15 gates will be a pretty big 787 base.

Which airports does Delta have 15+ gates in that is not a pilot base? Honest question.

26 is the initial buildout of B, the full build-out is 40 gates after the EIS study is complete.

After the EIS and 40 build out, WN and DL will both gain another 5-6 gates each while the remaining go to common use.

Delta will have 15 gates plus adjacent access to 8 common use/international gates in the main concourse while concourse B will only have 3 common use gates. All in all, we will have similar gate capacity and we have the advantage of 2 clubs, international capacity, no nearby hubs, partners, more flexible fleet to meet certain routes, and much deeper pockets. WN will have to de-prioritize HOU and DAL to focus on AUS (which they’re right to do so, but I believe Delta will squash them there the second we obtain all our new gates when the playing field becomes even). I’m very happy about all the news from the recent lease agreement.

I might be an idiot but having read the article it says:

SWA : 18
DAL : 15
AA : 9
UA : 5
AS : 1
11 gates unassigned or rotating.

New big Skyclub in A. All sounds pretty promising.

You’d be right to say it’s promising :D

The new A club will be the 2nd or 3rd (after new SLC club) largest Skyclub in the system. We’re also keeping the existing one or potential convert into Delta One lounge.

To the other guy.. WN believes they can grow from 18 to 26 when B expands to 40 gates (net gain of Delta will be going after the same amount. I don’t see why AA needs 9 gates, up from 4 after their flop in AUS. I suspect, they will surrender some in the future and lose money per the MO.

BOS for well over a decade before the base opened. And even then, it was only opened out of international operational necessity. Flight Ops continues to push back on a BOS NB base at every turn.

FLL and MIA combined is probably over 15

BOS320 will assuredly be announced before AUS, in fact probably this year for BOSAirbus.

Outside of my hopium for last year AUS320, AUS base will not happen until those 15+ common use gates are online. There are even some harstands DL has access to for RJ’s if they wanted post Concourse B, it’ll be a steep increase in capacity. So, AUS320 at least 4-5 years from now unless network can commit to a fleet sooner rather than later (crew resources says this is the primary deterrent).

Network could promise Flight Ops 100% 320 flying in AUS right now, and they would still decline to open a base.

Crew Resources asks themselves the following questions, over and over, over the course of many years, before they open a new pilot base:

1. Will it reduce credit?
2. Do we have network’s fleet commitment?
3. Is network’s fleet commitment long enough?
4. Will the operation implode if we don’t open this base?
5. Do we absolutely, positively have to do this?

If the answer to any of those questions is not an emphatic yes, then a base won’t open.

MCO has to be close to 15 with the common use 80s gates.