Airport Experience News - Conference Issue 2022 by Airport Experience News

CONFERENCE ISSUE 2022 / V20 N240

SPECIAL CONFERENCE ISSUE ALL YOU NEED FOR

GRAPPLING WITH RISING BUILDOUT COSTS

NEW PERKS TO ATTRACT WORKERS

ACCELERATING NON-AERO REVENUE GENERATION

Dining & Retail guest experiences that are…

Enlightening

SCAN PAY & GO

Entertaining

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Engaging

As traffic returns, we’re working closely with our airport partners to deliver unique and memorable in-airport experiences for travelers.

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20 Building Up Funds

Buildout costs in airports are higher than ever, and that’s saying something. Concessionaires are asking their airport partners to meet them halfway on managing costs while maintaining an appealing space.

26 Child Minded

Attracting stable labor is a struggle for many airports and their concessionaire partners. Some airports are looking at offering access to childcare as a new draw for employees.

30 Diversifying Revenue

The sudden and significant impact of the pandemic taught many airports that relying on passenger revenue is a dangerous game. Creating multiple income streams can soften the blow of a downturn in commercial flying.

36 2022 AX Conference Agenda & Experience Hall Map

Get familiar with the layout of this year’s Experience Hall and take a look at the schedule of events to choose from over the next few days.

48 Sponsor Profiles

Use this handy guide to become familiar with this year’s supportive event sponsors!

54 Exhibitor Profiles

Before walking around the Experience Hall, take a look at the extensive lineup of exciting exhibitors!

58 Speaker Profiles

This year’s session speakers are a formidable group of intelligent professionals, and we are so grateful for their time and expertise. Use these profiles to get further acquainted with these industry voices.

REPRISE:

AXN’s Directors of the Year

The 2021 honorees will be recognized at the closing event of the 2022 AX Conference, so here’s another look at the three professionals who will be taking the stage.

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6 Letter From The Publisher 8 Data Check

Digital experiences and accessibility are the future of airport retail, according to a new report.

10 Latest Buzz

Los Angeles International’s Terminal 6 modernization will debut in the coming months, bringing with it a smoother passenger experience and more ease of movement throughout the airport.

16 Director’s Chair

San Francisco International’s Ivar Satero shares the latest on passenger trends, capital projects, concessions strategies, technology and sustainability initiatives at SFO.

74 Advertising Index 76 Before You Take Off

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TEAM Desiree Hanson

Executive Vice President

Melissa Montes Publisher

Carol Ward

Editor-in-Chief

Jean Claude Chaouloff

Business Development Manager

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

Simon Kimble Chairman

Greg Topalian

President and Chief Executive Officer

Mark Wilmoth

Chief Financial Officer

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

FARM TO FLIGHTTM

Contact: Michael Levine | Executive Chairman | michael@tastesonthefly.com

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To subscribe visit https://airportxnews.com/subscribe/ ISSN: 1948-4445 Copyright © 2022 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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We Ascend Together. We are proud to call Florida home, thanks in large part to an airport dining industry that’s continuously reaching for new heights. Thank you to our dedicated partners at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Tampa International Airport, and we look forward to what’s in store at Orlando International Airport. Beyond airports, we are a global hospitality leader in premium restaurants, sports venues, national parks, destination resorts and gaming properties. As your partner, we harness this expertise in other industries to elevate the experience in yours. A Global Leader in Hospitality and Entertainment. DelawareNorth.com | For new business opportunities, contact Jennifer Juul at JJuul@delawarenorth.com or James Wilson at JWilson2@delawarenorth.com. © 2022 Delaware North

CONFERENCE ISSUE 2022

LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER Dear Valued Readers, Welcome to the 2022 Airport Experience Conference and the conference issue of Airport Experience News. To those of you who have joined us in person in Orlando, thank you for being with us! This is our second conference amidst the pandemic and our first back in our historic late-winter time slot. We are thrilled to bring the industry together once again for valuable networking and educational opportunities, and we hope you find your experience to be rewarding. Like the industry, we are building back. This year we’ve tweaked our content and changed up the conference schedule to maximize the experience for all our guests. The Airport Experience News magazine has also evolved. In 2022, we will bring you four digital issues complemented by two print issues – the Conference Issue and an end-of-year Leadership Issue – to keep you informed throughout the year. Of course, the magazine issues will be supplemented by our range of digital media – AXiNsights, AXiNterviews, AXiNsider and AXiNfoLive – and our annual Fact Book and timely news coverage on the AXN website. As we gather in Orlando, I look forward to connecting with each of you to hear about your experiences and learn how AXN can contribute to your success. I’d like to express immense gratitude to our airport partners, sponsors, exhibitors and supporters for their unwavering support of our mission to connect the industry. Together we will continue to navigate toward a brighter future for this industry we all love. Warmest,

Melissa K. Montes Publisher Airport Experience News

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Have fun, Live life, Eat right!

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DATA CHECK

AIRPORT RETAIL DISRUPTION Demographics, Digital Will Shift Demand, Bain Study Shows

BY CAROL WARD Travel Retail Turnover Will Remain Below Pre-Covid Levels Through 2030

Global Travel Retail Market, Indexed 100 Travel Retail Turnover Will Remain Below Pre-Covid Levels Through 2030

90–95

90–100

>10%

80–90

Global Travel Retail Market, Indexed 100 55–65

90–95

90–100

>20% – Omnichannel

90–100

100–105

>10%

80–90

<90%

>20% – Omnichannel

CAGR Percentage 19–25F 25F–30F –0.9% +1.5% CAGR Percentage 19–25F 25F–30F –0.9% +1.5%

<80%

55–65 <90%

<80%

NA 2019 Spending per Passenger, Indexed

100

21F

22F

23F

2019

21F

22F

Note: Data rendered in real terms. excluding food and beverage Spending per proprietary travel retail forecasting model; Bain analysis Sources: IATA: Bain

100

Passenger, Indexed

24F

23F

24F

25F

30F

–10%

25F

30F

–2.5%

–10%

–2.5%

Note: Data rendered in real terms. excluding food and beverage Sources: IATA: Bain proprietary travel retail forecasting model; Bain analysis

Travel Retail Industry Profitability has Fallen Sharply Average Store EBITDAR

Travel Retail Industry Profitability has Fallen Sharply

100 Average Store EBITDAR

100

65–75

70–80

20–30

NA 2019

20–30 21F

22F

23F

Note: Store EBITDAR: earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, rents, and NAheadquarters and supply chain costs Sources: IATA: Bain travel retail forecasting model; Bain analysis

2019

21F

22F

23F

Note: Store EBITDAR: earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, rents, and headquarters and supply chain costs

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Sources: IATA: Bain travel retail forecasting model; Bain analysis

igital technologies will “radically transform” the traditional airport retail sector by 2025, a Bain & Company report says. T he B a i n rep or t, w r it ten i n collaboration with The Moodie Davit Report, says airport retail operators will need to embrace digital retailing to remain relevant. Digital technologies will “radically transform traditional airport shopping, paving the way for omnichannel sales, the seamless connection between digital platforms and in-store shopping,” the January 2022 report says. On top of the digital transformation, global airport retail is adjusting to a new traveler demographic. The Bain report suggests that the key purchasers of luxury products – business travelers, long-haul groups and Chinese passengers – are declining in number, being replaced by younger, less affluent travelers.

“The share of high spenders moving through airports will decline by more than 5 percent, and the percentage of airport retail sales directly influenced by online sites will rise to 30 percent, up from low single digits today,” the report says. An omnichannel retail strategy, which many companies are just starting to explore, requires investment in customer relationship management, big data and advanced analytics capabilities, the report notes. “An omnichannel approach redefines the role of stores,” it says. “Instead of being a location to purchase goods, they become one of several touchpoints in a physical and digital universe designed to trigger interest in brands or brand-linked experiences and deepen customer relationships.” The payoff could be more revenue. Bain research suggests omnichannel customers spend twice as much as brick-and-mortar customers and have a Net Promoter Score that is two times higher.

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LATEST BUZZ

ENHANCING THE FLOW LAX’ Terminal 6 Modernization Project Will Ease Connections, Improve the Passenger Experience BY DAVID WARD

Above: The Terminal 6 modernization at Los Angeles International Airport will feature reconfigured hold rooms with plenty of windows for natural lighting and space for relaxed social distancing.

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os Angeles Inter national Airport (LAX) has spent the last few years preparing for a robust, post-pandemic future. One major project nearing completion is the $230 million modernization of Terminal 6 that includes larger, more passenger-health friendly hold rooms and infrastructure that connects passengers to the rest of the airport, both pre- and post-security. T he renovation i s t he l ate st improvement to the facility, which was originally built in 1959 and upgraded in the mid-1980s to add a second level concourse and four new gates. The last decade saw Terminal 6 get two additional facelifts in 2012 and 2016 to modernize the baggage claim and ticketing lobby and to overhaul the concessions program.

Terminal 6 is primarily used by Alaska Airlines, which partnered on the modernization project, though other carriers – including Air Canada, Boutique Air and Southern Airways – also use the gates there. The new and improved terminal will formally open this summer following a complete overhaul of the gate areas and lounges, as well as the installation of several passenger boarding bridges. “The T6 Program also addresses passenger flow/connectivity between Terminal 6 and a new Terminal Vertical Core, which will provide direct pedestrian connectivity to the Automated People Mover (APM) train system via an elevated bridge,” says Hans Thilenius, deputy executive director for LAX Terminal Development Improvement

LATEST BUZZ

Program. “The new Terminal Vertical Core will provide enhanced vertical circulation between Arrivals, Departures, Concourse and APM bridge levels supporting both Terminals 5 & 6.” Los Angeles-based architecture firm Rivers & Christian designed the renovations while PCL Construction served as the general contractor. Among the improvements is work on Level 4 to improve the airline lounges located there with two new elevators for easier access and additional space. On Level 3 of the terminal, the project is improving the Federal Inspection Station (FIS) and expanding the TSA Security Screening Checkpoint to five automated screening lanes and three standard lanes. A drive-through bus gate that provides better access for guests transferring to or from other terminals is also part of the project. Hold rooms in the T6 Connector and Satellite are being reconfigured to create more spacious passenger seating and boarding areas with a target of ensuring the

boarding areas are optimized for spacing per International Air Transport Association (IATA) guidelines. Thilenius says every Terminal 6 hold room, both new and existing, is getting new carpeting, painting, lighting, and seating to provide a design look and feel that integrates with the rest of LAX. “The intent is for all to match for brand and customer experience consistency,” he adds.

Concessions Status Quo On peak travel days, Terminal 6 may host up to 113 daily departures and 111 daily arrivals, generating more than 15,000 passenger departures and a similar number of arrivals. Thilenius says one thing the Terminal 6 project did not look at was adding additional space for retail and food and beverage, as the concessions program was upgraded only a few years ago through a collaboration with URW Airports.

Above: The Terminal 6 construction includes an overhaul of hold rooms with new carpeting, painting, lighting, and seating, delivering a design look and feel that integrates well with the rest of LAX.

Though not every restaurant has been open during the pandemic, the Terminal 6 offerings for travelers include the Earth Bar, a juice and smoothie shop, The Habit, which features American burgers, The Kitchen by Wolfgang Puck, the casual/fast food chain Wahoo’s Fish Taco, as well as a Starbucks and Peet’s Coffee. Thilenius says Terminal 6 passengers can also access many of the food and beverage options available in other parts of the airport through contactless technologies such as LAX Shop+Dine app, that enable ordering through a mobile device and delivery directly to the gate.

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LATEST BUZZ

Right: In addition to plenty of open space, Terminal 6 will also feature easy access to the new LAX Automated People Mover (APM), which is slated to open in 2023.

Tenant-Sponsored Capital Improvement The project was funded as a tenantsponsored capital project implemented by/ through Alaska Airlines, with the terminal acquired by LAWA once the tenant improvement project is completed. Shane Jones, vice president of real estate and airport development for Alaska Airlines, says the main objective of all the upgrades and design enhancements is an improved experience for passengers of Alaska as well as its oneworld partner carriers. “The guest experience is at the heart of everything we do, and the focus in this project is to improve every step of the journey, from the security checkpoint with Below: A part of its goal of providing easier connectivity throughout the airport, Terminal 6 adds a drive-through bus gate for guests transferring to or from other terminals.

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the latest technology, to modern expanded hold rooms with powered seating, to improving our operational performance with key infrastructure upgrades, this investment is all about the Alaska guest,” Jones said in a press release. Even with its $230 million price tag, the Terminal 6 overhaul is still a fairly small but vital part of the $14 billion Capital Improvement Program currently taking place all over LAX. Set to be completed in 2023, the LAX capital improvements are aimed at not only creating a modern passenger experience, complete with plenty of contactless technology, but also enabling travelers to

easily move about the entire airport, both pre- and post-security. Included in the Terminal 6 work are new bridges and connectors to the other terminals and the new Automated People Mover (APM) through a connection in Terminal 5. The massive APM project, which broke ground in 2019, is an electric train system on a 2.25-mile elevated guideway with six stations total – three inside the Central Terminal Area (CTA) and three outside the CTA. Expected to carry 30 million passengers annually at speeds of up to 47 mph, the APM will be able to ferry passengers from the consolidated rent-a-car facility on one side of the airport to the West CTA Station, where T6 is located, on the other side in 10 minutes. “Access to the APM system is all located landside, meaning it is pre-security,” Thilenius says. “A passenger would arrive at one of the three APM train stations in the Central Terminal Area and then utilize pedestrian bridges to access a specific terminal.” The Terminal Vertical Cores, which connect to these pedestrian bridges, will create more room post-security for circulation, thereby creating an easier process for passengers to maneuver around. “The south terminals already have this post-security connection from Tom Bradley International to Terminal 8,” Thilenius says. “All LAX terminals will be connected behind security screening in 2023.”

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DIRECTOR’S CHAIR

SFO REBUILD

Still Heavily Impacted By Pandemic, SFO Is Looking Ahead To Renewed Vibrancy BY CAROL WARD

ditor’s Note: San Francisco International Airport (SFO) hasn’t had the same robust recovery as many of its more leisure traffic-focused counterparts. With heavy reliance on business and international travel, SFO is slowly building back from the depths of the pandemic traffic downturn. It’s also investing in infrastructure again after hitting the pause button on some projects after the pandemic hit. Ivar Satero has been at the helm at SFO since 2016 but has been with the airport since 1994. AXN’s Carol Ward spoke with Satero in December 2021 for an update on the latest developments. An uncut video version of this interview is available to subscribers at www.airportxhub.com.

Above: Ivar Satero, director, San Francisco International Airport.

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WARD: To start, I’m hoping you can give me an overview of SFO’s current operations [as of late December]. I’d like to know about your traffic levels, the return of business and international traffic, and the general state of flying at SFO. SATERO: [We had] a busy holiday season. It’s great to see more people traveling. It’s still well below our pre-pandemic levels. We are trending, domestically, about 65 percent of pre-pandemic and about 25 percent of international pre-pandemic. This recovery is really focused in leisure travel, and business and international are still lagging. San Francisco relies heavily on international travel. We have the largest amount of travel to and from Asia through SFO and that is continuing to be a laggard in the industry because of governmental restrictions. That’s what’s holding us back a bit. We have this dynamic of that international travel, which was 27 percent of our business pre-COVID, but also that domestic feed that is supported by international travel. Until that international comes back, that domestic feed is also going to be a little bit behind. That being said, we’re very happy with where we are. We’re actually exceeding our recovery forecast in our financial modeling.

WARD: What sort of growth are you expecting in 2022? SATERO: [We’ll be] continuing to build off some new flights. Vietnam Airways has now launched service from Vietnam to SFO, and we also have Bamboo [Airways], also to Vietnam. That seems to be a new upcoming destination for us. We’ve got some Canadian flights as well, through Flair [Airlines] and Air Transat, carriers we haven’t had before at SFO. I think we’re going to see more of this building back to international destinations. I think people are concerned about Omicron but they’re continuing to fly. We’re seeing governments be a little more moderate in their approach to things, recognizing that, yes, there has to be a healthful experience in traveling, but also the economy needs to have support as well and travel is such an important part of our economy. WARD: Moving to infrastructure. I think you had Terminal 3 plans in the works, but you had tabled that for a little while, correct? SATERO: We did, almost immediately with the start of the pandemic. We have a very active $8 billion capital program and we were about $5 billion of the way into it. We tabled about $2 billion of

DIRECTOR’S CHAIR

Right: Labor hasn’t been a big issue in the concessions program at SFO. About 80 percent of concessions locations were open as of the end of December, which Satero says is a good balance to serve the current number of passengers.

that work. A large portion of that was our Terminal 3 West, about $1.3 billion was going into that facility. We have suspended that [but] we are continuing to invest. We postponed making decisions in a number of projects to wait and see how the pandemic played out and how our recovery played out, based upon our financial recovery model. We are now incrementally investing in some of those capital projects, like Harvey Milk Terminal 1. We are about 80 percent of the way through it and we’re going to complete that project. There’s about $300 million more of investment to go there. We’re making decisions incrementally based on those priorities and based on our financial ability to proceed. Some have a compelling business case, for instance, Harvey Milk Terminal 1 supports a Oneworld partnership that we think has some promise for our future. WARD: Moving into the terminals, how are concessions performing? SATERO: We are about 80 percent open in our concessions (late December 2021). All our terminals have plenty of offerings right now based on the loads that we’re seeing. In the conversations with my peers at many airports, labor has been a very difficult challenge across many parts of the nation, but that hasn’t been a challenge for us. It’s really been just balancing the level of offerings with the amount of passengers that are in the terminals, because we want our concessionaires to be financially viable as traffic returns.

WARD: More broadly, there’s a lot of talk in the industry about a new approach to concessions contracts, a new relationship between airports and concessionaires. Do you have a take on the best way forward? SATERO: We have experience with this. After 9/11, we were the worst-impacted airport in the nation, and that took us some time to recover from and that had that impact on our concessionaires. We have a MAG waiver provision, it served us well following 9/11 and I feel like it’s serving us well now. To date, we’ve even provided our concessionaires with $50

million in relief. Early on, we committed to supporting our concessionaires through the difficult circumstances related to the crisis. But I think it’s still too early to tell what is best in the long term. I think I’m still convinced that MAGs are serving us well, but there have to be provisions to be able to respond to the circumstances that are created by these kinds of events. We work closely, we engage very often and ask for their feedback on many different parts of our programs, and we’ll continue to do so with this as well as we work through the pandemic.

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DIRECTOR’S CHAIR

Top: Construction on the Harvey Milk Terminal 1 was stalled briefly when the pandemic hit but has since resumed.

WARD: Moving to technology or customer service efforts: what new is coming out at SFO? SATERO: Early on [in the pandemic] we started an ambassador program to engage with the customers and offer assurance that the airport is taking care of their needs and is providing a healthful experience. It’s staffed by our employees and one of our contractors. They’re helping people with mask compliance, with wayfinding, whatever their needs are. Also, we initiated a Quiet Airports initiative, creating a more calming atmosphere in the terminals without

all the constant announcements. Then around technologies, yes, touchless technologies are so important for our future. We’re pleased to have really strong partnerships with United Airlines and supported them in their pilot around check-in, bag check, and boarding through facial recognition biometric technology, and working with digital health credentialing with some of our international carriers. Also, TSA is moving forward with their credential authentication technology. It matches facial recognition with a mobile driver’s license that’s in your Apple Wallet. We’re really advocating that California steps up and starts to move towards mobile driver’s license technology. WARD: I wanted to touch base on sustainability as well. Can you share details on a few of the sustainability initiatives that you have underway? SATERO: We have our plastic bottle ban. We were the first to ban single use plastic bottles of water and we expanded that to sweetened beverages. From January 1, 2022, there is a prohibition on sales of sweetened beverages in plastic bottles at SFO. [On the airport campus] we’re moving towards an electrified future. I think the concepts around broader grid and electrical power availability are really important for government to focus on. Onsite renewables are an important part of our investment in sustainability. Then separately, for four years we’ve been really pushing sustainable aviation fuel and it’s starting to get a lot of momentum. I’m really excited about the recent announcement of the Oneworld partnership. They’re committed to moving 350 million gallons of SAF through SFO starting in 2024 through 2030. We’re even exceeding our own goals in sustainable aviation fuel, and I think that is really important for all of us in the industry to support that.

Left: SFO’s International Terminal hosts a broad range of international carriers. Traffic has been hard hit but is slowly building back.

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Concessionaires Seek Relief From Airport Partners As Construction Costs Skyrocket BY SALLY KRAL Building concessions space in an airport terminal has always carried a high price tag. With the current upheaval caused by unstable traffic as the pandemic wears on, costs have ratcheted up even further. “[Buildouts] are running about 30 percent higher in price than pre-COVID,” says LeMonica Hakeem, CEO and president of Conekt Hospitality. With shortages of both labor and materials causing shipping delays and other challenges, concessionaires are contending with many different issues at once during the construction process, all of which hurt their bottom line. “To maintain schedules, we may have to substitute with materials that cost more, and then if materials are available to site, expedited shipping costs may now exist,” notes Kathryn Doherty, senior director of design and construction for Paradies Lagardère. “In the event some material shortages can’t be compensated, construction scheduling becomes less

A X N E W S C O N F E RE N C E I S S U E 2 0 2 2

efficient, resulting in ‘extras’ from general contractors for additional supervision or materials with more complicated installation efforts. In general, we’ve seen an escalation of material costs in the 25 to 45 percent range, particularly for metal, wood and lighting.” But costs have been escalating for years and were already notably high before the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting supply chain issues. “Although the pandemic is certainly responsible for a large part of the recent spike in costs, it’s important to recognize that elevated and increasing costs are not a new phenomenon,” says Andrew Weddig, executive director of the Airport Restaurant & Retail Association (ARRA). “Three years ago – well before COVID – costs were routinely exceeding $1,000 per square foot and sometimes reaching $1,500 per square foot in higher price markets. Concessionaire financial returns were being squeezed before the pandemic; the pandemic is making a previously bad situation worse.”

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One thing is clear, as Hakeem notes: “This current situation isn’t sustainable for years ahead.” It will take careful planning and open communication between concessionaires and their airport partners to move forward. “Like everything right now, it’s just going to evolve,” says Patrick Murray, executive vice president of SSP America. “I think this lag in general construction we’re seeing will continue for a few years, but the airport community is very open to having lots of conversations about how to work our way through this next period of time so that we then can get to the future. We’re cautiously moving through the projects that we can and trying to anticipate as much as humanly possible.”

Strategize And Streamline Like practically every business around the world right now, concession operators have had to be more cautious than ever about where their money is being spent, especially when it comes to large construction projects. “We have to scrutinize things much more intently; we have to look at plans more often than we ever did before,” Murray says.

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“We’re trying to be cautious because if we overspend on projects that are so expensive to begin with, we’ll never recover from them.” He adds that the name of the game now is to move carefully and diligently, trying to make the best decisions possible. “And hang on for dear life.” Kris Irwin, vice president of design and construction at Delaware North, says that the company’s process for buildouts itself hasn’t changed much but the timeline has had to. “We place a greater effort on ordering material and equipment earlier in the process to leverage availability and lead times,” she says. “Delaying projects and phasing construction has also been successful for us.” Paradies Lagardère, too, has put much greater emphasis on earlier anticipation of needs, forecasting and ordering. “We’ve had to communicate and push our vendors on pricing and material substitutions to a much greater extent to manage expenses – these on-going negotiations consume much more time than previously,” Doherty says. “We’ve also been focusing on recognizing future equipment needs and pre-purchasing items before anticipated price increases occur. Our design and construction team has

Above: Restaurant and store buildouts are ramping up again, after a slowdown during the worst of the pandemic, but with supply chain and labor challenges, the cost metrics are increasingly challenging.

had to be quite sharp in previewing actual needs, communicating with vendors on upcoming or potential price swings, and then making intelligent choices to only purchase items we know for sure we’ll use in the near future.” As costs continue to soar, Alan Gluck, senior aviation commercial planner for global consultancy firm ICF, predicts that concessionaires will begin leaning on ghost kitchens more, both as a means to increase the variety of brands and styles of food using a single kitchen and to help control costs by avoiding an expensive buildout of customer seating areas. “However, while most people are comfortable with ordering from ‘ghost stores’ since that’s how life has been during the pandemic, I’m not sure it will work in convenience retail,” he adds. “Specialty retail is fine, but in a situation where there are many low-value and impulse purchases,

including snack items, which are the bulk of sales in convenience concessions, customers are used to having them in their hands when the credit card is charged. So I don’t think ghost stores will work for the bulk of retail offerings, and that will make it harder to avoid buildout costs.” But there are other ways concessionaires can curb some of these costs where the ghost kitchen or store model might not be possible, one of which is increased automation. “Within the industry technology will continue to drive store design with more self-ordering kiosks, self-ordering apps and QR codes,” Conekt Hospitality’s Hakeem says. “We’ll see more innovative pick-up counters or lockers within store designs, making it easier for guests to order and go.” And this is what passengers want, notes Susan Stiene, president and CEO of Optimas Management Group. “Speedier transactions through self-service, mobile apps and online shopping is the future, so concession operators will designate funds to innovating the digital experience, which in turn reduces labor costs.”

Cutbacks To Consider The vast majority of concession contracts currently require midterm refurbishments so that after a designated time in the lease term, upgrades can be made to stores to keep them fresh and polished. But some concessionaires see this requirement as an unnecessary financial burden. “We would like to see a rethinking of this area, as requiring a large investment for a facility at a specific time, regardless of the facility’s condition, is a challenging process of addressing the core issue, which is ensuring that brand and usage is current and standards are high,” Paradies Lagadère’s Doherty says. “It would be more effective to have clauses requiring rebranding if the location’s appearance or environment is contributing to a lack of performance and ensuring investment when it’s actually needed – typically, smaller amounts but more often to maintain ‘opening day fresh’ standards.” Doherty adds that midterm dollars can instead be used for targeted upgrades to drive traffic and sales, such as adding new graband-go programs or self-checkout stations. ARRA’s Weddig agrees that refurbishments should be based on need rather than a

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“one-size-fits-all,” inflexible contractual requirement. “This means airports and concessionaires working together to identify and implement investment opportunities to enhance, or maintain, the customer experience when needed, not according to an arbitrary schedule.” ICF’s Gluck also supports midterm refurbishments being conditional. “But judgment should be made in the sole opinion of the airport, as run-down concessions should never be tolerated,” he notes. “However, airports need to be reasonable in what they require. Asking for an additional 50 percent of the concessionaire’s original investment on a seven-year contract – so midterm reinvestment would be occurring in year three or four at the latest – is unreasonable. That said, if the vendor has not been maintaining the leased space, and particularly if the lease has a longer term, the midterm reinvestment becomes necessary.” Optimas Management Group’s Stiene feels that midterm refurbishments are always necessary. “The wear and tear on shop furniture at an airport is more than in any other industry,” she says. “What other industries can you think of that have beautifully crafted fixtures constantly being hit by roller boards and stock replenishment carts, plus fiberglass suitcases?” While Conekt Hospitality’s Hakeem points out that cutting back on the midterm

refurbishment requirement would be a help to concessionaires, she thinks there are bigger ways to alleviate some of the financial burden on concessionaires. “In my opinion, the optimal solution is to not reduce the quality or maintenance of the space, but rather increase lease terms to help absorb the effect of higher costs and allow for amortization.” Weddig agrees that this isn’t about finding one simple thing to cut back, but rather making larger changes with the help of airports. “Other than delaying current construction in order to match customer demand, short-term cutbacks are probably not necessary; rather, more precise building practices and smarter lease policies will help alleviate high costs.”

More Partnership, More Efficiency Weddig points out that there are several areas where airports can help today with little effort. These include better delineation between base-building costs and tenant improvements, plus Below: Proprietary brands (Delaware North’s Boston Bruins pictured), over which concessionaires have more control on design and materials, allow for greater management over bulk purchases and more uniformity for maintenance, thus curbing buildout costs.

Above: Although the pandemic has certainly made construction prices spike, the cost of building out in the airport was already very high before 2020, reaching as high as $1,500 per square foot in some markets.

financial support for base-building costs incurred by concessionaires; flexibility on midterm refurbishment requirements; more accurate and up-to-date information about building conditions to reduce expensive change orders; and relaxing of “all new construction” requirements, which also supports airport sustainability initiatives. That last point – which would give concessionaires the ability to use existing infrastructure for new builds – would be a huge boon, SSP America’s Murray says. “When you take a restaurant that’s in pretty good shape and demolish it to the cinder blocks and then rebuild it, that’s a good deal of wasted cash – and not just for the concession operators but for the airport as well,” he says. “I think we should consider things like leaving the plumbing and electrical and structure of the building intact and redoing it as opposed to starting from scratch. There are a lot of things that can be considered, because just like the aviation world, we have to become more nimble, we have to be smarter about it.”

Hakeem, who supports longer lease terms for concessionaires, notes that airports can do more by offering tenant credits and working with tenants on making sure spaces have all of the necessary mechanical, electric and plumbing feeds. Gluck also supports extended contracts and he points out several additional areas where airports can better work with concessionaires during the early stages of building out. “The airport should review its tenant design guidelines to ensure that there aren’t excessive demands in fit and finish. Also, if the airport is doing other significant construction, allowing the concessionaires’ contractors to join those contractors in purchasing collectively might potentially allow them to buy raw materials like lumber at lower, bulk prices.” To the design point, Paradies Lagardère’s Doherty hopes airports will become more flexible in this area. “One example might include the use of open ceiling or common area tiling, especially in the concourses, which allows the location to benefit from utilizing base building HVAC and lighting.” In addition, Doherty says that allowing for concessionaires to open more proprietary brands, which provide more control over design and material specifications across multiple sites, would be very helpful. “The result would be greater management over

bulk purchases and more uniformity for maintenance,” she explains. “We fully understand and support the need for national and local brands in the airport environment, but a greater balance of national and proprietary offerings presents opportunities for buildout savings, which in turn can help enhance other areas of the customer experience.” Other ideas Doherty offers include establishing tenant improvement or facility investment allowances, as most street developers provide; reducing the increasing drawing expectations, as complex rendering and drawing packages are very expensive; working together on honest and more accurate opening dates, which will help manage costs for expedited materials and trades to complete construction that sometimes end up being unnecessary; flexibility on required and potentially expensive closure systems, such as Hufcor doors, as some post-security sites don’t need closure at all; and simplifying trades bringing in tools and materials, as this will help reduce general contractor costs. “The future of airport concessions capital investment will involve more partnership and more efficiency,” Weddig says. “As costs are likely to remain elevated – and, perhaps, continue to increase – airports and concessionaires must rationalize these investments in order for concession businesses to be financially viable.” Weddig’s ideas to rationalize the investment include cost-sharing between airports and concessionaires, shared backs-of-house, and technology solutions to leverage concession infrastructure and realize more customer interface per investment dollar. “Sharing a greater responsibility for costs, allowing more flexibility and re-establishing very clear goals on developing programs will collectively help locations and overall airport programs remain modern and exceed travelers’ needs and wants,” Doherty says. “From an expanded use of mobile kiosk or vending businesses, which have proven to be successful but also have minimum investment, to expectations of environmentally responsible designs and buildouts, which cost more, the opportunity for concessionaires and airports to work together on these programs can and will have a profound impact on location longevity, traveler satisfaction and overall sales.”

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Airports Explore Options To Attract Workers BY ANDREW TELLIJOHN

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It isn’t easy raising children while doing shift work in concessions, one of several challenges operators are facing in bringing back enough employees to staff all their airport food and retail locations. But at least one airport is doing what it can to address that challenge. After an informal survey of its partners indicated there would be significant interest, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) set aside $5 million from its American Rescue Plan Act allotment to give workers some options for finding care for their children.

That will start with $4 million for vouchers that will go toward a scholarship program to help workers find childcare. The other $1 million is set aside in hopes that the airport can find the right space to build a childcare center on site. “We are looking to finalize an agreement with a partner to help us manage that program,” says Matthew Heil, special projects administrator at PHX. “That would allow workers to identify any childcare facility that has vacancy. It could be near the airport, it could be near where they live – whatever works better for

them – and be able to have that financial support for childcare.”

Finding A Way The government funding was a significant piece of the solution, says Heil, as most airport funds must be earmarked for aviation-related purposes. After the budget currently set aside by the city to ease workers’ daycare concerns expires, the city hopes to find community partners to keep the program going. As for the childcare itself, he says, it would primarily run off tuition paid by the employees who use the service. The airport is currently working through a request for proposals aimed at identifying such a partner. It hasn’t been easy. “One of the primary challenges is the spaces we have available to look at weren’t ever intended for that purpose,” says Heil. “We’re trying to find the most efficient way to convert what are primarily office spaces into something that is childcare appropriate. We’ve been working with a firm that has done childcare facilities in the past. We’ve been working with some of the city’s other department experts in childcare, other departments like human services, and getting feedback on a space plan and what exactly the layout of the rooms would look like.” PHX is aiming for a facility that would accommodate 100 children between newborn and five years of age. “That means rooms have to be fairly interchangeable depending on the age of the children in the room,” he says. “We’re hopeful the evaluation of the site will be concluded in the next couple months. With the pandemic having the impact on supplies and construction, having the space plan available doesn’t mean construction will move quickly, but we’re hoping to work with the firm we bring on to operate the facility so it can be built to their needs and their understanding of best practice.” Left: SFO offers subsidies so children of airport employees can attend Palcare nearby at a more affordable price.

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Right, top: The city of Phoenix set aside $5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to help fund daycare vouchers and, perhaps, an onsite facility at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

LAX’s Experience PHX isn’t the only airport where daycare has become a reality. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) had been providing the service for more than 20 years before the COVID-19 pandemic shut it down. The First Flight Child Development Center opened in 1998 for families with children between the ages of six weeks and five years. First priority was given to Los Angeles World Airport (LAWA) employees, with LAX tenant employees second in line, says Becca Doten, acting chief corporate strategy and affairs officer. LAWA owns the facility, located north of LAX, and “through a thorough request for proposals process, an operator is contracted to manage the daily operations of the childcare center,” she says. The most recent operator ended its contract with LAWA in June 2020 and the center has remained closed. But the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners in December 2021 voted to reopen the First Flight Child Development Center as of March 2022, according to a LAWA news release. And Doten says the organization is working to finalize a new contract that would reopen the center “at a time when the demand for childcare services within our community has gradually begun to increase.” Students enrolled in January 2020 when it closed will be given priority enrollment at the center, which had been providing services to 80 families, ranging in age from six weeks to five years old, according to media reports – 16 percent of these were employees of Los Angeles World Airports and 38 percent were related to tenant employees at LAX. “This service was established in order to address the childcare needs of LAWA employees, LAX tenant employees and the surrounding communities,” Doten says. “By offering affordable services that prioritize the enrollment of LAWA employees, LAWA is able to offer a benefit that helps combat the issues that families often face when seeking affordable and reliable childcare services.”

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Subsidies At SFO While San Francisco International Airport (SFO) doesn’t have on-site daycare, the airport has offered subsidies since 1993 so employees working at the airport can attend Palcare, a facility near the airport. All airport employees are eligible. SFO makes a payment to the daycare center to guarantee availability of childcare spots for a minimum number of children from families of an airport employee. Subsidies vary depending on income level and the center provides care for children up to pre-kindergarten. “This is a good idea because it helps parents meet both the needs of childcare combined with employment obligations,

Above: The First Flight Child Development Center near LAX first opened in 1998. It’s been closed since early in the pandemic, but Los Angeles World Airports is negotiating with a partner to reopen the facility.

which, in the airport environment, can often involve shift work,” says spokesman Doug Yakel. SFO officials aren’t sure if the program has helped assuage staffing issues at the airport, but “because the program is designed to help the lower-income airport employees, it would be increasingly helpful to those whose income levels have been negatively impacted by the pandemic,” Yakel says.

Great Idea, Complicated Process While many agree the idea looks good on paper, there also are many challenges associated with the idea of putting a daycare center in an airport. Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) is looking into the possibility of finding space for an on-site daycare facility. In fact, Eric Johnson, director of commercial management and airline affairs, says it’s been on and off the docket for nearly a decade. Airport officials have toured several corporate campuses that have daycare centers to see how they do it. And It came up again recently with the staffing challenges concessions companies have faced during the COVID-recovery era. But Johnson describes it as a complicated process for several reasons. For one, there are significant ranges in the salaries of workers whose companies would be utilizing the facility, which likely would require sponsorship programs from those participating entities so everyone gets the same levels of care.

Below: Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport officials have long discussed the possibility of adding childcare. Staff knows the benefits, but hasn’t yet solved the challenges standing in the way.

Additionally, everyone at the airport is concerned about risk and liability “and how you have a good daycare environment with an opportunity to take kids outside when you are at an airport,” he says. Then there is budgeting. Johnson says he’d be surprised if a company would want to come in and build such a facility, so MSP would have to figure out how to fund it. “It would be up to us to build it but then contract with somebody to manage and run the facility,” he says. “Those are the hurdles. This is one of those things that every few months you dig it out say ‘oh, where did we leave off with this again,’ and you start over again and start trudging through some stuff and then some other crisis pops up. So, it drags out for a while.” Johnson did bring it up the idea with a new vice president at the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC), which runs MSP, and was asked about instead working with the county or state to fund vouchers as an alternate solution. “That’s probably not the full solution, but it might not be a bad idea to try,” he says, adding that MAC is now looking into that, as well. Ultimately he’d like to see the daycare solution happen. There is a location adjacent to the light-rail transit line running through the airport, by Terminal 2 near where employees park, that he thinks would be a good spot. Parents could even visit their kids during lunch breaks if they desired.

“It’s as convenient as convenient could be,” he says, adding that he really would like to find a way to make it work. “We’re working on it. We’re still trying to see if it’s a solution. I think that is truly one of the biggest things we could do to help concessionaires be able to make this a more desirable place for people to come work.”

Widespread Interest Many members of the Air port Restaurant and Retail Association (ARRA) have quizzed Executive Director Andy Weddig about the possibility of airports finding ways to assist workers with daycare. He likes the idea but also understands the challenges associated with making it happen. “It is one of the things that has come out as a way to make an airport more attractive for workers,” he says, adding that it comes up in several work groups within Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA). “It’s an idea, but I haven’t heard of anyone actually doing it. I’ve heard of several airports investigating it. It’s going to take a while.” He says it’s a great idea, in part because airports are unique environments with long hours for shift workers that don’t always conform to the hours of traditional daycare centers. An on-site facility would not just help concessions workers, but airline gate agents, Transportation Security Administration agents and “other people who have to be there essentially in the middle of the night,” he says. But there also are legitimate challenges. Who is going to run it? How do you minimize liability issues? How do you staff a daycare center that, much like other operations at the airport, will come with security, parking and other logistics issues not faced by centers not housed at the airport? Still, Weddig hopes airports are able to start figuring out the challenges and making it happen. “Everybody recognizes it, but we’re at a bit of a loss on how to do it,” he says. “This is an idea whose time has come, but it’s going to take [a while] to get it to work out.” After all, he quipped: “We have it figured out for pets. Our members would love to see it. … By making the daycare easier, the airport becomes a more desirable place to work because this is one headache out of the way.”

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Above: At Edmonton International Airport, several retail and entertainment attractions bring in thousands of visitors daily, including a Premium Outlet Collection mall, Costco Wholesale, a 320-acre motorsports facility, and a Century Mile Racetrack and Casino.

Non-Aeronautical Revenue Streams Gain Importance Amidst Uncertainty BY SALLY KRAL

In October 2021, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) released RFPs seeking developers and investors interested in real estate opportunities at five properties outside the airport’s secure area. The potential scope of development for the properties includes industrial space, aviationrelated office space, and a possible mixed-use food, retail and entertainment lifestyle destination. This was actually the second time the airport released bids for development of these properties –a similar solicitation went out in 2019 but was withdrawn in June 2020 due to the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. ATL’s rebidding of these parcels of real estate is not only an encouraging sign of the aviation industry’s slow but sure rebound, it’s also indicative of how important it is – especially since the pandemic hit – that airports build up their sources of non-aeronautical revenue.

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“Real estate has become an essential part of the airport business model,” notes Dr. Max Hirsh, managing director of the Airport City Academy and a leading expert on airports and urban development. “Before COVID, airports on average made about 15 to 20 percent of their revenue from property development – over the past two years, real estate has become an even bigger priority. The pandemic exposed considerable risks in the existing airport business model and it also taught airports a valuable lesson: if you want to survive, diversify your revenue.” Indeed, the steep decline in passenger numbers over the past two years revealed just how financially vulnerable airports are. But those that have developed and leased their land for non-aeronautical purposes have fared far better than those that haven’t, Dr. Hirsh claims. “Airports that rely heavily on a single income source – say, passenger and airline fees from one or two carriers – are performing much worse compared to airports that have a broad portfolio of income sources,” he says. “That’s because successful airports strike a balance between passenger-related revenue and non-passenger revenue.”

Right: Charlotte Douglas International Airport has sold property to Amazon and Norfolk Southern for the development of a distribution center and intermodal rail facility, respectively. As the airport continues to pursue long-term leases for the properties it owns around the airport, warehousing, logistics facilities and fueling stations, as well as hotel and office development, are priorities.

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Diversify To Survive Dr. Hirsh notes that two global thought leaders for unlocking the value of their land assets are Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) and Singapore Changi Airport (SIN). “They’ve come up with land use strategies that are commercially viable in their own right, and that increase the competitiveness of both the airport and the city that it serves,” he says. “In the U.S., Charlotte and Cincinnati stand out for similar reasons.” In recent years, Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) has sold property to Amazon and Norfolk Southern for the development of a distribution center and intermodal rail facility, respectively. “We were focused on non-aeronautical development opportunities pre-pandemic, but the past two years certainly intensified our desire to pursue opportunities in this area,” says Ted Kaplan, chief business and innovation officer for the airport. Kaplan adds that the airport continues to actively pursue long-term leases for the properties it owns around the airport, looking specifically at adding warehousing,

logistics facilities and fueling stations, as well as hotel and office development. Since 2015 Cincinnati/ Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) has leased its land to such businesses as Bosch, GE Aviation, DB Schenker and Wayfair. “While most non-aeronautical revenue streams such as parking, concessions and car rentals have been down due to COVID, lease income has been helpful to stem those losses, and in fact, our non-aeronautical revenues outweigh our aeronautical revenues,” says Candace McGraw, CEO of the airport. “Another critical element of this work can be found in the value of adding at least 4,500 jobs to the community.” McGraw adds that CVG is working on the development of a 300-acre site to the west of the airport that will include buildto-suit opportunities and some speculative building sites. “Non-aeronautical revenue is critically important to helping us be as competitive as possible,” says David Storer, director of business development at Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT). “The pandemic showed that having a diversified revenue stream can really be life-sustaining and is critical to ensuring the airport can execute on the important economic and infrastructure role we are charged with providing in a cost-effective manner.” PIT already had success with Dick’s Sporting Goods headquarters, which is located adjacent to the runways and provides thousands of jobs, but once the pandemic hit the airport fast-tracked the growth of its cargo business and other non-aeronautical projects, most notably the development of its Neighborhood 91 additive manufacturing production campus. “Just last year, Fortune 500 Company Wabtec Corp. chose to locate its additive manufacturing business at our Neighborhood 91 development,” Storer says. “We plan to continue building out Neighborhood 91, which will make the Pittsburgh region a world headquarters in a growing industry.” Denver International Airport (DEN) has the largest land ownership of a U.S. airport, covering approximately 34,000 acres. Since 2013 DEN has been committed to developing this land for non-aeronautical uses, beginning with its Final Approach facility offering food, fuel and amenities to drivers waiting to pick up passengers and other customers. DEN also has Worldport,

VISIT BOOTH #313

Left, Top: The headquarters for Dick’s Sporting Goods is located adjacent to the runways at Pittsburgh International. Amidst the pandemic, the airport has fast-tracked the growth of its cargo business and other nonaeronautical projects. Left: With acres of land at its disposal, Denver International Airport has been aggressive in developing new revenue sources. The Westin Hotel and Transit Center has been the airport’s most successful use of its land to date.

a building that houses offices and a pet boarding and daycare facility, and a Westin Hotel and Transit Center that connects DEN to Union Station on the Regional Transportation District (RTD) A-Line. The hotel has been very profitable, consistently outperforming other hotels in the greater Denver metropolitan area. D u r i ng t he pa ndemic, DEN’s non-aeronautical land developments brought in approximately $26 million in revenue in 2020 and approximately $45 million in 2021, according to the airport’s real estate and finance teams. The airport is now offering a 3.8-acre site, referred to as the Retail & Convenience Parcel, for lease with a negotiable term. According to the offering memorandum, potential programming for the site includes a fueling station and possibly a car wash as the anchor tenant, and there is space available for healthy quick-serve food options or a coffee shop. Up north in Canada, Edmonton International Airport (YEG) is the largest airport in Canada by land area and has more than 7,000 acres of land available for development. “Over the past eight years, I’ve driven over $1.3 billion of private investment to the airport with a major focus in developing non-aeronautical business on our land,” says Myron Keehn, vice president of air service and business development for

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the airport. “We’ve created what we call our Airport City Sustainability Campus, which is an ecosystem with businesses in different industries such as logistics, biopharma, ag riculture, light ma nufacturing, technology, retail, entertainment and hospitality.” YEG’s Airport City Sustainability Campus houses the corporate headquarters for such businesses as Aurora Canabis and VEXSL Global, and several retail and entertainment attractions that Keehn says bring in thousands of visitors daily, including a Premium Outlet Collection mall, Costco Wholesale, a 320-acre motorsports facility, and a Century Mile Racetrack and Casino. Pre-pandemic, Vancouver International Airport (YVR) had one of the largest proportions of non-aeronautical revenue for a North American airport, according to Michael Chubb, director of commercial development for the airport. “As we experienced the downturn in passengers at the onset of the pandemic, we sharpened our focus on non-aeronautical revenue with the goal of maximizing these streams with fewer passengers,” he says. “With passenger numbers steadily increasing our focus remains just as sharp on this critical function to ensure we have diversified, resilient sources of revenue.”

Chubb notes that the McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Centre on its airport campus has been particularly successful. “Since 2015, YVR has had a 50 percent interest in the shopping center as a part of a joint venture, and it has become one of the top ten shopping malls in Canada on a sales per square foot basis and has attracted some of the top brands in retail,” he says. “Non-aeronautical revenue like from McArthurGlen has been essential during the pandemic. In 2019, our non-aeronautical revenues were 45 percent of total revenues and in 2020 they were 54 percent.”

Paradigm Shift While passenger air service will continue to be airports’ core business, non-passenger activities like cargo and real estate will play a much larger role in the coming business cycle, Dr. Hirsh says. “COVID led to a paradigm shift in how airports make money,” he says. “An airport’s financial resilience – and creditworthiness – will depend heavily on whether it can generate both passengerrelated and non-passenger revenue.” The pandemic also required that airports rethink some of their approaches to non-aeronautical ventures – for instance, DEN had to get creative with land negotiations, shifting up-front costs to developers. YVR historically had taken more of a reactive approach to land development. “When tenants approached us for potential development opportunities, we would work with them to enable those,” Chubb says. “But now, due to the pandemic and our need to diversify our revenue base, we’re becoming more proactive in working with partners to fulfill the need for industrial land uses in the region and to help grow the cargo gateway.” Chubb adds that YVR sees a lot of opportunities in the cargo and logistics space for future expansion. “With the rise in e-commerce and the disruption we’ve seen in the supply chain, the role of cargo and logistics facilities at the airport has become more important,” he explains. “We’re also looking at initiatives to digitize the supply chain through the use of a Cargo Community System. Through digitizing the supply chain, efficiencies can be gained to increase throughput in existing warehouse

by moving cargo through a facility faster and, in turn, reduce greenhouse gas emissions with fewer trucks idling.” YEG’s cargo development has earned strong support from the Canadian Federal and Provincial governments, according to Keehn. “The government of Canada has invested $18 million into our $36 million cargo expansion, which will increase our cargo-area apron by 47,000 square meters, allowing for more planes to load and unload. And the government of Alberta will help build a new highway overpass that will create greater access to our undeveloped land, which is designated to be home to a larger cargo and logistics area.” Keehn adds that YEG’s cargo development is key to driving regional economic prosperity. “It will allow us to promote more trade and exports and help position our region for post-COVID recovery.” Dr. Hirsh notes that airports are under a lot of pressure to find new sources of growth right now, and while land is one of the aviation industry’s more valuable assets, many airports struggle to unlock that value. He identifies three common barriers to successful land development: a lack of money, a lack of know-how and an aversion to risk. “Collaborative development – whereby the airport joins forces with an external

partner – is a powerful tool to overcome all three barriers,” Dr. Hirsh says. “Moving forward, I think we’ll see a lot more collaborative development between airports and the private sector, and with public sector actors like pension funds.” Dr. Hirsh adds that just as passengers have shifted from more business travelers to leisure and younger travelers, customers of airport cities are changing and so are their needs. “Demand has shifted toward e-commerce, logistics and renewable energy projects. We’re also seeing more sustainability demands from tenants that need to meet company climate change targets. If airports want to stay relevant, they’ll need to update their customer focus and land use strategies accordingly.” Sustainability is certainly a major component of many airports’ development plans. Last year, PIT became the first airport in the world to launch its own microgrid powered by 5 natural gas generators and nearly 10,000 solar panels, which Storer notes cut electric costs to the airport and its tenant partners. YEG, meanwhile, has partnered with Alpin Sun to build the world’s largest airport-based solar farm at 627 acres. The airport has also leased land to WeFaces Technology, an Asian-based solar LED manufacturer, and Plant Plus, which produces products made from natural plant materials.

Above: At Vancouver International Airport, non-aeronautical revenues accounted for 54 percent of total revenues in 2020, up from 45 percent in 2019. Airport campus properties like the McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Centre have been essential to the airport’s survival throughout the pandemic.

Chubb notes that land development – with sustainability in mind – will be a key part of YVR’s 2022-2024 Strategic Plan. “We aim to bring 400 acres of development land to market with our partners over the next ten years in a phased approach, at least doubling our current lease revenues,” he says. “We’re looking at securing tenants in future growth industries and partnering with organizations that align with our goal of becoming net zero by 2030.” The airport recently signed a lease with the clean energy company General Fusion to relocate and expand its headquarters to the airport’s campus. “The pandemic highlighted the need for us to be innovative and to make smart investments in the near term, positioning us well for a lower-carbon, digital and efficient future, with new revenue streams to complement our core aviation business,” Chubb adds.

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AGENDA

AIRPORT EXPERIENCE® CONFERENCE

DAY 1 SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 27 2:30pm – 4:00pm Registration Desk Open Sebastian Registration

Registration Desk & Lanyards Sponsored by Delaware North Hotel Key Cards Sponsored by Paradies Lagardère Registration Bags Sponsored by Hudson Pocket Agenda Sponsored by Fraport USA Conference App Sponsored by WHSmith-Marshall Retail Group-InMotion

4:00pm – 6:00pm Orlando Airport Tour Reception Sebastian I 1 & 2

For registered attendees of previously scheduled airport tour only. Sponsored by Orlando International Airport

DAY 2 MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28 7:30am – 3:30pm Registration Desk Open Sebastian Registration

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FEBRUARY 27- MARCH 2, 2022 Rosen Shingle Creek | Orlando, FL

DAY 2 MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28 (CONTINUED) 7:30am – 9:00am Women In Leadership Breakfast Session 1 Sebastian I 1 & 2

AXN’s wildly popular celebration of women’s excellence is back for a second year! Join Team AXN and our valued sponsors as we spotlight the current women in leadership in our industry and assess the pathways to expanded influence for the next generation of female executives. Space is limited! You must add this event to your registration to participate. Confirmation required.

Moderator:

Melissa K. Montes, Publisher, Airport Experience News

Speakers:

Judy Byrd, President & CEO, Byrd Retail Group Rebecca Hupp, Director, Boise Airport Nancy Knipp, President, Airport Dimensions Kate Webb, Director of Concessions, Tampa International Airport Breakfast Sponsored by Stellar Partners Coffee Sponsored by The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Program Sponsored by Moët Hennessy, See’s Candies, Tandem Creative, Vera Bradley

8:00am – 9:15am Breakfast And Networking Panzacola Foyer

Breakfast & Networking Sponsored by The Grove Coffee Sponsored by The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

9:15am – 9:30am Opening Remarks Panzacola Speakers:

Melissa K. Montes, Publisher, Airport Experience News General Session Room Sponsored by ReachTV

9:30am – 10:30am Keynote Address: Digital Disruption And The Post-Pandemic Consumer Session 2 Panzacola

Speaker:

The pandemic served as an accelerant for a digital revolution that was already underway. As the crisis eases and travel returns, airports and operators will see a shift in the demands of passengers. Futurist Brian Solis shares his insights on designing brands for “Generation C” (Connected Customers), and also assesses the impact of the pandemic on the consumer mindset. Brian Solis, Digital Analyst and Anthropologist, Futurist, Best Selling Author Keynote Address Sponsored by Mission Yogurt General Session Room Sponsored by ReachTV

10:30am – 10:45am Networking Break Panzacola Foyer

Coffee Sponsored by The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

10:45am - 11:45am Airport of the Future. Tomorrow’s Traveler. Tomorrow’s Airport Experience.

Session 3 As airports look to develop and adapt to the needs of travelers in the post-pandemic world, decision making can be Panzacola challenging. In this session, data findings from a recently commissioned independent travel survey will be shared,

along with a series of insights that will help inform and transform the roadmaps of airport concessions. The findings will be discussed by a panel of innovators, already ahead of the curve on leading the transformation to the future airport experience.

Moderator: Speakers:

Chris Gwilliam, Vice President, Global Business Development, Airport Dimensions Wassim Sade, CEO and Co-Founder, Inflyter Oliver Schulz, CEO and Co-Founder, Sleep ‘n Fly Stewart Steeves, Chief Operating Officer, Vantage Airport Group Jordan Walbridge, CEO and Co-Founder, Gameway General Session Room Sponsored by ReachTV

12:00pm - 2:00pm Property Managers’ Luncheon Sebastian I 1 & 2

SPONSORS

QDOBA is all about flavor – the flavor of its food, the flavor of its restaurants and, most importantly, the flavor of its people. As “the flavor authority,” QDOBA has been focused on flavor since day one. QDOBA has been serving freshly prepared, flavorful Mexican-inspired fare since 1995. Its menu includes classics like burritos, bowls, tacos, quesadillas and nachos. The company freshly prepares its food inhouse, grilling, slicing, dicing, smashing, and sautéing every single day.

See’s Candies has been making quality chocolate and candy Mary See’s way for 100 years. From the beginning, Mary took pride in her recipes and insisted on only the finest, freshest ingredients. Today, the company is still just as committed to making candy the right way. Stop into one of the iconic blackand-white shops – inspired by Mary’s kitchen – or visit See’s online. Visitors will find more than 100 varieties of delicious chocolates made with the same motto in mind: quality without compromise.

Debbie Butler and Melissa Vivari founded Tandem Creative LLC to offer a fresh perspective on brand identity and content development to various businesses and entities. This full-service marketing agency is ACDBE-certified and offers the following services: marketing consulting, graphic design, photography, content development, and proposal development. Tandem Creative LLC is devoted to every client’s success by offering unique and customizable solutions that catapult organizations to a new level. Elevating positivity by building strength in relationships and cultivating trust is the backbone of its mission. Visit tandemcreativellc. com to learn more about Tandem’s work.

ReachTV is a linear, short-form television network that uses a strategic combination of technology, location, data and premium content to reflect what viewers want to see and how they want to see it. Channels are programmed daily across a variety of categories, with content from a lineup of partners. The network is supported by a proprietary content management system that allows concessionaires, airports, and brand partners alike to easily upload and manage content, as well as track content performance via real-time reporting of viewership and POS data. ReachTV currently serves 90 airports internationally, with over 128 million travelers each month.

Servy is the enterprise self-service platform for hospitality. Launched in 2015 as an airport digital commerce app called Grab, Servy has since expanded the platform and grown outside of airports to provide self-service solutions to hospitality companies of all sizes and venues. With a presence in more than 80 airports across the globe, the Grab Airport Marketplace by Servy is now the largest omnichannel airport e-commerce platform. AtYourGate is the leading food delivery service for travelers, airport employees and airline crews in 18 U.S. airports, making airport dining and shopping stress-free and convenient by delivering orders with reliable and friendly service to anywhere in the airport. Learn more at atyourgate.com. Together, this winning strategic partnership enhances the passenger journey, enabling an end-to-end contactless airport ordering and delivery experience.

Vera Bradley has been inspiring and connecting women unlike any other brand for more than 35 years. The company’s focus remains on delivering patterns and silhouettes that resonate with today’s travel consumer. In a competitive marketplace, Vera Bradley is the number-one women’s backpack and number-one women’s duffel brand in the U.S. They are passionate about innovation in developing sustainable collections with a focus on being 100 percent sustainable by 2025. Vera Bradley’s focus is building profitable partnerships delivering sustained growth.

SAMBAZON is the first certified organic and fair trade açaí company in the world. Since its founding in 2000, SAMBAZON’s mission has been to share the delicious powers of açaí, to fuel healthier people and a healthier planet by supplying ethically sourced açaí products. All SAMBAZON products, including Smoothie Packs, ready-toeat açaí bowls, energy drinks and juices, have complete traceability and transparency. From the palm of the tree to the palm of one’s hand – it’s SAMBAZON’s guarantee.

SSP America is a division of SSP Group, a leading operator of restaurants around the world. The SSP America team is driven by a shared vision to bring authentic restaurant experiences to every airport in North America. Its employees have a passion for exceptional food served by people who believe in heartfelt hospitality. Its airport partners trust SSP America to deliver a world-class portfolio of brands with broad passenger appeal and lasting commercial viability. Brand heroes choose SSP America to bring a taste of place to their hometown airport.

The experience of the Wolfgang Puck Group encompasses a wide range of areas, which provides for a depth of expertise not readily available in most organizations. With three distinctive companies, each line of business has its own unique and specific skill set, relying on teamwork and refinement to continually reinvent itself and provide the innovation and diversity for which Wolfgang Puck is known. Wolfgang Puck Worldwide, Inc. has more than 25 years of experience in the airport channel. The company’s constantly evolving, rapidly growing portfolio of concepts includes new locations domestically and in seven new countries in recent years.

Sawatch Wellness takes its name from the Sawatch mountain range in the co-founder’s native home state of Colorado – home to eight of the 20 highest peaks in the Rocky Mountains. The name also reflects the goal of their company – to bring peak wellness to its customers with premium CBD products, available on-the-go and on-demand. Sawatch Wellness launched its first set of CBD kiosks in the Atlanta metro area in late 2021 and is rapidly growing. For more information about Sawatch Wellness, visit sawatchwellness.com.

Stellar has grown from a small ACDBEcertified, entrepreneurial retailer into one of the most successful retail concessionaires in the country. The company places value on helping women and minorities through partnerships, mentoring, employment opportunities or product showcasing. Stellar Partners’ promise is to redefine the travel shopping experience; continually uniting its people-centered values with a culture of agility and creating a Stellar experience for our customers, brands, partners and our people alike.

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THANK YOU EXHIBITORS Airport Dimensions

FuelRod

Peet’s Coffee

Airport Minority Advisory Council

FUKU

Prepango, LLC

Atmosphere TV

Half Moon Empanadas

Qdoba

The Barber Shop Marketing & Promotions

Inspire Brands

SAMBAZON

Jersey Mike’s

See’s Candies

KFC

Servy

La Madeleine

Signifi Solutions

Minute Suites, LLC

Sleepy Sleeves

notes to self, LLC

Smarte Carte

DIFF Eyewear

Oat Couture Oatmeal Café & Montgomery Scotch Lounge

Steak ‘n Shake

Dine Brands

OMG It’s Gluten Free

Edible

Opticwash

Einstein Bros. Bagels

Panda Restaurant Group

Farmer’s Fridge

Panera Bread

Focus Brands

Parisi Coffee

Captivo Solutions Caribou Coffee The Chiroport CKE Restaurants The Classic Shine Company

Swyft Inc. TACKL Health UNO Foods Vera Bradley Vive Organic The Wendy’s Company

EXPERIENCE HALL

Atmosphere is the world’s first free streaming platform for businesses. Atmosphere includes 50-plus audio-optional TV channels that are updated regularly. The company’s channels, such as Chive TV, have been curated to fit any vibe and integrate seamlessly into any environment. Atmosphere aims to engage customers in a whole new way.

The Chiroport is a wellness-based chiropractic service located in airports.

The Barber Shop Marketing & Promotions is a full-service marketing and advertising agency based in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Since 2003, its turnkey promotional offerings have transformed the travel experience for consumers and brands. Whether the goal is to improve sales, promote new products and services, dominate in brand equity, or differentiate a brand and stand out amongst the noise, The Barber Shop has every tool and the right expertise to help achieve those goals.

CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc. runs and operates Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s and is known for one-of-a-kind premium and innovative menu items. The menu draws in the crowds with the Star Burgers line up; premium 100 percent angus beef Thickburgers; hand-scooped, real ice cream shakes; and hand-breaded chicken tenders. The company has nearly 4,000 franchised or company-operated restaurants in 44 U.S. states and 40 international markets. Please visit www.ckr.com or www. carlsjr.com or www.hardees.com.

Airport Dimensions wants travelers to value their time at the airport. The company is continuously seeking ways to open new dimensions in customer engagement using a mix of enriching physical experiences and innovative digital services. From comfortable lounges to restful sleep pods to convenient food ordering to contactless collection of duty free, Airport Dimensions helps improve travelers’ experience while helping airports maximize non-aeronautical revenue opportunities, retain airlines, and become more competitive.

Captivo (cap-TEE-vo) matches branded solutions to captive venue opportunities. Captivo works to optimize client concepts for the unique needs of nontraditional environments – airports, campuses, military bases and more. Captvo clients at AX include restaurant brands, technology providers and product partners. Stop by Booth #301 to learn more.

The Classic Shine is a Plano, Texas-based certified ACDBE shoeshine service. The company has been in business since 1985, and has been serving the traveling public in airports around the U.S. since 2010. The Classic Shine uses a state-ofthe-art POS systems to accept a wide range of payments, including contactless, and enables realtime sales performance monitoring. The Classic Shine is flexible to operate in small footprints, adapt to concession standards, and also meets all current CDC safety protocols.

The Airport Minority Advisory Council is the only national, nonprofit trade association dedicated to promoting the full participation of minority-owned, women-owned and disadvantaged business enterprises in contracting opportunities and professional development throughout the aviation and aerospace industries. AMAC and its affiliates represent thousands of members that include airport operators, government officials, corporations and M/W/ DBE entrepreneurs.

Caribou Coffee aims to be best in class. The brand that transcends generations, delivers an innovative guest experience, and drives revenue with its premium offerings and trendy settings. With years of previous work in airports, Caribou Coffee has a full experience designed to accommodate most any space. The company says its brand awareness will drive guests in and its on-trend menu will keep them coming back. Ask them how they can enhance your guest experience.

DIFF Charitable Eyewear was founded in 2015 with a vision to offer designer eyewear that’s not only affordable and fashionable but also makes a positive impact. That’s why the company chooses to give back. For every pair of DIFFs sold, the company provides vision care to people in need around the world. After seven years of being the leaders in luxury eyewear, DIFF has provided the gift of sight to over 2.7 million people. DIFF’s mission is to continue building our brand and make a positive change in the world.

AIRPORT EXPERIENCE® CONFERENCE FEBRUARY 27- MARCH 2, 2022 Rosen Shingle Creek, Orlando FL

Booth: 821

Exhibitors in the 2022 Experience Hall are bringing the best of their offerings to showcase to the industry. They’ve been planning out their booths and we’ve been working to create a space for connection, engagement and demonstration of new and favorite ideas and products. Get familiar with our exhibitors using these profiles and be sure to visit all the booths!

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EXPERIENCE HALL

IHOP is an iconic and beloved family restaurant chain known the world over for its famous pancakes and a wide variety of breakfast, lunch and dinner items that are loved by people of all ages — offering an affordable, everyday dining experience with warm and friendly service. Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill + Bar restaurants are known for their fun and family-friendly neighborhood atmosphere and signature grill and bar menu items that guests can only get at Applebee’s.

Focus Brands is a leading developer of iconic global foodservice brands. Through its affiliate brands, FOCUS Brands is the operator of more than 6,300 restaurants, cafes, ice cream shoppes and bakeries in the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and more than 60 foreign countries under the brand names Auntie Anne’s, Carvel, Cinnabon, Jamba, Moe’s Southwest Grill, McAlister’s Deli and Schlotzsky’s.

Inspire Brands is a multi-brand restaurant company whose current portfolio consists of nearly 32,000 Arby’s, Baskin-Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin’, Jimmy John’s, Rusty Taco and SONIC Drive-In locations worldwide. The company was founded in 2018 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Ga. For more information, visit InspireBrands.com

Edible’s concept strategy has a flexible model system from 400 square feet to 3,000 square feet, with an emphasis on labor efficiency meeting evolving business needs. Edible’s QSR is blended with a kit of parts and offerings. The store locations will carry the company’s signature fresh fruit smoothies, Thrive Coffee Bar, its everexpanding Edible Treats line which features chocolate dipped fruit, Edible donuts, all-natural fresh fruit salads, and other local treats. The company welcomes the opportunity to discuss.

Looking for fast, fresh and fun, today’s busy travelers expect more from where they dine on the fly – so pick the right brand to meet those demands. Einstein Bros. Bagels claims that other brand offers the quality and freshness of a bakery café with the speed and convenience of a QSR. Einstein Bros. Bagels: the complete coffeehouse experience. The company brings national brand awareness, full menus for every daypart, flexible designs, proven financial results, dedicated support teams and comprehensive staff training.

Fuku is a fried chicken joint from David Chang that’s on a mission to change the way people think about fast casual. Fuku started with a fried chicken sandwich within the original Momofuku Noodle Bar in NYC and has since grown to serve a variety of fried chicken offerings and sides. Guided by many of the same principles that David Chang instilled in Momofuku, Fuku is focused on offering guests approachable, tasty food that draws from both Asian and American influences.

KFC is the world’s most popular chicken restaurant chain serving its world-famous Original Recipe Kentucky Fried Chicken since 1952. With more than 70 years of providing world-class franchise support to more than 26,000 units in 145 countries, the company encourages people to add KFC to their development bucket list.

Farmer’s Fridge is a 14-square-foot smart vending machine offering fresh, chef-curated salads, bowls and snacks packaged in portable, recyclable jars. Operating around the clock, Farmer’s Fridge provides travelers and airport personnel access to a nutritious meal 24/7. With more than 400 locations across the country, Fridges can be found at Los Angeles International (LAX), O’Hare International (ORD), John F. Kennedy International (JFK), and several other airports in the U.S. Farmer’s Fridge also partners with select retailers providing graband-go meals at wholesale prices.

Half Moon Empanadas is a Miami-based business serving artisanal empanadas. The company aims to create a new snack category with a high-quality product that’s made from scratch and baked daily. This locals’ favorite offers a variety of flavors, both savory and sweet. Half Moon Empanadas, woman owned and ACDBE certified, is the number-one best seller per square foot at Miami International Airport (MIA). Licensing opportunity available for add-on option.

La joie de vivre at la Madeleine – the company aims to share joie de vivre, or joy of life. True to French tradition, la Madeleine believe this joy can be found in the simple moments, like sharing good food and good conversation with people we love. That’s why the company uses real, wholesome ingredients paired with classic French techniques. La Madeleine does it all with the joie of our guests in mind.

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EXPERIENCE HALL

Minute Suites offers travelers a clean and serene, private retreat in the airport terminal. The company’s private rooms provide natural social distancing. Founded by physicians and health care professionals, the company has adhered to a medical-grade cleaning protocol after each guest visit for over a decade. Minute Suites are the perfect place to unmask and relax. Learn more about why travelers visit us during COVID – visit Booth #313.

Opticwash is a self-service kiosk dedicated to the cleaning of eyewear, jewelry and cellphones. Working in airports since 2015, the company currently has 17 kiosks installed in airports. The company’s headquarters is in Ocala, FL.

For more than fifty years, Peet’s Coffee has been dedicated to crafting the perfect cup. This endeavor shapes every step of its process, from partnering with farmers to roasting by hand. Travelers can drink the best, freshest coffee knowing it’s from a company that cares.

Since the subconscious is most receptive early in the morning and late at night, the founder thought, “what if I put positive affirmations on the toes of socks?” www.notestoself.com

Panda Express is a family-owned and -operated American Chinese quick service restaurant brand. The first Panda Express location at an airport opened in 1995 at Denver Airport (DEN). Panda Express now serves in 27 airport locations. Panda Express is the perfect fast casual concept for the guest on the go, with fresh, ready to eat entrees and less than a minute to checkout by the time the guest arrives at the serving line.

Prepango is a visionary company that delivers thoughtful, innovative solutions in the automated retail, specialty vending and traveler communications industries. The company imagines, develops and deploys a wide range of concepts, products and services and manages them using Prepango’s proprietary optimization platform, through its unique retail network throughout the U.S.

Delivering fast, casual, healthy, original food. Oat Couture Oatmeal Café is the world’s first oatmeal chain. Oatmeal is heart-healthy, gluten-free, wholesome and filling. The company offers a healthy fastcasual breakfast and lunch, and seeks to blow minds with its customer service. The company offers healthy, sweet and savory bowls, and its savory bowls and oat bread paninis take the concept from the breakfast daypart into the lunchtime daypart. For the third daypart, the concept flips to Montgomery Scotch Lounge, a destination single malt bar. The lounge’s airport experience includes scotch flights, innovative cocktails and an internationally inspired chef-designed small plates menu.

Panera Bread is the fast-casual category leader with its identity rooted in handcrafted, fresh baked artisan breads with a wide selection of all-day menu options. Panera believes in serving delicious, fresh food made with carefully selected ingredients. Today, Panera operates as both Panera Bread and Saint Louis Bread Co in 48 states, the District of Columbia and Canada. Panera Bread is privately held by JAB Holding Company and is part of Panera Brands, one of the world’s largest fast casual restaurant companies, comprised of Panera Bread, Caribou Coffee and Einstein Bros. Bagels.

It all began with a mom on a mission to find kid-friendly gluten-free snacks after being diagnosed with Celiac disease and discovering all four of her children were gluten intolerant as well. After partnering with a young chef and creating delicious gluten-free baked goods, the dynamic duo grew OMG It’s Gluten Free from a small cafe to a thriving manufacturer.

Timeless moments are often shared over a cup. So, Parisi takes its coffee seriously. Selecting, roasting and brewing it right is an art, the company says, and Parisi Coffee is its proud, passionate homage to the family’s Italian heritage. It’s also a way to share delicious traditions with others. From fully branded coffee kiosks to cold brew on tap in an office, Parisi Coffee offers solutions that feature passion in a cup.

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EXPERIENCE HALL

See’s Candies has been making quality chocolate and candy Mary See’s way for 100 years. From the beginning, Mary took pride in her recipes and insisted on only the finest, freshest ingredients. Today, the company is still just as committed to making candy the right way. Stop into one of the iconic black-andwhite shops – inspired by Mary’s kitchen – or visit See’s online. Visitors will find more than 100 varieties of delicious chocolates made with the same motto in mind: quality without compromise.

Smarte Carte is the leading provider of selfserve vended luggage carts, electronic lockers, commercial strollers and massage chairs at more than 2,600 locations worldwide. Whether its operations at a major international airport, mall, theme park, or ski resort, the Smarte Carte team remains committed to providing great products, service and support to its clients and customers.

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UNO Foods, the consumer product division of UNO Pizzeria & Grill restaurants, began in the basement of one of the company’s Boston restaurants in 1988 and has grown into a nationally recognized brand known for simple, high quality comfort food. All the company’s products are handcrafted using the same ingredients as its restaurants and following the same recipes that have made UNO Foods famous throughout the world.

Servy is the enterprise self-service platform for hospitality. Launched in 2015 as an airport digital commerce app called Grab, Servy has since expanded the platform and grown outside of airports to provide self-service solutions to hospitality companies of all sizes and venues. Servy provides technology that aims to enhance the hospitality experience, not replace it. With a presence in more than 80 airports across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific, the Grab Airport Marketplace by Servy is now the largest omnichannel airport e-commerce platform. Learn more about Servy and our suite of enterprise self-service solutions at www.servy.us.

Steak ‘n Shake, based in Indianapolis, Ind. and founded in 1934, pioneered the concept of a better burger by hand-crafting cuts of steak to create its flagship Steakburger. Since then, the brand has become one of the most recognized and beloved brands in the restaurant business, synonymous with freshness and quality. Steak ‘N Shake currently has three airport locations open, with another one opening in early 2022 at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH).

Signifi Solutions is a leader in delivering smart vending, self-serve kiosks, and automated retail solutions globally. Founded in 2005, we are proud to be recognized as a leader in the industry. We design, engineer and develop robotic based dispensing kiosks, smart lockers and loss prevention solutions customized for any application. Signifi’s VISION Platform gives secure control & visibility to all your devices in the field to manage every aspect of your solution. We are steeped in continuous innovation and marketplace collaboration to bring you the most innovative products on the market today

Swyft is the robotic and software enabled marketplace enabling the world’s leading brands to showcase their products in fast, convenient and small format automated retail outlets. More than 90 percent of the United States’ top airports (by enplanements) choose Swyft to provide access to Apple, Sony, Beats, Benefit, CVS, ESI, iStore, Minted and other Tier 1 brands, including food and beverage brands, all operated on Swyft’s best-in-class platform powered by AI and machine learning.

Vive Organic is the pioneer in cold pressed and plant-powered 2-oz., ready-to-drink wellness shots made from organic and sustainably sourced superfoods. Vive is on a mission to deliver the earth’s most powerful ingredients to consumers seeking a fresh, convenient and potent boost to their daily wellness routines. Every shot is crafted by a team of holistic doctors and innovation specialists, so that consumers know it’s the perfect blend of fresh and concentrated ingredients.

TACKL Health’s specialization in rapid mobilization has made it one of the largest airport COVID testing companies in the U.S. TACKL Health offers 30-minute PCR tests in the airport. TACKL Health is an innovator in travel health and wellness specialty retail spaces. Cutting edge wellness testing, products and experiences place TACKL Health on the forefront of travel health and wellness.

Wendy’s was founded in 1969 by Dave Thomas in Columbus, Ohio. Dave built his business on the premise that “quality is our recipe,” which remains the guidepost of the Wendy’s system. Wendy’s is best known for its made-to-order square hamburgers, using fresh, never frozen beef, and other signature items like chili and the Frosty dessert. Today, Wendy’s and its franchisees employ hundreds of thousands of people across more than 6,800 restaurants worldwide with a vision of becoming the world’s most thriving and beloved restaurant brand. For details on franchising, connect with us at www. wendys.com/franchising. To learn more about Wendy’s development in airports, reach out to NonTraditionalDev@wendys.com.

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Sleepy Sleeves claims to offer the world’s most comfortable and portable travel pillows. The pillows are super comfortable, allowing comfortable sleep during travel; ultra portable and easy to pack; and offer flexible ways to position your rest. Pillows are made with premium, dense memory foam. Sleepy Sleeves says babies love the pillows, which also work great at nursing pillows. #SleepAnywhere

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SPEAKERS & MODERATORS The AX Conference once again brings together an array of experts from throughout the industry to discuss key challenges, new strategies and the latest trends in enhancing the traveler experience in the airport. Check out the roster below! TIM BARNES SENIOR DIRECTOR, COMMERCIAL SERVICES CALGARY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Tim Barnes oversees non-aeronautical business (excluding development) with the Calgary International Airport (YYC). Barnes and his team have led a significant transformation of the concessions program, which is ongoing. In addition, he has led an overhaul of the parking and ground transportation business and the strategy of further developing advertising and sponsorship programs. Barnes previously spent more than 20 years in consumer marketing and sales, leading brands and businesses that range from regional operations to global household names. CARLOS BERNAL CEO AREAS USA

Carlos Bernal took the reins at Areas USA at the start of 2020. He has been responsible for spearheading several initiatives within the organization to support the overall broad business strategy. Bernal has more than 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry. Prior to joining Areas USA, Bernal was president of Delaware North Sportservice. He has also held senior leadership positions at Westfield, HMSHost and Wagamama. In addition to his executive career, Bernal serves on the board of the Airport Restaurant and Retail Association (ARRA). LYNNWOOD BIBBENS CEO & FOUNDER REACHTV

Lynnwood Bibbens is the CEO & Founder of ReachTV. Bibbens has taken a leadership role in identifying new markets and opportunities for the ReachTV Network, resulting in the company’s seminal sales, distribution and partnership deals with world-class traditional and digital media and technology powerhouses. Bibbens has led the company’s direction and growth from a national to an international network with a reach of more than 100 million viewers on the go. KEVIN BURKE PRESIDENT AND CEO AIRPORTS COUNCIL INTERNATIONAL – NORTH AMERICA

Kevin Burke joined Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA) as president and CEO in January 2014. Since then, Burke has sought to expand ACI-NA’s reach and influence in North America. He serves the airport industry as an advocate for legislative and regulatory policies that strengthen the ability for airports to serve their passengers, customers and communities. Prior to joining ACI-NA, he was president and CEO of the American Apparel & Footwear Association for 13 years.

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JUDY BYRD PRESIDENT AND CEO BYRD RETAIL GROUP, LLC

Judy Byrd is president and CEO of Byrd Retail Group, LLC. The travel retail specialist company is a pioneer in the world of airport concessions, having guided more than 60 airports in integrating important new businesses into their modernization and expansion plans. She is an attorney; a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center; a former assistant commissioner of Chicago’s Department of Aviation; a founding partner in the Chicago-based airport consulting firm Unison Consulting Group; and now president of her own retail brand advisory and concessions investment company based in New York City. K. CAROL-ANN GADDIS GUEST RELATIONS MANAGER HARTSFIELD-JACKSON ATLANTA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Carol Gaddis oversees stakeholder engagement, customer service training, employee recognition programs, and large scale convention and volunteer events, while also supporting the day-to-day operations initiatives of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL). She was previously instrumental in providing oversight to obtain the airport’s health and customer experience accreditations through Airports Council International (ACI). Gaddis also serves as vice chair of the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee for the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) and is a board member at large with the Southeast Chapter of AAAE. MARK GALE CEO/DIRECTOR OF AVIATION BROWARD COUNTY AVIATION DEPARTMENT

Mark Gale has been CEO and director of aviation for the Broward County Aviation Department, which oversees Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), since 2016. He is responsible for overall executive management and operation of FLL and North Perry (HWO) airports, including master plan and strategic vision development, implementation of capital improvement programs, financial metrics and performance, internal and external business relationships, operational efficiency and guest experience initiatives. Prior to his role at FLL, Gale was CEO of Philadelphia International Airport (PHL). He held several other positions with PHL dating back to 1985. JIM GREGORY MANAGING PARTNER ONCAMPUS BRANDS

Jim Gregory launched OnCampus Brands, a development company for brands seeking presence on college campuses, in 2016. Having just taken the Steak ‘n Shake brand into a half-dozen airports and travel plazas and 30-plus campus deals, Gregory built the company into a portfolio of nontrad-ready retail offerings for higher education. Prior to his focus in non-traditional retail, Gregory spent 20 years in corporate marketing and private equity, including the chief marketing officer role at Alamo and National car rental during those brands’ Chapter 11 reorganization (pre-Enterprise Holdings).

KIMBERLY GRIFFIN CEO DBE CONSULTING

Kimberly Griffin has operated her firm, DBE Consulting LLC, since 2010. The company specializes in certification assistance, document review and certification completion, helping small businesses achieve minority certification, including ACDBE, DBE, MBE, WBE, SBE, LSBE, WOSB, 8A, and Hub Zone. DBE Consulting LLC also consults for airport concessions bidders, offering strategic business planning while managing business deals and operations. Griffin is also an ACDBE partner for Be Relax at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL).

REBECCA L. HUPP DIRECTOR BOISE AIRPORT

Rebecca Hupp has been director of Boise Airport (BOI) since April 2012. She is responsible for all aspects of the day-to-day operation and long-term planning and development of the airport. Hupp was previously the airport director of Bangor International Airport (BGR). She has also held positions at Aberdeen Regional Airport (ABR) and the Kansas City Aviation Department. Hupp is an accredited member of the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) and was elected to its Board in 2015. She is a past-president for the Northwest Chapter of AAAE, as well as a past-president of the Northeast Chapter.

CYNTHIA GUIDRY

NANCY KNIPP

DIRECTOR LONG BEACH AIRPORT

PRESIDENT AIRPORT DIMENSIONS

Cynthia Guidry is the director of the Long Beach Airport (LGB). She oversees all aspects of running the airport, and she and her team are poised to take on the next phase of improvements. Guidry is a professional engineer with 28 years of planning, engineering, and professional experience working for the City of Los Angeles, including 18 years with Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA). She serves on the board of directors for the Los Angeles Chapter of Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS), and as vice-chair on the Airport Minority Advisory Council (AMAC) Airport Leadership Collective Committee.

As president of Airport Dimensions, Nancy Knipp oversees all aspects of the company’s strategic network growth, marketing and sales efforts, financial performance and operations. Under her leadership Airport Dimensions has grown the club network exponentially since her arrival in 2013. Airport Dimensions currently has 40 locations globally inclusive of partnerships. Prior to joining Airport Dimensions, Knipp worked at American Airlines for more than three decades, holding numerous leadership positions across several departments. In her last eight years at American, she was president and managing director for the Admirals Club and Premium Services division.

CHRIS GWILLIAM

CHAD MAKOVSKY

VICE PRESIDENT, GLOBAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AIRPORT DIMENSIONS

DIRECTOR OF AVIATION SERVICES CITY OF PHOENIX

Chris Gwilliam is vice president of global business development at Airport Dimensions, a leading provider of airport experience propositions. His primary objectives are to continually strengthen Airport Dimensions’ competitive position and identify strategic partnerships that support network and revenue growth. With two decades of experience in the hospitality industry, Chris has always worked in innovative concepts that are focused on continual guest experience improvement. NIKKI TINSLEY HARLAND CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER PARADIES LAGARDÈRE

As the chief operating officer of Paradies Lagardère, Nikki Tinsley Harland oversees more than $1B in sales that contribute to the organization’s continued success and standing in the travel retail industry. She has leadership responsibility for retail operations, dining, merchandising, business systems and transformation and human resources. She is also a founding member of the company’s Diversity & Inclusion Council. Harland has more than 25 years of business and specific HR experience, with previous roles at Gap, Inc.’s Old Navy Stores, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc and Toys “R” Us.

Chad Makovsky was named City of Phoenix’s director of aviation services in March 2021, returning to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) after serving as the executive vice president for the operations division at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) since March 2017. Prior to his role at DFW, Makovsky was assistant aviation director for the City of Phoenix system of airports. He has also held positions at other airports and airlines over his 30-year professional career. Makovsky serves on the American Association of Airport Executives’ (AAAE) IAAE Board and national policy review committee. He is also actively engaged with Airports Council International (ACI). SONJIA MURRAY MANAGING DIRECTOR THE MEEHAN AVIATION GROUP

Sonjia Murray has nearly 25 years of experience providing economic consulting in commercial aviation supporting airport and airline clients. Murray spent 17 years previously at global aviation consulting firm ICF SH&E, supporting a variety of airport and airline clients worldwide. She specializes in air service development, strategic planning, market and economic analysis, airport industry research, project management, state/ regional airport system planning and economic impact studies.

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TOM NOLAN

EVERETT SANDS

PRESIDENT & CEO ORLANDO SANFORD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

CEO AND PRESIDENT LENDISTRY

Tom Nolan is president and CEO of Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB). He has served in airport management for more than 36 years with roles spanning eight different airports throughout the U.S. He took the helm at SFB in Orlando in 2019 from Palm Springs International Airport (PSP) in California after thirteen years as the CEO. He is a licensed private pilot and an Accredited Airport Executive with the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE). MUKESH (MOOKIE) PATEL, CHIEF BUSINESS & FINANCE OFFICER AUSTIN-BERGSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Mookie Patel is an experienced aviation professional with 27 years of combined airport, airline and consulting experience. He joined Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) as the airport chief revenue and finance officer in mid 2020, overseeing the city’s finance and properties functions. Previously, Patel was the senior vice president for airline and commercial affairs at Denver International Airport (DEN) and was key in attaining stakeholder support for the 39-gate expansion project and also administering the opening of the new Westin Hotel. He also has had stints at other airports, airlines and as a consultant in the industry. REBECCA RAMSEY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR R. R. RAMSEY RESEARCH

Rebecca Ramsey has more than 28 years in the airport industry, developing travel dining and retail programs to optimize non-airline revenues, enhance guest experience and improve the travelers’ journey. In her current consulting role, Ramsey guides airports and airport businesses to enhance programs and services that optimize travel dining and retail results, promote partnerships, enhance guest experiences and improve the travelers’ journey. Ramsey was formerly the director of concession affairs at Nashville International Airport (BNA) and is a past chair of the Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA) Commercial Management Committee. B. HUDSON RIEHLE SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, RESEARCH AND KNOWLEDGE GROUP NATIONAL RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION

As the senior vice president of the research and knowledge group for the National Restaurant Association, Hudson Riehle directs the association’s consumer, economic, technology, market, human resources, tourism and operations research, as well as oversees its extensive knowledge center activities. Riehle has authored a variety of articles and serves as an information source and spokesperson for the restaurant and hospitality industry.

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Everett K. Sands is the CEO and president of Lendistry, a fintech small business and commercial real estate lender with a mission to provide economic opportunities and progressive growth for small business owners and their underserved communities. Since it began in 2015, Lendistry has deployed at least $8 billion in small business loans and grants to 550,000 small businesses. With more than 20 years of experience in banking and commercial real estate, including tenures at national and community banks, Sands has closed more than $10 billion in finance transactions. His experience and expertise also include structured finance transactions like new markets tax credit, opportunity zones and secondary market transactions. OLIVER SCHULZ FOUNDER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR SLEEP ’N FLY

Oliver Schulz is the founder and managing director of Sleep ’n Fly, an airport sleep lounge concept operating in Dubai and Doha airports. Schulz has been based in Dubai for the last 20 years, where he created, developed and operates the unique Sleep ’n Fly airport sleep lounge concept. A globetrotter all his life, he turned his passion for aviation and travel into his career, now moving the Sleep ’n Fly focus from the Gulf to the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Having spent thousands of hours and countless nights at airports whilst traveling to over 130 countries, Oliver knows how to turn the pain of airport transits into enjoyable relaxation time. BOB SILVAS PRESIDENT SILVY GROUP

Bob Silvas’ career in the airport industry spans 30 years. He has consulted to the industry as president of Silvy Group since 2014, with a focus on small businesses and ACDBEs. Previously, Silvas was director of small business development at San Diego International Airport (SAN) for 10 years and worked in the concessions department from the early 1990s. BRIAN SOLIS FUTURIST, ANTHROPOLOGIST, GLOBAL INNOVATION EVANGELIST

Brian Solis is a world-renowned digital anthropologist and futurist who serves as global innovation evangelist at Salesforce. Solis is also an eight-time best-selling author and international keynote speaker. Over the past 20 years, Brian studied the impact of Digital Darwinism on businesses, markets and society. In his work, he explores the creative innovation, digital transformation, experience design, Web3, AI and the cognitive enterprise, and technology’s effects on human behavior. Solis has published more than 60 research papers and also actively shares his work in industry-leading publications including Forbes, ZDNet, CIO, Fast Company and Adweek.

STEWART STEEVES CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER VANTAGE AIRPORT GROUP

Stewart Steeves is chief operating officer of Vantage Airport Group. Since joining Vantage in 2003, Steeves has held leadership roles across the company’s global network of airports, including most recently as CEO of LaGuardia Gateway Partners (LGP), the private company selected by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to manage and redevelop LaGuardia Airport’s Terminal B. Prior to joining Vantage, Steeves was CEO of the Nassau Airport Development Company in the Bahamas.

WILLIAM S. SWELBAR CHIEF INDUSTRY ANALYST SWELBAR-ZHONG CONSULTANCY

William Swelbar has spent 40 years in the consulting world with a focus on network strategies, regulatory issues governing air transport, communication strategy and support, airline labor cost restructuring, and air service development on behalf of airports and communities. In his consulting roles, Swelbar has represented airlines, airports of all sizes, investors, manufacturers, and labor groups. He also recently joined McKinsey & Company, Inc. as an external advisor to its Transport, Logistics and Infrastructure practice. He is a research engineer at MIT’s International Center for Air Transportation and also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Hawaiian (Airlines) Holdings, Inc. JORDAN WALBRIDGE PRESIDENT AND CO-FOUNDER GAMEWAY

Jordan Walbridge is the president and co-founder of Gameway, a video game entertainment lounge concept for airports. From childhood memories of playing Nintendo to playing Halo with his fellow soldiers during his deployment to Afghanistan, gaming has been interwoven throughout Walbridge’s life. With his entrepreneurial background, eight years of military service and 15 years in business leadership, Walbridge’s vision is to “level-up” the airport traveler’s experience worldwide. JOE WALLER CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER FETCHYFOX

Joe Waller joined FetchyFox, a digital airport marketplace platform, as chief revenue officer in 2021. Prior to joining FetchyFox, Waller was CEO of AMI Inflight and AMI Wines. He was also president and CEO of Pacific Gateway Concessions, and has also held senior positions at Unibail-RodamcoWestfield and Landrum & Brown.

PHILLIP WASHINGTON CEO DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Phillip A. Washington was appointed CEO of Denver International Airport (DEN) in July of 2021. He oversees all operations at DEN, which in 2021 was the world’s thirdbusiest airport by passenger traffic. Prior to Washington’s arrival at DEN, he was the CEO of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) from 2015 to 2021. Washington also served as the CEO of Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) between 2009 and 2015 and worked as the assistant general manager of RTD for nearly 10 years before being named CEO. KATE WEBB DIRECTOR OF CONCESSIONS TAMPA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Kate Webb has more than 10 years of experience in airport concessions management. As director of concessions at Tampa International Airport (TPA), she is responsible for revenue optimization, identifying and implementing new sources of non-aviation revenues, and bringing additional focus to the quality of the customer experience. Prior to joining the TPA team, Webb held positions at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) and Chattanooga Airport (CHA). ANDREW WEDDIG EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AIRPORT RESTAURANT & RETAIL ASSOCIATION

Andrew Weddig was named executive director of the Airport Restaurant & Retail Association (ARRA), the trade association of U.S. airport restaurant and retail concessionaires, in 2021. As ARRA’s chief policy, program, and administrative officer, Andy works collaboratively with the association’s board of directors and members, as well as the broader airport community, on operational, financial and policy matters of common interest to concessionaires, airports and all stakeholders in the industry’s ecosystem. Weddig has more than 23 years of experience in planning, developing and managing airport dining and shopping programs at more than 40 North American airports. ROBERT W. WILSON GROUP PRESIDENT DELAWARE NORTH TRAVEL, PATINA RESTAURANT GROUP AND U.K.

Robert W. Wilson is a group president for Delaware North with oversight of Delaware North Travel, Patina Restaurant Group and Delaware North’s operations in the United Kingdom. Delaware North Travel operates food, beverage and retail services at more than 20 airports across the United States. Prior to joining Delaware North in 2018, Wilson served as chief executive officer of GoodWest Industries LLC, a private-equityowned company based in Philadelphia and, prior to that, spent five years as vice president of North America consumer sales and marketing for Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget.

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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.

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the November-December 2021 digital issue of Airport Experience News. 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 Administrator 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. Directors prove their mettle during large capital projects, Kelly says,

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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.

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 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.

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the November-December 2021 digital issue of Airport Experience News. 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 SMALL AIRPORTS

ROCKET

STANDOUT 70

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

CITY 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.

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the November-December 2021 digital issue of Airport Experience News. 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 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

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2021

DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR SMALL AIRPORTS

putting all of these pieces together to help commerce and industry do business in what is now… a global marketplace. Most people 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 of Huntsville, and during the pandemic, that percentage fell further. The industrial park kept the Port on solid financial footing, Tucker says.

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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.

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.

“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 to drive to competing airports to get access to these ultra-low-cost carriers,” Tucker

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 Space Flight Center for development of hardware and technology. But event larger is the Redstone Arsenal Army post.

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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Prince George Airport May Become First Airport With Cannabis Store BY SHAFER ROSS

wenty years ago, few would have dreamed that it would be legal to carry cannabis products in an airport, let alone purchase them there. But a lot has changed in the past few decades and Canada, having legalized the recreational use and purchase of marijuana products in 2018, might soon see the opening of the world’s first airport cannabis store. “It’s a fully legal business and they’ve applied to operate it in the airport,” says Gordon Duke, president and CEO of the Prince George Airport Authority (PGAA), which operates British Columbia’s Prince George Airport (YXS). He thinks his team, along with prospective business partner Copilot, can land the first airport-based cannabis retail outlet at Prince George Airport (YXS). “Our job as a local airport authority is to help the local economy,” Duke says. “One of the values of our strategic plan

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is innovation. And certainly, somebody has to go first [selling cannabis in the airport].” Regarding Copilot he says, “They’ve got a solid business plan.” In Canada, it’s currently legal to bring a little more than an ounce of marijuana on a domestic flight, an amount appropriate for personal use. Two years ago, Copilot, a Canada-based cannabis retailer, approached YXS with a proposal for a pre-security space to sell to non-ticketed guests, as well as those traveling within the country. “It’s been two years and we’ve had contact with them and gotten updates on what they’re doing,” says Duke. “If they get approved, they’ll be renovating the space into a small store.” If all goes to plan, the new store could open as early as the latter half of this year. At press time, the City of Prince George had held three readings of the

proposal to decide on the zoning and location of the new shop, all seemingly going well as the process moves forward. At press time, the application was awaiting its final reading. “The city zoning amendment that’s required to operate a cannabis retail in this area is the next hurdle for them,” says Duke. “So, they’ve had [three] readings at City Council of the license application, and…if it’s approved then they can lease the space at the airport.” Duke is optimistic that the application will be approved, and says that from a revenue standpoint, a cannabis store makes sense. “For a small regional airport, it’s tough to have viable concession operations simply because of the passenger numbers, and with the drastic drop in those numbers brought about by Covid, that’s even tougher.” A pre-security cannabis store is expected to appeal to both travelers and non-travelers. “One in four Canadians is traveling with cannabis now,” says Duke. “[An airport store] offers a convenience for the traveling public in a safe and effective way.” Of course, safety precautions will be taken. No one traveling outside Canada will be permitted to purchase cannabis at the store, and no uniformed airport employees will be sold product, either. Duke doesn’t think there’s space at his airport for more than one cannabis retailer, rather he feels the opening of Copilot at YXS could start a trend. “I do see in ten years most Canadian airports having cannabis retail. The oddity here is that we’re first. If we’re able to bring it home, I do think it will be the norm going forward.”

WELCOME TO ORLANDO! We are excited to be part of the New South Terminal Opening this year at Orlando International Airport. We love our industry and remain committed to the traveler by delivering exceptional operations, and a continued drive to provide a unique, innovative, and engaging translation of local brands, chefs, and partnerships.

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