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NEW CONCOURSE MAKES FOR A . . . Stunning airport

AT THE VERY least, you can say Anchorage has a new airport that is stunning. Itís spectacular, in fact, from the new two-level entryway and the expansive check-in area off the upper ramp to the eye-popping 1,000-foot-long Concourse C, awaiting passengers boarding Alaska Airlines flights departing from one of nine new jetways.

The wraps come off this 447,200-square-foot combination concourse and terminal this afternoon at an open house that will give everyone an opportunity to see and be amazed, or perhaps even to wonder why they did this and not that.

The guess is there actually will be few critics among those who tour the airport today and marvel at the additions ó including the 300-foot-long moving sidewalk in front of the new check-in counters, the soaring glass of the grand entrance, the miles of new baggage belts, and the shops and restaurants.

The doors open at 1:30 p.m. and the open house lasts until 5 oíclock, and there will be free parking for visitors.

After that, the new concourse and much of the glittering terminal area will be for ticketed passengers only ó shut off by security from all except those preparing to board flights. Off limits, behind the security checkpoints, will be a number of fresh-from-the-box attractions, including the new Chiliís Too restaurant.

Thatís too bad, but itís also a reflection of todayís reality, made necessary by the fear of terrorist acts.

Months of construction delays meant that costs escalated enormously for this major addition to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.

From a relatively modest first-blush beginning, the building expenses rose to $416 million ó from $230 million ó an escalation caused by engineering and design plans that were not up to snuff when it came to earthquake safety standards as well as the need to accommodate costly new security measures.

Even now, much interior work remains to be done. Operations will begin with all kinds of finishing touches still to be nailed, glued, or riveted into place.

But the major buttons are ready to be pushed, the conveyor belts are ready to run, the baggage carts are ready to be loaded, and the first flights ready for pushback beginning tomorrow.

All and all, the airport has moved into the big time among U.S. domestic terminals. There may be some bugs to be worked out. It may take a few trips in and out for travelers to become used to the changes.

But the airport has come a long way, from when construction first began on Anchorage International Airport in 1951 ó and from the day when the North terminal opened on July 1, 1982, to serve international carriers.