Delta news spurs construction plans

Salt Lake City International Airport will undergo significant construction in the coming months to accommodate Delta Air Line's new commitment to Utah's capital.

Beginning this fall, the Salt Lake City Department of Airports will initiate several new projects designed to accommodate 58 new flights the Atlanta-based carrier announced it will bring to Salt Lake by February 2005, department executive director Tim Campbell told the City Council on Tuesday.

Among those projects will be a new doorway in the airport's B concourse, near gates 10 and 12. The doorway will replace the two existing gates and allow passengers to enter the airport tarmac to board their planes instead of walking up a gangway from the gate.

The new doorway is needed so the airport can board passengers on many of the new 58 flights. The airport just doesn't have enough gangways to accommodate all the flights, and many of them are on regional jets, which can't be boarded by gangways.

"We need to basically cut a hole in the side of the building there," Campbell said.

Also, the Department of Airports is looking to expand its baggage conveyance system in an effort to transfer bags between the new flights and connecting flights.

And construction will begin this fall on Delta's ticket counter to accommodate more ticket sales associated with the airline's expansion.

The cost of the new construction projects, which is currently unknown, will be financed through airline fees and federal grants — no local taxpayer funds will be needed, Campbell said.

Despite the expansion, City Council members remain unsure whether Delta can remain profitable in an increasingly difficult air travel industry.

"How long can airlines in general kind of hold on with the additional costs they are having to incur?" Councilwoman Nancy Saxton asked.

Campbell said his department is keeping an eye on Delta and expects the airline may need to file for bankruptcy protection, which would allow Delta to restructure its debt and gain new wage deals with its pilots.

"Delta's still our best hub horse, and we're going to continue to ride that horse," Campbell said.

Last week, Delta chief executive officer Gerald Grinstein outlined the airline's "transformation plan," which calls for the elimination of 6,000 to 7,000 jobs over 18 months, de-hubbing Dallas/Fort Worth and ramping up activity at its Salt Lake, Cincinnati and Atlanta hubs. In all, Grinstein said, 51 percent of the company's network will be restructured by Jan. 31, 2005.