--- In BATN@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "3/16 Oakland Tribune" <batn@xxxx> wrote: Published Tuesday, March 16, 2004, in the Oakland Tribune Low-cost airlines give lift to airport Growth continues in Oakland for seventh year, but crowds, longer lines could keep trend in check By Paul T. Rosynsky Air travelers continued to flock to Oakland International Airport last year, helping maintain a seven-year growth streak and the mantle of fastest-growing airport in the Bay Area. Despite ongoing roadway construction, peak-hour congestion and the highest on-airport parking prices in the region, Oakland attracted almost a million more passengers in 2003 than in 2002, Port of Oakland officials say. Oakland was the only Bay Area airport to see an increase this year and brought the airport's total number of passengers to 13.5 million, making it the second-busiest airport in the region. The growth can be attributed to the increased popularity of low-cost airlines such as South-west and JetBlue. Both airlines have picked Oakland as their Bay Area hubs, said Steve Grossman, airport director. It also is a result of airlines doing a better job at filling seats on departing planes, he said. "It's another good year," Grossman said. "Airlines are filling up more seats on their existing flights." While growth is good for the airport's financial stability, it could hurt one of its best and most frequently advertised attributes: convenience. Additional passengers are beginning to make Oakland more difficult to use. Peak-time congestion results in traffic jams leading into the airport and long lines at security check points. As a result, Grossman said, airport officials are predicting slower growth in the future, especially once construction begins on the Terminal 2 expansion and a new parking garage. "We're pretty full right now, and until we open the next phase of expansion, our years of 7 percent to 10 percent growth will end," Grossman said. "And frankly, I think that is a good thing because we can't handle any more." In fact, signs of Oakland's overuse are evident Sunday nights, when traffic along Airport Drive is usually backed up to Hegenberger Road and baggage from arriving flights is strewn throughout the terminal. It is also evident in the parking prices charged to travelers seeking to park on airport property. Of the three airports in the Bay Area, Oakland charges the most, $17 per day for long-term parking. San Francisco International Airport charges $13 per day and Norman Y. Mineta [BATN: Aren't you supposed to die first?] San Jose International Airport charges $15 per day. "It's a function of demand," Grossman said of the parking rates. In hopes of alleviating some congestion, the airport opened a new road connecting Bay Farm Island to Airport Drive. Originally dubbed the "cross-airport roadway," the road recently was renamed the Ron Cowan [BATN: Another undead political fixer] Expressway. It traverses the South and North fields, giving Alameda residents a direct link to the airport. The road's opening coincides with other improvements, including a new bridge under Doolittle Drive allowing easy access to the airport from 98th Avenue. While the Oakland airport struggles with growth, its competition is struggling with how to attract it. For example, San Francisco International suffered its third year of declining passenger totals with a 6 percent decrease last year. A total of 28.8 million passengers used the Peninsula airport in 2003, SFO officials said. And in San Jose, 10.2 million passengers chose to fly to and from the airport, the lowest number since at least 1999, said Rich Dressler, a San Jose Airport spokesman. Dressler pinned the lost passengers on a bad economy and lack of low-cost airlines at the airport. "The numbers between us and Oakland are really apples and oranges," he said. "Our services are difference and our market is different." --- End forwarded message ---