Grand Rapids Airport (GRR) News and Developments

[Hoeks]

20 year plan includes a new air traffic control tower (2nd oldest among top 100 commercial airports), and adding customs for inbound international flights.   

Current tower “inhibits vertical development”.    IMO adding height to the terminals would be a good change.   More natural light and taller ceilings would make the airport seem more significant.

http://www.grbj.com/articles/90082-gerald-r-ford-international-airport-plans-for-next-20-years

[wingbert]

You know what would be great on one of those parcels?  A postal sorting facility.

[organsnyder]

Note that the parcels are being offered for lease rather than sale. Not sure how/if that changes who might be interested in them (a lot depends on the lease terms they're offering, I'm sure).

[MJLO]

2 hours ago, organsnyder said:

Note that the parcels are being offered for lease rather than sale. Not sure how/if that changes who might be interested in them (a lot depends on the lease terms they're offering, I'm sure).

I don't know a ton about how commercial real estate works, but I am under the impression that's it's fairly common to lease land like that for business purposes.   Makes sense from a few different stand points.  The airport owns the land outright so they are turning into a revenue generator.  It also leaves the land open to be re-purposed by the airport when leases are up, such as the property across from the 36th St exit should they ever decide the need justifies making the freeway entrance from to the airport.   No eminent domain needed. 

[BLUESCRUBS]

The plan states a new runway on the North side of the airport. Didn't they just redo the general aviation runway(8L/26R) just a year or two ago?? I wonder if they are thinking of lengthening this runway to accommodate larger planes. Though I would think the airport is sufficient with the two other runways, as much larger airports like RSW(Fort Myers) and SAN(San Diego) are just single runway airports with  much higher passenger volumes. Perhaps funding would be better served in other areas.

Either way I have to applaud the new CEO and the Board on all of the great changes over the past decade.

[walker]

If my math is correct we are coming up to the fiftieth anniversary of the first scheduled jet service to GRR.  On April 28, 1968 United began 737 jet service using a new 737 from Chicago O’Hare.  The same day North Central Airlines began DC-9 jet service from Detroit.  The fact that both airlines picked the same day was not a coincidence or some kind of marketing ploy.  Back then, when airlines operated using mostly paper instead of computers and before deregulation, schedules and fares were not fluid like now.  All airlines published fixed schedules twice a year that were effective with the semi-annual time changes.  April 28, 1968 was the Sunday that year when daylight savings time went into effect. 

Of greater historic note: that flight from Chicago was also the first scheduled 737 service, or revenue service as the airline industry calls it, in North America.  Lufthansa had started flying an earlier shorter version of the 737 in Europe in February.   The 737 has gone on to be the most produced jet airliner in the world by far and it’s still in production.  There ought to be an historic marker at the airport, preferably in what is now concourse A around gate A2 (that’s about where United had its two gates when the concourse was ground level, made of cinder block, and you walked out to your plane.)    
 

Edited April 24, 2018 by walker
for an annoying typo

[mpchicago]

Without getting too deep into the minutia, I think Des Moines is considered a peer city with Grand Rapids.   Always on those "top" lists,  with a booming mid-sized city economy.  Similar sized airport.......But does have Whole Foods and a Cheesecake Factory 

Anway, I flew in and out of DSM yesterday.  Their airport is light years BEHIND GRR.  I was really surprised as they are considered "big" in the financial and insurance sectors.  It looks like they have plans to rebuild, but they are struggling with funding, and have apparently valued engineered the proposal to death.     Construction on the terminal is not suppose to start till 2026.

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/money/business/development/2018/03/08/des-moines-airport-cuts-size-new-terminal/404021002/

Glad the powers that be in West Michigan have invested in GRR.  The airport is not only an important transportation hub for the area but also the face of Grand Rapids for a lot of folks visiting. 

[GR8scott]

44 minutes ago, mpchicago said:

Without getting too deep into the minutia, I think Des Moines is considered a peer city with Grand Rapids.   Always on those "top" lists,  with a booming mid-sized city economy.  Similar sized airport.......But does have Whole Foods and a Cheesecake Factory 

Anway, I flew in and out of DSM yesterday.  Their airport is light years BEHIND GRR.  I was really surprised as they are considered "big" in the financial and insurance sectors.  It looks like they have plans to rebuild, but they are struggling with funding, and have apparently valued engineered the proposal to death.     Construction on the terminal is not suppose to start till 2026.

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/money/business/development/2018/03/08/des-moines-airport-cuts-size-new-terminal/404021002/

Glad the powers that be in West Michigan have invested in GRR.  The airport is not only an important transportation hub for the area but also the face of Grand Rapids for a lot of folks visiting. 

Yet Des Moines has nonstop flights to LAX, PHX, SFO to name a few that GRR doesn’t but probably should. I like to compare these cities because I have family there and for some reason they tend to be a step ahead in a lot of things there, although it probably has to do with being the Capitol and largest city. 

[mpchicago]

12 minutes ago, GR8scott said:

Yet Des Moines has nonstop flights to LAX, PHX, SFO to name a few that GRR doesn’t but probably should. I like to compare these cities because I have family there and for some reason they tend to be a step ahead in a lot of things there, although it probably has to do with being the Capitol and largest city. 

Part of that has to do with the fact that they are smack dab right in the middle of the country, and direct flights to the west coast make more sense, but again they do have a booming economy, and as a result flights to the west coast make sense.  It still baffling how poor their airport is, and how they are struggling to upgrade facilities.  Anyway, back to GRR. 

[Pattmost20]

50 minutes ago, mpchicago said:

Part of that has to do with the fact that they are smack dab right in the middle of the country, and direct flights to the west coast make more sense, but again they do have a booming economy, and as a result flights to the west coast make sense.  It still baffling how poor their airport is, and how they are struggling to upgrade facilities.  Anyway, back to GRR. 

Just one direct flight to SFO would be amazing. Currently flying through DFW or making the hop to ORD/DTW is a bummer. I would love to be able to do weekend or 3 day trips without feeling like I have to add 2 whole days for travel.

[destijl]

On 4/24/2018 at 12:03 PM, walker said:

If my math is correct we are coming up to the fiftieth anniversary of the first scheduled jet service to GRR.  On April 28, 1968 United began 737 jet service using a new 737 from Chicago O’Hare.  The same day North Central Airlines began DC-9 jet service from Detroit.  The fact that both airlines picked the same day was not a coincidence or some kind of marketing ploy.  Back then, when airlines operated using mostly paper instead of computers and before deregulation, schedules and fares were not fluid like now.  All airlines published fixed schedules twice a year that were effective with the semi-annual time changes.  April 28, 1968 was the Sunday that year when daylight savings time went into effect. 

Of greater historic note: that flight from Chicago was also the first scheduled 737 service, or revenue service as the airline industry calls it, in North America.  Lufthansa had started flying an earlier shorter version of the 737 in Europe in February.   The 737 has gone on to be the most produced jet airliner in the world by far and it’s still in production.  There ought to be an historic marker at the airport, preferably in what is now concourse A around gate A2 (that’s about where United had its two gates when the concourse was ground level, made of cinder block, and you walked out to your plane.)    
 

Here's a newspaper clipping about this..

[arcturus]

The passenger numbers for Ford Int'l continue to impress.  Q1 2018 was 15% higher than Q1 2017 which was a record breaker as well.  At this pace the airport should easily surpass 3 million for the year.  To put this in perspective daily passenger traffic is roughly 1,000 more PER DAY than last year and nearly 2,000 more 3 years ago.  Kind of makes you wonder if the numbers are somewhat anomalous as the passenger count appears to be accelerating.  2017 showed a healthy 6% increase, 2016 at 4%.  But 15%?  Even in boom cities I'm not sure that can be matched. 

Maybe everyone got fed up with winter and went south.  Or perhaps the airport is finally poaching those who once drove to Chicago or Detroit.  Certainly the local economy has picked up but whatever the case the hotel industry has certainly taken notice.  

http://www.grr.org/history.php

[MJLO]

10 minutes ago, arcturus said:

Maybe everyone got fed up with winter and went south.  Or perhaps the airport is finally poaching those who once drove to Chicago or Detroit.  Certainly the local economy has picked up but whatever the case the hotel industry has certainly taken notice.  

http://www.grr.org/history.php

Is it possible some of this is a bump from the Switch campus?   One of their sales pitches was the volume of travelers having the switch hub would bring to the area. 

[walker]

40 minutes ago, MJLO said:

Is it possible some of this is a bump from the Switch campus?   One of their sales pitches was the volume of travelers having the switch hub would bring to the area. 

I kind of think the influence of Switch is minimal so far.  Just anecdotal but when I go by the pyramid I've noticed the parking lot is not particularly busy.  I suppose all their visitors could be using Uber.  

[GR8scott]

The growth is great, I know there have been some added capacity recently, and heard they are trying to get more western US destinations but 15% is also not unheard of. After years of small decreases, there was about a 20% increase in 2009. This probably has little to switch alone and more to do with years of efforts to finally make it not among the most expensive in the entire country with mass leakage to DTW and ORD as it appears the numbers to those airports as well as ATL are up big 

[arcturus]

2 hours ago, GR8scott said:

The growth is great, I know there have been some added capacity recently, and heard they are trying to get more western US destinations but 15% is also not unheard of. After years of small decreases, there was about a 20% increase in 2009. This probably has little to switch alone and more to do with years of efforts to finally make it not among the most expensive in the entire country with mass leakage to DTW and ORD as it appears the numbers to those airports as well as ATL are up big 

The large increase was in 2010,  bouncing off a deep recession which saw traffic bottom in 2009 at lows not seen since the 90's.   The circumstances here are completely different as the jump in growth followed a record year which in turn followed a record year previously.   I'm confused by your last sentence.  Are you saying large numbers are flying out of GR to those destinations?  I would put MDW in the group with 6 SW Air flights to/from GR daily.    I was on one Friday ... packed.

[GR8scott]

11 hours ago, arcturus said:

The large increase was in 2010,  bouncing off a deep recession which saw traffic bottom in 2009 at lows not seen since the 90's.   The circumstances here are completely different as the jump in growth followed a record year which in turn followed a record year previously.   I'm confused by your last sentence.  Are you saying large numbers are flying out of GR to those destinations?  I would put MDW in the group with 6 SW Air flights to/from GR daily.    I was on one Friday ... packed.

What I meant by it was the biggest increases were specifically to hub airports meaning many people are getting connection flights instead of driving directly to Detroit or Chicago, probably in part to costs not being among the highest in the country these days.

[arcturus]

1 hour ago, GR8scott said:

What I meant by it was the biggest increases were specifically to hub airports meaning many people are getting connection flights instead of driving directly to Detroit or Chicago, probably in part to costs not being among the highest in the country these days.

That makes sense considering much of GR's airport traffic has been always to/from hubs.  

[arcturus]

Tweet from airport says 1 million passenger mark hit in April.  Traffic remains 15% higher year-over-year.

https://twitter.com/FlyGRFord/status/996717888672235520

[BLUESCRUBS]

https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2018/06/ford_airport_to_add_730_parkin.html

 

The growth continues. 730 more parking spaces. The Airport is really on a winning streak lately. 

Edited June 27, 2018 by BLUESCRUBS

[walker]

1 hour ago, BLUESCRUBS said:

https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2018/06/ford_airport_to_add_730_parkin.html

 

The growth continues. 730 more parking spaces. The Airport is really on a winning streak lately. 

The airport also released their new twenty-year plan today: it includes a new north runway, an expanded concourse A, a new concourse C , and a couple of new parking ramps. 

Slide down to the third page to see the the map:

GFIA Master Plan Includes More Covered Parking, Concourse Expansions, and More

I didn't see the new surface parking lot mentioned in the mlive article but I imagine the plan is to eventually replace it in the future with the East Parking Structure shown on the twenty year plan map.  

Edited June 27, 2018 by walker

[kwl]

2 hours ago, walker said:

The airport also released their new twenty-year plan today: it includes a new north runway, an expanded concourse A, a new concourse C , and a couple of new parking ramps. 

Slide down to the third page to see the the map:

GFIA Master Plan Includes More Covered Parking, Concourse Expansions, and More

I didn't see the new surface parking lot mentioned in the mlive article but I imagine the plan is to eventually replace it in the future with the East Parking Structure shown on the twenty year plan map.  

Terminal C! Definitely looks like it could support a lounge. 

[walker]

7 hours ago, walker said:

The airport also released their new twenty-year plan today: it includes a new north runway, an expanded concourse A, a new concourse C , and a couple of new parking ramps. 

Slide down to the third page to see the the map:

GFIA Master Plan Includes More Covered Parking, Concourse Expansions, and More

I didn't see the new surface parking lot mentioned in the mlive article but I imagine the plan is to eventually replace it in the future with the East Parking Structure shown on the twenty year plan map.  

Did anyone else notice on the map that all the runway names are going to change and not just the replacement new north runway?  So I did a little research to see what's going on.  There is a lot of science behind the runway naming convention.  Briefly stated runways are numbered based on the magnetic azimuth (compass reading) of their location.  The reason for the name changes is because the EARTH'S MAGNETIC FIELD HAS CHANGED!!!  If anyone cares, here is a high-level YouTube video explanation of the naming system:

runway numbering

 

[arcturus]

The photo on page 1 of the PDF - why is the northern most runway black?

[walker]

15 minutes ago, arcturus said:

The photo on page 1 of the PDF - why is the northern most runway black?

Because it is black.  It's asphalt.