Finishing Touches

Photo Credit SLC Dept of Airports

I've spent a lot of time covering and writing about the development, construction, and opening of the new Salt Lake City International Airport, ever since the redevelopment plan was announced back in January of 2012. From the first article that appeared in Airways Magazine in the April 2015 edition, to numerous updates on my old website, FL310, up to the Travel Genius' current website, it's safe to say I've got the new airport's progress recorded for posterity down pat.

I must admit, it has been one heck of a ride watching the new facility go up. It seems like just yesterday I was a nerdy teenager hanging out in the old airport's B Concourse watching the 727's, MD-80's, and Metro III's passing by to the new A350's, A330's and 737 MAX's on their way to and fro in between both new concourses of the new terminal. While I do miss the old terminals, I do have to admit that they were definitely showing their age by the very end and could barely contain the throngs of travelers that make up a fraction of what the new SLC can handle.

The old SLC Terminal 1

As it stands at the time of this writing, there are only 2 phases of construction left of the new airport as it was originally planned. Phase 4 includes the buildout of the B Concourse to the East, with the first 5 gates opening in October 2025, coinciding with the final opening of Phase 3, 5 gates on the North side of the concourse, from the Central Lobby heading East, joining up with 2 gates on the North side and 3 on the South, meeting up with the Phase 4 build. All that would be left is the 11 final gates on the East end of the B Concourse and that wraps up the initial "New SLC" buildout, slated to be opened by October of 2026.

Since the new airport went up, Salt Lake City has seen quite a lot of growth. Air Canada upgraded their seasonal service to Toronto from those torturous CRJ-700 Regional Aircraft to mainline Airbus A220-300's (a far superior and more comfortable way to fly), KLM upgraded their Amsterdam service from the hideous Boeing 787 to the larger Boeing 777's, AeroMexico has added destinations, Delta has added dozens of new flights further solidifying itself as the fortress hub carrier here, including the introduction of nonstop Airbus A350's to Seoul, South Korea, and this December, seasonal non-stop service to Lima, Peru, the first South American destination ever for SLC. All these on top of the 3 trans-Atlantic flights to Paris, Amsterdam, and London/Heathrow. This airport has come such a long way from the hub that Western Airlines built up in 1983, when all the big wheels of the airline biz said "it can't be done, Denver's too close, yadda yadda, et. al".

Delta 173 on her way out of SLC on the inaugural flight to Seoul, South Korea.

There's still a whole lot of potential here in Salt Lake City. Right now, there's capacity in the airport to serve 34 million passengers. If (and when) that target is met, there's plans for a third concourse north of the B concourse. That'll mean tearing down the Airport firehouse, fuel farm, and SkyWest hangar complex to fit the new addition. Also, if the 3rd concourse comes to fruition, a tram will be constructed in the main underground pedestrian tunnel to make it easier to connect both concourses to the main terminal complex and A concourse. This is something critics and passengers alike have been skewering the Department of Airports over since the opening day in 2020.

The biggest driver for growth in SLC is definitely Delta, and how they keep positioning the hub here. If they finally stop thinking they can make money in the very misguided operation in Seattle, retrench those operations here, they should be more mature and yield minded than to think they can make Seattle a 2-hub operation, what with the likes of Alaska Airlines and their explosive growth there with their recent acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines on top of everything. We might not see the likes of SLC-Rome or Barcelona like they announced those new destinations for 2026 from Seattle, on the heels of Alaska's Seattle-Rome announcement. I could definitely see more long hauls out of here, Shanghai, Taipei, Tokyo, Prague, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, and Sao Paulo all come to mind.

That's not to say foreign carriers would be left out. Lufthansa sent their leisure subsidiary, Discovery, from Frankfurt for several summers, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them send full Lufthansa A350's, Swiss 777's, Edelweiss A350's, or Austrian 777's here, at the very least seasonally. On the Oneworld side British Airways or Aer Lingus could work, and I can absolutely see Qatar sending 777's or 787's here for starters. There's plenty of room for growth here, and the more carriers the better. I'm not saying SLC will become the next LAX, but it can definitely do better than Las Vegas, Denver, or Phoenix.

The Travel Genius Opinion

As I've mentioned in previous posts and articles on SLC, Western Airlines touted the hub was far more convenient and easier to get through than the at-the-time bursting at the seams Denver Stapleton Airport on the other side of the Rocky Mountains. Western used to aim right at Denver in their advertisements of the period, as at the time, Denver was a three-hub airport with United Airlines, Frontier Airlines, and a fresh out of bankruptcy and lower cost Continental Airlines all ganging up on each other into a post-deregulation bloodbath that we've never seen the likes of since, unless you consider smaller skirmishes in Dallas between American Airlines and Legend Airlines.

If you look at SLC now, compare it to the newer Denver International Airport (where Continental dehubbed, and Frontier disappeared in a quiet backroom kind of way, only to be restarted into a powerhouse Ultra Low Cost Carrier that still calls Denver home, and the always present United Airlines and their fortress on Concourse B), or even Atlanta Airport. You'll see the layout is almost the same, separate long concourses connected underground, spaced far apart for dual widebody aircraft movements up top. That was another thing Western advertised when it opened the hub in SLC. Gates that are just steps apart (even when Concourse D was built in 1986 the connection between both concourse were pretty quick and painless), shorter connecting times (which might not be the case anymore as Delta Air Lines has operation on both concourses in the new SLC), and fewer crowds (I highly doubt that was ever the case in SLC, what between the hordes of arriving and departing Mormon Missionaries and now in the new SLC with fuller and fuller flights on larger aircraft).

Luckily on this end, SLC does have the space, and even if the boarding lounges are packed, very rarely does the chaos spill over into the main hallway. The only places I see spillage into the hallways are at gates that are at the very end of the concourses where you might have 4 flights departing simultaneously, and everyone is piled together (gate lice notwithstanding) in the corner rotunda of space.

As I've indicated above, the biggest gripe for passengers is the tunnels connecting the concourses with no automated tram. It's gotten so much attention that even the SLC Dept of Airport and the Airport management itself are calling those passengers out and basically making fun of them with signs up in the tunnel walls saying "this is the best way to get your steps in" or "we care about your heart too" and other such nonsense. A lot of older and slower walking passengers have taken up to adding wheelchair service requests into their reservations when flying in or out of SLC simply because of this. Heck, I even do this myself, not because I can’t walk, but it literally makes traveling unbearable with my spinal injury, and I mainly depart out of the B Concourse, as that's where Alaska, United, American, Air Canada, and Frontier all operate out of, and that's who I fly.

Those cons aside, the new airport was badly needed, and I do love the place. I'm certain the Dept of Airport will attract more carriers to alight here and begin building out the proposed third concourse (and get the tram installed). All in all, even with Delta growing the hub to three times what Western started with, this airport will continue to serve Utah and the surrounding states efficiently, conveniently, and comfortably, all while continuing to grow.