Growth challenges Gateway Airport during holidays

Thanksgiving week for travelers at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport could be a tight fit at the parking lot.

And then there's the restroom dilemma.

Although the airport added 300 parking spaces to accommodate more flights, Gateway's major carrier, Allegiant Air, will be flying more than enough passengers to fill them.

To shelter the passenger surge, the airport staff opened a 10,080-square-foot temporary annex adjacent to the passenger terminal.

But the restrooms in the addition remained closed Wednesday morning, awaiting a stamp of approval from a city inspection staff decimated by budget cuts and layoffs.

Allegiant will have 39 flights this week to and from 15 destinations, compared to 26 flights a year ago, airport spokesman Brian Sexton said Tuesday.

By January, the Allegiant flight numbers will grow to 52 per week. With all of the flights at or near capacity aboard the 150-seat, MD-80 jets, the airport will be accommodating in the neighborhood of 5,800 passengers this week, or 1,900 more than the airport served during Thanksgiving week last year.

The terminal annex was approved earlier this year by the airport authority's five-member governing board.

Although its restrooms were not yet open Wednesday, Sexton said restrooms were available to passengers in the adjacent, regular terminal.

The airport's passenger accommodations would be tested this week when several passenger flights converge on the former Air Force Base within an hour.

“Gateway staff is committed to making the airport travel safe and easy,” said Gateway's executive director, Lynn Kusy. “Having the new annext ready in time for Thanksgiving is a testament to the dedication of Allegiant Air, Airport Authority staff and our construction team. It's a welcome addition.”

Costs to build a new terminal, an aircraft parking area, taxiways and access roads on the east side of the runways by 2015 are estimated at $150 million to $200 million.

Allegiant Air, which is bucking the industry trend of downsizing, expects to serve 260,000 passengers overall next year.