany, Pakistan, Canada, Mexico, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Japan, Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Aruba, Trinidad, Belize, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and The Bahamas.That's 21 countries I can think of... I did this by memory without actually looking them up so I may have missed one or two. Additionally, Taiwan is served by one-stop service to Taipei via Seattle on China Airlines, but those passengers coming to Houston clear US immigration and customs in Seattle.In terms of the number of international cities with nonstop or direct (one stop, same plane) service from Houston, it's somewhere around 60. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KinkaidAlum Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 CANADAVancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, and Toronto (Continental and CO Express)BAHAMASNassau (seasonal on Continental Express)GRAND CAYMAN (Continental and Cayman)JAMAICAMontego Bay (Continental and Air Jamaica)PUERTO RICOSan Juan (Continental)ARUBA (Continental)TRINIDADPort of Spain (Continental)BELIZEBelize City (Continental and TACA)HONDURASTegucigalpa (Continental)San Pedro Sula (Continental)Roatan (Continental and TACA)EL SALVADOR San Salvador (Continental)GUATEMALAGuatemala City (Continental)NICARAGUAManagua (Continental)COSTA RICASan Jose (Continental)Liberia (Continental)PANAMA Panama City (Continental)VENEZUELACaracas (Continental)COLOMBIABogota (Continental)ECUADORQuito (Continental)Guayaquil (Continental)PERULima (Continental)BRAZILSao Paulo (Continental)Rio de Janeiro (Continental one-stop in Sao Paulo)ENGLANDLondon (Continental and British Air)Manchester (Pakistan International)FRANCEParis (Continental and Air France)NETHERLANDSAmsterdam (Continental and KLM Royal Dutch)GERMANYFrankfurt (Lufthansa)JAPANTokyo (Continental)TAIWANTaipei (China Airlines with one stop in Seattle)PAKISTAN Karachi (Pakistan with stop in Manchester)Lahore (Pakistan with stop in Manchester)MEXICOLos Cabos (Continental and CO Express)Manzanillo (Continental and CO Express)Mazatlan (CO Express)Ixtapa/Zihuatenejo (Continental and CO Express)Puerto Vallarta (Continental and CO Express)Acapulco (Continental and CO Express)Huatulco (CO Express)Chihuahua (CO Express)Durango (CO Express)Torreon (CO Express)Monclova (CO Express)Monterrey (Aero Litoral, Aviacsa, Continental, and CO Express)Saltillo (CO Express)Aguascalientes (CO Express)Queretaro (CO Express...service starts in March 2005)San Luis Potosi (CO Express)Leon/Guanajuato (Continental and CO Express)Guadalajara (Continental and CO Express)Morelia (CO Express)Puebla (CO Express)Mexico City (Aero Mexico, Aviacsa, Continental, and CO Express)Toluca (CO Express)Tampico (CO Express)Villahermosa (CO Express)Ciudad del Carmen (CO Express)Veracruz (CO Express)Oaxaca (CO Express)Merida (Continental)Cancun (Continental)Cozumel (Continental)In addition, there are World Airways weekly charter flights to Malabo, Ecquatorial Guninea and points in Nigeria. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volvo99 Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 Is there any provision in the terminal design to accomodate a future rail station the way Paris CDG and Amsterdam Schiphol do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowbrow Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 Is there any provision in the terminal design to accomodate a future rail station the way Paris CDG and Amsterdam Schiphol do?<{POST_SNAPBACK}>I'm not sure about how either of those airports work it, but this terminal is connected to the inter-terminal train and I'm sure there will be no issue connecting light rail to the inter-terminal once it reaches IAH.I've read quite a bit about the new terminal and never heard any mention of it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssullivan Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 No there is nothing built into the building for connections to a future light rail line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volvo99 Posted February 7, 2005 Share Posted February 7, 2005 No there is nothing built into the building for connections to a future light rail line.Disappointed, but not surprised. There seems to be no way to shake dependence on fossil fuel transport in this town!I suppose the existing monorail link between the terminal could be expanded (how not to block the existing taxiway between Terminal E and D remains to be seen) to the rental car station. That could also eliminate the relentless rental car shuttles that circulate as of now. I'm not sure about how either of those airports work it, but this terminal is connected to the inter-terminal train and I'm sure there will be no issue connecting light rail to the inter-terminal once it reaches IAH.In Paris, there is a TGV rain station along with regional trains that link the airport with various points in Paris. Amsterdam has a similar setup downstairs from arrivals, including an hourly service to Brussels, Belgium. There is service to Centraal station, Amsterdam every 10-15 minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssullivan Posted February 7, 2005 Share Posted February 7, 2005 I suppose the existing monorail link between the terminal could be expanded (how not to block the existing taxiway between Terminal E and D remains to be seen) to the rental car station. That could also eliminate the relentless rental car shuttles that circulate as of now. I'm not sure about how either of those airports work it, but this terminal is connected to the inter-terminal train and I'm sure there will be no issue connecting light rail to the inter-terminal once it reaches IAH.The above-ground TerminaLink (what you probably referred to as the monorail but it's really not a monorail) really couldn't be linked to the rental car facility, as it is behind security. The only way to access TerminaLink is to have a ticket and check in for a flight and go through security. It was designed to make connections between Terminals B and C on Continental easier when Continental expanded into Terminal B. With the new IAB opening, TerminaLink has been extended to the new facility, where it connects to the secured areas of Terminals D and E via sky bridges. However, if it was to be extended to the rental car facility, it would require creating a new, separate line that does not continue into the existing line, as passengers going to and from the rental car center would not have cleared security yet. Also, any rail link to the rental car facility (or light rail to the terminals headed south out of the airport) would probably have to be built underground to get under the taxiways on the south side of the terminal complex. There's also the approach to runway 9 which would be in the way of an elevated structure. However, a ground level rail line along JFK between the end of the runway and the central cargo facility would work.As for the underground interterminal train, it's possible a light rail line could be run into the terminal complex in a subway tunnel and connect to the interterminal train. It wouldn't be a seamless connection, as the current interterminal train is a totally different form of technology from light rail, but a transfer station could theoretically be built.And about those rental car shuttles -- fortunately there are a lot fewer of them now than there used to be. The consolidated rental car facility that opened a couple of years ago off JFK cut the number of rental car shuttles by more than half, as all the rental agencies are sharing buses now instead of each operating their own. The buses also run off low sulphur diesel, so they aren't as polluting as the old rental car bus fleet was. So while they still do spew some pollution into the air, they are a major improvement over what used to be there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted February 7, 2005 Share Posted February 7, 2005 Yes, but what about all the empty lots at IAHJFK before Greens Road is starting to look like Detroit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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