country to see where we mpare. We're looking live at
Salt Lake International
Airport tonight.. as flight
crews prepare for a busy
week.. carting travelers to
their holiday destinations.
Many of us traveling will
get a good hike in before
seeing loved ones.. especially
if our plane is parked at one
of the B Gates. We hear all
the time about how long that
walk is, but... how do we
compare to other airports?
We sent our Alex Cabrero to
several of them to put our
long walk to the test.
ááairport natsáá You've
probably heard the stories.
...of how big and modern the
new Salt Lake City
International Airport is.
But, you've most likely also
heard about... the dreaded B
Gates. Not so much the
gates themselves... but, that
big yellow sign...
indicating... where your un-
official hike... is about to
begin. Danny Stevens / Salt
Lake City resident "BIG WALK.
HA HA HA." "IT'S A VERY LONG
WALK. ESPECIALLY AS OLD AS I
AM AND SUCH." Bill Parkinson /
Salt Lake City resident "IT'S
A LONG WALK. HA. IT IS A LONG
WALK." Some call this long
tunnel between the A and B
Gates... the Pioneer Trek...
simulating the 1840's pioneers
who crossed the planes to get
to Utah. There's even
wildlife along the way. No
matter what you call it...
Bill Wyatt... has heard them
all. Bill Wyatt /
Director, Salt Lake City
International Airport "IT'S A
BIGGER PLACE. FOR SURE."
Wyatt is the director of the
Salt Lake City International
Airport. He's proud of all
the awards the new airport has
won... but he also knows that
walk... is what people always
talk about. For example,
the airport will For
example, talk about. For
example, the airport will post
about a new business opening,
like this vitamin shop, and
the comments are mostly;
"After the hike to terminal B
you better offer oxygen."
or how about this...
"We're all too exhausted from
pushing a wheelchair 47 miles
to our gate." Bill Wyatt /
Director, Salt Lake City
International Airport "PEOPLE
HAVE STRONG OPINIONS ABOUT
AIRPORTS, PARTICULARLY
HOME-TOWNERS, RIGHT? AND SO I
GET THAT." It may feel like
47 miles... but REALLY, how
long is it? We decided to
do the trek. Turns out,
the walk to the furthest
B-Gate is 3350 feet... about
point-64 miles. ...and the
tunnel itself, is 1200 feet...
about a quarter mile.
There's no doubt distances can
be hard on the elderly and
less mobile. And while
Salt Lake does provide carts
within the tunnel...for those
who need it. It's not like
we're the only airport with a
long walk. I decided to
head out of town to do some
fact checking of my own.
First stop... our Mountain
Time Zone buddy... Denver.
Alex Cabrero / KSL 5 News "THE
AIRPORT TOLD US FROM CURB TO
THE FURTHEST TERMINALS, WHICH
IS C67 HERE, IS 8040 FEET.
THAT'S NEARLY A MILE AND A
HALF, BUT IT DOES INCLUDE THE
USE OF MOVING WALKWAYS,
ESCALATORS, AND TRAINS." We
also visited Minneapolis,
which, like Salt Lake... is a
Delta hub.It's not for the
weak of heart. Recently the
Wall Street Journal did an
extensive report on airports...
One metric was maximum
walking distance... and at the
time... Minneapolis was #1 at
point-83 miles... followed by
Vegas, Charlotte, Miami,
JFK... and then, at number 6,
Salt Lake... again at point-64
miles. ...followed by
Washington Dulles... then
Phoenix. Alex Cabrero / KSL 5
News "AT PHOENIX'S SKY HARBOR
AIRPORT, THE LONGEST WALK CURB
TO THE FURTHEST TERMINAL IS
.61 MILES... HOWEVER, IF YOU
WANTED TO, YOU COULD WALK EVEN
MORE, MORE THAN A MILE,
BECAUSE THEY HAVE SOMETHING
CALLED THE SKY HARBOR FITNESS
TRAIL." Heather Shelbrack
/ PHX Airport spokesperson "WE
WANT TO HIGHLIGHT EVERYTHING
PHOENIX HAS TO OFFER AND THIS
IS JUST WHAT PHOENIX HAS TO
OFFER YOU CAN SEE FROM THE
AIRPORT TERMINAL WINDOWS."
The trail features several
markers where you read a sign
and look at the window to see
it... such as the Buttes at
Papago Park, Piestewa Peak,
and even the Phoenix skyline.
It's a way to break up your
time... or provide a walk for
a long layover. ááairport
natáá Perhaps that's
something Salt Lake could do.
However, in two years... our
.64 mile longest walk... will
be reduced to a quarter
mile.... once the central
tunnel is built. It'll take
you straight to the B gates
near security. Bill Wyatt /
Director, Salt Lake City
International Airport "I THINK
THAT WILL MAKE A REAL
SUBSTANTIAL DIFFERENCE."
The central tunnel couldn't be
built first... because it
would've cut through the old
airport... while it was still
operating. It will have
moving walkways... and
eventually... a train.
Bill Parkinson / Salt Lake
City resident "WE'RE A BIG
CITY NOW." Until then,
though... we have to do that
walk. Recently, the airport
put new signs in the current
tunnel saying things like
"doctors recommend 10-thousand
steps a day. We're just
looking out for your health."
It's a way to try and keep
things light... knowing there
is a lot of criticism.
Director, Salt Lake City
International Airport "I DON'T
TAKE IT PERSONALLY AT ALL. I
UNDERSTAND IT. THE CURRENT
CONFIGURATION ISN'T OPTIMAL,
BUT IT'S ALSO NOT PERMANENT."
Two years from now... our
longest walk... won't feel so
pioneer-ish. Alex Cabrero,
KSL 5 News.
So, there you go... is
it a long walk, or not?
That comes down to your
personal feelings... if you
feel it's a long walk, it
is... and if not, it's not.
Other airports with longer
walks don't get the scrutiny
the new Salt Lake Airport
does... but there's a good
chance the reason is because
our airport is new. It is
longer than the old airport...
and many of us who remember
the old airport miss it.
But as one traveler we spoke
with said... we're a bigger
city now. Anchors?
ADLIB TOSS TO WX