The Airline Industry - Page 3 - U.S. Politics Online: A Political Discussion Forum

pramjockey · #31 (**permalink**) 04-09-2008

Perhaps they should have built the airport in a more sensible location? It's not up to the rest of the country to pay for their stupid decisions.

erikvv · #32 (**permalink**) 04-09-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bunz

Oh lets not get this started. Id like to know how it is considered nowhere when the 4th largest city in the state isnt road connected to its internation airport. Now JMC brings that up every time and it is just factually incorrect.
But that isnt far off target considering we are talking about the airline industry.

So there are not only 50 people on the island?

Quote:

Originally Posted by pramjockey

Perhaps they should have built the airport in a more sensible location? It's not up to the rest of the country to pay for their stupid decisions.

My thought exactly.

AdrienXII · #33 (**permalink**) 04-09-2008

Is building an airport that expensive? I've no idea.

pramjockey · #34 (**permalink**) 04-09-2008

Denver International Airport was $4.8 billion to build.

AdrienXII · #35 (**permalink**) 04-09-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by pramjockey

Denver International Airport was $4.8 billion to build.

Wow. Thanks, pramjockey.

pramjockey · #36 (**permalink**) 04-09-2008

Scary, huh? That was $2b over budget, and in dollars that were worth more than they are now.

Of course, it's the 3rd largest int'l airport in the world.

Bunz · #37 (**permalink**) 04-09-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by pramjockey

Perhaps they should have built the airport in a more sensible location? It's not up to the rest of the country to pay for their stupid decisions.

You must understand how Ketchikan is set up. There is no room for it.
And give me a break PJ. If this was built in any other state it would have had a bridge to the airport built in the initial design. The damn town is surrounded by mountains and the Tongass National Forest. There is no way they could build have built the airport on the town side.

If the Federal Government insists on owning %70 of the land in this state and let politics influence the various uses of a place 4,000 miles from DC without much regard for what the locals have to say. What do you want Alaska to be? A state with equal rights on the same level as all the other states. Or are we simply a resource colony for everyone else?

Bunz · #38 (**permalink**) 04-09-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by erikvv

So there are not only 50 people on the island?

As you can tell from the pictures above there is an INTERNATIONAL airport there. It is currently accessed by a ferry that runs every so often and costs 10 bucks a person RT. The state loses money on its operations annually. It is the second busiest airport in the tourist mecca of southeast AK.

Bunz · #39 (**permalink**) 04-09-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by pramjockey

Scary, huh? That was $2b over budget, and in dollars that were worth more than they are now.

Of course, it's the 3rd largest int'l airport in the world.

I flew into there last summer. First time, could they find anywhere farther from town to put that thing? The tram system was nice though. Lots of UA jets.

pramjockey · #40 (**permalink**) 04-09-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bunz

You must understand how Ketchikan is set up. There is no room for it.
And give me a break PJ. If this was built in any other state it would have had a bridge to the airport built in the initial design. The damn town is surrounded by mountains and the Tongass National Forest. There is no way they could build have built the airport on the town side.

If the Federal Government insists on owning %70 of the land in this state and let politics influence the various uses of a place 4,000 miles from DC without much regard for what the locals have to say. What do you want Alaska to be? A state with equal rights on the same level as all the other states. Or are we simply a resource colony for everyone else?

[ig]http://www.fsaddon.com/images/mf_compare/mf_gold_-_pakt_and_ketchikan_-_mf.jpg[/img]
[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/97/KTN-b.jpg/200px-KTN-b.jpg[/mg]

Looking at those pictures, my first thought is that the airport is larger than the town itself. Sorry, to me it seems that a commuter route to Anchorage or Fairbanks would have made a LOT more sense.

pramjockey · #41 (**permalink**) 04-09-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bunz

I flew into there last summer. First time, could they find anywhere farther from town to put that thing? The tram system was nice though. Lots of UA jets.

The whole point was to put it outside of the city. The airport that it replaced, Stapleton, was completely encircled by city. The noise was terrible, and the airport couldn't grow to meet demand.

Yeah, it's a bit of a drive, but it's got room to last for 100 years.

Bunz · #42 (**permalink**) 04-09-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by pramjockey

Looking at those pictures, my first thought is that the airport is larger than the town itself. Sorry, to me it seems that a commuter route to Anchorage or Fairbanks would have made a LOT more sense.

Commuter route? Ketchikan is 800miles by air from Anchorage and 950 from Fairbanks. Ketchikan is way down at the south east tip of Alaska. Also, from those photos there is a bunch that you cant see. It stretches up and down the coast and not away from the coast because the mountains surrounding it, and it is protected as part of Tongass.

Ketchikan is one of the oldest cities in Alaska. Established by the Russians well before airtravel came along.

pramjockey · #43 (**permalink**) 04-09-2008

Sorry, wasn't trying to pick on your town. Please don't take it as such.

AdrienXII · #44 (**permalink**) 04-09-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by pramjockey

Scary, huh? That was $2b over budget, and in dollars that were worth more than they are now.

Of course, it's the 3rd largest int'l airport in the world.

How can an airport be 100% over budget? I mean, was the ground unstable, or what?

pramjockey · #45 (**permalink**) 04-09-2008

Government project. Ran over by like 16 months. Had an automated baggage system that never worked. Fraud by concrete suppliers. Good fights for land condemnation. Etc.

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