Urbanlooker

After the 2023 sailing season, which is Carnival's longest so far, the cruise terminal make modifications necessary for year round cruising. What this entails I'm not sure but that is interesting to hear. Maybe it's time to start thinking of a second dock?

I think they should have stuck with the 7 gate addition with passenger number increases like this becoming the normal. Hopefully flight service continues to increase as well.

Breeze will be starting 2x weekly flights to Syracuse NY beginning June 1.

ORF received a 4 star regional airport rating at the Skytrax world airport awards 2023 in Amsterdam. Great way to get some international recognition.

VB's state of the city addresses hardly ever give updates or big news. They have historically been lack luster IMO.

I whole heartedly agree. I took amtrak from Norfolk up to DC a few years ago and it was great. I think with some slight improvements to reduce delays and added connections, especially to the south and west, Norfolk could have great train connections to the Mid-Atlantic.

Saw this in the Richmond forum https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/henrico-county/virginia-sees-record-train-ridership-as-passenger-rail-expands/amp/ Ridership on Amtrak across the state is way up compared to 2022(of course). More importantly though it's up over 27% versus JAN 2020, pre pandemic. Norfolk's ridership is up 160% from 2022 and over 67% from JAN 2020. Norfolk has had the largest percentage increase of rail passengers in the state from 2020 to now.

"NORFOLK, Va. - It's the gateway to popular destinations in Hampton Roads and northeastern North Carolina and already, 2023 is outpacing Norfolk International Airport's record-setting 2022." This snippet is very nice to hear. Additionally they're already planning for concourse C and could see construction on it in the next 10 years. WOW that would be fantastic. As well as a Joint Businness Class lounge. All great things to hear coming to the airport in the next few years!

Southwest will be resuming daily nonstop flights to Orlando and Denver on October 5th.

Tourism and Breeze. Richmond is more of a business traveler market which hasn't and probably won't rebound to pre pandemic levels for a long time, if ever. Then with Breeze, although only having just a few more routes out of Norfolk than in Richmond, their large expansion of routes has definitely led to ORF's growth.

Well the old one was just that ... old to the point of needing constant maintenance or breaking down regularly. It was one of the first in the country if I remember right. Why they didn't replace it right then I'm not sure but probably something with funding. Plus I believe the airport has a better leader now than then.

ORF will be receiving $5.4 mil from the Federal government. It will be put towards a new moving walk way. https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=3FF489C2-E955-4466-9A02-049324FE17DE

So going back to the airport. What actually needs to be done(project or otherwise) to get international flights? I know having one seamless security area and that's going to be fixed soon. But what else?

I have heard that the city, or at least planning, is basically telling Pamunkey the samething that we're saying here. Skip the temporary and just build the Casino mostly because the plans they've received for the "temporary" building do not seem temporary. The city is not wanting or allowing that because they do not want anything less than what was promised. Another reason for the hold up is the Pamunkey want to build additional parking in the wetlands near the site and the city will not allow that. Instead the City has offered the land on the other side of the rail tracks with a proposed pedestrian bridge connecting directly into the casino.

Even better Breeze is also offering twice weekly flights to Akron beginning June 1st as well.

From what I'm hearing this is a new proposal for that plot by a different developer if I understood right. It is still quite early in the process though so much could change.

I have heard word that the city has received a proposal to build 500+ residential units on Monticello Ave. near the Chick-fil-A. I'm thinking this is the lot next to it as that lot is still empty isn't it? There are also discussions of adding mixed use.

I'm going to guess 4.4 mil. I've attached the official passenger counts for ORF this past year 4.1 Mil is great. Happy we finally broke that 4mil mark. I hope we can surpass 5mil in the next 5 years or so. December-2022-Media-Release.pdf

Some additional interesting tid bits after watching that: -meeting next week with Breeze who have been asking interesting questions - load factor is at 81% which is ever so slightly above the national average of 80.7% - Spirit might be first to offer international flights?

This is fantastic news. ORF continues to perform well. I'm surprised they only want to expand concourse A. You would think if the focus is on international flight capacity that building an international Terminal in a concourse C would be more beneficial. This would also give the room to add a customs area. Maybe this will come in the near future though? Anyway I'm excited that ORF is doing so well and continues to perform better every year.

I'm very confused by you and this entire conversation. You say you like VB and that Norfolk should learn a thing or 2 from them because they have free parking .... in TC not at the beach. Then you go on to criticize criticize Norfolk, or more precisely the person that's glad Norfolk is making more free parking? What's the deal here?

Ok so shutdown permanently all establishments that operate after 8pm that serve liquor. Crime happens at Walmarts that's a fact. So we should shutdown Walmarts too. Shootings are happening at schools that's a fact. So we should shutdown all schools.

If this is true that could be just over a week away. However, I doubt they'll start on the 1st so what are we thinking? Possibly mid month?

Hopefully ORF can keep it up. They're definitely on track to pass 4mil for the first time, if I'm not mistaken. The city/region/FAA should definitely find some solution to get that parallel runway. Overall though there has been a lot of service expansion and additions so passenger numbers should continue to climb. Maybe in the next 5 years we can be looking into an expanded terminal or terminal C? Recently RIC refurbished their international/customs area in hopes to get international flights. I wonder why ORF hasn't drawn up plans for an international area?

Ooh we wish but unfortunately it's just the 7 mile starter line built in 2011 and hasn't been expanded since. Virginia Beach with all it's regional cooperation voted the expansion to VB Town Center down as "it would bring increased crime with it".