Canberra Airport Terminal Upgrades

[Todd Milton]

Well the new terminal is into its 3rd(?) or so week since opening. Anyone have any opinions of the new terminal?

Here are a few of my personal opinions on the new terminal space that I had placed on another forum, some of the problems I mention have had a few fixes:

Construction is still ongoing outside the terminal. The taxi holding area is yet to be completed, and entry to the terminal is surrounded on both sides by construction. The taxi holding area and landscaping should have been completed prior to opening. The passenger areas were cleaned ok for the opening, but other areas that passengers use are still dirty and full of dust. Walking into the terminal it still smells heavily of dust, they really need to do a huge clean of all surfaces

The terminal now 'smells' a lot cleaner, and the surfaces seem to be a lot cleaner than just after opening which is a good sign.

The signage is vague, not visible and there is a lack of information signs and screens throughout. Toilets are not even signed (Only when you walk into the toilet area), the downstairs one is in a little corner of which people never seem to be able to find because nothing points them there. Overhead signage is required in all areas, as well as more information screens. There is one in the check in hall, one in the arrivals hall (Which is smacked in the corner in between the lift and Qantas Baggage Services) and one in the new departures area opposite the Qantas Service Desk. Signage and Information is not practical.

They have added an extra arrivals/departures screen landside of security, no more have been placed up as of yet. Directional signs still at eye level or below, not practical especially when busy.

They have also provided screens at check in and at each gate, of which they have updated the graphics from tiny to bigger and removed a useless analogue clock. You can now actually read them from a small distance.

The security screening point has gone from 5 lanes in the old terminal (3 Qantas, 2 Multi User) to 3. Usually there are maximum 2 lanes open, when in the old terminal you would normally have 4 operating (2 each end, sometimes all three at the Qantas end). Doing the math on that, it equals "screw up". You are having the same amount to more people running through the security point including all stock which is required inside the sterile area

No change, and as there will be no room for change and won't be until the rest of the terminal is completed.

Some additional notes:
* The toilets have Dyson Airblades (Fantastic, as they actually dry your hands!) and no touch taps, flush and soap
* I am a fan of the design, it is modern, open and has a nice view of Fairbairn
* A Little sterile in colours, hopefully the Atrium will provide a bit more colour (That has been a huge opinion with many passengers in the terminal, the graphics had autmn coloured seating which would have made it brighter)
* Still very few outlets and shops, however that will improve shortly and construction is currently going on in the arrivals hall for a coffee shop
* No pick up zone, passengers being collected must still use the car park and the arrivals road bays/lay-by's are currently small as they have not finished any landscaping on the 'western' side of the roadway
* No recycling bins
* Music throughout the terminal
* Open air car parks are not at all popular with customers, but they never will be. At the moment one is complete, the other is under construction as well as an area for the second multi storey is fenced off and ready to start with construction
* Partially new airport, same transport problems (Lack of taxi's and bus services). Taxi's not really CAG's problem (ACT wide problem), but the limited bus service is as CAG contract Deane's to provide the service, and from what I have heard will not allow ACTION to service the terminal without charging them a premium (Came up a few years ago, and resulted in ACTION servicing the nearby Business Parks)

For those who wish to access the airport complex, there is no terminal access from Nomad Drive. Nomad Drive is open only till Australian Air Express, the rest is a one way link from the Terminal Road for access to Gate 5 operations, Staff Parking and Taxi's. You can access Nomad Drive for GA from a very stupidly placed road between the Terminal Road and Nomad which is one way only (Rough, floods, temporary but stil....)! Still a fair bit of road construction around Brindabella Cct, that looks to almost be completed.

[Rod Sloan]

The little lights about head height while in a car driving up the departures road at night time are a blinding distraction. Quite poor design really.

The merge of departure and and arrival traffic exiting airport is an accident waiting to happen.

No arrivals screen at end of terminal where pax exit.

[Todd Milton]

Safety of terminal workers at risk: union

The Transport Workers Union (TWU) has raised concerns about risks to worker safety at the new Canberra Airport terminal.

More: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...02/3082265.htm

Edit:

Another article has emerged.

Safety concerns raised on new terminal
BY PETER JEAN
02 Dec, 2010 08:27 AM
Qantas ground crew have refused to rule out walking off the job after claims workers narrowly escaped serious injuries on at least two occasions after the opening of a new terminal at the Canberra Airport.

The Transport Workers Union has raised a series of safety concerns about the new Qantas terminal, which started operations last month.

Source: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news...l/2014418.aspx

Canberra Times have once again things wrong, it is not a Qantas Terminal but infact Canberra Airport's terminal. Qantas do not own it and Virgin Blue, Tiger and Qantas all share its facilities (Minus the gates, which are currently Qantas Only).

[Rod Sloan]

New cobblestones are lifting on the departures level. I'm picking they will have to re-lay them or seal the road.

[Todd Milton]

More today, regarding the flooding of the terminal area due to the massive amount of rain that fell on the region over night (80mm+). The image from the article below is Nomad Drive, the access to General Aviation and the Taxi Holding Area which was completely flooded. Apparently, the tarmac was under flowing water between ankle and knee deep (Would've hated to see the baggage room, which is under tarmac level). Terminal Building also had issues to do with leaking.

Capital lashed to a standstill
BY JACQUELINE WILLIAMS AND CHRISTOPHER KNAUS
03 Dec, 2010 09:00 AM



An early summer rainstorm brought the capital to a sodden halt yesterday as a deluge of about 60mm closed the airport, swamped the zoo and sparked 150 calls for help from the emergency services.

Flooding caused damage to streets and homes across the ACT as emergency services were called to properties with water damage in Higgins, Hawker, Weston, Latham, Holt and Calwell.

ACT State Emergency Service volunteers were also called to the National Zoo and Aquarium, to drain water from an animal enclosure, and a number of passengers at the Canberra Airport were stuck in transit because of temporarily delayed flights.

More: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news...l/2015593.aspx

Terminal workers 'want immediate action'

Posted 8 hours 58 minutes ago


Workers at Canberra Airport's new terminal will meet again next week to discuss safety concerns.

The Transport Workers Union (TWU) says there have been several incidents in which staff narrowly avoided injury because of poor safety practices.

More: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...03/3083548.htm

[Hugh Jarse]

Shambolic is what I'd call the new CB terminal.

From the moment you step on the footpath and have to pass through the stench of filthy smokers, to the long queues at screening.

Operationally, it's a disaster. Basically, for runway 35, if one aircraft pushes back the single taxiway is blocked. We experienced that yesterday when an aircraft had pushed from bay 1 (we were on 5). Then we pushed and another was on 2 or 3 and had to wait till we taxied.

This costs 2-5 mins per movement, and really is unacceptable for a so called "modern" airport. A parallel taxiway or bypass should have been designed into the plan to alleviate this problem. However that probably would have come at the cost of carpark revenue

It's nice that we can now get a coffee airside though. Particularly for those 0500 starts. (I'm being sarcastic)

[Ash W]

Hugh, guess the link below show perfectly the situation in regards to push backs that you are talking about. Does seem very strange indeed to build an airport with this very basic limitation. But then again everyone knows that aviation is Snowtowns 4th priority at the airport behind office blocks, shopping centres and car parking.

http://www.nearmap.com/?ll=-35.30771...h&nmd=20100707

[Ash W]

Used the new Canberra airport for the first time the other day. Overall it looks pretty functional, nothing too specy but not bad either. One thing struck me as odd though and that was the exit from airside to baggage collection. Anyone know why they didn't build one way chase runs (like Qantas terminals in Syd and Mel) to prevent people from using the exit as an entry? Instead they have 1 very bored security guard sitting there, seems like a waste of money when a technical solution would have sufficed.

[Rod Sloan]

Originally Posted by Todd Milton

Taxi's not really CAG's problem (ACT wide problem)

Unfortunately a misguided and uninformed statement.

I'll also put it out there that the road leading to the taxi rank is in such a crap state that many taxis have been suffering mechanical damage and simply refuse to go out there. So...it really is partly CAG's problem.

[Todd Milton]

Originally Posted by Rod Sloan

Unfortunately a misguided and uninformed statement.

I'll also put it out there that the road leading to the taxi rank is in such a crap state that many taxis have been suffering mechanical damage and simply refuse to go out there. So...it really is partly CAG's problem.

Uninformed and misguided? I will tell you that Taxi's and the current shortage is an ACT wide problem (Of which the Government is apparently trying to fix, I won't keep my hopes up), taxi's at night also tend to stay in the City. There is no real incentive for the Taxi's to remain at the airport (When they could stay in the city and get a City to Tuggeranong fare from a group), Even though there is no alternative transport at that time of night. I will agree with the temp. roadway, but you have to think that no matter the road surface some will still fall apart, and the fact that a cab shortage at the airport has been ongoing for many years. Also, I said it was not really CAG's problem, meaning that they are not the major player. Sure they could offer an incentive to Taxi Drivers to be there (Don't have any clue what it could be) but there is not overly much else they can do.

It is however CAG's fault for not promoting the Airliner service more, in fact they just leave the service with little signage or information provided to passengers regarding times and fares. Personally when I use public transport to the airport I use ACTION. I can use one ticket and works out cheaper, the walk is a bonus for the exercise.

Anyone know why they didn't build one way chase runs (like Qantas terminals in Syd and Mel) to prevent people from using the exit as an entry? Instead they have 1 very bored security guard sitting there, seems like a waste of money when a technical solution would have sufficed.

I would probably say the excuse is that it would have made the clean lines of that glass cube area look cluttered and would not have fitted in with the look of the terminal. I agree, would have been a better solution however it seems that looks trump practicality.