SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 / V19 N237
Infrastructure Backlog FUNDING THE NATION’S AVIATION NEEDS
AXC2021 Full Coverage! SESSIONS, CONNECTIONS AND MORE
P3 Model
MAKES INROADS
MSP’s TERMINAL 1 RENOVATION
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12 Cash Woes
Airports continue to run into the same issue, pandemic or no: funding. Even with Covid negatively impacting passenger numbers, airports say their infrastructure needs continue to expand. Once again, the key goal is an increase in the cap on Passenger Facilities Charges.
16 The Pandemic & P3s
P3s are still relatively uncommon in U.S. airports, but the pandemic hasn’t dampened interest from private partners. The question is, are airports willing to bite?
22 AXC 2021 In Photos
The 2021 Airport Experience Conference in Dallas was an exciting event full of dynamic people, sessions and connections. Take a look at some of what went on during those four days.
26 The 2021 Airport Experience Conference In case you missed it, we compiled all the most important points from the conference’s dynamic lineup of sessions. Check out our special section of conference coverage!
3 Letter From the Editor-in-Chief 4 Data Check
CXE and Airport Experience News collaborated on a survey to tap the industry for insight on both employee and customer experience efforts.
5 Latest Buzz
Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport is nearing completion of an overhaul that added much-needed space to baggage claim and ticketing, as well as expanded one concourse with new concessions and passenger amenities.
8 Director’s Chair
Scott Brockman, president and CEO of the MemphisShelby County Airport Authority, is grateful for returning leisure passengers but is looking forward to the sustained return of business travel as a sign of true recovery.
44 Advertising Index 45 Before You Take Off
When officials at San Francisco International Airport realized their free vaccine program was more popular with travelers than with employees, they noted another interesting trend: many vaccine patients were coming from abroad.
A X N E W S S E P T E M BE R / O C T O BE R 2 0 2 1
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CONF E RE NCE COVE R A G E 2 0 2 1
TACKLING THE ISSUES
Airport And Concessionaire Representatives Begin To Map The Way Forward BY SHAFER ROSS AND SALLY KRAL
Below: Unison Consulting’s Ken Buckner (far left) led a panel discussion of the labor challenges airports and concessionaires are facing as traffic ramps up again.
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A X N E W S S E P T E M BE R / O C T O BE R 2 0 2 1
The 2021 Airport Experience Conference featured an array of educational programming, but arguably the most important among them was a series of three sessions devoted to assessing the way forward into the post-pandemic environment. The operating landscape has changed dramatically over the past 18 months and most in the industry agree change is needed if all are to thrive. Over the course of the three sessions, 12 airport and concessions representatives came together, along with three moderators, to discuss how the changes are impacting business, and what can be done to forge new strategies for success.
Labor Issues In recent months labor has emerged as one of the most challenging issues for both airports and concessionaires. Labor
is a holdover issue for operators of all sizes in airports, but it is newly much more difficult to find workers than it had been pre-pandemic. Four airport concessions professionals discussed the issue and others affecting the bottom line during the Labor And The Cost Of Operating In Airports panel at the 2021 AX Conference. Staffing is a struggle. Further, in addition to being its own issue, it contributes to the supply chain woes that have choked many restaurants’ and retailers’ offerings throughout the past 18 months. While stores may not have enough associates to staff adequately, they may also be missing merchandise due to lack of delivery drivers or essential employees somewhere else along the chain. “It’s not just the people who work inside, it’s a global problem,” said Dawn Hunter, director, aviation commercial management for the Port of Seattle. “We’re having supply