Airport briefs: Atlanta, Salt Lake City, Boston, Vancouver, Dubai

In airport news, Atlanta signs a crucial lease deal with Delta; Salt Lake City will add a second new concourse; a new independent passenger lounge opens at Boston Logan; Cathay Pacific debuts a new lounge at Vancouver; and a global airline alliance cuts the ribbon on a lounge at Dubai International.

The City of Atlanta has signed a long-term lease agreement with Delta Air Lines for use of Hartsfield- Jackson International Airport that will keep the carrier’s headquarters there for the next 20 years. The deal was critical for the airport’s ambitious expansion plans. According to a statement from the airport, “The agreement allows Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to move forward with a $6 billion capital expansion program, which includes plans to build two new domestic parking decks, add five additional gates to Concourse T, construct a sixth runway, and invest more than $900 million in a new international concourse.” Signing the contract was the last major executive action for Delta CEO Richard Anderson, who retired this week and was replaced as CEO by Ed Bastian, formerly the airline’s president.

That big construction project at Salt Lake City International Airport just got a lot bigger. The original plan called for a total reconstruction of the existing terminal and concourses into a new terminal and a single long concourse with 45 aircraft gates. But now airport officials plan to add a second new concourse as well – the 30-gate North Concourse — increasing the overall cost by $740 million to a total of $2.6 billion. They are still planning to have the whole thing finished by 2020. Officials said the new concourse will replace existing gates in Concourses B, C and D, which would have required costly renovations to keep them open for a few more years. The concourses will be linked by an underground tunnel.

Boston Logan has a new pay-per-use passenger lounge in Terminal C near Gate C19. Called simply The Lounge at Boston Logan, it’s the 12^th U.S. location opened by Airport Lounge Development Inc. Visitors will get free buffet food; free beverages, including alcoholic drinks; a work area with a computer and printer; high-speed Wi-Fi; a variety of seating areas; and TV and flight monitors. The lounge offers airfield views through floor-to-ceiling windows. A day pass costs $35, and the lounge is also open to members of the Priority Pass, Priority Pass Select, Lounge Club and LoungeKey programs, as well as invited guests of Emirates and Aer Lingus.

Cathay Pacific this week cut the ribbon on a new lounge for premium passengers at Vancouver International Airport. In the International Terminal between Gates D66 and D67, the lounge is open to Cathay’s first and business class flyers, as well as Marco Polo Club elites and Oneworld members with Sapphire status or higher. With a capacity of 108 persons, the facility offers free Wi-Fi, three workstations with iMacs and printers, a Noodle Bar serving Asian soups, and The Pantry, with a selection of other foods. The décor features limestone floors, cherrywood walls and abundant plants.

The global SkyTeam alliance, which includes Delta, Air France, KLM and 17 other carriers, has opened its fifth consolidated lounge, this one at Dubai International Airport. Located in Terminal 1’s new Concourse D, it’s open around the clock, with a capacity of 180 persons. It offers free hot and cold snacks from a variety of global cuisines, free Wi-Fi, a business center with printing facilities, a VIP room, and a separate TV room. It’s open to Elite Plus, first and business class passengers of the 10 SkyTeam member carriers that serve the airport. Other SkyTeam lounges are at London Heathrow, Sydney, Hong Kong and Istanbul.

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