After years of dreaming, Salt Lake City is now planning for a complete makeover of its airport terminal.
The push for a more efficient Delta Air Lines Western hub is now undergoing an environmental study that will be ready for public review next summer. Likely a makeover costing hundreds of millions of dollars — city officials aren’t ready to project costs — the plan is meant to replace Salt Lake’s crescent-and-spokes layout with two parallel rows of concourses. The design, planners say, will enable planes to enter from one end and exit the other, eliminating many taxiway delays.
Changing that won’t be cheap or fast. Because the airlines and passengers will pay for it through fees, flying out of Salt Lake could cost a few dollars more. And if airline demand hits unforeseen turbulence the way it did after the 2001 terrorist attacks and the recent recession, the already delayed project could take longer than the projected decade or more. Salt Lake Tribune
