Though it won the votes of the majority of Airport Advisory Commissioners in attendance, due to vacancies the group did not approve a resolution establishing a working relationship with the city’s Environmental Commission with regard to the environmental impacts of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport expansion projects. At the commission’s May 10 meeting, Chair Wendy Price Todd […]
Austin Airport Advisory Commission
The Austin Airport Advisory Commission makes recommendations to the Austin City Council on aviation projects, grants and the Austin Bergstrom International Airport’s annual operating budget and quality of services.
Posted inTransportation
Austin airport implementing Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Program
The Austin airport is working to improve the experience of passengers with disabilities that aren’t visible. The Airport Advisory Commission heard an update this week about the newly established Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Program at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. The airport announced the program in April, after news of a potential lawsuit by an ABIA passenger who […]
Posted inEnvironment
Airport Advisory, Environmental commissions consider working relationship
The Airport Advisory Commission is considering a resolution this week that would establish a working relationship with the Environmental Commission. The change would allow the Environmental Commission to advise the Airport Advisory Commission on airport projects that may have impacts beyond the boundaries of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. According to the resolution the Airport Advisory Commission […]
Posted inTransportation
Are Austin airport’s safety protocols keeping up with increased traffic?
Is the city doing enough to ensure Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is staying safe amid record increases in traffic and historic personnel and infrastructure constraints? The outgoing chair of the Austin Airport Advisory Commission is asking that question. During a briefing to the commission at its March 8 meeting regarding the ongoing investigation into a February […]
Posted inEnvironment
Airport Advisory commissioners question jet-fuel storage monitoring plan
Members of the city’s Airport Advisory Commission questioned the independent monitoring plan for a new fuel storage facility being built at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. During a staff update on the project at its March 8 meeting, the commission heard a briefing on the third-party monitoring component included in the plan. Kane Carpenter, who is the […]
Posted inAustin
Complaint from deaf traveler at Austin airport sparks changes to TSA policy
A recent complaint concerning the Transportation Security Administration’s treatment of a deaf passenger at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport prompted changes in the ways the agency treats travelers with accessibility needs. Topher Avila, who is deaf, told the Airport Advisory Commission at its Feb. 8 meeting that he was stopped by a TSA official during a recent […]
Posted inEnvironment
Mud mixture from jet-fuel storage facility construction site leaks into nearby wetland
In September, about 500 gallons of a mud and water mixture used in construction projects spilled into the wetland on Austin-Bergstrom International Airport property. The accident happened during construction of the new jet-fuel storage facility, and the project developer is in the process of remediating the contaminated mud. Airport officials maintain that the mixture does […]
Posted inTransportation
Legal battle looms over Austin airport’s plans to demolish South Terminal
The private company that runs the South Terminal at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport – a separate three-gate facility where discount airlines Allegiant and Frontier operate – says it was not consulted over plans to demolish the terminal as part of a multiyear airport-expansion program. Lonestar Holdings is moving ahead as if the terminal will remain and […]
Posted inDevelopment
Airport Advisory Commission wants another look at landfill expansion proposal
The Airport Advisory Commission created a subcommittee Tuesday night to look into the potential expansion of the landfill near Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and how it might affect the safety of aircraft flying in and out of the airport. Commissioners heard testimony from the Texas Campaign for the Environment, received additional photographic evidence and agreed to […]
Posted inCity Council
Council declines to vote on airport lounge contract
What started as an objection from the second-place bidder for a lucrative contract to build and operate a lounge at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport ended with Council rejecting staffers’ recommendation and sending them back to the drawing board at last Thursday’s meeting. Staff had recommended awarding the contract to MAG USA, which was promising the city […]
Posted inAustin
Real estate leaders look for support for airport’s $4.5 billion expansion
By mid-2020, city officials are likely to begin seeing options for how to fund the $4.5 billion expansion at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport that stakeholders say is needed to keep up with demand for the growing Central Texas market. There are no funding proposals on the table yet, but the Austin business community is already being […]
Posted inCity Hall
Threadgill’s fighting for airport contract
A battle is brewing over airport restaurant concession contracts, and Threadgill’s is in the middle of the fight. Also in the middle of a contract fight is the local massage concession known as Knot Anymore, which has provided massage services at the airport for 15 years. Those contracts will take center stage at today’s meeting, […]