The US is the busiest country in the world for annual passenger traffic. According to Statista Research Department, more than 800 million passengers flew in the US in 2023. There are several large airports throughout the country, and in recent years, many of them have been updated or construction projects have been started.
According to a report from CNBC , though many airports are getting upgrades, many are choosing to remove moving walkways. Several major airports have chosen to remove moving walkways in recent years, with San Francisco being the latest to do so. The growing list includes Harry Reid International Airport, Orlando International Airport, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, and Northwest Arkansas National Airport.
San Francisco recently removed its famous “bouncy” walkways that connected Terminal 3 to the F gates. The airport does have another connector in place but the space where the walkways were will be used to add more gates as part of a larger modernization process. The US has only a handful of long-haul routes operating weekly.
High maintenance costs According to airport officials at Northwest Arkansas and other economic studies, moving walkways come with high maintenance costs. “When it was working, it would break down constantly. I can’t remember the last time it worked.
” - Olivia Tyler, Spokesperson, Northwest Arkansas National Airport Regional Airport Authority A recent study by a gr.