AXN November/December 2021 by Airport Experience News

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 / V19 N238

Y E A R I N R E V I E W:

CONGRATULATIONS TO AXN’S 2021 DIRECTORS OF THE YEAR!

LOOKING BACK AT A PANDEMIC YEAR

SMALL AIRPORTS

MEDIUM AIRPORTS

LARGE AIRPORTS

Rick Tucker Executive Director & CEO

Rebecca Hupp

Mark Gale CEO & Director of Aviation Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport

Port of Huntsville

Director Boise Airport

Congratulations!

AXN Airport Directors of the Year Congratulations to Rick, Rebecca and Mark for earning this prestigious and well-deserved recognition. Your leadership, especially across the last 20 months, has always been admired and respected as you each have developed such impressive programs. Thank you for your remarkable efforts in raising the bar and continuing to elevate the quality of the traveler experience in our industry. We look forward to continued growth in 2022!

– Gregg Paradies and the Paradies Lagardère team!

paradieslagardere.com

3 Letter From the Editor-in-Chief 4 Data Check

More and more, the environmental impact of travel is a topic of discussion. Travelers in a recent study are hesitant to return to their old flying ways, but sustainable changes could change their minds.

12 Gale’s FLL Tenure

Mark Gale, AXN’s director of the year in the large airports category, has overseen an overhaul of facilities at Fort Lauderdale International Airport (FLL), his “second act” after retiring from Philadelphia International Airport (PHL).

16 Good Guy Gale

Mark Gale’s colleagues and peers have a lot to say about him, but it all boils down to his good nature, calming demeanor and friendly reception toward everyone he meets.

20 New Directions

Rebecca Hupp is AXN’s director of the year in the medium airports category because of her impact on Boise Airport and her peers, and her fresh ideas leading her team forward.

24 Hupp to the Task

Friends and colleagues alike can’t say enough about Rebecca Hupp’s hands-on leadership style and ability to tackle challenges.

28 Community Comes First

5 Latest Buzz

Rick Tucker, AXN’s director of the year in the small airports category, may run the Huntsville International Airport, but the impact of his work in aviation can be felt throughout his community, state and nation.

Two Montana airports were outgrowing their facilities before the pandemic, and now that the effects of the global shutdown are ebbing, passenger numbers are nearing their previous rates and it’s time to expand.

32 Team Tucker

8 Director’s Chair

Rick Tucker’s colleagues say he works tirelessly in support of his airport and community but is the last to take credit for success.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is renovating its three major airports with the goal of creating world-class facilities. Director of Aviation Huntley Lawrence talks capital projects, traffic trends and customer service.

36 New Year, New Industry?

46 Advertising Index 47 Before You Take Off

The past two years have been tumultuous, to say the least, but airport officials and concessions professionals alike may have reasons to be optimistic as travel continues to bounce back in 2022.

41 Year In Review

Few anticipated the highs and lows 2021 would bring, but looking back, the airport and concessions industries managed to continue growing and adapting through the everchanging world.

Sharing a home base with nationally known health and medical facility St. Jude Children’s Hospital sparked a need for a dedicated space for travelers moving through Memphis International on their way to treatment.

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TEAM Desiree Hanson

Executive Vice President

Melissa Montes Publisher

Carol Ward

Editor-in-Chief

Andrew Tellijohn

Senior Reporter

Shafer Ross

Copy Editor and Writer

Sally Kral

Contributing Writer

David Ward

Contributing Writer

Barbara Moreno

Portfolio Coordinator

Chad Wimmer

Senior Editorial Art Director

Rae Lynn Cooper

Production Manager

Amanda Gochee

Group Marketing Director

Paige Heady

Senior Marketing Manager

Catherine Babbidge

Marketing Coordinator

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Greg Topalian

President and Chief Executive Officer

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Airport Experience® News Is a Division of CLARION Events 6421 Congress Ave., Suite 107 Boca Raton, FL 33487 Phone 561.257.1026 Fax 561.228.0882 To subscribe visit https://airportxnews.com/subscribe/ ISSN: 1948-4445 Copyright © 2021 Airport Experience® News, all rights reserved. Any reproduction of this magazine is strictly forbidden without prior permission from Airport Experience® News.

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11 12/2021

Dear Readers, NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 / V19 N238

OUTLOOK

FOR A BETTER 2022?

MARK GALE

REBECCA HUPP

RICK TUCKER

CONGRATULATIONS TO AXN’S 2021 DIRECTORS OF THE YEAR!

Y E A R I N R E V I E W:

LOOKING BACK AT A PANDEMIC YEAR

As the industry looks to close out another challenging year, there is a growing sense of optimism among many. The big news this fall has been the opening of U.S. borders to vaccinated travelers from abroad. The shift breathes new life into the struggling international travel segment in North America and builds on continuing strong leisure travel. Business travel in most markets is still slow to return but there are a growing number of signs that a rebound, however mild, is underway. With the ongoing recovery as a backdrop, this issue of Airport Experience News highlights some of the key happenings in our industry in 2021 and looks to the future with a feature on expectations and predictions for the coming year. Even more importantly, this issue spotlights AXN’s 2021 Directors of the Year. Announced in October, the individuals awarded this honor are Rick Tucker, CEO of Port of Huntsville and Huntsville International Airport (HSV), in the small airports division; Rebecca Hupp, director of Boise Airport (BOI), in the medium airports division; and Mark Gale, CEO and director of aviation for Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), in the large airports division. Check out the full features on each of these airport executives! The AXN team is also gearing up for the 2022 Airport Experience Conference. You’ll be hearing lots of details in the coming weeks as we solidify our programming and experiences for the event. Please plan to join us February 27-March 2 at the Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando. We look forward to seeing you all there!

Best regards,

Carol Ward Editor-in-Chief Airport Experience News

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DATA CHECK

TRAVEL STALL

U.S. Travelers Show Weaker Travel Resolve But Are Intrigued By New, Sustainable Technologies BY CAROL WARD Post-Pandemic Travel Expectations

Leisure

Business

60%

t raveler s a re showi ng a hesitancy to resume past travel patterns, and more than a quarter say they plan to travel less in the future than they did pre-pandemic, according to an Ipsos poll conducted for U.S. Travel. However, the same respondents reported that if more sustainable, environmentally friendly travel options were readily available, they would be more likely to increase the amount they traveled. T he d at a shows t h at nea rly one-quarter (24 percent) of American travelers are planning to take fewer leisure trips than they did prior to the pandemic, and four in 10 business travelers plan to travel less for business than they did before COVID-19, before in-person meetings came to a standstill. More than one in five American travelers (21 percent) said they would travel more by car if their personal vehicle produced fewer carbon emissions than it does today, and 15 percent would do the same for air travel. According to U.S. Travel, if travel were to increase by just 5 percent as a result of more sustainable travel options, it would result in an additional $50 billion in annual travel spending. T he sur vey asked respondents specifically about emerging technologies that have the potential to greatly reduce travel times, such as the Virgin Hyperloop and Boom Supersonic aircraft. The survey showed that over two-thirds of respondents (67 percent) say they would take more frequent

U.S.

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50%

49%

46% 40%

40% 30% 24% 19%

20%

14% 9%

10%

0% Travel the same amount as before the pandemic

Travel more than before the pandemic

Travel less than before the pandemic

Unsure

Source: U.S. Travel, based on Ipsos poll conducted in mid-October, 2021.

Impact of Sustainable Travel Options

Leisure

Business 73%

No meaningful impact

69%

I would take more trips by personal vehicle if it produced fewer carbon emissions than it does today

21% 23%

I would take more trips by air per year if aircraft used more sustainable aviation fuels or technology that reduced carbon emissions

15% 18% 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Source: U.S. Travel, based on Ipsos poll conducted in mid-October, 2021.

leisure trips and 28 percent of business travelers would travel more for business if the Virgin Hyperloop technology was available to them. Nearly half of air travelers (47 percent) say they would be likely to take more frequent leisure trips to far away destinations and 16 percent of business travelers would take

more frequent business trips to far away destinations if Boom Supersonic aircraft technology was available. The online survey was conducted October 15-18, 2021 and involved more than 2,000 respondents aged 18-65. Ipsos said the margin of error is plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.

LATEST BUZZ

BIG SKY, BIG GROWTH Tourism, Population Growth Prompt Expansions Of Montana Airports BY DAVID WARD

Above: Set to open in April, the new South Concourse at Missoula Montana Airport will feature hold rooms with amenities such as charging stations, Wi-Fi, and windows with electro-chromatic glazing and tinting that offer spectacular views of the Montana landscape.

riven by a rapid recovery in tourism combined with general business growth as more people and companies move to Montana’s wideopen spaces, Missoula Montana Airport (MSO) and Glacier Park International Airport (FCA) have both embarked on major terminal expansions to add gates and improve the passenger experience.

Missoula Montana Airport Like many older airports, MSO found that steady annual passenger growth during the past decade left it struggling with a pre-9/11 design that had too many amenities and more space than necessary located pre-security.

“Our terminal was maybe the right size, but the space was all in the wrong places,” says Brian Ellestad, MSO airport director. “It was small and there was really no room to expand.” By the middle of the last decade airport officials were actively working on a solution and in 2018 broke ground the new MSO South Concourse, the first part of a two-phase, $110 million project. Expected to be completed in April 2022, the South Concourse will increase the total MSO terminal square footage by more than 50 percent to about 153,000 square feet, while also boosting the number of gates for carriers. “Currently we have seven [aircraft] parking spots and that will increase to eight when the first phase is completed,” Ellestad said.

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LATEST BUZZ

One of the major goals of the South Concourse project is to enhance the in-terminal experience for passengers by providing views of the breathtaking Montana scenery that surrounds the airport. “We live in the mountains, so we want people to see that,” Ellestad said, adding the project design features windows with electro-chromatic glazing and tinting so the airport won’t need to have shades. “Not only will it provide views in our hold rooms, it’s also going to be a cost savings because we don’t have to have as much heating. We’ll also have a pre-security viewing area, so you’ll be able to watch the runway from inside the terminal.” The improvement to the hold rooms include more charging stations, better wi-fi and digital signage. When completed the terminal will have three fireplaces and the steel beams inside will all have wood accents. “Our architect would call it ‘Montana modern’,” says Ellestad. “It a mixture of steel, wood and concrete that is board form, so it’s low maintenance but looks like wood.”

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MSO also used this opportunity to revamp its concession programs, bringing in new concessionaire Faber, Coe and Gregg, who quickly lured local brands KettleHouse Brewing Company and Black Coffee Roasting to the airport. Ellestad praises Faber, Coe and Gregg for engaging the Missoula population to find the most popular food and beverage options and then working with those locations to bring Montana flavors to MSO. “Even though they’re national they really focused on those local brands,” he says. Once complete, MSO will have a pre-security Black Coffee Roasting restaurant. Black Coffee Roasting will also have a second location post-security, joining two other restaurants that will operate under the KettleHouse Brewing umbrella. Even as the South Concourse nears completion, MSO is already laying the groundwork for Phase Two, which will add more gates and improve and expand the baggage claim and rental car areas. That phase is expected to be completed in 2024 or 2025.

Above: Among the features on the redesigned terminal at Missoula Montana Airport is a new observation room and fireplaces that will provide warmth as well as sense of place for travelers to the area.

“With the second phase we’ll go from four to six bridges, plus two ground boarding gates, so eight in total,” Ellestad says. “When that’s finished, we’ll end up with around 200,000 square feet, and that’s really the size we’ll need going forward.” With 2021 passenger traffic nearly on pace to match the previous record set in 2019, Ellestad says he is confident demand will be there for all add the added space. But he says passengers are already praising many of the changes that took place early in the construction, including moving the TSA checkpoints, which made the airport far more user friendly.

LATEST BUZZ

Glacier Park International Airport Below: When it is completed in 2024, the terminal expansion as Glacier Park International Airport will nearly triple the airport’s square footage and feature highceilings and plenty of windows to enhance the passenger experience. Bottom: The terminal expansion at Glacier Park International Airport will include curbside design elements such as wood, stone and glass that provide a welcome first impression for the tourists that drive much the passenger volume at the airport.

Located in Kalispell in the northwest part of Montana, Glacier Park International Airport (FCA) has long been the gateway to one of the country’s most scenic national parks. Because the area was so tourist driven, FCA found that passenger volume peaked during summer tourist season and dropped off in other months. “We’d go from around 15,000-20,000 enplanements in April up to 70,000 enplanements in August,” says FCA Director Rob Ratkowski. “And when we were experiencing these high-high peaks our building was just getting overcrowded.” In recent years, traffic during the peak months continued to climb, but passenger volumes also rose during other months

as more people were attracted to the area for skiing and other winter and spring activities. FCA’s total annual enplanements went from about 270,000 in 2017 to an expected 400,000-plus enplanements in 2021, remarkable growth considering the impact of the pandemic on tourism in other parts of the country. By early 2020, FCA had finalized a new expanded design and began moving forward on a $100 million project that will add 125,000 square feet of space, nearly tripling the size of the terminal. But just as officials were poised to start soliciting financing, the pandemic put the project on hold. “We were a week away from breaking ground but fortunately we hadn’t spent any money,” Ratkowski said. “We hunkered down and waited until we got back to our 2017 passenger counts.” By the fall and winter of 2020, the visitors were back and FCA again moved forward on obtaining financing that now includes TSA grant money, user fees as well as loan secured through one of Kalispell’s local banks. While the terminal expansion won’t be finished until 2024, current design plans call for additional gates as well as added square footage for TSA operations and passengers. All told the airport will have tripled in size by the time the project is complete. “We’re going to have bigger hold rooms, more space for baggage claim and a metergreeter lobby, which we haven’t had since it got sacrificed for the TSA checkpoint,” Ratkowski says. “There’s also a planned restaurant and bar upstairs and a lot more circulation throughout the terminal.” The expansion project will grow the number of gates from six to seven, with the potential to add one more if travel numbers continue to grow. As for the interior design, Ratkowski says, “We’re going to have a lot of glass, a lot of high ceilings and a lot of wood.” While the formal completion of the expansion project is still a few years away, FCA has begun to outline the parameters for an upgraded concessions program and has brought in a concessions consultant to determine the best ways to enhance the passenger experience and drive revenues. “It’s a little early,” Ratkowski says, “but we do have plans for local brands and several businesses in the area have already expressed some interest.”

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DIRECTOR’S CHAIR

CREATING GLOBAL POWERHOUSES Few U.S. Airports Shine on the World Stage; PANYNJ’s Lawrence Is Determined To Change That BY CAROL WARD

ditor’s Note: The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) is on a mission to revamp the major commercial airports under its jurisdiction to create world-class facilities. Each of the three main airports – John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and LaGuardia Airport (LGA) – is in the midst of a massive overhaul, and most of the transformations are happening with a publicprivate partnership approach. Huntley Lawrence is the acting chief operating officer and director of aviation for the PANYNJ. He recently joined AXN’s Carol Ward for a conversation about the current state of travel and the plans underway to create airport facilities that rival those found throughout the world. This is an edited version of that interview. The full video interview can be found on the Airport Experience Hub at airportxhub.com.

Above: Huntley Lawrence, acting chief operating officer and director of aviation for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

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WARD: Can you give me an overview of how the three major commercial airports are faring, from a passenger volume perspective, as the pandemic begins to ebb and travelers are slowly coming back? LAWRENCE: We’re certainly continuing to see passenger totals increase with activity across the entire airport system. In mid-October, we’re somewhere around 65 to 70 percent of what we saw for this same period in 2019. It appears that Newark Airport is recovering a little quicker than our other airports, which makes sense, given how much JFK relies on international travel and how much LaGuardia relies on business travel. We are really pleased to see that we’ve received government approval for vaccinated individuals to arrive in the United States. We think this is going to be a game changer for international travel. We’re also seeing more and more in-person business conferences and meetings taking place, which we think suggests that the appetite for business travel is increasing as well. We think the progress we’ve seen so far throughout the year should continue into 2022 with the belief that the international sector will accelerate in terms of recovery.

I’ll certainly hasten to add that we’ve seen on previous multiple occasions that this virus is pernicious and persistent and is capable of adapting – it can certainly evade all of our efforts to be corralled. Any forecast of growth that we’re talking about in air travel must really be tempered with that caveat around what we believe today may change as soon as tomorrow. WARD: Let’s talk about capital projects at the three major commercial airports. Can you give me an overview update on the major projects at Newark, LaGuardia and JFK? LAWRENCE: I certainly can, but I want to give you a little bit of a perspective. When you think about airports in New York you don’t really think about those airports as being world class facilities. Our aspiration is to be a world class operator of world class airports. And that really is focused on three pillars: one is the capital improvements and investments that we’re talking about; the second component is a focus around customer experience; and the third is 21st century governance. We talk about governance, meaning relationships that you have with vendors, terminal operators and others that use your airport.

DIRECTOR’S CHAIR

[Regarding] the capital projects that are underway, we can start at LaGuardia Airport. It’s taken more choreography than a Broadway musical, but there is still some work remaining on Terminal B. The terminal is substantially complete – about 90 percent done. Concourse A West is connected to an elevated pedestrian bridge and is planned to open in Q1 2022. The subsequent completion of additional items will take us to near a hundred percent by July 2022. LaGuardia’s Terminal C is about 60 percent done. The headhouse for the new terminal will open in 2022 with Concourses E, D and F opening in Q3 of 2024 and Q4 of 2024, respectively. We will see substantial completion of LaGuardia’s Terminal C in 2024. The two new terminals will be connected by a Central Hall and hopefully a future rail access that brings you to the center of the facility . Certainly, access to the airport is very important to us as we are developing world class airports.

If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for ordinary.

Above, Right: JFK’s planned Terminal 1 Commercial Plaza and Terminal 6-7 Concessions are part of a multi-year, multi-terminal effort to transform the airport into a world-class facility.

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DIRECTOR’S CHAIR

Right: The more than 1.3 million square feet of the new Terminal B at LaGuardia Airport will be flooded with natural light and feature exciting food, retail and beverage options for passengers. Right, Below: Newark Terminal A, which is a replacement of an existing 28 gate terminal, is a new, 1 million square foot, 33-gate facility that is anticipated to open in the spring of 2022 with 22 gates, followed by a full opening, including the remaining gates, by the end of 2022.

We do have a project that has an approved [environmental impact study]. We are taking a look at alternatives for that project at the request of Governor Hochul. We’re certainly going to be working in close consultation with independent experts and stakeholders. We are also building a consolidated rental car facility and public parking facility, both located in a single facility. We’re going to open with initially 2,700 parking spaces in the spring and we expect to be fully operational with the CONRAC facility by spring of 2023. We’ve also put in place a new roadway network that has seven of eight bridges completed to date as we are working on a new world-class frontage. There is a lot happening at JFK. And very candidly, there is a very detailed vision study that was initiated by former Governor Cuomo that included a complete transformation of JFK Airport. We envision a new JFK Terminal 1. We envision the existing Terminal 2 will be demolished and Delta Air Lines, which occupies Terminal 2, will relocate into Terminal 4. We will invest in significant improvements in the redevelopment of Terminal 4, including the construction of an extended concourse and the relocation of some activity from the West Concourse to the East Concourse. On the north side we

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are going to be advancing a new Terminal Six. It will allow us to have a facility adjacent to the existing Terminal 5. Vantage [Airport Group], partnering with JetBlue Airways, will be operating new Terminal 6. We also will demolish Terminal 7, which is currently where British Airways is. British Airways will co-locate with American Airlines at Terminal 8, and we’ll spend about $344 million – or American will spend $344 million with British Airways – to modernize that terminal and accommodate the move for British Airways. JFK’s cargo redevelopment began earlier this year with Aeroterms’ new state-of-the-art facility breaking ground in the airport’s north area. Additional cargo opportunities are being planned on adjacent

sites. The Port Authority is also coordinating with the New York state DOT on … significantly improving airport access. Tied all together with this is a focus on improved electrical resiliency and sustainable energy and making sure that we have power through clean sources like solar – that’s a very important emphasis … across all airports. At Newark Airport we’re also looking to replace the train. We’re going to replace the existing outdated AirTrain with a world class rail trail transit system that offers 21st century customer experience for airport and visitors. We’ve got an active procurement process on the way for design build to operate and maintain effort.

DIRECTOR’S CHAIR

WARD: Many of your projects are financed through public-private partnerships, which is certainly not unheard of in the U.S., but it’s somewhat atypical. Why do you take that approach? LAWRENCE: Public-private partnerships have been part of the Port Authority’s DNA going back into the 1960s. The model really continues to work for many projects because it mitigates the risk and shifts the financial burden for us, while the private partners can benefit in the actual projects themselves. We work out a fair and a reasonable revenue stream and then the private sector – with our design guidance and criteria – can design quicker, build faster and help to take on certain risks such construction, staging and phasing, [which is helpful] especially when you’re operating a busy facility. That said, even though we don’t run the vast majority of our terminals, we are

no longer going to [cede] control of the customer experience in those terminals. What we realized is that for far too long that was the case and customers suffered from it. The experience was not what we wanted, and we contracted out that experience and didn’t take accountability and responsibility for it. I think that we’ve got a huge focus around customer experience and ASQ are pulling together quite a few bits of data to understand our customers better. We’re looking forward to seeing customers come back to our facilities while we also provide new and improved facilities and address some of the customer experience concerns for the past. WARD: Keeping with the passenger experience, have the needs of the postpandemic traveler changed? LAWRENCE: Our concessions programs are really evolving continuously to

meet the demands of the changing traffic demographic. Think about what’s happening right now with leisure travel leading the recovery of traffic. It’s important for us to have services, shops, stores, restaurants that meet this travel demographic. We think that there’s going to be a continuous evolution in how we look at the concessions, not just here but across the industry. One thing we all have to think about is, what is the future of the way concessions agreements are structured? We’ve got minimum annual guarantees. We’ve got formulas that are based on the number of enplanements. Then we’ve got events like COVID-19, that some would argue are force majeure events. I think there is a lot of discussion that needs to take place. Many airports have started that conversation already. We are in the midst of it as well.

Mark Gale of Ft. Lauderdale Airport has been named Airport Director of the Year, Large Airports Division.

CONGRATULATIONS Mark, Thank you for your visionary leadership of FLL and your partnership approach with HMSHost. STEVE JOHNSON | PRESIDENT & CEO, HMSHOST

MARK GALE | FT. LAUDERDALE AIRPORT

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2021

DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR LARGE AIRPORTS

SECOND A Mark Gale Oversees Expansion, Renovation And Myriad Challenges At FLL After A “First Act” At PHL BY ANDREW TELLIJOHN

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ACT Left: Mark Gale, AXN Director of the Year in the large airports division, took on the role of CEO at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport as a second career after “retiring” from Philadelphia International Airport.

Mark Gale started his aviation career as an intern at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) in 1985, working his way up to the CEO role, which he held for seven years. After promising his wife a second act that included warmer winters, in 2016 he took on the role of CEO at Fort LauderdaleHollywood International Airport (FLL) during a time when its passenger counts were growing dramatically, and its facilities were all undergoing renewals. He’s been a long-time player on the national aviation scene, active in both Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA) and the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), and as a tireless advocate for the advancement of women and minorities throughout the industry. For his efforts, Gale has been named AXN’s Director of the Year in the large airports division.

Humble Beginnings While Gale attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and had a pretty good sense he wanted to work in aviation, his first experience was humbling. He took a job right out of high school with Altair Airlines and went through several weeks of training before receiving a call one evening saying he didn’t need to report to work the next day. It was through no fault of his own, however. The airline had folded and everyone lost their jobs overnight. A while later, he discovered an airport management internship at PHL, his hometown airport growing up. He applied for the work-study job but initially worried it, too, wouldn’t work out. “My first three weeks as an intern I thought I had made the biggest mistake of my life,” he says. “After the first three weeks, something changed. I don’t know what it was, but I started to really enjoy it. And then by the end of my first internship there I knew it was what I wanted to do.”

He did a second internship and after graduating from Embry-Riddle was hired permanently as a management trainee. “I worked hard and gave them pretty much all I had,” he says. “I was rewarded with numerous promotions and opportunities and had good teachers along the way.”

Modernization Movement At FLL Broward County Commissioner Bertha Henry, who organized the search that resulted in Gale’s hire, met with him at PHL and followed him around for a day, impressed with his willingness to pick up trash off the floor or do other tasks some might consider menial, and amazed at how comfortable everyone from airport wayfinders to concessions partners felt approaching him, addressing him by his first name, to discuss problems or share a story. “He came up through the ranks,” Henry says of Gale’s ascension at PHL. “I think some of that rubs off on him in terms of how he interacts with people.” Henry knew after that visit that Gale was her recommendation for the job at FLL. Thus, in 2016 he took on the new role. FLL had just completed a billion-dollar runway addition and was heading into a significant period of terminal modernization and development. “A lot of the roadmap had been placed out there, some design work was done,” Gale says. “Airlines had signed on to some of this.” The first project he oversaw was the $200 million addition of Concourse A. FLL partnered with Southwest Airlines on that project, which opened in July 2017. The 300,000-square-foot facility added five swing gates that can accommodate either international or domestic flights and several concessions options to Terminal 1. Southwest CEO Gary Kelly isn’t involved with the day-to-day details of such projects, but he has met Gale several times. He and his airport affairs team have found him to be a straight shooter and a good partner.

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2021

DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR LARGE AIRPORTS

Above: Broward County Aviation Department employees celebrate being awarded with the 2019 Salute to Business Transportation Award from the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce. Right: FLL had just completed a billiondollar runway addition when Gale joined, and he in turn is overseeing a significant period of terminal modernization and development.

Directors prove their mettle during large capital projects, Kelly says, and Gale made it happen in a way that worked for both parties. “It’s better to have a partnership approach moving through these,” Kelly says. “It was a big project. It was a big deal for us to launch international service for the first time out of Fort Lauderdale. The whole launch was dependent on the success of that project and he brought it home.” That was followed closely thereafter by an overhaul of Terminal 2, in tandem with Delta Air Lines, that included a new Sky Club on the mezzanine level for the airline. It also improved gate areas and restrooms and raised the ceilings with a new barrelshaped roof. “We can actually look down into the concourse, but you also look right out the window on to the airfield,” Gale says. “We’re finishing that up right now.” At the same time, in partnership with JetBlue Airways, FLL is finishing up a modernization and expansion program in Terminal 3 that adds new restaurants, restrooms, ticket counters, terrazzo floors and some enhancements “to get rid of some of the 1980s look and feel,” Gale says. “It was long overdue for a renovation.”

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Finally, FLL has nearly completed a $672 million, multi-year, multi-phase overhaul of its Terminal 4. The project started with the addition of Concourse G West, which added some gates and 30,000 square feet of concessions, which opened in 2015. The next phase added several more gates as part of Concourse G East in December 2017. The central corridor connecting each side of the concourse opened in October 2019. That involved tearing down Concourse H and replacing it with the new center portion of Concourse G. The airport’s administration offices moved into the upper level of the corridor building in late 2020.

Projects Going Forward Much of the work has been brought on as a result of growth. The projects have been done under the auspices of FLL’s previous master plan. It’s been necessary because, while FLL has seen passenger growth through most of the 21st century, it accelerated between 2013, when about 23 million passengers traversed the airport, and 2019, when traffic approached 37 million passengers. “So, as that was occurring over the last five or six years, we kept on revisiting the master plan to identify what this airport really needs to look like going forward into the future,” Gale says.

Right: Gale has been involved with key industry organizations, including ACI-NA and AAAE, throughout much of his extensive career.

FLL has solicitations on the street for another $100 million worth of projects that will connect Terminals 1 and 2 and Terminals 2 and 3 so all four of the airport’s terminals will be accessible behind security. “We’re going to take on the connector project ourselves,” he says. The airport is also partnering, again, with JetBlue on planning for a new, five-gate, $306 million Terminal 5 that the airport views as a bridge between the old master plan and a new one, envisioned in tandem with Ricondo & Associates, that will guide its plans for the rest of Gale’s tenure and beyond. Terminal 5 cannot be expanded due to land constraints, but those additional five gates are necessary to mitigate the loss of existing gates during construction on projects planned down the line. A small amount of space near that new terminal was set aside for a possible non-aeronautical revenue-based project. Such projects have long been important to airports, but they may be increasingly vital looking forward as airports review the impacts of the COVID-19 global pandemic. “If we learned anything, we really need to take a look at the revenue portfolios of airports,” Gale says. “If it were not for these huge bailouts from the federal government, we would be looking at a very different landscape in the future. I would be remiss in doing my job if I didn’t look at our financial portfolios in a little bit different way as we go forward, to see if there are other ways of investing and bringing money into the fold.” As part of its new plan, FLL also is working with other agencies in the community, like Port Everglades, to make sure travelers embarking on or finishing cruises in the city get the service they need. “Some would say ‘wouldn’t it be great if there were some kind of automated connection between the airport and the seaport,’” Gale says. “That was actually looked at about 15 years ago or more, it just never came to fruition. It became a focal point of our master plan – how do we make this happen to be able to provide an experience coming through our airport or through our seaport like no other in the world?”

Industry Involvement When not managing airport affairs at FLL, Gale currently is first vice chair of AAAE. He’ll take on the role of chairman in mid-2022 from Larry Krauter, CEO at Spokane International Airport (GEG). Krauter was at Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE) when he first met Gale. They were on similar career tracks and they would regularly talk while Gale was in operations at PHL. They often compared notes on regional capacity, weather, regionalization and other aspects of airport management. Krauter appreciated Gale’s accessibility. “Even though he worked at a larger facility than I did, he never was too busy to take a call or respond to an email or text,” Krauter says. Krauter also has been impressed with Gale’s measured, calm approach and the way he works with people. “He has a very caring personality,” Krauter says. “Our jobs require us at times to be pretty tough, but I don’t think you could be successful at the CEO level if you didn’t truly care about people.” Gale has also been on the executive team with ACI-NA. He chaired the Large Hub Airport Committee for several years and is in a second term on the U.S. Policy Council. “The main reason I do it is to be with my colleagues, for my colleagues, to be able to do things that advance our industry,” he says. “It’s something that I firmly believe in.” He’s also involved in several local and national civic and community organizations. He served several years on the board of the Conference of Minority

Transportation Officials (COMTO), which attempts to level the playing field and maximize participation in the transportation industry for minority individuals, businesses and communities of color. Gale is married to a woman from Jamaica. He has family members who are people of color. He’s currently reviewing historically black universities and colleges with his 15-year-old grandson to find the best fit for him. So, while he sees it as the right thing to do for the airport and the industry, it also is an issue he takes quite seriously personally. “I don’t view my family as people of color, they’re my family,” he says. “But, at the same time, being that they are my family, and over the course of time, seeing what I consider to be discrimination and biases against minorities, against people of color, against women, has always bothered me.” Todd Hauptli, president and CEO of the AAAE, has noticed Gale’s commitment to diversity and to the industry going back decades. “It’s something that matters a lot to him,” Hauptli says. It’s very personal to him and he’s made it a priority at the airport and all of the organizations that he serves in.” Hauptli also called Gale “unflappable” and someone he’d want to be around in times of trouble. Hauptli said Gale calmly led the airport’s handling of a live shooter incident in 2017 and a bomb threat in the fall of 2021. “He’s just very calm in a storm,” Hauptli says. “He’s somebody that is such a solid pro.”

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2021

DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR LARGE AIRPORTS

CALM, SAVVY AND APPROACHABLE

FLL’s Gale Liked, Respected By Airport, Industry, City Colleagues BY ANDREW TELLIJOHN While Mark Gale’s most recent roles have been at the director level as CEO of Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) and as CEO and director of aviation at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), those who know him personally and professionally say he’s never forgotten his roots. He started as an intern at PHL and worked his way up the organizational chart before becoming the leader. And he still speaks freely with everyone, whether in the C-suite or the convenience store. He’s a savvy leader but also open to helping anyone who reaches out seeking assistance with a problem. And he’s able to stay calm, no matter the stormy circumstances. Here’s what some of his friends and colleagues had to say about him:

JOHN DUVAL National Aviation Director Austin Commercial

“I was director of operations at Logan [International Airport (BOS)] and he was director of operations at PHL. We used to call each other regularly, share stories and ask each other for advice on similar problems. Our relationship goes back 30-plus years. We’ve played a lot of golf together. We get together at conferences. I consider him one of the nicest men I know and a very good friend. He’s the kind of guy who would do whatever he could for you. I used to refer my staff to him and even sent people to PHL to learn how he was dealing with operational issues. And he was always open to helping other airports and airport executives solve issues.”

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BERTHA HENRY Broward County Administrator

TODD HAUPTLI President and CEO American Association of Airport Executives

“[I’ll go with] that old proverbial line – if you’re going to be in a foxhole with somebody, you want it to be Mark Gale. He had that active shooter situation down in Fort Lauderdale. More recently he had a big bomb scare, bomb threat that closed part of the airport for a while. He’s just very calm in a storm. He’s been around the industry for decades, cut his teeth in operations in Philly and moved up the food chain. He’s just a solid pro.”

“When I first went to visit Mark, I said ‘show me around the airport.’ I had on my walking shoes and we started walking. Invariably, people from all walks of life were walking up to him, calling him Mark. These were random people, people who ran concessions, people who were plugged in to the business community, people just traveling through the airport and they stopped. The one that got me the most was a young lady with a red and white outfit, she was a greeter. She helped people find their way. She started engaging him in a conversation. I could tell she was comfortable. I said to myself ‘here’s a guy from the top of the ladder to the bottom of the ladder, people felt comfortable stopping him to talk.’ I thought if someone is that approachable … this is my guy.”

GARY KELLY, CEO of Southwest Airlines

“He works very hard to understand our needs. Sometimes it’s difficult to deliver, but once he understands he is very customer service-oriented in meeting the needs of his airline clients. He’s a great partner. I’ve always enjoyed personally working with him. He’s been a great friend. He’s a dean of the industry.”

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2021

DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR LARGE AIRPORTS

BOB SWINDELL CEO Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance:

LARRY KRAUTER CEO Spokane International Airport (GEG)

“What I always liked about Mark was his accessibility. Even though he worked at a larger facility than I did he never was too busy to take a call or respond to an email or a text. He was always great at touching base, checking back in, saying ‘hey, how are things going.’ We always enjoyed that friendship and collegial bond. … We would always compare notes on things and trade best practices with each other about how we were doing things. That accessibility and the fact that he was so well versed as a professional on so many facets of airport management, I really respect and have always appreciated. You know when he is signed up to work somewhere, he’s all in.”

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“During the pandemic, Mark was one of those calm individuals. While everyone was wringing their hands wondering what we were going to do, Mark came across as even-keeled, calm and saying ‘we’re going to get through this alright.’ We were on a weekly call with some of our top hotel GMs and people whose whole lives are in the hospitality sector. The concept that a pandemic could shut an entire industry down was really unnerving. The industry really appreciated that Mark took the time out and made himself available on those calls. If somebody had questions, he was an easy resource for people. It was a reassuring voice during a really turbulent time for a big part of our industry here.”

GREGG PARADIES President and CEO Paradies Lagardère:

“Mark takes on big challenges. Not that any airports are simple, but Fort Lauderdale and Philadelphia are two of the more complex airports. I’ve always been impressed with the way that Mark is able to lead these airports in a way that is focused on the traveler. He is able to navigate all the different challenges he has. He’s very savvy, both politically and from a business standpoint and that’s what it takes. Those airports have had a lot of growth and construction projects. Navigating around growth and construction projects takes a lot of fortitude, determination and creativity, and Mark has definitely shown that.”

CONGRATULATIONS

MARK GALE

AIRPORT EXPERIENCE NEWS

DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR LARGE AIRPORTS CATEGORY The Team would like to congratulate our CEO and Director for his support and leadership, especially during these unprecedented times in the aviation industry. Mark, we could not have become one of the fastest growing large airports in the U.S. without you.

Well Done Boss!

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport North Perry Airport

2021

DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR MEDIUM AIRPORTS

BOOMING REGION, BOOMING AIRPORT Hupp And Team Take BOI To Next Level BY ANDREW TELLIJOHN

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Left: For her work in leading growth at Boise Airport, building strong relationships with community groups and her work in the industry, Rebecca Hupp has been named AXN’s Director of the Year in the medium airports category.

In February 2021, JetBlue announced plans to launch service from Boise Airport (BOI) to John F. Kennedy International (JFK) starting in July, marking the first time BOI had a nonstop flight to New York. The achievement fulfilled a long-term goal of both the community and Airport Director Rebecca Hupp. It was just the latest announcement coming from BOI about new service, new routes, new airlines and a better network of flights serving the region. “Nonstop service to New York City is something our community has been asking for,” Hupp said at the time. BOI and Hupp saw passenger traffic grow 49 percent between 2014 and 2019. The non-stop route network has grown from 16 to nearly 30 during her 12-year tenure. The expansion in passenger demand resulted in another achievement: the Federal Aviation Administration reclassified BOI as a medium hub airport. For her work in leading this growth, building strong relationships with community groups and her work in the industry, Hupp has been named AXN’s Director of the Year in the medium airports category. “She’s the best airport director I’ve ever worked for,” says Bill Connors, president and CEO of the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce. “Whenever I introduce her, I say she’s the best airport director in the country. She’s done a great job here.”

Growing In A Booming Economy Hupp acknowledges that in growing the airport’s traffic and route network she’s had some help. She credits a region that has become increasingly popular for its low cost of living and its tax-friendly business climate, and a strong staff that sources in the community say love working for her. Boise also has a relatively mild climate for a northern city and it is the only major commercial airport for more than 500 miles, she says.

“Boise really has become known as a great place to live for a variety of reasons,” she says. “It also is less expensive than some of our larger cities, both to the west and to the east. That has made Boise a very attractive place to live.” But civic leaders who work with her say she also has a unique grasp on how the airport and community organizations like the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce and the Boise Convention & Visitor’s Bureau work better together than apart. “She’s really engaged in the community, particularly the business community, because she understands the economic development importance of the airport as an asset,” Connors says. And, they say, she has done a great job building a team that has, in turn, thrived when it comes to operating a clean, efficient, user-friendly airport. “Everybody who goes to the Boise Airport says what a great facility it is and how easy it is to use,” he adds. Boise Mayor Lauren McLean credits Hupp with contributing to the vibrancy of the local community by helping those who work and live there connect with opportunities outside the city. “Our residents must be able to connect to opportunities when and where they exist,” McLean says. “Those opportunities are not only in and around Boise, but around the region, country and world. Director Hupp has done incredible work making those connections for Boiseans, and in helping others connect to our beautiful city.”

Transition To Medium Hub Hupp acknowledges the work she and her team have put in building relationships in the community to find out what airlines and routes they should be prioritizing. Another factor adding to the successful growth at BOI has been an airline marketing incentive program that supplements all of the attributes the city already enjoys.

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2021

DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR MEDIUM AIRPORTS

Above: BOI saw passenger traffic grow 49 percent between 2014 and 2019. The non-stop route network has grown from 16 to nearly 30 during Hupp’s 12-year tenure. Left: Demand for parking exceeds available capacity. Several projects are in the works, but the layout of existing facilities requires a certain order to completing upgrades.

Boise also recruited a 135,000-square-foot SkyWest maintenance facility to the airport in 2015. SkyWest flies for multiple carriers and many of those planes are now routed to Boise overnight for maintenance. “That added service that we maybe otherwise wouldn’t have received,” Hupp says. “Our community responded positively to that, meaning the service was well utilized and when the service is utilized, then airlines continue to add more flights.” Hupp prefers remaining under the radar when possible, but is proud of what has been accomplished. “Big companies want to make sure that they have multiple access points to the national transportation system, and internationally as well,” she says. “And Boise has great connectivity via hubs to virtually anywhere in the world.” With growth comes new challenges. BOI’s reclassification from a small to medium hub earlier this year could reduce the amount of federal funding the airport receives for airport improvement grants. It also adds federal regulatory requirements related to passenger services, airline competition plans and reporting. But BOI has been preparing for this, Hupp says. The airport recently met two requirements by constructing a service animal relief area and a nursing room, each of which are required for medium hubs. “The Boise Airport has been anticipating this reclassification,” she says. “We have been on the borderline between small and medium for quite some time.”

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Building Up Capacity It’s unlikely the reclassification is temporary. All the factors that came together to cause this growth at the airport are expected to continue. And, while COVID19 wasn’t fun for anyone, the pandemic did give BOI officials time to breathe and plan. Otherwise, when at peak, the airport and its existing amenities are stretched. “We definitely used it to our advantage to continue planning,” she says. “We never stopped the design.” Demand for parking, at least during normal times, exceeds available capacity. And the airport itself is full, as well, Hupp says. Several projects are in the works, but the layout of existing facilities requires a certain order to completing upgrades. As traffic returns, Hupp says the airport has bid out an employee garage and a public parking garage together as a single project “in the hopes that we get better pricing,” she says. “Because it’s a larger project, we’re hoping that it will alleviate some of the supply chain issues and allow some economies of scale.” BOI also is in the design phase for a Consolidated Rental Car Facility. Both employee parking and existing rental car parking need to be moved and an aircraft parking apron to the south needs to be constructed, likely in 2022 or 2023, in order to build a new concourse, likely in 2024 or 2025. A security checkpoint expansion in 2019 that added a sixth lane also is now insufficient for current traffic.

“Luckily we have some sufficient space there that we can do that and we’ll be able to squeeze in one more lane as a relatively quick fix,” she says. “It’ll be ready for peak season next year.” But all the projects need to be done in the proper sequence to make sure space is available. “We’re just trying to be ready for it,” she says. “Our community has continued to grow during COVID. While we haven’t seen as much travel, people have continued to move here. So, I expect that when passenger travel returns to normal levels, we will see increased travel.” She’s also working to add non-aeronautical revenue opportunities at the airport, planning this fall to release a request for expressions of interest for a 300-acre industrial park on airport property. “It’ll allow us to diversify our revenue,” she says. “We expect with our developer that the whole project will be built out in about 10 years.”

Early Aviation Interests Managing through a pandemic and planning major capital projects for future growth wasn’t initially part of Hupp’s aviation dream. While she assessed early on that aviation was an option, she initially looked at the airline industry, whether working for a carrier, as a consultant or perhaps the FAA in a regulatory role. It was as her college years came to a close that she began realizing airports might have a wider variety of career options.

“For me, just the breadth of opportunity at airports was more intriguing,” she says. “I liked the different aspects of the airport environment, whether it be operations, business development, project management – I think that is what really attracted me to the airports.” She spent time at Kansas City International (MCI), becoming one of the first employees to go through a management training program there. Hupp then moved on to Aberdeen International Airport (ABZ), which was smaller than MCI but allowed her the opportunity to lead a team and take on a variety of challenges. Finally, she went to Bangor International Airport (BGR), which presented an interesting learning opportunity because it’s a designated diversion point for many airlines and for the Transportation Security Administration. She was there for 12 years before heading to Boise, a community with an airport she found interesting and challenging and a family life she found attractive.

Commitment To Sustainability While Hupp is deeply involved in the local Boise community, she continues to find time for involvement on the national stage, as well. She has long been involved with the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), both on the national board and in leadership roles with most recently the Northeast Chapter. Early on, getting accredited was important because “it’s a designation that speaks highly to the professional caliber of a person,” she says. Now she appreciates the networking opportunities. And she currently chairs the organization’s Environmental Committee, which is looking at air quality, water quality, emissions and noise. One of the big issues right now is the “forever chemicals” found in the foam used to fight fires involving jet, diesel and other hydrocarbon-based fuels. “That’s an issue I’m heavily involved in, monitoring how we as an industry respond to the risk of the chemical, how we mitigate and also how we are prepared moving forward to fight fires if we can’t have this foam,” she says. She takes sustainability seriously back home at BOI, as well, incorporating environmentally friendly strategies into development whenever possible. The airport, for example, installed a solar power project a few years ago that powers its entire hot water system.

“We’ve expanded it because it has been successful,” Hupp says. “It is definitely something on our radar and we are continuing to explore increasing, for example, solar use. … we don’t have it all figured out yet, but it’s something we are keeping as a priority.” Mayor McLean complimented Hupp’s efforts in this area. “Under her leadership,” she says, “the airport, like the rest of the city, is helping to create a sustainable environment for generations.”

Down Time When Hupp finds down time she’s frequently heading off to sporting events.

She has two teenaged boys, one on the football team, one on the swim team. And she likes to travel, at least during non-COVID times, whether it’s skiing, hiking or jetting to England and Scotland and checking out an off-thebeaten-path, Harry Potter-themed attraction. Hupp is happy to have found an opportunity that is a good fit for both spending time with family and growing her career. “It’s always been about not just the job, but also the location,” she says. “So, for me, Boise was a great professional opportunity, but also, personally, it was very attractive to me and my family.”

Below: Hupp worked at a few small airports before landing in Boise 12 years ago. At that time, Boise Airport was classified as a small hub but it recently graduated to the medium-hub classification.

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2021

DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR MEDIUM AIRPORTS

GETTING IT

DONE

BOI’s Hupp Grows Airport Through Partnerships With Community, Industry BY ANDREW TELLIJOHN

Rebecca Hupp prefers being behind the scenes over being in the spotlight. But, by virtue of being airport director at Boise Airport (BOI), Hupp spends a certain amount of time in the public eye. And civic and industry leaders say she does it well, immersing herself in the needs of both her city and the airport industry, all while expanding flight and passenger counts. Here’s what her friends and colleagues had to say:

LAUREN McLEAN Boise Mayor

“Our residents must be able to connect to opportunities when and where they exist. Those opportunities are not only in and around Boise, but around the region, country and the world. Director Hupp has done incredible work making those connections for Boiseans, and in helping others connect to our beautiful city. I’m committed to creating a thriving local economy. The Boise Airport, and its growing number of nonstop flights and destinations, is critical to our economy, because it connects our small, medium, and large businesses to the world.”

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BILL CONNORS President and CEO Boise Metro Chamber

“What’s great about Rebecca is she’s really engaged in the community, particularly in the business community, because she knows the economic development importance of the airport as an asset. And she’s actively engaged with the chamber, she’s on our executive committee. She’s also been on the board of the Boise Convention and Visitors Bureau because she knows the importance of bringing conventions into town. She’s also great at operations. Everybody who goes to the Boise airport says it’s a great facility and [remarks on] how easy it is to use, how quickly in and out you can get. She’s a great ops person and has built a great staff, and she is highly regarded by her staff and highly regarded by the community.”

DIANE NORTON Tourism Manager Idaho Tourism

“Rebecca Hupp has done an outstanding job as director of Boise Airport by securing nonstop flights into key emerging markets for business and leisure travelers to Idaho. Tourism is Idaho’s third-largest industry. Connecting domestic and international travelers to the Gem State is paramount to Idaho’s growth.”

LARRY KRAUTER CEO Spokane International Airport (GEG)

“I have much respect and admiration for Rebecca. First, one thing readers might enjoy knowing is that she is a veteran. We both served in the U.S. Army at different times so we enjoy having military service in common. Rebecca’s husband Joe is currently serving in the military and Rebecca and her two sons have endured long deployments. When you think about the demands of being an airport director and add on to that the responsibilities of being a parent and dealing with long absences of a spouse, I am just in awe of what that takes. And you would never know it, because Rebecca never, never complains. She has a positive outlook on life and she brings that to her work and to her service to the industry through the many leadership positions she has held.”

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2021

DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR MEDIUM AIRPORTS

CATHRYN STEPHENS Director Eugene Airport (EUG):

“This is my second career. My first was in journalism. At one of the very first conferences I attended, I was in a room full of people I didn’t know, in the lunch buffet line looking for a place to sit. Rebecca came up to me, introduced herself and asked if I would have lunch with her. That is how we got to know each other, over that very first lunch where she reached out to a total stranger. We’ve been allies ever since. We support each other, we bounce ideas off each other. She’s been incredible to me as I’ve learned about aviation industry as my second career. She’s a huge resource and I know she’s done that for a lot of people. That’s probably the number one reason she’s been successful – relationship building and maintaining those relationships over time.”

PATRICK WALLACE Vice President of Business Development Paradies Lagardère Travel Retail

“Whenever I’m coming to town and I want to get together to do a business review or whatever, she always makes the time to do it. A lot of leaders, they’re like ‘I’ve got a million things going on, I’m trying to run an airport.’ She’s always been very approachable, and she comes into all the meetings with an open mind. She’s not there to tell you ‘I’m in charge and this is what it’s going to be.’ Instead, it’s ‘Let’s talk about the issues out there and then let’s partner to figure out the best way forward for everybody.’ So, you feel like part of the team.”

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TODD HAUPTLI President and CEO American Association of Airport Executives:

“She’s been on a rocket ship ride at Boise. She’s brought a ton of new air service to the airport, to the community. Their passenger enplanement counts have had explosive growth. The number of domestic destinations Boise serves has grown significantly. She’s killing it. The Northwest Chapter of AAAE just gave her the honor of airport director of the year and I know that last year she got a statewide award, one of the Idaho Business Review’s 2020 Women of the Year. She’s really creating a lot of great opportunities in the community. She’s just a really true professional.”

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2021

DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR SMALL AIRPORTS

ROCKET

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HSV’s Rick Tucker Has Big Impact On Local, State and National Levels BY CAROL WARD

CITY

Huntsville, Ala. is a small southern city with a big impact. Dubbed “Rocket City” for its history of building rockets for the U.S. space program, the city is heavily reliant on space-related business, federal Department of Defense business and all the supporting companies and infrastructure necessary to support those endeavors. In the center of it all, Port of Huntsville provides the connectivity those entities need to conduct business on a global scale. Rick Tucker has overseen the Port of Huntsville for 27 years and has worked for the organization his entire professional career, which began in 1978. He’s enmeshed in the community, colleagues say, and plays a pivotal role in the success not only of Huntsville International Airport (HSV) and the Port of Huntsville, but in the entire community. “His work on behalf of that community is extraordinary,” says Bill Swelbar, chief industry analyst, Swelbar-Zhong Consultancy, and a longtime colleague. “The guy just simply bleeds Huntsville.” But Huntsville and HSV are far from Tucker’s only concerns. He works with both state and federal trade organizations to troubleshoot issues and promote airports and the aviation industry. Tucker’s long service to his airport and to the industry at large prompted Airport Experience News to honor him as its Director of the Year in the Small Airports category.

A Hometown Career Left: Rick Tucker, AXN’s Director of the Year in the small airports category, has overseen the Port of Huntsville for 27 years and has worked for the organization his entire professional career.

Huntsville born and bred, Rick Tucker’s entire professional career has been spent at Port of Huntsville. He didn’t plan to enter aviation initially but, fresh out of college with an accounting degree and the goal of becoming a certified public accountant, Tucker landed a job at the airport. “I came to the airport as the chief and only accountant back in 1978,” he recalls. “It’s a great title – chief – but I was chief of myself.”

At that time, the team was small, and the airport was operated through a public-private partnership with the Hertz Corporation which, at that time, was attempting to partner with multiple small airports. Hertz was purchased by RCA, which eventually nixed the program, and the airport came back under public control through Port of Huntsville in 1988. “We bought them out and moved forward and took control of our destiny then and issued $50 million worth of debt back in the late 1980s to construct a new concourse and upgrade terminal facilities,” Tucker says. “We have continued to expand the facilities through the years in order to keep pace with the growth of the community.” HSV isn’t a stand-alone airport. It’s part of the Port of Huntsville, which consists of the airport for both passenger and cargo traffic, the International Intermodal Center for rail cargo and the Jetplex Industrial Park. As CEO, Tucker oversees it all. His predecessor, Ed Mitchell, laid the groundwork in the 1970s. “He would often say, ‘you can’t sell from an empty wagon,’” Tucker recalls. “He was all about trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together for us to accommodate commerce and industry to do business in. At that time, the future was a global marketplace.” In 1978, the year Tucker joined the organization, the airport filed to become a U.S. Customs port of entry and ultimately received that designation in 1980. Three years later they gained Foreign Trade Zone status. In the 1980s, rail intermodal facilities were added, creating an intermodal center for both air and rail cargo, to ensure ongoing competitiveness. “We’re one of the rare rail intermodal facilities in that it’s publicly owned and operated,” Tucker says. “We were putting all of these pieces together to help commerce and industry do business in what is now… a global marketplace. Most people

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2021

DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR SMALL AIRPORTS

in the 1970s and 1980s, when that was all being put together, didn’t quite understand what was about to happen.” Greg Jones, vice president, ForeignTrade Zone Corporation, says Tucker built on Mitchell’s vision. Mitchell, he says “envisioned the transformation of cotton fields into an international airport and industrial complex. From Ed, Rick learned and improved upon the skills necessary to expand one’s field of vision, and to transform vision into reality.” That vision included air cargo infrastructure, which was developed over time. HSV now hosts two international air cargo companies. The recent addition of the second company means that HSV is seeing “substantial growth” in air cargo operations. “All of our space is leased and we have flights to Asia, Europe, South America.” The JetPlex Industrial Park, another facet of the Port of Huntsville, is thriving as well. “We’re seeing the growth in our industrial park mirror what’s happening economically in our community, with lots of growth,” Tucker says. “Some of that is warehousing distribution, some of that is just companies, new companies building new facilities. Even during the pandemic, nothing stopped that growth from occurring.” In fact, airline revenues have never been more than a third of total revenues at Port

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Left: An art piece recognizes the city’s connection to NASA, which has a huge presence in Huntsville with its Marshall Space Flight Center for development of hardware and technology.

Above: In February 2020, before the pandemic, Tucker says Huntsville International was nearing 730,000 enplanements for the year. Leisture traffic is thrumming again but business traffic is slow to follow.

of Huntsville, and during the pandemic, that percentage fell further. The industrial park kept the Port on solid financial footing, Tucker says. Development isn’t stopping. Earlier this year, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) selected HSV as a test site for its unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) detection and mitigation research program. Under the program, the FAA plans to evaluate at least ten UAS detection and/or mitigation systems. Separately, Tucker says, HSV, in partnership with University of Alabama in Huntsville, has been working with the private sector in Huntsville and with various federal agencies to develop a Center of Excellence on the airport campus.

Space Flight Center for development of hardware and technology. But event larger is the Redstone Arsenal Army post. “Our community has just been growing rapidly, diversifying beyond just the federal presence, which is significant because there’s not just NASA but the [U.S. Department of Defense] has a significant presence much greater than even NASA,” Tucker explains. “On Redstone Arsenal, prior to the pandemic, there were over 40,000 people going to work there each day. And then there’s Cummings Research Park just outside the gate and another 25,000 people going to work there every day.” “Historically, pre pandemic, we were a 70 percent business market, 30 percent leisure,” Tucker continues. “What has mainly returned is the leisure traffic. We’ve been lagging behind the rest of the country in the five to 10 percent range. We’ve probably seen about 25 to 35 percent of our business traffic return.” One bright spot has been the recent launch of service from Breeze Airways, the new ultra-low-cost carrier. Tucker says the service is crucial to his ongoing efforts to keep Huntsville-area residents using the airport. Leakage is a significant factor. “The reason we’re only 30 percent leisure traffic is because of the competition of surrounding airports and the ease of people

Slow Recovery While there are lots of developments at HSV, the core business of passenger service is still struggling after the pandemic crushed a string of 12 record months through February 2020. “Our total passengers were nearing 730,000 enplanements, which was a record. We were showing double-digit growth and there was no end in sight,” he says. At that time, the community had been growing rapidly. NASA has a huge presence in Huntsville with its Marshall

to drive to competing airports to get access to these ultra-low-cost carriers,” Tucker says. “With Breeze coming in here, our community’s trying hard to support them because we would like to see them grow. Having them here is a significant event for us in our community and for our airport and the customers who use our facility. “Most people want to fly out of their hometown airport,” Tucker continues. He describes surveying parking lots at competing Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM) and Nashville International (BNA), recognizing by car tags the county in which the owner resides. “We have quite a history of knowing the ebbs and flows of the drive traffic that go to those airports,” he says. “Several years ago, we were able to attract AirTran Airways in our community. When they were in our community we saw those drive traffic numbers decline rather significantly. And we’re beginning to see the same thing now that we have Breeze Airways.”

Below: Tucker says the newly announced service from new ultra-low-cost-carrier Breeze Airways is helping keep Huntsville residents interested in their hometown airport.

Tucker and his team are also looking forward to the return of regular service to Washington D.C., HSV’s number-one market. “Before the pandemic, we had four flights a day to Washington D.C.,” he says. “We see some signs that bookings are maybe leading to some of the return of that service.”

State And National Impact Tucker’s influence in the Huntsville community is significant, but he’s also made an impact on the larger state and national stages. Todd Storey, president of the Aviation Council of Alabama, credits Tucker with inclusivity. “From the littlest guy all the way up to our largest airport… he understands that relationship and what we need to do as an organization to support all facets of aviation in the state,” he says, adding, “He’s concerned about aviation, not only in his community, but in his state, nationally and globally. Huntsville reaches out across all those facets. Rick is always on the move, has great ideas and takes a leadership role.” Tucker is also actively engaged with elected officials from Alabama on the national level. “We put together a package every year…that focuses in on funding and

regulatory relief, lots of different issues that we have based on surveys our membership of the Aviation Council of Alabama,” he says. “We come together on a package and then we go visit, personally, our delegation.” In 2020, Tucker concluded a stint as chair of the U.S. Policy Council for Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA). Nationally, Tucker is advocating for increased autonomy for airports. “I do not personally understand the need for airports to be regulated economically,” he says, noting the competition that small airports, in particular, face. “You don’t see that around the world. Airports are operated as businesses. And they charge fair market rental rates to their customers, the users. Airports here are not able to do that. As far as airline fees, all we can charge is something based on cost. “I’ve been proposing a pilot program, just see what airports and communities can do,” he continues noting that the pilot program should start with small airports. “Give us the freedom to negotiate for the type of service that needs to occur within our community. We’re not talking about reregulating the airline industry…but give airports the freedom to economically do just like any other business does.” Tucker has spent the past 43 years serving HSV, the broader Huntsville community and state and national groups. He’s not finished yet. “I’m obviously closer to retirement than ever before,” he quips. “Exactly when that will be I don’t know, but people have asked me am I going to have a second career? And the answer to that is no. I will be involved in some nonprofit activities when I retire.” Tucker enjoys spending time with his wife, three children and six grandchildren. He plays golf and pick-up basketball. And sources say he makes a tempting ice cream and candy blend. The most important aspect of his life, he says, “is my relationship with the Lord - that’s front and center. My faith is central to who I am and the faith community that I’m a part of. “Of course, I tell everybody that the Lord has really blessed me here,” Tucker says. “Even at the airport, we have a great team of staff members, a great team of board members. Any success that we’ve been able to achieve has been a result of that blessing. I give the credit to them because I certainly couldn’t do anything by myself.”

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2021

DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR SMALL AIRPORTS

A MAN OF SERVICE Colleagues Say Rick Tucker Is Unwavering In His Commitment To His Airport, Community and Broader Industry BY SHAFER ROSS AND CAROL WARD Rick Tucker has been running the Port of Huntsville for more than a quarter century. He’s clearly enmeshed in the community, working in collaboration with local businesses large and small to elevate the small city to compete on the global stage. Colleagues say his commitment to the airport and the city is extraordinary. Tucker is also active in advocating for airports on a state and national level. Several of his key staff have been there for decades, a fact that many say points to Tucker’s effectiveness as a leader. Here’s what a few prominent colleagues have to say.

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GREGG PARADIES President and CEO Paradies Lagardère

“We’ve worked with Rick for many years. He’s probably one of the longest-tenured airport directors in the country. He’s very approachable and always has been. Even though he’s been CEO for 27 years he’s always been the person where we can pick up the phone and speak at a moment’s notice. He’s a very good partner. We’ve been through many cycles with Rick with 9/11, the Great Recession and most recently Covid. During the good times he’s been a great partner and during the worst of times he’s been a great partner. That’s not always the rule [in the industry]. Rick has always had a strong team around him that we work with, and he’s able to delegate well. The sign of a great leader is someone who builds a strong team around them, and Rick has been able to do that.”

CANDACE MCGRAW CEO Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport

“When I was chair of ACI, he was chair of the U.S. Policy Council. He was masterful on the U.S. Policy Council. He had a very good relationship with his senator and was very helpful, publicly and privately, driving some of the discussions and trying to drive particular issues throughout the U.S. Policy Council. Rick is a man of integrity. He only speaks when he has something worthwhile to say, which is unique. He’s an active listener, so he will listen, he processes and he will speak. As a consequence, people always listen to what he has to say because it’s worthwhile. It’s well thought out and useful to the discussion.”

GREG KELLY Executive Director Savannah Airport Commission MARK MCDANIEL Attorney McDaniel & McDaniel

“One of the reasons I agreed to be on the board [beginning 17 years ago] was because Rick was the CEO. I knew what kind of person he was from high school and keeping up with his career, and I had a lot of confidence that he’d be a really good person to work with because he’s serious, he’s serious about doing things right. We have committee meetings once a month. He’s very, very thorough. He wants the board to know everything that’s going on. He’s a real detailed person. He’s very professional, very focused, very job-oriented. Also, he always gives everybody else credit. In 17 years, I have never seen him take credit for anything. If something good happens, it’s just always somebody else’s credit. You know he’s the guy behind it all, but that man has never taken credit for anything. It’s always the team.”

“Over the years Huntsville and Savannah have had staff exchanges where Huntsville has visited Savannah with its senior staff and Savannah has visited Huntsville with our senior staff. Over the years we’ve learned a lot from each other. Rick’s been a very accommodating partner, and it’s worked well for both partners. Rick has assumed leadership positions with Airports Council International and with the state of Alabama with the Alabama State Airport Association, where he’s regarded very highly. He’s also first in line to help other airports when there are hurricane disasters, working with SEADOG (Southeast Airport Disaster Operations Group). His team has committed all sorts of resources and time to support other airports that have been impacted by hurricanes over the years. When there’s a challenge, Huntsville is up to it and they’re not afraid to take action and pitch in where needed, and that’s a direct reflection on Rick as a leader. I appreciate having worked with him and learned from him over the years, and I look forward to continuing to pick his brain until he retires.”

RONNIE FLIPPO Consultant R. G. Flippo & Associates

“The first word that I would use in connection with Rick Tucker is integrity. He’s got a good management style, he surrounds himself with a good team and he makes sure that team has the resources they need. The whole operation is quite good. He provides a lot of inspiration just by his own personal character. He’s an inclusive kind of man and he gives them the encouragement and the resources. They do a good job and they are focused on their mission. [The airport] plays a major role in economic development in the region, not only in the footprint of the airport, but the state of Alabama. Rick does a good job of working with all the airports in the state and they developed, electively under Rick’s leadership, a kind-of blue book on aviation issues. They take that and they go to the local governments and to Congress with those type of issues as the State Aviation Association, and they work with the state public officials very carefully, in a very cooperative way. Any of the congressional offices or state representatives who have questions can take a look at that blue book and see what those issues are.”

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2021

DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR SMALL AIRPORTS

GREG JONES Vice President Foreign-Trade Zone Corporation

BILL SWELBAR Chief Industry Analyst Swelbar-Zhong Consultancy

“It’s hard to describe my relationship with Rick without sounding a bit over-the-top. Rick is one of those folks who identifies ways in which his organization can benefit the public, then marshals the resources – both human and capital – to make sure that the desired ends are achieved. He is mission driven. He’s most amiable, but nothing is allowed to detract from the task at hand. His leadership style is both nurturing and exacting at the same time. Rick’s work style is highly focused, highly organized, and highly collaborative. His problem solving abilities are extraordinary. He makes sure that goals and objectives are clear and achievable, and that everyone on his team is on the same page. It’s clear to anyone who knows him that Rick believes that arriving at the right answer requires asking the right questions. Ask anybody who works with him, Rick knows how to ask a lot of incisive questions.”

“Like me, Rick’s a deregulation baby. He began his career in the late ‘70s so he’s been through it all. I find Rick to be wicked smart. He’s always been a bit of a maverick when dealing with the airlines. He’s not afraid to take on issues that are consumer related. The last time he negotiated with the airlines he was unhappy with the way the bags were being delivered, and I’ll tell you what, he was a maverick. He aggressively tried to deal with that issue and got some things resolved. Also, the guy just simply bleeds Huntsville. Whatever he takes on he’s tireless in it. ACI has been prescient enough to put Rick in a policy position, a thinking position on behalf of all airports. I think it’s a great spot for him because, Lord only knows, the man hates to take no for an answer. Whatever the task is, he’s taking it on 110 percent. His work on behalf of that community is extraordinary.”

TODD STOREY President The Aviation Council of Alabama

“Rick is a great leader. He’s concerned about aviation, not only in his community, but in his state, nationally and globally. Huntsville reaches out across all those facets. Rick is always on the move, has great ideas and takes a leadership role, which is nice. From the littlest guy all the way up to our largest airport… he understands the relationship and what we need to do as an organization to support all facets of aviation in the state. Obviously, you can’t do it all yourself and he has developed a great team around him at Huntsville. I just can’t thank them enough as a team for keeping out front and being proactive, not only at the federal level but at the state level.”

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CONGRATULATIONS, RICK TUCKER! AIRPORT DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR 2021

We celebrate the dedication you’ve shown on the way to this achievement, and we are gratified that our industry has recognized your steadfast, effective leadership. Well done, and well deserved.

PORTOFHUNTSVILLE.COM

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Left: Laurie Noyes of Tampa International Airport is optimistic about the future of the industry, noting that the pandemic required the implementation of new technology and improved efficiencies, which will ultimately make the industry stronger.

Left: Concessions programs across the country (Denver International Airport pictured) are seeing positive growth signs but are stymied by labor shortages and other challenges.

(photo provided courtesy of Denver International Airport)

BY SALLY KRAL

It’s been an undeniably difficult two years for the airport industry, and with no end in sight it can be difficult to be hopeful about what 2022 might have in store. Still, many airport professionals are bolstered by 2021’s positive traffic trends and other encouraging signs of a rebound. “I’m incredibly optimistic,” says Laurie Noyes, vice president of concessions and commercial parking for Tampa International Airport (TPA). “Between a resumption of international travel, new technology and improved efficiencies, I think the industry will come back smarter and stronger.” Candace McGraw, CEO of Cincinnati/ Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), feels similarly, noting that CVG expects to end the year serving 65-70 percent of 2019 passenger volumes. “Most of that has been leisure travel, but I’m optimistic that passenger travel in all forms will begin to return in earnest in 2022,” she says. “As the industry stabilizes, I’m hopeful airport and industry leaders can continue to look to the future as opposed to being ‘heads down’ and focused on survival.” But some in the industry see things a little bit differently. “The next year will see improvement but remain very challenging,” says Andrew Weddig, the

Left: Andrew Weddig, executive director for the Airport Restaurant & Retail Association, says that without continued rent relief from airports, concessions operators are unlikely to see recovery in 2022.

newly appointed executive director for the Airport Restaurant & Retail Association (ARRA). “Just as many others did in the aviation industry, concessionaires took on significant debt during the pandemic and will not be recovered until that debt is paid off and, of course, that can’t happen until there is positive cash flow. From my point of view, 2022 looks less like recovery and more like another year of survival.” Indeed, even those with a more optimistic outlook recognize that there’s still a long road ahead. “We’ve learned a lot from the pandemic, but pandemicrelated disruptions will not end in 2022,” says Ingrid Hairston, vice president of properties and business development for Birmingham Airport Authority, operator of Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM), and outgoing chair of the commercial management committee for Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA). And the industry will have no choice but to confront these obstacles head-on. “We need to be ready to tackle big challenges around issues such as advanced air mobility, workforce and sustainability,” CVG’s McGraw says. “As I often say, there is no shortage of good and challenging issues on which to focus.”

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Above: Ingrid Hairston of Birmingham Airport Authority hopes that relationships between airports and concessionaires will be more interactive and engaged in the coming year, noting that flexibility and responsiveness to changes on both sides will be key for success.

Above: Airports around the country have been holding job fairs to attract workers but many report lackluster attendance and few new hires.

Remaining Challenges

difficult as well. “High workforce needs and few jobseekers has put workers in the driver’s seat,” she says. “Concessionaires and airports are offering significant wages, bonuses and benefits to attract employees with only limited success. Many potential employees are seeking work environments that are more aligned with their needs, values and preferences. I don’t expect labor shortages to ease until community COVID levels, the work environment, childcare, school access, and wages and benefits collectively improve.” As TPA’s Noyes points out, airports are not an easy place to work. “And with so many street locations also looking for help, it will be some time until the pipeline of talent is refilled in its entirety,” she adds. ARRA’s Weddig believes that the longerterm solution to these labor challenges is a joint effort among all employers in the airport ecosystem to improve the perception – and reality – of working in the airport. “This involves working together to solve challenges such as easing commuting to the airports, more convenient and less expensive parking, providing childcare, and simplifying the recruitment and badging processes,” he explains. “These are the sort of enhancements to the work environment that could make airport and concessions jobs more attractive to potential employees.”

Air travel has been slowly but surely trending up from 2020 levels, but there’s still a good deal of uncertainty that will continue to keep the industry on its toes in 2022. “The Delta variant definitely has delayed the resurgence of an earlier recovery of air travel,” says Lew Bleiweis, executive director of the Greater Asheville Regional Airport Authority, which runs the Asheville Regional Airport (AVL). “Leisure markets are recovering more quickly than business markets, with some nearing or exceeding pre-pandemic levels of passenger numbers. Business travel will rebound next year, but I believe companies really are taking a look at their travel needs and will cut back on travel slightly for virtual options.” Bleiweis adds that international travel has been slowly trending up, and with the recent announcement of border reopenings, recovery should start to increase, especially in the new year. “Uncertainty on passenger travel related to pandemic variants remains a big challenge, as it impacts airport revenues such as parking and concessions, and affects overall budget planning,” CVG’s McGraw notes. “Additionally, the tight labor market with increased wage rates continues to

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Above: Candace McGraw, CEO of Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, notes that the tight labor market continues to be a major challenge for airports, impacting everything from parking to concessions to customer satisfaction to overall budget planning.

impact our ability to fully recover out of the pandemic. The workforce shortage is also an inhibitor to providing the level of customer service we would desire.” Staffing challenges are, indeed, very real. “Many concession programs across the airport industry are still suffering – one of the major concession operators, for example, recently had over 1,000 open positions,” Bleiweis says. “Many smaller airports are also suffering with ground transportation shortages. In Asheville, we’ve had passengers wait in excess of two hours to get transportation to their final destinations. It takes time and energy to handle this type of mass hiring.” Hairston notes that the root causes of the labor shortage are difficult to define, which makes predicting the end of it

Left: Lew Bleiweis of the Greater Asheville Regional Airport Authority says federal funding is likely to fall far short of airport industry needs for 2022.

Continued Needs Many, if not all, possible solutions to the myriad challenges that airports and concessionaires are still facing require monetary support. For airports, the proposed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act – which includes $25 billion to repair and upgrade U.S. airports – is a start, but still lacking. “Airports have significant infrastructure needs to expand terminals, airfields and other upgrades in order to meet current and future demand – the infrastructure bill will provide needed funding to help airports, but it still is not enough,” Bleiweis says. “An ACI-NA capital project study shows there is a need of over $115 billion in capital over the next five years. The amount that’s currently being discussed on the Hill is a fraction of what is truly needed.” Bleiweis believes that the federal government should still increase the passenger facility charge that is assessed to each enplaned passenger to fund needed capital improvements at airports. “This charge hasn’t been increased in more than 20 years, yet all costs related to capital projects have increased dramatically during that time,” he notes. “The users of airports should pay appropriate fees to utilize the facilities, and this system would help keep airports current and competitive in the global market.” CVG’s McGraw notes that even in the absence of an increased passenger facility charge, the infrastructure bill is a step in the right direction to help airports move forward with much-needed terminal development projects. “Investments in airports put people to work and have long-

lasting reverberations,” she says. “While we’re well-positioned to lead economic recovery, airports are generally limited with what revenues can be generated to support existing and future projects, so any amount of new or additional funding will be welcomed and impactful for us.” Still, McGraw adds, financial support will need to continue beyond the current proposed bill. “Especially as passenger volumes return, airports need to have the ability to continue creating capacity for passenger and air cargo growth. That is true at CVG, where we’ve had 25 percent year-to-date growth in cargo volumes in 2021. Airfield projects and passenger facility enhancements and upgrades, for instance, will need continued investment to keep pace with returning demand and new technologies.” As for concessionaires, support will need to continue coming from their airport partners. Early on in the pandemic, airports made certain changes and allowances to lease agreements, including waiving minimum annual guarantees (MAG). Concessionaires are hoping that these allowances will stay in place for the near future – if not longer. “Air por t s recog nized t hat t he catastrophic effect of the pandemic made a number of lease provisions impossible to perform and waived and modified these provisions accordingly, which points to an additional long-term challenge facing airports and concessionaires: leases should be modified in general so that the effects of future catastrophic events are handled within the lease rather than through realtime, ad hoc policy actions,” ARRA’s

Weddig says. “Although specific instances remain, lease rental concessions are gradually expiring and seem less likely to be extended. Failure to extend rent relief is a major challenge for concessionaires. With passenger volume stuck at approximately 75 percent of its pre-COVID levels, continuing forecasts of a two-to-three-year recovery to 2019 traffic levels, and an even slower recovery of sales in certain sectors of the industry, it’s probable that most concession operators will not generate sufficient cash flow to pay MAGs in 2022. It’s critical for the industry’s ongoing financial viability and sustainability that MAGs be waived for the balance of 2021 through 2022.” Weddig notes that another way airports can provide critical support to concession operators is by allowing operational flexibility in terms of store openings, hours of operation, and product selection and menus. “We need to be able to better align operations with flight schedules and, more importantly, passenger flows,” he adds. “Keep in mind that there are still substantial gaps between flight schedules and actual passengers; we cannot confuse seats with passengers.” Hairston hopes that relationships between airports and concessionaires will be more interactive and engaged in the coming year. “Economists expect economic and travel industry instability to extend into 2024 – this creates the potential for strained operations and strained relationships,” she says. “Flexibility and responsiveness to changes in the industry will be key for success. While traffic is steadily increasing for now, we don’t know how new federal directives, staffing issues, COVID variants or supply chain issues will impact passenger levels or require that we adopt changes to concession operations. I expect frequent communications on passenger traffic, new or evolving regulations and sales performance will continue. The need to constantly evaluate performance and to make quick adjustments based on those observations will create the need for closer engagement.” And as traffic approaches 2019 levels, airports will begin to address the concession leasing needs that were deferred in 2020, Hairston adds. “I expect RFP recruitments to be extensive in 2022, as many airports curtailed RFPs over the last two years and short-term leasing actions taken in 2020 are beginning to expire. Recruitments in 2022 will give airports the opportunity to address those needs.”

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AXiNsights, a webinar series by Airport Experience® News, engages industry experts in short, dynamic talks on compelling and relevant topics.

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2021 YEAR IN REVIEW BY SHAFER ROSS

As another year ends, AXN takes a look at some of the most prominent happenings in the airport and concessions industries in 2021.

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ARRA Continues Weekly Calls to Troubleshoot Concessionaire Challenges

Martin-Consuegra Is Named CEO of Hudson

The Airport Restaurant & Retail Association (ARRA) launches into the new year by continuing to host weekly calls meant to keep airport management and concessionaires abreast of news, potential challenges and current events in the industry.

JANUARY

Hudson names Jordi Martin-Consuegra CEO, replacing Roger Fordyce, who steps down after three years as CEO and more than 30 years with the company.

MARCH

MAY

Mullaney Named New Fraport USA CEO Siegel Named RSW Director The Lee County Board of Port Commissioners names Benjamin Siegel as the executive director of the Lee County Port Authority, directing the administration, operations and development of Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) and Page Field in Fort Myers, Fla.

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AXN Hosts Virtual Summit Airport Experience News hosts its first-ever Virtual Summit, an online educational experience taking place over two days and featuring informative discussions among airport and concessions executives.

Fraport USA appoints former Hudson executive Michael Mullaney as its new CEO, overseeing its developer operations at several U.S. airports

LAX Opens $478M Terminal 1 Extension Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) formally opens a new $477.5 million Terminal 1 extension that features added capacity, a new passenger check-in lobby, security screening, baggage claims and future connection to the Automated People Mover train system.

Bheodari Named ATL General Manager Balram Bheodari is named the general manager of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL).

Sola Resigns, Cutié Appointed at MIA Lester Sola, director of Miami International Airport (MIA) since February 2018, resigns abruptly and is replaced by Ralph Cutié, first on an interim basis and then permanently as director and CEO of the Miami-Dade Aviation Department.

JUNE

Wilson Takes Over Delaware North Travel Gentry Named CLT Director Haley Gentry is named aviation director for Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) after more than 30 years in the Charlotte Aviation Department. She is the first female director for CLT.

Delaware North names Bob Wilson as group president of travel. Wilson takes over responsibility for the company’s travel business of food service and retail operations at 25 U.S. airports.

FAA Awards $8B in Grants to U.S. Airports The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) awards $8 billion in grants to keep U.S. airport workers employed, construction projects going and to help U.S. airports recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

2021 YEAR IN REVIEW

PANYNJ Announces Revised JFK Terminal 6 Agreement The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) announces a revised agreement on key terms with JFK Millennium Partners to build a new Terminal 6 at JFK, downsizing the project due to the pandemic.

JULY

Hunter Named AXN Property Manager of the Year Dawn Hunter, director of aviation commercial management at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), is named Property Manager of the Year for 2021 at the closing event of the Airport Experience Conference.

HNL Opens New $270M Mauka Concourse The Hawaii Department of Transportation opens the new $270 million Mauka Concourse at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) after three years of construction.

AUGUST

Baldwin Named First-Ever AX Icon Washington Formally Takes Over as DEN CEO Phil Washington takes over as CEO of the Denver International Airport (DEN), replacing outgoing CEO, Kim Day.

AXN Holds 2021 Airport Experience Conference

Michael Baldwin, assistant vice president of concessions at Dallas/ Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), is named the first AX Icon, a new Airport Experience award created to honor a lifetime of dedication to the industry.

Airport Experience News hosts the 2021 Airport Experience Conference in Dallas, which reunites the industry with the first in-person AX event in more than a year.

2021 YEAR IN REVIEW

HSV’s Tucker Named AXN Director of the Year, Small Airports Division Port of Huntsville Executive Director and CEO Rick Tucker is named AXN’s Director of the Year in the Small Airports Division.

FLL’s Gale Named AXN Director of the Year, Large Airports Division Vantage Wins $1.5B MCI Concessions Contract The Kansas City Council votes to award a $1.5 billion , 15-year concessions contract to Vantage Airport Group at Kansas City International Airport (MCI).

Mark Gale, CEO and Director of Aviation at Fort LauderdaleHollywood International Airport (FLL), is selected as AXN’s Director of the Year, Large Airports Division.(CAC), becoming the first woman in the post in the organization’s history.

OCTOBER

Wimbush Named New AMAC President & CEO Following a national search, the Airport Minority Advisory Council (AMAC) announces that Eboni Wimbush will become its new president and CEO.

Weddig Named Executive Director of ARRA The Airport Restaurant & Retail Association (ARRA) names industry veteran Andrew Weddig as executive director, succeeding Rob Wigington, who served as the inaugural executive director.

BOI’s Hupp Named AXN Director of the Year, Medium Airports Division Boise Airport (BOI) Director Rebecca Hupp is selected as AXN’s Director of the Year, Medium Airports Division

PIT Breaks Ground on New $1.4B Terminal Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) breaks ground on a new $1.4 billion, 700,000 square-foot terminal project, with a planned focus on passenger health and convenience and 90,000 square feet of outdoor terrace space both pre- and postsecurity.

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Winter 2022 Volume 20, Issue 239

Space deadline: January 17, 2022 Artwork deadline: January 24, 2022

| The Push For Access To Allocated Funds Challenges | Supply Chain Disruptions Impact Recovery Innovation | Transactionless Retail Makes Headway Demographics | Demands Of Tomorrow’s Travelers 5&Under | Pilot Shortage Issues Return Funding

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AXiNsider is an interview-style podcast featuring in-depth discussions with professionals, leaders and wave-makers in the airport and concessions industries. T O L IST E N T O T H E A X I N S I D E R P O D C A S T S , V I S I T AIR P O R T X N E W S .C O M / A X I N S I D E R

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10/28/20 12:27 PM

BEFORE YOU TAKE OFF

AIRPORT RESPITE

Memphis International Builds Lounge For St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital Families BY SHAFER ROSS

hen many think of traveling, they imagine tropical vacations and exotic getaways; unfortunately, not every trip is planned with relaxation or even business in mind. Thousands travel every day to seek or receive medical care, and at Memphis International Airport (MEM), many of those are children on their way to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. St. Jude, a hospital notable for its work in treating life-threatening conditions in young children – specifically cancer – is a Memphisbased facility that sees many children and families passing through MEM each year. “Memphis is the home of St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. We get a lot of patients from around the globe,” said MEM Director Scott Brockman in an AXiNterviews video published earlier this year. With the hospital being such a draw for the airport, the Concourse B Modernization project currently underway provides a prime opportunity to further accommodate young travelers on their way home from diagnosis or treatment.

Top: With St. Jude Children’s Hospital being such a draw for Memphis International Airport, the Concourse B Modernization project currently underway will see the addition of a lounge specifically for St. Jude patients. Above: The St. Jude Children’s Lounge features include a kitchenette, video entertainment, colorful seating upholstered in antimicrobial fabrics, screens showing flight information and private spaces that provide quiet and isolation.

“As part of this concourse, we’ve put in a St. Jude Children’s Room where kids that have come into town to be treated have a place to escape while they’re in the airport before they board their flight,” Brockman said in the interview. “A lot of those kids have been through some very challenging treatments. To make that travel experience easier and better for them, we’ve put in this St. Jude’s Children’s Room in partnership with the hospital. They will manage the room and make it a much better experience for them.” The space will also function as a liaison point for hospital staff meeting or coordinating with arriving and departing patients. Many of the accommodations and furnishings in the St. Jude Children’s Room were designed by the hospital’s team with relaxation and peace in mind. “For a lot of our families, their travel to St. Jude is the first time they’re leaving their hometown,” says Caron Byrd, director, housing and patient services at St. Jude. “We wanted to create a very welcoming and inviting space to accommodate either a family who has an hour before their flight or has just learned their flight has been delayed and will be at the airport longer than anticipated.” The room’s features include a kitchenette, video entertainment, colorful seating upholstered in antimicrobial fabrics, screens showing flight information and private spaces that provide quiet and isolation. “We understand that children from around the world benefit from the incredible medical care and services provided by St. Jude,” Glen Thomas, director of strategic marketing and communications and public information officer for MEM. “We also understand that these patients may have special needs and this lounge will help to allow them to travel in comfort. We want to make travel as efficient, safe and enjoyable as possible for them.” The space is not yet open, though hopes are that the project will be wrapped up by the end of the year.

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AXN November/December 2021

Articles inside

New Year, New Industry?

Before You Take Off

Team Tucker

Year In Review

Community Comes First

New Directions

Letter From the Editor-in-Chief

Latest Buzz

Hupp to the Task

Gale’s FLL Tenure

Director’s Chair

Good Guy Gale