Sunday, September 26, 1999
Concourse C ready in Oct.
$6M expansion by Comair
BY PATRICK CROWLEY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
HEBRON — Comair Inc. expects to have the $6 million expansion of its concourse finished well before the Thanksgiving weekend, the busiest travel time of the year for airlines.
That means seating in the midfield Concourse C at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport will grow by 50 percent — from 1,200 to 1,800 seats, said Comair spokeswoman Meghan Glynn.
“The expansion and the seats should actually be ready by the end of October, in plenty of time for Thanksgiving weekend,” Mrs. Glynn said. “That's great because that's a huge weekend for us, the biggest of the year.”
Comair expects to set a record for the number of passengers flying out of the airport on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Mrs. Glynn said.
The previous record was set May 28, the Friday of Memorial Day weekend this year, when 24,300 passengers flew Comair out of Cincinnati, she said.
“This year we expect to set the record because we have 300 flights out of Cincinnati, which is more than ever before, and 700 flights system-wide, which is also more for us than ever before,” Mrs. Glynn said.
Comair normally averages about 18,000 to 19,000 passengers a day out of the airport.
Comair has said Concourse C, which opened in 1994, was supposed to last 10 years. But as the airline has moved toward using almost all jets in its fleet, as opposed to turboprop planes, its passenger loads also have increased.
Over the last five years, the number of passengers flying Comair in and out of the airport has doubled to 5.5 million : a year.
Airport spokesman Ted Bushelman said the Kenton County Airport Board, which operates the airport, had hoped the expansion would be complete in time for Thanksgiving.
“You're so busy that weekend out here, always busier than usual, so it's good that people will have more room to sit down,” Mr. Bushelman said.
However, a series of new restaurants and shops being added to the Comair concourse won't be ready in time for the holiday.
Mike Mullaney, director of concessions at the airport, said the new businesses will probably open in early December.
“What we have coming will dramatically increase the amenities, choices and types of outlets we have in the concourse,” Mr. Mullaney said.
Planned additions
Scheduled to open are:
• Two new combination bars and restaurants.
• Rapidos, a restaurant offering takeout food only. It will serve salads, fruits and pastas and is designed to serve take advantage of the growing airline industry trend of passengers taking their own food on flights.
• Laptop Lane, a business-services operation where travelers can rent a small office equipped with a computer, phone, fax machine, copier and office supplies. They can also get on the Internet and check e-mail and voice mail messages.
• A bookstore and newsstand that will serve gourmet coffee and pastries.
• An expansion of the existing food court that will double seating to about 200.
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