Vermilion Gateway Airport

From Minecart Rapid Transit Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Vermilion Gateway Airport
  • IATA: VER
  • ICAO: NVGA
Airport typePublic airport
Ownerchiefbozx
OperatorVMTA Facilities Division
ServesVermilion, Ilirea
LocationNorth of  XW16  West Vermilion
Hub forVermilion Airways
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
18/36 774 236 Stained clay

Vermilion Gateway Airport (VER), sometimes shortened as Gateway, is a public airport serving the city of Vermilion in Ward 7 of the New World. It is located just north of the city’s West Vermilion district and east of Ilirea.

The airport was the primary hub for Vermilion Airways before it was acquired by South Weast Airlines in 2018.

Construction

The airport broke ground on July 9, 2016. Before that it had been in planning for several months. The old airport broke ground in early 2015 and had been in service for over a year when it was demolished.

The expansion project is planned to have several phases.

  • Phase One is to rebuild the terminal and add Concourses A and E.
  • Phase Two will be to allow aircraft on the Concourse E gates to taxi in and out to the runway.
  • Phase Three will be to build Concourses C and D.
  • Finally, Phase Four will be to build Concourse B in the southwest part of the airport.

Phases 3 and 4 will require the campus to be expanded, so they won't happen until corresponding growth in Vermilion has occurred.

Design

The airport takes a lot of design input from two real-life airports: Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) Terminal 2E, and Minneapolis-Saint Paul (MSP) Terminal 1-Lindbergh.

The main terminal’s roof, as with those on Concourses A and E, is wavy like MSP’s. Check-in desks run perpendicular to the road, similar to CDG. And each gate has a large number over its boarding area as is seen in both airports, as well as Denver International (DEN).

The airport is designed to make the most of its compact size (Concourses A and E are only 23 blocks wide on the interior) while giving passengers breathing room and access to the facilities they need.

Layout

The airport is currently laid out with a central terminal building with road access, and two concourses extending from either end. More concourses are planned for future expansions. A rail system (Airport Link) runs under the campus, serving all buildings.

Terminal

The main terminal has four levels - the Lounge Level, Departures Level, Arrivals Level, and Transit Level. Roads connect to the Departure and Arrivals levels, and doors are divided into seven zones for easy identification by passengers and those dropping them off or picking them up. Road access comes from the A7 via Victory Tunnel, and the Polaris district of Vermilion.

There is one security checkpoint for all gates. Stairs from the exit of the security point take passengers either up to the lounges, or down to the main level. Below the stairs down to the main level lies the central station for Airport Link, the rail system that connects all concourses with the main terminal.

Security

The security checkpoint has four entry lanes: Hyperspace, Fast Lane First, Fast Lane Priority, and Standard Access.

Hyperspace Security is much like TSA PreCheck; passengers have a very rapid security process because much of the screening is done in advance. Passengers must present their Hyperspace Security Pass and provide two fingerprints in order to enter the lane. Invitation to Hyperspace Security is provided by the airport, regardless of the passenger's airline.

Airlines can invite passengers to use Fast Lane services. Fast Lane First provides a dedicated security line with standard screening procedures, while Fast Lane Priority allows passengers to merge into the main security line after skipping about 90% of it. Fast Lane First is intended for first-class and top-tier elite passengers, and international passengers who have access to the airline lounges. Fast Lane Priority is intended for passengers in the lower elite tiers of an airline, and those who have purchased premium services such as premium economy or priority boarding access. Exact procedures vary by airline.

Lounges

Once passengers have cleared security they can head up the stairs to the lounges at the top of the terminal. There are two stairways from the security point, but both have access to all lounges. The lounges are allocated as follows:

  • Lounge A (south end): SkyTransit Alliance
  • Lounge B: Vermilion Airways
  • Lounge C: Air Northern
  • Lounge D: Caelus Loft
  • Lounge E: BART
  • Lounge F (north end): Stanley Alliance

Additional lounges may be available in future expansions of the airport.

Airlines establish their own policies for lounge access.

Concourses

When complete, VER will have five concourses:  A ,  B ,  C ,  D , and  E . At the moment, only Concourses A and E are in operation.

Concourse  A  is a regional jet concourse and is directly attached to the terminal. It has fourteen gates, with gates A1-A11 and A13 accepting aircraft of up to 35 blocks wide, and gates A12 and A14 accepting aircraft of up to 19 blocks wide.

Concourse  B  is a planned concourse which will be detached from the main terminal. It will accept aircraft of standard width (41 blocks) to new world destinations. Depending on how Vermilion is expanded, the concourse could have up to 16 gates. It won't be built until there is enough room to house at least 6 gates.

Concourse  C  will be a general aviation terminal for small aircraft less than 35 blocks wide. These gates will be built specially for each plane to allow as many as possible to serve VER. As such, jet bridges won't be used. The concourse will be connected to the rest of the airport via Airport Link. The building will also feature helipads on the roof.

Concourse  D  will be the only concourse to handle larger planes such as the 747. It will have access to the international arrivals facility, though domestic flights will serve Concourse D if they use large planes. Like Concourses B and C it will be detached from the terminal, so the only way for passengers to access it will be through Airport Link. Passengers arriving on an international flight will take a separate train within the Airport Link network to pass under the taxiway and access international arrivals.

Concourse  E  is the other concourse that is connected directly to the main terminal (aside from Concourse A). It has eleven gates numbered E1 to E11, all of which accept aircraft of standard width (up to 41 blocks) and are capable of landing international flights. The international processing facility is located below the concourse.

Retail

A subterranean retail area exists under Concourse A. Passengers can shop, dine, or relax at the various businesses underneath the concourse.

Vermilion Terminal

The Vermilion Terminal is a planned expansion of Gateway Airport that will aim to provide an exclusive, world-class terminal for passengers flying in the highest cabin of a Partner or SkyTransit airline. Much like the Notalis Flagship First terminal at MRT International Airport, the Vermilion Terminal will provide a private and comfortable space for passengers to wait before takeoff. In addition, expedited, private security screening and direct service to aircraft at all concourses will be available.

Partner Airlines

VER is open to traffic from all airlines, however some airlines choose to make VER a key part of their flight networks. VER offers the Partner Program to give airlines an incentive to do so.

To join the Partner Program an airline must:

  • Commit to making VER a hub or focus city
  • Have at least three active flights from VER, not including codeshared flights
  • Have at least one active flight from VER that is domestic (to a new world destination)

Airlines that are members of the Partner Program receive extra benefits at the airport:

  • Expanded check-in space close to security
  • A dedicated lounge, if the airline is not a member of the SkyTransit or Stanley alliances (Vermilion is the exception since VER is its base)
  • Priority baggage handling on domestic flights
  • Preferential assignment of baggage claim carousels
  • At least one dedicated baggage claim carousel (large partners may have additional carousels shared with other airlines), where available
  • Preferential assignment of gates, where available
  • Advance notice when new gates are becoming available
  • Invitation to a partnership with Vermilion Airways for frequent-flyer program crossovers and other benefits

The Partner Program itself does not have a cap on membership, but due to the airport’s limited space, airlines might not get access to all possible resources associated with the Partner Program.

VER's Partners are:

Airlines and destinations

VER defines an international flight as any flight to or from the old world. All international flights must depart and arrive from Concourses  D  and  E .

Ambox important.svg Note: All gates for the current phase of construction (on concourses  A  and  E ) are claimed. You can email or /mail chief to get on the waitlist for any gate on any applicable concourse. New gates will be assigned to Partners first, then to the wait list on a first-come, first-served basis. Ambox important.svg

Gates have shuffled a lot recently so this table is being redone. Don't worry though, Chief has a master spreadsheet with everything color coded.