more miami terminal trouble

[FA Mikey]

The $3.7 million tower is being built by Crompton Construction, a subcontractor for a firm called Parsons-Odebrecht Joint Venture, and is planned for occupancy in December.

The tower is part of the airport's $2.66 billion North Terminal, which will be used by American Airlines, MIA's dominant carrier, and its partners. The terminal is set for completion in February 2011.

But the project already is years behind schedule, and its scale and costs have ballooned by more than $2 billion in the 14 years since it was approved by the Miami-Dade County Commission.

Only the structural portion of the tower has been finished, according to Greg Chin, an airport spokesman. Work that still remains includes the interior finishes and the installation of computers and communications equipment, Chin said.

Once completed, the Concourse D tower will be occupied by 14 airline employees and three Miami-Dade Aviation Department employees, who guide arriving aircraft into gates and assist with pushing back departing aircraft.

American long has maintained that it needs the 1.2-mile-long North Terminal -- with more gates, an automated people mover, a gate delivery system for baggage, a large federal inspection area and other amenities -- to efficiently operate its Latin American and Caribbean hub. To date, about 50 percent of the North Terminal has been built.

Airlines bear the cost of the terminal through passenger fees. Based on its traffic, American is expected to pay about 70 percent of the cost.

Miami Herald staff writer Erika Beras and photographer Tim Chapman contributed to this report.


story here

 

[jersey777]

The $3.7 million tower is being built by Crompton Construction, a subcontractor for a firm called Parsons-Odebrecht Joint Venture, and is planned for occupancy in December.

The tower is part of the airport's $2.66 billion North Terminal, which will be used by American Airlines, MIA's dominant carrier, and its partners. The terminal is set for completion in February 2011.

But the project already is years behind schedule, and its scale and costs have ballooned by more than $2 billion in the 14 years since it was approved by the Miami-Dade County Commission.

Only the structural portion of the tower has been finished, according to Greg Chin, an airport spokesman. Work that still remains includes the interior finishes and the installation of computers and communications equipment, Chin said.

Once completed, the Concourse D tower will be occupied by 14 airline employees and three Miami-Dade Aviation Department employees, who guide arriving aircraft into gates and assist with pushing back departing aircraft.

American long has maintained that it needs the 1.2-mile-long North Terminal -- with more gates, an automated people mover, a gate delivery system for baggage, a large federal inspection area and other amenities -- to efficiently operate its Latin American and Caribbean hub. To date, about 50 percent of the North Terminal has been built.

Airlines bear the cost of the terminal through passenger fees. Based on its traffic, American is expected to pay about 70 percent of the cost.

Miami Herald staff writer Erika Beras and photographer Tim Chapman contributed to this report.
story here

I transferred out of MIA in 2001 and they had already started construction on D. Now they say the project won't be finished till 2011? Wow. They rebuilt Kennedys project in about half that time. What a disgrace for the city of Miami.

 

[Hopeful]

I transferred out of MIA in 2001 and they had already started construction on D. Now they say the project won't be finished till 2011? Wow. They rebuilt Kennedys project in about half that time. What a disgrace for the city of Miami.

keep in mind that because of 9/11, JFK's terminal was slowed down by well over a year, although I don't know the exact amount of time. But I do understand that MIA's terminal is a much bigger project than JFK, but it was started before.

 

[eolesen]

The asking price for kickbacks and bribes is cheaper in NYC.

AA isn't exactly clean in how they managed the project for the first four or five years, but Dade County is the poster child for political interference and the envy of Chicago's Mayor Daley...

 

[flyhigh]

Only problem is Daley doesn't build airports, he just rips runways up in midnight operation...

 

[eolesen]

And he also made sure that Peotone died an early death. But there's no doubt that he's growing ORD. The entire north side of the airport was crawling with earth moving equipment when I drove by on the tollway.

They just renumbered the runways last week in preparation for the third set of E/W runway which will open in November 2008, and a fourth will open in sometime 2011, with up to six E/W runways at some point in the next 20 years.

 

[WingNaPrayer]

I transferred out of MIA in 2001 and they had already started construction on D. Now they say the project won't be finished till 2011? Wow. They rebuilt Kennedys project in about half that time. What a disgrace for the city of Miami.

Concourse D is about half finished. Here's the kicker, what has already been built, is already falling apart, badly! You can see the low-ball contractor bids everywhere you look. AA relies heavily on D-CON. They are currently moving flights to E-CON so A-CON can be closed and demolished. With the closing of A, and D (the CON they'll be counting on) falling apart, I give it another year before health departments, OSHA, and assorted unions start screaming at the top of their lungs about the safety of employees.

MIA is a rat infested mess, because it isn't taken care of. Ask any agent how many times they've seen rats and mice scurry across the terminal floors while the operation is in full swing, It's pathetic! Of course, it's up to MDAA to take care of that problem but in the meantime, local management isn't allowing for IODs when employees are bitten by rats, or any number of the large bugs that are also prevalent at MIA. (It's the tropics, bugs are to be expected, as are bites on the job, but not rats.)

Miami Dade Airport Authority can't be trusted to build a friggin outhouse! As mentioned here already, MDAA is rife with corruption. The lawsuits have flown, contractors arrested and charged, and airport management shifted, fired and changed, all to no avail, nothing ever changes at MIA.

I can't wait until this is no longer the airport I have to use! Spirit Air is quickly pulling some of my travel from MIA to FLL, and atleast when I fly Spirit, I don't have to bring my own duct tape!