September 2007
Welcome to the SAN eNewsletter--your source for quick information about what's happening at San Diego International Airport (SDIA) and the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority. |
 Log on before you fly off
Free Wi-Fi has arrived at SDIA! The service was launched at the end of August by the Airport Authority as a customer convenience and is available throughout Terminal 1, Terminal 2 and the Commuter Terminal. To use the service, you just need a laptop with a Wi-Fi antenna, which should automatically pick up, or can be easily configured to receive, the Airport's free Wi-Fi signal. Current connection speeds are capped at 256 kilobytes per second per user, which will vary depending on the number of users at a given time. The Airport Authority is working on enhancing the service to allow for faster connection speeds. For more, click here.
|
|
|
|
FAA Associate Administrator for Airports visits San Diego with important message |
| The Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Associate Administrator for Airports, Kirk Shaffer, visited SDIA on August 29 with an important message for the region: SDIA is among a select group of major airports nationwide with the greatest need for additional capacity. Shaffer discussed with the Airport Authority and stakeholders a recent FAA airport capacity study, known as FACT 2, which found that without sufficient capacity enhancements, SDIA could experience extreme capacity constraints as early as 2021. Shaffer pointed out a need to expand regional planning in key areas of the country where increasing airport capacity is unlikely. He also heard from the Airport Authority about its plans to address the region's long-term air transportation needs, including the Airport Master Plan, an Airport Transit Plan to better integrate SDIA with the region's transportation infrastructure and regional collaboration with other airport operators in San Diego County, Tijuana and Southern California. For more, click here. |
| Your chance to weigh in on plans for much-needed efficiency improvements at SDIA |
|
The public input and environmental review process will be getting under way soon for Phase 1 of an Airport Master Plan (AMP) designed to bring big improvements in efficiency to San Diego International Airport. Improvements needed to allow the Airport to keep pace with current passenger traffic and activity levels include building out Terminal 2 West with the addition of 10 new gates (as shown in the rendering above), a dual-level roadway in front of Terminal 2 West featuring Smart Curb technology (with built-in ticketing and baggage check facilities), additional parking and various airfield improvements. A Draft Environmental Impact Report for Phase 1 will be issued in early October for a 60-day review period, during which time comments from the public and other stakeholders will be accepted. Also during this time, a series of public outreach efforts will elicit input and share information on Phase 1, as well as longer-term plans for SDIA. Outreach will include community meetings, leadership and citizen dialogues, a new Web site dedicated to the AMP and more. |
|
|
Summer passenger traffic on the rise at SDIA |
Summer passengers passing through SDIA: |
| |
|
| Upcoming Public Meetings |
|
Thursday, October 4, 9 a.m. Airport Land Use Commission Meeting, followed by Airport Authority Board meeting. San Diego International Airport Commuter Terminal, 3rd Floor, 3225 N. Harbor Dr, San Diego, CA 92101
Thursday, October 11, 1 - 3:30 p.m. Airport Authority Advisory Committee Meeting. Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina.
For other meeting dates, agendas and minutes, click here. |
|
Airport Authority contributing to a cleaner San Diego |
|
|
|
Although much of its attention is focused on getting people and planes into the air, this month the Airport Authority is also showing plenty of concern for what people leave behind on the ground. Airport Authority employees participated in the 23rd Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day, sponsored by the California Coastal Commission, on September 15. They joined others from the National City Lion's Club, Navy and local schools to collect 157 pounds
of refuse and 64 pounds of recyclables at the J Street Marina in South San Diego Bay (above). They were among tens of thousands of Californians who scoured beaches, shorelines and inland locations statewide during the annual event, collecting hundreds of tons of trash. And in an effort to keep electronic waste from being disposed of improperly, from September 17-23 the Airport Authority hosted a week-long end-of-summer electronic and universal waste collection event at SDIA, allowing the 5,000-plus people who work at SDIA to dispose of their e-waste efficiently and properly. |
| Guiding principles for SDIA's future development |
|
At its September 6, 2007, public meeting, the Airport Authority Board voted to seek input from other agencies and regional stakeholders on the following proposed guiding principles for future development of SDIA:
1. Develop flexible options for allocation of commercial, cargo and general aviation facilities, operations and services on the north and south sides of SDIA;
2. Maximize ground access on the north and south sides of the airport;
3. Work with regional stakeholders to develop a multimodal transit center serving SDIA and the community;
4. Develop on-airport facilities that meet aviation demand along with the community's transportation, economic and environmental needs;
5. Ensure development is financially viable, with positive cost-benefit relationships;
6. Balance the resources available at SDIA with other potential aviation resources in the county;
7. Optimize airfield capacity at SDIA. |
| Your Airport Authority |
 |
The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority was established by state law in 2003 to operate SDIA and address the region's long-term air transportation needs. The Airport Authority is governed by a nine-member appointed Board representing all areas of the County. SDIA - funded through user fees and not local taxes - served some 17.5 million passengers in 2006. For more information, visit www.san.org.
| |
|
