--- In BATN@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "11/18 SF Business Times" <batn@xxxx> wrote: Published Friday, November 18, 2005, in the San Francisco Business Times Oakland Airport: Bigger and better By Lesley Guth Oakland Airport may have scrapped its plans for a parking structure, but it's moving full-steam ahead on its renovation and expansion of Terminal 2. The $350 million project involves adding five gates, a new concourse, concessions, waiting areas and baggage claim facilities. Sixty percent completed, the remodeled terminal is scheduled to open a year from now, said airport spokeswoman Cyndy Johnson. The project also includes improving access roads in and around the airport. That part of the project was started this month and is expected to be completed in mid-2007, Johnson said. With the addition of the new baggage claim area, the existing baggage claim area will be converted to a larger security screening area, Johnson said. In 2004, 14 million passengers used the airport; airport officials project that number to grow modestly to 14.5 million passengers in 2005. "Once the new gates open up, that's going to allow us to go after carriers not currently serving Oakland, and allow existing carriers to expand their business," Johnson said. Southwest, Oakland's largest carrier, will add six flights on Feb. 5 for a total of 138 daily departures out of Oakland, Johnson said. Jet Blue has added a daily non-stop flight to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., that starts Jan. 19. Plans for the garage, which was to have 6,000 spaces, were scrapped after the price tag for the project, budgeted for $134 million, ballooned to $186 million. The airport is making due with its 8,500 surface parking spots, Johnson said. The airport may revisit the garage idea when it pursues plans for Terminal 3 several years out, she said. --- End forwarded message ---