Airport Experience News - Spring 2022 by Airport Experience News

SPRING 2022 / V20 N241

WOOING PASSENGERS WITH

WHISKEY OFFERINGS DEMAND FOR WELLNESS PRODUCTS ACCELERATES THE STAYING POWER OF MEDICAL SERVICES NEW SOLUTIONS FOR ACDBE FINANCING 2022 AX CONFERENCE IN PICTURES

Our first Tropical Smoothie Cafe!

Photo credit: Starbucks

Starbucks @ OKC

The first airport Freddy’s!

Celebrating the ‘Firsts’ Your Order is Ready at OKC! Our new dining program at Will Rogers World Airport is a celebration of culinary excellence and “firsts,” including our new-look, new-style Vino Volo concept, the very first Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers in an airport, our first Tropical Smoothie Cafe and one of our first Starbucks, featuring Order & Pay Ahead through the Starbucks® app. We’re thrilled to offer OKC travelers such outstanding and diverse

The New Vino Volo with expanded menu and cocktails!

14 Whiskey Business

Beverage alcohol consumption trends show whiskey is on the rise among both men and women, and airports are offering a variety of options to appeal to both the novice and the discerning expert.

20 Funding on the Fly

ACDBEs have historically faced funding challenges, and those continue today. Some new approaches are gaining steam.

26 Doctor, Doctor

The pandemic inspired many airports across the country to introduce medical services for passengers and employees alike, but now they’re considering the future viability of these facilities.

30 Well(ness) Being

Consumers overall are more aware of health and wellness, especially when traveling. These services are experiencing increased demand as airports seek to encourage travelers to feel comfortable in the terminal.

34 AXC 2022 In Photos

The Airport Experience Conference was a vibrant event, packed with enriching content, valuable connections and inspiring individuals. Revisit the iconic show with this selection of photos.

36 The AX Awards

The AX Awards, held on the final night of the 2022 AX Conference, highlighted industry executives that have made a notable impact in this space. Relive the most exciting part of the evening with this selection of photos.

3 Letter From The Editor In Chief 4 Data Check

People want to travel, as evidenced by recent data, but ongoing pandemic worries and tight finances may affect summer travel plans.

6 Latest Buzz

Charlotte Douglas International Airport is wrapping up two major construction projects this year in hopes to accommodate anticipated growth and spotlight the state as a destination.

10 Director’s Chair

Traffic at Tampa International Airport is nearing prepandemic levels, and CEO Joe Lopano is excited for visitors to experience the new features it offers.

38 Sustainability Snapshot

With oil prices rising and an increased awareness of the impact of global air travel on the environment, many U.S. airports are beginning to eye carbon neutrality as a solution to multiple issues.

42 Advertising Index 43 Before You Take Off

Travelers and staff at John F. Kennedy International’s Terminal 5 were invited to contribute to a unique art installation.

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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 McCarter

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

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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.

SPRING 2022

Dear Readers, SPRING 2022 / V20 N241

WOOING PASSENGERS WITH

WHISKEY OFFERINGS DEMAND FOR WELLNESS PRODUCTS ACCELERATES THE STAYING POWER OF MEDICAL SERVICES NEW SOLUTIONS FOR ACDBE FINANCING 2022 AX CONFERENCE IN PICTURES

As I write this letter in mid-April, vibrancy is apparent throughout the industry. Travelers are back in droves – maybe not to 2019 levels at all airports but still far more people are flying than any time in the past two years. Fingers are crossed in hopes that the trends will continue without any further disruption. The new optimism is bringing a renewed spirit to our industry events. It was great to see so many of our friends and colleagues at the 2022 AX Conference in Orlando. Throughout this issue you’ll find photos of key moments and connections. More industry events are coming up. I just returned from IAADFS in West Palm Beach where I learned about some fabulous new things happening in the duty free/travel retail sector. Many of us will convene again over the next couple of months at AAAE, ACI-NA Business of Airports, AMAC and other events. This Spring issue of AXN is also exciting in that we’re getting back to some of our traditional trends and solutions reporting, rather than focusing on the pandemic and its fallout. Check out the feature highlighting the many ways airports are capitalizing on the whiskey boom in the U.S. We also tackle the move toward more health and wellness options and examine how Covid testing sites and services are transitioning now that we’ve entered a new phase of the pandemic. Finally, financing for ACDBEs is in the spotlight as that perennial issue continues to challenge the industry. In addition to this issue, please continue to check out our range of reporting on the AX Hub and AX News websites! Best regards,

Carol Ward Editor-in-Chief Airport Experience News

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DATA CHECKS

ENTHUSIASM UPTICK

Travelers Are Eager, But Finances and Coronavirus Are Concerns For Some

l State of Mind: Willingness To Travel

28.6%

I'm already traveling

BY CAROL WARD

86.2%

27.5%

I'm ready to travel, with no hesitations

30.1%

ready to travel, but feel some hesitation

Travel Mind: Willingness To Travel eed a little more time State to be of ready to travel

10.1%

3.7% need a lot more time to be ready to travelI'm already traveling

28.6%

0% I'm ready to travel, with no hesitations

25%

27.5%

All respondents, 4,007 completed surveys. Data collected March 15-23, 2022. : Destination Analysts

50%

86.2%

30.1%

I'm ready to travel, but feel some hesitation

10.1%

I need a little more time to be ready to travel 3.7%

I need a lot more time to be ready to travel 0%

25%

50%

Base: All respondents, 4,007 completed surveys. Data collected March 15-23, 2022. Source: Destination Analysts

oronavirus-related worries are on the wane among travelers but new concerns about rising inflation are impacting plans as the summer travel season 56.3% Confident, approaches, according to data compiled by 32.4% Destination Analysts. More than one-fifth of respondents to Very surveys conducted in mid-March said they confident, are extremely concerned about inflation Travel State of Mind: Confidence in Travel Safety 23.9% impacting their financial well-being, and more than 70 percent expressed some level 56.3% Confident, of concern. Nearly 56 percent of respondents said inflation will likely cause them to 32.4% rethink budgets for upcoming travel. Somewhat Not at all Travelers also have some lingering confident, Very confident, Not very concerns among about contracting Covid-19. 32.6% confident, 2.0% confident, Nearly 50 percent of respondents said they 23.9% 9.0% are concerned, with more than 10 percent characterizing themselves as “extremely Base: All respondents, 4,007 completed surveys. Data collected March 15-23, 2022. concerned.” About 20 percent were in Source: Destination Analysts the middle, while roughly 30 percent were Somewhat generally unconcerned. Not at all

Travel State of Mind: Confidence in Travel Safety

confident, 2.0%

Not very confident, 9.0%

confident, 32.6%

Base: All respondents, 4,007 completed surveys. Data collected March 15-23, 2022. Source: Destination Analysts

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Strong Desire Financial impact and COVID concerns notwithstanding, travelers remain eager to get out and about again, with more

than 61 percent of survey respondents saying travel spending is a priority in the spring/early summer timeframe. That number has been rising steadily since the start of the year. Only 18.5 percent of respondents characterized travel spending as low priority. Excitement for leisure travel is particularly strong when looking beyond the three-month time period. More than four-fifths of respondents characterize themselves as excited to embark on leisure travel in the next 12 months, 21% stating they are with nearly 30 percent “extremely excited.” Less than 10 percent of respondents had negative attitudes toward leisure travel. Examining the travel state-of-mind, the survey showed that 28.6 percent of respondents are already traveling, 27.5 percent are ready to travel 21% with no hesitation and 30.1 percent are ready to travel but feel some hesitation. Confidence in safety' is on the rise as well, with 56.3 percent of respondents saying they are “confident” or “very confident” they can travel safely in the current environment.

7-9 JUNE 2022

TH E D U B L I N R D S

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ERSIN INANKUL

Chief Digital and Commercial Officer, İGA İstanbul Airport

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CEO, MAG USA and MAGO

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Retail Director, Heathrow

MIKE SALZMAN

Executive Vice President and Group Director Airports, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield

MARK PILKINGTON

JOACHIM LUPNAAV JOHNSEN Executive Vice President Commercial, Avinor

SUSAN GRAY

Managing Partner, CPI

MARK PILKINGTON

Global Brand Expert & Retail Guru

KEITH HUNTER

Chief Retail Officer, Urban-Air Port & Former SVP of Qatar Duty Free

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Managing Director, Dublin Airport

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LATEST BUZZ

ELBOW ROOM

CLT Eyes Flexibility, Experience In Latest Expansion BY DAVID WARD

Above: The overall Destination CLT vision is set to be finished in 2025 and will provide a completely reimagined airport while essentially maintaining the same footprint.

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ooking to create a space adaptable to what commercial aviation holds in the coming decades, Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) this year is completing two new major projects that will add more than 200,000 square feet of new space – the Concourse E overhaul and the Terminal West Expansion. Both projects are part of Destination CLT, the airport’s ambitious $2.5 to $3.1 billion vision to enhance the passenger experience while also potentially boosting capacity at the airport. The airport served roughly 50 million passengers in 2019, with traffic having doubled over the previous 15 years.

Concourse E Overhaul Set to be completed this spring, the $50 million CLT Concourse E improvements will add 34,000 square feet of new space. The project is primarily about creating additional hold room space for gates used by American Airlines and its affiliate American Eagle, says Jack Christine, CLT’s chief operating officer. “Concourse E is primarily our commuter terminal and we’ve been boarding the nine gates out of four doors and that was not adequate,” he adds. Though the primary aim of the project was the hold room space and improving

LATEST BUZZ

circulation, the Concourse E overhaul is also generating more opportunities for concessions and other amenities. Among the Concourse E concessions set to open in the coming months are Gameway, which provides gaming stations; the news and gifts store Uptown Exchange; Sycamore Brewing, a Charlotte-area brewery getting its first airport location, and a PDQ restaurant. Christine says Concourse E will eventually end up with one extra gate when additional work to add jet bridges to all the gates in the concourse is completed in 2023, and he adds that the airport is also adding new contactless technology as it becomes available to further enhance both safety and the overall customer experience.

CLT Terminal Expansion West Set to be finished this summer, the $608 million expansion of the west part of the CLT Main Terminal will add 175,000 square feet, enabling the airport to eventually consolidate TSA checkpoints and add new security lanes featuring automated screening technology, while also providing more room for ticketing and baggage claim. “We wanted to ensure the design was flexible enough so we could take advantage of technologies as they become available,” Christine says, adding, “We’re designing the power system so that carriers and other airport stakeholders can run off of that whereever its needed.” CLT is a hub airport, with 75 percent of passengers connecting, which impacts both the design and the concession mix.

Above: The design of CLT Terminal E expansion features plenty of windows to bring in natural light and modern fixtures that provide travelers with a state-of-the art facility with a focus on comfort. Right: The CLT Concourse E upgrades will eventually include jet bridges for 10 gates as well as increased interior space for both hold rooms and new concession opportunities.

“Our focus is on a design that evokes southern hospitality, Charlotte-style,” Christine says. “We wanted this to be inviting but modern, so we have a lot of glass and a lot of natural light. The finishes in the building are more modern, but not over the top, because we wanted people to feel comfortable in a state-of-the-art facility that is intuitive and helpful to the customer.” CLT’s master concessionaires, HMSHost for food and beverage and Paradies Lagardère for news and gifts, have been

kept abreast of the airport plans throughout the projects, and both have been doing their own work upgrading facades and, in some cases, changing out venues. “They run on a parallel track, and they’re using their own marketing analysis to determine the right mix for this market,” Christine says. Others looking to engage the CLT traveler are stepping in as well. For example, Airport Dimensions recently opened its latest common use lounge, Club CLT, in Concourse A of the airport.

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LATEST BUZZ

Right: Among the highlights of Destination CLT is a curbside canopy that will provide weather protection as well as an eye-catching first impression for arriving passengers.

Carrier Buy-in The Concourse E overhaul, main terminal expansion, as well as rest of the projects in Destination CLT, are being funded with a variety of different mechanisms with no local taxpayer dollars, Christine says, adding that includes revenue bonds that are backed by passenger facility charges (PFCs). He says those parts of the projects not PFC-eligible are being funded in part by the carriers that are the airport’s signatories. CLT is the 10th busiest airport in the U.S., with carriers including Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and growing number of international players. Christine says airport has stayed engaged with not just the carriers, but also other stakeholders, including the Transportation Secu r it y Admi ni st r ation (TSA), throughout the design and construction of the two projects. “The terminal lobby expansion project is monumental for us and we wanted perspective from our tenants on the physical space but also [their] vision of what the building needed to look like,” he says. “That includes moving ticket counters and baggage checks and consolidating check points and all sorts

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of things that have the happen during the lifecycle of the project.” CLT has an activation team, the role of which is to coordinate with stakeholders on both the temporary changes necessitated by construction and any permanent relocations within the terminal, all with the aim of ensuring the projects have as minimal an impact as possible on carrier operations. While an improved, visibly appealing terminal with a focus on improving the traveler’s curb to gate experience is an obvious goal, Christine says the terminal expansion in and of itself will not lead to more routes and more carriers in the Charlotte market. “The carriers, especially for a market like Charlotte, they’re serving the market because they see there’s revenue potential,” he adds. Dr. Adrienne Hua, lead principal researcher with the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance (CLT Alliance) says the airport continues to play a key role in driving business growth in the area, adding airport officials have been working closely with the alliance before, during and now at the apparent end of the pandemic. “When the pandemic began, the CLT Alliance endorsed the legislation around relief for the airline industry,” Hua says, adding, “This endorsement was very beneficial for the airport as they were attempting to maintain

more than 200,000 jobs for both airport operations and construction.” She says the alliance’s business recruiters continue to work with the airport’s economic development team to be up to date on the frequency of flights, passengers,and cargo traffic, while also promoting why the Charlotte market warrants increased air service. “The Charlotte region is home to more than 1,000 firms that represent more than 40 countries, employing more than 80,000 people,” Hua adds. “More than half of these companies are from Europe and Asia, including Germany, the U.K., Italy, Switzerland, France, Japan, and China. In 2021, the region had 32 announcements related to foreign direct investment, representing more than 1,900 jobs and $1.4 billion in announced capital investment.” Christine says the Destination CLT vision will continue in the coming years, with an expansion of the main terminal’s east side as well as overhaul of the Concourse A that will include 10 new gates, which are set to be completed in 2025. “Ultimately the completion of Phase 2 will lead us into Phase 3 which is the other part of the building,” he says. “That will give us the footprint for the new building to work with as we complete the renovation of the rest of the terminal.”

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DIRECTOR’S CHAIR

LEISURE TRAVEL MAGNET TPA has Rebounded Strongly and is Looking Forward to the Next Wave of Growth BY CAROL WARD

ditor’s Note: Tampa International Airport (TPA) is riding the recovery wave. TPA’s traffic is heavily skewed toward leisure passengers – 85 percent leisure and 15 percent business in 2021 – and traffic is ramping up in the spring and summer months this year as travelers flood the city and nearby beaches. Joe Lopano, the CEO of TPA, recently shared the latest developments with AXN’s Carol Ward. WARD: Can you share with me how the winter and early spring has looked for you in terms of passenger traffic? And secondly, what’s your short- to medium-term outlook as we head into the summer months? LOPANO: At the present time [late March] we’re at 86 percent of our pre-pandemic levels. I think that probably is better than most in the U.S., and we’re very, very pleased with where we sit today. We’re seeing that our peak days are ahead of the pre-pandemic levels. We have a lot of people

Above: Joe Lopano, CEO, Tampa International Airport Right: TPA recently installed a massive sculpture of a pink flamingo, setting the tone for a fun, beachy experience in the city’s gateway.

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coming to Florida. They really want to be in Florida, and we expect the summer to be equally as strong. We think it’ll mirror last year where we had a great spring break, and a very strong summer. WARD: How’s your international traffic doing? LOPANO: International is coming back but it’s nowhere near pre-pandemic. We’ve reinstituted service to London… Frankfurt, Zurich. We also have our service to Panama. We’ve reinstituted service to Canada. So, we’re pretty pleased with where we are. We’ve also added two new domestic airlines, Breeze Airways and Avelo. That’s the addition of new service to new markets by two new airlines. WARD: What’s the latest on your capital projects? Is it Airside D that’s currently underway? LOPANO: No, We’re actually finishing up Phase 2 – almost $600 million worth of work. One of the major projects in Phase 2

DIRECTOR’S CHAIR

is a nine-story office building. The other thing that we built as part of Phase 2 – which is very innovative, it doesn’t exist anywhere else in the country – is a new set of separate curbs, called express curbs, for people who don’t have any bags to check, or bags to retrieve from the baggage claim device. They just go to the express curbs, and they have their boarding pass on their phone. They skip all the ticket counters, all the baggage claims and go directly to the transfer level. Not only have we done the blue express curbs, which is on the south side of the airport, we’re going to also do the red side, which is the north side of the

Below: All the concessions at Tampa International Airport are up and running again. While labor is a challenge, the shortage isn’t as pervasive as in some other parts of the country.

airport. We will effectively have doubled our curbside capacity by adding express curbs on the south and the north sides. That should be done over the next three years. Those are the major projects that we have right now. Phase 3, the terminal D that you referred to, [is up next]. We’re in the finishing phases of a traffic forecast in our master plan update. That will instruct us and inform us as to when and if we need Terminal D, or Airside D. And I think the answer’s going to be that we do need it. It’s just a matter of when. We’ll know that answer within a month or two. WARD: I don’t recall seeing or hearing about express curbs at other airports. Is this a new approach? LOPANO: We are pretty sure it’s the only airport in the country that has that. It’s a separate set of curbs, with its own vertical circulation building. It’s right near the

other curbs, but it’s completely separate with its own escalators and elevators. It’s really quite an innovation and it’s not something that most airports can do. WARD: Is that to alleviate curbside traffic, or traffic within the ticketing area, or both? LOPANO: Both, actually. It gives us the ability to grow our passenger traffic by double, but it also takes the people who don’t really need a ticket counter out of that ticket lobby. On the reverse side, it keeps those people out of the baggage claim area, out of that curb where people are loading bags, and puts them on their own separate curb. So, it really helps to separate different passenger needs. WARD: In terms of technology and new approaches, how are you looking at things differently than you did pre-March 2020? LOPANO: We’ve all learned a lot over the last couple years. The main thing we’ve

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DIRECTOR’S CHAIR

Left: Tampa International Airport has rebounded strongly from the pandemic with a surge of leisure traffic, while business travel is lagging behind.

learned that people want more touchless experiences. Whether that means going out to the shuttle, lobbies, just scanning their boarding passes... We’ve introduced a new online parking booking system. So, you can book your parking product right from your device and never have to touch a ticket. You can just scan your QR code at the entry to the parking garage, and you pay the same way. We’ve introduced a system where you can order food from any of the restaurants and it will be delivered to where you’re sitting. You can pay for it on your device, and you never have to interact with anybody. So, these are the things that customers have said they want, and we’ve responded with touchless technology. WARD: Are you getting a lot of adoption from those types of services? LOPANO: Very much so. We’re very encouraged by our parking online booking system. It’s well ahead of our forecasts, and also the food ordering to-go is doing well. WARD: More specifically on t he concessions side, how are the concessions doing? Are they perking back up at the same rate as the traffic’s coming back?

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LOPANO: We have all of our concessions currently are up and running. Sales are looking very good. We’ve done better on retail than food and beverage. Our parking revenues are pretty astounding, actually. We’ve seen that come back very strong. And then our rental car business is really, really strong. We have one of the largest rental car markets in the country. What we found is after the pandemic, people really wanted to have their own car, control their own interiors and environments. WARD: As you look ahead to new leases for concessions, particularly food and beverage and retail, do you anticipate a shift in how you approach those leases, given the challenges that came to the fore when March 2020 hit? LOPANO: I think most people would probably take a different look at MAGs. We’ve done very well with our concessionaires. We gave them relief, and they have really rebounded tremendously. We’ve all learned a lot from this very Black Swan event. I would say something that we would never expect to happen again. But just like we didn’t expect it to happen the first time, it’s something that we have to factor into our future planning and we will.

WARD: Will you reassess things like your pricing policies, or build-outs, or midterm refurbishments? All those are things operators talk about as needing to be addressed. LOPANO: Without getting out in front of myself, we are very happy with our current arrangement. I think that our concessionaires would agree that we treated them very fairly during a crisis, and we intend to do that in the future. We won’t be going out for new leases for some time. We’ve got plenty of time to think about that and get it just right. WARD: Are there any other developments you’d like to highlight? LOPANO: I would like to tell you that we have a 20-foot-tall pink flamingo in our terminal. We commissioned this sculpture from an artist – we wanted to be whimsical, we wanted to be Tampa, and nothing represents a fun place, a nice, beachy, southern place than a flamingo. And that really is who we are. We may have great sports teams. We may have great culture. We have a great business environment. But we have the best beaches in the entire country, and we don’t shy away from our great beaches and our beautiful birds.

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Concessions Are Centered on Bourbon, Scotch, While Other Whiskies Are Trending Up BY SALLY KRAL At the 2022 Airport Experience Conference in Orlando, Fla., four businesses hoping to enter the airport environment presented their concepts for a panel of industry experts. One of these businesses was Oat Couture Oatmeal Café & Montgomery Scotch Lounge, a healthy, fast-casual breakfast and lunch spot by day and a scotch whisky lounge by night. “We know that there’s a huge market of people that enjoy scotch,” said founder Brian Montgomery about the business’s evening offering, pointing out that roughly one third of the whiskey market in the U.S. is scotch. “There are certain markets that maybe won’t get it at first, but I think the destination scotch drinker will find it, and the person looking for a unique airport experience will find it too.”

Although Montgomery Scotch Lounge hasn’t expanded its streetside concept to the airport yet, there are various U.S. airport shops, bars and experiences centered around whiskey in both duty free and duty paid terminals that are performing well as whiskey continues to gain more and more fans. “There’s no question that whiskey is of interest to the general public these days,” notes Kelly Woodcock, partner and vice president of guest experience and whiskey club for the Portland, Oregon-based distillery Westward Whiskey, which has an airport kiosk and tasting room at Portland International Airport (PDX). “There’s a long history of people being interested in whiskies from Scotland to Kentucky and they’re excited to visit the

Above, Right: Edrington Global Travel opened the first U.S. location of The Macallan Boutique at John F. Kennedy International Airport last fall in partnership with Duty Free Americas.

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Left: Building on the success of the kiosk it opened at Portland International Airport in 2013, Westward Whiskey opened a tasting room at the airport in 2016. These airport locations make up a significant portion of the distillery’s overall sales, and they provide a desirable sense of place for the airport with their offering of locally crafted American single malt whiskies. Below: In 2015, after several Delaware North concessions leaders went on a courtesy visit to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, the Atlanta Stillhouse concept at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport was born. Offering 15 different U.S. whiskey brands, the concept remains a strong player for the concessionaire.

places where these whiskies are made. We hope we’re contributing to the whiskey story here in Portland.”

Booming Industry Whiskey is certainly very popular among drinking-age U.S. consumers right now. According to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States’ 2021 Economic Briefing, the U.S. spirits industry increased 12 percent in revenue in 2021 to $35.8 billion, with whiskies accounting for 26 percent of that growth. U.S. sales of American whiskey rose 6.7 percent to $4.6 billion in 2021, while single malt scotch and Irish whiskey were among the fastest growing spirits categories of 2021, bringing in $130 million and $185 million, respectively. The report also noted that U.S. consumers are overwhelmingly favoring high-quality premium and super premium whiskey brands. On the duty free side, specialty whiskey shops have been very popular globally and have more recently started popping up in U.S. airports. In 2017, Diageo Global Travel partnered with Duty Free Americas to open the first U.S. location of the Johnnie Walker Boutique in Miami International Airport (MIA), offering the full range of Johnnie Walker blended scotch, as well as other whiskies from the Diageo portfolio. And last fall, the two companies launched a mobile platform version of the Johnnie Walker boutique for travelers at San Francisco International Airport

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(SFO), Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and the Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Edrington Global Travel, meanwhile, opened the first U.S. location of The Macallan Boutique at JFK last fall, also in partnership with Duty Free Americas. The company has been accelerating its Macallan Boutique program in recent years and the JFK location marked the fourth opening since 2019, joining boutiques in Dubai International Airport

(DXB), London Heathrow International Airport (LHR) and Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE). Whiskey-centric concessions can be found on the duty paid side as well. When Westward Whiskey first entered PDX as a kiosk in 2013, it was under its former name, House Spirits Distillery, and featured a broader range of spirits. “But as the brand evolved, the focus on whiskey grew while other spirits owned by the distillery were sold in part to investors,” says Abby Carey, concessions development manager for PDX. “Although our intent when he leased the space was for a wider range of spirits to be offered, whiskey does seem to be a trendy spirit in Portland and beyond, allowing this brand shift to gain much local support.” Indeed, the kiosk was so well received that it led to a successful proposal for an inline tasting room, which opened in late 2016 and is where travelers can sample the Westward range of American single malts and also purchase bottles and merchandise. “Both the kiosk and the inline store are performing great, making up a significant portion of our overall sales in the state,” Woodcock says. “Before the pandemic the airport outperformed our streetside tasting rooms. Since the pandemic, they are about even. As travel continues to recover, we expect sales to reflect that normalization. You just can’t compete with the captive audience that exists past security at the airport.” In 2013, several Delaware North travel division executives went on a courtesy visit to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, where they met with Fred Noe, great-grandson of Jim Beam. The team was so inspired by their trip they decided to bring a piece of the trail to Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), opening the bourbon-focused Atlanta Stillhouse in partnership with the Jim Beam brand in 2015. “All these years later it continues to be a strong player for us even as the airport continues small areas of expansion – it has a great reputation,” says Scott Knight, general manager for Delaware North at ATL. Knight adds that Delaware North is looking to potentially expand the concept in the near future from about 33 seats to 70. Teri Hogan, Delaware North’s assistant general manager at ATL, notes that opening a bourbon bar was a no-brainer, especially considering the brand recognition of Jim Beam. “Back in 2015 we were mostly

Left, Below: At Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, HMSHost debuted Book & Bourbon in 2016. The bourbon-focused bar and restaurant is one of nearly 50 stops along Louisville’s Urban Bourbon Trail, which draws attention to the city’s best dining venues to enjoy bourbon.

catering to business travelers, who were mostly men, but now things are changing and whiskey is being marketed toward women more, so it has a broader audience now,” she adds. “Sales are going up every day from the lows of the pandemic and now that travel restrictions are lifted people are getting back out there.” Kentucky bourbon in particular has a massive consumer base here in the U.S. “It’s a $9 billion industry – 95 percent of the world’s bourbon made right here in Kentucky,” says Amy Caudill, director of marketing and community relations for Blue Grass Airport (LEX). “This is why we wanted to ensure that the bourbon industry was represented at the airport and we were lucky to find a great local partner in Cork & Barrel.”

Cork & Barrel is a bourbon shop at LEX that maintains an inventory of more than 100 varieties of bourbon from an array of Kentucky distillers, including one-of-akind privately selected barrel picks. The shop also offers a variety of bourbonthemed items such as chocolates, candies, spice blends, apparel, barware, gift bags and bourbon sampler packs. “Since opening in 2017, Cork & Barrel has quickly become an excellent performer at Blue Grass,” Caudill adds. At both Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) and Memphis International Airport (MEM), Paradies Lagardère opened a Distillery District marketplace concept in 2017 and 2022, respectively. “Make no mistake, these two locations are by no means ‘cookie cutter’

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Above, Left: With the $9 billion Kentucky bourbon industry being such an important part of the state’s history and economy, the bourboncentric shop Cork & Barrel was a natural fit for Blue Grass Airport in Lexington.

concepts – these stores were individually crafted to reflect the uniqueness of their surroundings, with each featuring strictly local or regional whiskies as well as gifts, souvenirs and apparel,” says Theresa Laudato, vice president of retail merchandising for Paradies Lagardère. At the MEM Distillery District, the focus is on Tennessee whiskey distillers, while the SDF spot highlights local Kentucky bourbon producers. “Our Louisville store has exceeded expectations since it opened, and our Memphis location is already heading in the same direction with sales ahead of budget – sales from alcohol have accounted for as much as 46 percent of the overall business as we’ve averaged approximately 600 bottles of alcohol per week in March,” Laudato adds. “If you’ve visited Louisville, Memphis or other cities connected to the

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whiskey and bourbon industries, you’ll see an abundance of retail venues on the street that offer a variety of alcohol options and merchandise. Many of these businesses have existed for quite some time and show no signs of slowing down. Like the wine or craft beer industries, the bourbon and whiskey markets offer an interesting niche and engaging experiences that can be attractive to quite a wide demographic.”

Regional Element For airports located in and near Bourbon Country, offering concessions related to bourbon is a must. “When visitors come to the region, they want to immediately be immersed in the culture – bourbon is a part of Kentucky’s heritage and so they want to learn about it,” LEX’s Caudill says. “The Kentucky Bourbon Trail and the Kentucky

Bourbon Trail Craft Tour hosted nearly six million tours over the last five years. These road-trip-style tours allow bourbon lovers to go behind-the-scenes at 18 signature distilleries and 23 boutique distilleries. Following these experiences, visitors want to take Kentucky bourbon products home with them, and picking them up at the airport before they leave Lexington is an excellent way to do so.” Jim Taylor, who owns Cork & Barrel with his wife Bev, notes that the store’s staff thrives on the energy they get from meeting folks that visit Kentucky to experience bourbon at its birthplace. “From a business perspective, the airport gives us access to travelers from around the country and around the world, and for many of them, this is literally the first steps they take into Kentucky,” he says. “You can buy a bottle of booze anywhere, but you can only get the bourbon experience in Kentucky. Otherwise, it’s like having Mardi Gras in Idaho!” In 2016 at SDF, HMSHost opened Book & Bourbon, a restaurant and bar highlighting Louisville bourbon distillers that also features a small retail area offering gifts, bar equipment, a wide variety of shrubs and bitters, and logoed apparel. “Book & Bourbon is one of the acclaimed stops on the Urban Bourbon Trail, a cocktail and culinary experience highlighting Louisville’s most celebrated bourbon bars and restaurants,” says Tyler Pitman, vice president of portfolio development and brand partnerships for HMSHost. “Each of the nearly 50 stops along the trail has at least 60 bourbons on its menu – passengers can make Book & Bourbon their first and last stop on the trail.” Pitman adds that over the last three years in particular bourbon and whiskey have been on a continuous trend of positive growth. Even in Portland, Oregon, which isn’t as widely known for its whiskey production as Kentucky, a hub of craft distilleries has popped up in recent years, PDX’s Carey notes. “This has made the craft spirit category representative of the region’s character and particularly appealing to visitors and tasting activities like what’s offered at the Westward Whiskey outpost add an experiential element, fulfilling another rising demand of airport

Above, Left: Paradies Lagardère operates the Distillery District concept at both Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport and Memphis International Airport, which opened in 2017 and 2021, respectively.

travelers,” she says. “The tasting room also creates a direct link between the airport and Distillery Row, a popular tourist destination in downtown Portland. For all these reasons, this partnership was a natural fit. From our perspective as the airport operator, the sense of place achieved is undeniable and the brand’s notoriety is a hip addition to our portfolio.” Westward’s Woodcock believes that distillery tasting rooms in airports will continue to grow. “We feel lucky to have been one of the first – if not the first – distillery tasting rooms at an airport, and I expect to see more open up with a focus on the experiential aspect, integrating bars and restaurants into the concepts,” she says. Indeed, the U.S. distilling industry has exploded so much in recent years that there’s now at least one distillery in every

state in the country – which provides plenty of opportunities for more partnerships between airports and distilleries to form. “Selfishly, we all hope the future is very bright and successful for concepts like our Distillery District, as we’ve enjoyed developing and operating these locations in Louisville and Memphis and expect each to continue attracting travelers and elevating the overall concessions programs of our airport partners,” Paradies Lagardère’s Laudato says. She adds that the company is so confident in the future of whiskey-focused concessions that they’ve added specialty cocktails with curated local spirits to the menu of the updated Vino Volo brand. “We recognized the strength of the bourbon and whiskey industries, as well as other spirits, so we’ve taken the Vino Volo team’s same level of dedication, knowledge and training for wine, and poured it into an expanded beverage program,” she says. “We recently unveiled this new direction for Vino Volo at Will Rogers World Airport (OKC) and it’s absolutely fantastic.”

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NEW WORLD Airport Funding, New Models Creating New ACDBE Landscape Post-COVID BY ANDREW TELLIJOHN When Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) last completed a food and beverage solicitation, the airport sought one large player and two direct lease opportunities for individual small businesses. The two individual spaces were awarded to Elevate Gourmet Brands, which is bringing Mac + Cheese Kitchen, and WSE Group, which will open a Jamba/Runway Deli. Everything was proceeding normally until COVID-19 hit, bringing everything to a halt. As the industry began recovering, SJC was still seeing delays in starting construction. Recognizing the need to provide some assistance in getting those small businesses open, SJC officials created a $6 million loan fund that would provide up to $3 million for any operator with three or fewer direct leases at the airport. “This was driven by a desire to help our direct leases with an opportunity to get them to the point where they are starting construction,” says Rebekah Bray, SJC’s senior property manager. “During COVID everyone has struggled. We had the desire to see what we could do to help them progress to construction given the delays we were seeing.”

Left: Elevate Gourmet Brands will open Mac & Cheese at SJC, with the assistance of a loan from the airport that helped get construction moving.

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Left: Bianca Wilczoch, president of WSE Group, called assistance such as the company received from SJC in constructing its new Jamba/Runway Deli essential to the future success of the ACDBE program.

While Bray and Matthew Kazmierczak, manager of strategy and policy at SJC insist that, for now, the loan fund was established solely for the purpose of moving these two direct lease projects forward, they also say it’s likely the airport will continue structuring its future contracts so that they include smaller packages and, along with it, revive the loan opportunities. “We did a policy with the city council that was broad enough where, if it was successful, it is something we can look at in future opportunities,” Bray says. Bianca Wilczoch, president of WSE Group, says the company is proud to have been an SJC tenant for more than two decades and grateful for the assistance in getting its first stand-alone location open. “We are pleased to see this program be made available to small, local, minorityowned businesses like ours,” she says. “These programs are essential to the continued success of the [Airport Concessions Disadvantaged Business Enterprise] program, and we are pleased to see that the airport director, City of San Jose staff, city council and team recognize the value of assistance, particularly in light of the travel industry’s trials throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.” By statute, SJC runs a race-neutral program, but Kazmierczak says the airport is committed to offering opportunities to small businesses and wants to see them succeed. “The airport took it upon ourselves to go the extra mile to make sure small business had an opportunity to come into the airport

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and had a vehicle to do that,” he says. “With that as the overall goal of how we structured this, the loan fund came out of that mission and vision for the airport itself.”

Airports Exploring Different Models The loan program at SJC has received positive feedback, both from those eligible for the loans and from industry officials, many of whom have long been sought more accessible financing opportunities for small businesses, particularly those in the ACEBE program. Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC), which opened the first phase of its new terminal in the fall of 2020, also created a loan fund through which it lent more than $41 million to 13 tenants to help them open on time. That program, says spokeswoman Nancy Volmer, was a one-time thing open to all tenants. Bob Silvas, president of the Silvy Group, is working with San Diego International Airport (SAN) on the RFP the airport is scheduled to release this year for its Terminal 1 overhaul. SAN isn’t releasing details yet. But Silvas has been researching various approaches airports are taking to their RFPs and concessions operations, and is encouraged to see some airports becoming more flexible in supporting and building diverse programs. In addition to direct lending, he says some airports are putting more skin in the game upfront, which gives them greater control over who takes part. At Des

Left: Several airports have taken more hands-on approaches to getting what they want in their programs, which in many cases can create opportunities for ACDBE operators, says Bob Silvas, president of the Silvy Group.

Moines International (DSM),Silvas says, the airport took on the initial buildout costs and passed on national brands in favor of local participation. “That minimizes licensing fees and costs,” he says, adding that covering buildout costs takes away a major hurdle for ACDBE operators, as well. Raleigh-Durham International (RDU) has done direct leasing in the past. But in its current RFP, has set a fixed percentage rent in exchange for being able to share directly in profits. At Greenville-Spartanburg International (GSP), Silvas said the airport wanted national brands and a more hands-on approach, so it approved a management agreement rather than a traditional concession deal. “It’s a good example of airports having more of a say as far as what they’d like to see in their programs,” Silvas says.

Prime Lending Challenges All these new tweaks on the traditional models are taking place as one source of funding that some thought was used too much – prime partners themselves – may be forced to step away from that role, at least for the time being. Like most primes, HMSHost Corp. went to the credit market during the pandemic to shore up its cash position. Along with those arrangements, says Ron Gomes, vice president of strategic partnerships, the company had to sign covenants limiting its ability to lend or take on additional obligations. Gomes and HMSHost remain strong

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Left: HMSHost is no longer lending to ACDBE partners, but it still supports a strong program and will help its partners find lenders and navigate other industry challenges, says Ron Gomes, vice president of strategic partnerships.

supporters of the ACDBE program. Gomes says during the pandemic, those small business owners played a huge role in securing funding for the industry and in building up “a newfound appreciation for small business, which I think is a good thing.” But HMSHost’s role has changed. “We are committed to the program,” Gomes says. “We’re not really in the lending business anymore. I probably speak for most of the primes. A lot didn’t lend money anyway. It’s not a smart move for us to lend money.” But the company will try to help ACDBE partners find other potential sources to help with financing. One is Lendistry, a minority-led Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) dedicated to providing economic opportunities for underserved urban and rural small business borrowers. CDFI status means Lendistry is a certified mission-driven institution that can participate in all programs offered by the U.S. Treasury, which sets aside billions of dollars for such investment, says Everett Sands, CEO. But where traditional banks will often utilize federal programs like loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration at the expense of eschewing state-offered credit offerings, Lendistry has partnered with several different banks and has mastered the details of those individual state-based programs to maximize the funding options for ACDBEs and other credit-challenged populations.

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“We go to the banks and say, ‘if you want to participate in this, come through us,’” Sands says. “Then they don’t have to learn Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois and all the other different states. They can just say I’m going to underwrite Lendistry.” Lendistry has a growing portfolio of ACDBE clients and Sands is bullish on the airport industry. He says the company could partner with airports willing to commit funds toward its ACDBE programs by leveraging their commitments in tandem with applicable state and local funds to create an even greater investment. “I don’t think they need to be lenders,” he says. “I think they need to be capital advisers.” One example of the company’s growing reach occurred in mid-2020, during the height of the pandemic, when Goldman Sachs and Lendistry partnered to commit millions in potentially forgivable Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans to small businesses in cities including Philadelphia, Baltimore and Atlanta, as well as underserved areas of California, Texas and Florida. Many of its borrowers had not been able to submit such applications through other institutions. Without such options, Sands says there is an abyss between borrowing from friends and family or running up credit card debt and getting a traditional bank loan. Because Lendistry borrows from banks, as well, interest rates to customers are slightly higher, but “we’re trying to fill that abyss,” he says.

Above: Everett Sands, CEO of Lendistry, has many ACDBE companies in his loan portfolio. He’d like to work with airports to help find ways to ease financing options for program participants.

Above: Gerry Savaria, executive vice president and chief development officer at Paradies Lagardère, says ACDBE partners were vital during the pandemic in landing relief funds from the government.

Left: Heather Barry, SSP’s vice president of strategic partnerships, wants to see a focus on streamlining the certification process for ACDBEs and an effort to increase overall program participation.

Prime Commitment Won’t Change As the program evolves, prime operators emphasize their commitment won’t change. Gerry Savaria, executive vice president and chief development officer at Paradies Lagardère, says the company has not changed its approach to working with ACDBE partners and has worked in tandem with them through COVID. “From helping to lobby for relief during the pandemic to literally manning registers to cover vacant shifts, our partners’ immense commitment to this industry was on full display,” he says. “As we did prior to COVID, we will continue connecting with these businesses in different markets and deliver the most professional and qualified leaders to our airport partners.” The company views the ACDBE firms it works with as appreciated business partners that work in key programs and operations at airports. “Throughout the pandemic, we have worked closely with our ACDBEs to engage with our airport partners and explain the impact on our businesses and what type of support would help our ventures and our ACDBE partners get through this challenging environment,” Savaria says. The company is advocating for term extensions to support operations in airports where traffic has been slower to recover. “Debt is a key concern here and our ventures and our ACDBE partners need to be able to generate thecash we missed out on during the pandemic to repay the loans on the initial buildouts,” he says.

SSP America also celebrated the efforts of its ACDBE partners, who worked closely with the company as the industry sought relief – much of which supported ACDBEs, says Heather Barry, vice president of strategic partnerships. The company held weekly partner calls to share resources and details about company initiatives and to exchange ideas, and emailed weekly with real-time resources and tools. “We served as advocates to assist our partners in finding lending-based solutions based on their specific requirements,” Barry says.

Ideas For Improvement W hile they remain committed, operators also feel the program needs to be updated in some significant ways. Beyond financing, Barry says the industry must work to increase the pool of participants, streamline the long-criticized certification process and take lessons learned during COVID to provide additional resources for participants. “We must continue to elevate and increase the conversation about diversity, equity and inclusion to ensure meaningful participation and to attract more small businesses to become ACDBEs,” she says. Areas USA also sees the ACDBE program as vital and is currently working on is strengthening current partnerships and laying a foundation for additional ones going forward.

Left: Increasing the personal net worth cap would help alleviate one of the most challenging aspects most ACDBEs face in trying to compete in travel hospitality, says Carlos Bernal, CEO of Areas USA.

“As a prime operator, we believe it is critical to have a strong ACDBE program within our industry,” says CEO Carlos Bernal. “We support the efforts of all stakeholders to work collaboratively to improve and create e more level playing field for all ACDBEs.” Bernal would like to see an increase in the importance of partnerships with vendor start-ups, such as in the technology field, for needs in inventory management or point of sales. Or, he suggests, vendor partnerships could include ethnically inspired condiments, ingredients or beverages on menus or culturally inspired offerings for health and beauty products in retail. He’d like to see prime operators encouraged to engage earlier in the process where their input could be felt in design and development of RFP proposals. Bernal wants to see more mentorship programs established to help ACDBE company operators become independent. Bernal also wants to see the personal net worth cap increased. “One of the most challenging aspects for most ACDBEs is the ability to secure the significant capital necessary to compete in the travel hospitality segment,” he says. “As an industry we need to work together to find reasonable and costeffective solutions that help ACDBEs secure the necessary funding to allow them to compete and grow their business.”

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Medical Services Gained New Life In Pandemic, But Future Is Uncertain BY SHAFER ROSS

Below: The Vancouver International Airport Medical Clinic first opened more than 20 years ago as part of a bid to offer more convenience to travelers, but now officials believe it’s an essential part of making travelers feel safe again.

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A handful of North American airports have offered health services through a dedicated location for decades. Other airports tried such concepts but demand never met expectations, while many others never saw a compelling need. But when the pandemic hit more than two years ago, many major airports scrambled to make sure they had on-site facilities for testing, vaccinations and other health offerings. Now, with travelers returning in droves and the pandemic beginning to ebb, airports and operators are searching for ways to make those same locations viable in the new environment.

Long-Time Players Some airports, like Canada’s Vancouver International Airport (YVR), were spurred to expand existing medical services during the pandemic. The YVR Medical Clinic first opened more than 20 years ago as part of a bid to offer more convenience to travelers. “Around the time the clinic opened, other services such as a pharmacy, convenience store and banking services were also added,” says Mirela Rusu, director, passenger commercial, YVR. “They were all a part of the airport authority’s vision of delivering valued services to the airport community as well as to its passengers.” YVR added antigen testing early on in the pandemic, which quickly expanded. “Those services expanded beyond our clinic,” says Rusu. “We now have partners offering in terminal departure testing and we have worked with government to set up arrivals testing for international travelers.” Rusu believes the need will be ongoing despite the return to more “normal” travel activity. “We think that industry-leading testing facilities are a critical step in the sector’s recovery, as well as restoring traveler confidence.” At San Francisco International Airport (SFO) the ongoing need is less certain, according to Doug Yakel, SFO’s public information officer. He says the satellite clinics that opened in various locations at the airport will almost certainly close as demand wanes. That said, the original medical clinic that SFO has had for 50 years

remains an important component of the passenger services mix. “Airports were still exploring what kind of amenities were needed at an airport,” he says. “Over the years, there have been a lot of different concepts that have tried – from barber shops to movie theatres – all really asking the question: what do people need when they’re here at the airport?” Yakel also notes how unique it is for the same outlet to remain relevant for fifty years in the airport space. Certainly, it’s especially rare for a service to utilize so much space without airport officials eyeing it for a more robust revenue generator. “It became one of those unique amenities that the airport can be proud of,” says Yakel. “This is a very functional and valuable type

of amenity that passengers can benefit from.” In fact, the SFO Medical Clinic exists in an area typically lower in demand by retailers and dining outlets: pre-security. This location keeps it accessible without much competition for its footprint.

New Players Not all the options for health services in the airport have been around for decades. Originally founded as a quick-service spa offering geared toward travelers, XpresSpa made quite a splash when it announced it would be converting its airport spaces into XpresCheck diagnostic Covid-19 test centers in May 2020, just two months after the lockdowns started. The pilot began

Below: The most recent XpresSpa facility (at press time) opened at Orlando International Airport in late March.

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Left: The medical clinic that San Francisco International Airport has had for 50 years remains an important component of the passenger services mix.

with its first location testing employees and staff at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) that July. Since then, the XpresSpa Group has been expanding its XpresCheck clinics throughout the country, noting record numbers for fiscal year 2021 earlier this year. “We ended 2021 on a high note with our strongest financial results in company history,” said Scott Milford, XpresSpa CEO, in a press release announcing the achievement. The release also noted that the company’s biosurveillance offering continues to expand with its recent pilot program in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). “During the fourth quarter, XpresCheck initiated a $2 million, eight-week pilot program with the [CDC] in collaboration with Concentric by Ginkgo,” it read. “Under this program, XpresCheck is conducting biosurveillance monitoring at four major U.S. airports… aimed at identifying existing and new SARS-CoV-2 variants.” TACKL Health formed in June 2020, just a few short months after the lockdowns first took effect. Co-founder and COO Kellie Huff has a background in temporary

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staffing and other medical services, so when she realized that access to resources was hindering many businesses’ ability to operate in the midst of a pandemic, she knew she needed to act quickly. “I’ve been in health care for 30 years,” says Huff. “When the lockdown occurred and I saw so many friends with businesses that couldn’t stay open because they couldn’t access [personal protective equipment] or Covid testing, or couldn’t get results back in time – that’s when I realized I had access to those supply chains and could provide that to businesses to help them stay open.” The need for more turnkey options for airports that were seeking healthcare services was apparent to Huff and her cofounders, but airports weren’t sold on the idea until after the first major travel holiday of the winter season proved difficult. “[We formed] in June, and by October of that year we were talking with airports and trying to urge them to open clinics before Thanksgiving,” Huff says. “They waited, hesitated, and then between Thanksgiving and Christmas 2020, we got the calls to see if we could open in three airports within a three-week timespan. From then, we were off and running.”

The three new airport locations of TACKL were open by Christmas, with a further focus in developing in the mediumhub market. “I started reaching out to airports really emphasizing the fact that we had become very strong at rapid mobilization for large-scaled testing,” says fellow TACKL Cofounder and Chief Development Officer Lauren Hetzel. “We really focused on mid-sized airports because the travel regulations were dependent on your point of departure, not your layover; so, if you needed a test for a trip to Austria, you needed to get it at your home city in, say, Pittsburgh, not your layover in Chicago [for example].” Identifying this need may have been pivotal in establishing TACKL’s presence in U.S. airports. Continuing to anticipate travelers’ needs kept it going. “Since we’ve been at the airports, we’ve always focused not just on agility, but innovation. We were, as far as I know, the first in-airport Covid testing company with a true 30-minute return time PCR test for travel. That really took those timelines down from 72 hours to being able to go the day of your flight [to get tested],” says Hetzel. “It was a huge game changer for the everyday traveler.”

Now What? Presumably, the worst of the COVID pandemic has passed and many that may have felt restricted by previous testing requirements for travel may now be enjoying the freedom of movement afforded by getting the vaccine. Without an ongoing need for testing and each traveler needing only a finite number of jabs to be considered safe to travel, this could spell less demand for medical and Covid-specific services in the airport. TACKL’s Huff foresaw this fall in demand from the beginning and has been planning to change up the offering whenever the tides appear to turn. “There was always

Below: Attendees at the 2022 Airport Experience Conference in Orlando, Fla. were lucky enough to get a taste of a bubbling flavored oxygen bar that TACKL will be offering at select airport outlets. Bottom: The TACKL health location at Pittsburgh International Airport resides landside to offer services to both travelers and non-flying visitors.

a sense of unpredictability and a need for planning for the future, which we began doing immediately because we didn’t want to just close down when Covid was over,” she says. “We wanted to have a plan in place for pivoting that would work well for airport spaces and other industry we’ve developed a relationship with.” Cofounder Hetzel agrees, noting that despite what may end up being a declining need for medical services, consumers today are more aware of their health than

ever, and still highly interested in staying healthy. “We’re moving away from focusing on sickness to focusing on wellness and taking a scientific medical-backed approach to that,” she says. Indeed, attendees at the 2022 Airport Experience Conference in Orlando, Fla. were lucky enough to get a taste of just what that means for TACKL facilities in the future. A bubbling flavored oxygen bar invited the curious to their booth, but the quantifiable data behind the trendy treatment proved its usefulness in the airport. “The part that’s been really important for us, and that will be the differentiator going forward, is the measurement piece,” says Huff. “The oxygen bars – they’re in the airports, they’re in malls, they’ve been around for a while, but rarely when you go are you measuring your blood oxygen level at the same time, so you can actually see what you’re doing is making a significant difference in your level of oxygenation.” Like the full experience that will be available in TACKL Health outlets, the oxygen demonstration at AXC included a pulse oximeter to measure levels of oxygen in the blood. Hetzel says the oxygen bar is a perfect example of the type of experience TACKL is aiming to pivot toward – quick, easy to use, measurable and effective. “Services that have that scientific backing and produce actionable results in a short amount of time,” she clarifies. SFO’s Yakel agrees that wellness is top of mind for many travelers today, and he sees that persisting. He says SFO’s strategy for addressing this health conscious revolution is to continue investing in touchless and low-touch experiences that allow passengers to move through the airport with as little risk as possible. “These are kind of peripheral to a health consideration. They’re not directly related to a medical clinic, but I see these as health-related offshoots of how the airport experience has changed with the pandemic,” he says. “This is something we were working on pre-pandemic, more from an efficiency and convenience consideration, but it took on a greater importance from a health component during the pandemic. The idea that you could get through the airport process with minimal physical touchpoints – those are things I think you’re going to continue to see in the experience.”

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TRAVEL WELLNESS New Brands, Products and Services Vie For Attention In Airports BY DAVID WARD The debate over how, or whether, the pandemic has permanently changed the mindset of the modern traveler will likely go on for years, but already one of the major trends emerging is an increased desire for health and wellness products and services. The trend was already underway pre-pandemic, but it’s now even more prevalent. Jeff Drake, CEO and president of Chicago-based Protein Bar & Kitchen, says he’s seen the trend first-hand. “As we come back people are wanting better balance in their lives,” he says, adding that both business and leisure passengers are focused on eating healthier while enroute so they can then feel better about the large meals and other indulgences they’ll likely have at their destination. “With both our packaging and signage, we’re leaning into the message that we have ‘protein for every body.’ No matter what the diet or lifestyle, we have a protein solution for that.” Though it does not yet have a terminal location, Drake says Protein Bar & Kitchen has been in talks with numerous concessions companies and is closing in on a deal for a spot in a midwestern airport. The company wants to eventually build a national footprint in airports, as well as other non-traditional venues. Protein Bar & Kitchen is one on a long list of health and wellness-conscious companies vying for space in airports. For food and beverage, that means fresh,

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healthier ingredients. For retail and services, the range varies from supplements such as CBD or oxygen bars to rest and relaxation venues.

A Fresh Approach Farmer’s Fridge has gained significant traction in recent years in part because its approach encompasses two current trends: healthy fare and a self-service approach in a limited footprint. The company currently has 60 airport fridges, including a new location at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) and an established presence at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), John Kennedy International Airport (JFK), Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and other airports “We only require a space the size of a vending machine and an electrical outlet to get up and running,” says Luke Saunders, founder and CEO of Farmer’s Fridge. “It’s a simple, turnkey solution to providing quick, fresh meals in a location where convenience is paramount.” With a proven track record and solid sales data to back up its pitches to new airports, Farmer’s Fridge is well-positioned to leverage the growing trend in healthy eating among travelers and the general public, Saunders says.

Above: SAMBAZON is finding success with brand messages that combines the health benefits of its açai-based product line with a focus on sustainability that resonates with both the general and traveling public.

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Left: Farmer’s Fridge has 60 fridges currently in airports and uses a clear vending machine screen and transparent jars so travelers can see the freshness of the food.

“We believe consumers have a heightened interest in healthy living and incorporating fresh, high-quality ingredients in their diets,” he adds, noting that the company’s packaging directly addresses any consumer concerns about healthy and fresh foods from a vending machine. “There’s a reason our Fridges have a clear screen and we serve our food in transparent jars - you can see the freshness of the food. We stock our airport Fridges multiple times a week.” SAMBAZON is another up-andcoming brand for airports, combining a fresh and healthy offering with a focus on sustainability. Vito Buscemi, president of hospitality at says that while airports are still an emerging opportunity for health and wellness brands, many of these products are already considered firmly in the mainstream of consumer products. The brand has been around for several decades, but SAMBAZON has only recently turned its attention to the travel sector. “SAMBAZON is committed to bringing healthy, fresh, sustainable, and delicious açai products to any airport concession worldwide,” Buscemi says, adding, “Our diverse menu selection and CPG items easily conform to the dietary needs of travelers who opt for gluten-free, vegan, plant-based, or organic offerings.” He adds that environmental concerns increasingly go hand-in-hand with

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health and wellness in many travelers’ minds, which means that messaging and packaging of health and wellness brands now have to do double duty, touting not just the benefits but also how the product is sustainably made. “SAMBAZON’s sustainability mission is core to our brand story,” Buscemi says. “We engage in certified fair trade business practices with our family of Brazilian farmers across the harvest land, our two owned and operated facilities, and our corporate headquarters.” The company is working towards zero emissions and 100 percent recyclable packaging, efforts that are highlighted in brand messaging to customers.

Post-Covid Consciousness The growth in health in wellness brands in airports is coming at a time when leisure travel has rebounded faster than business travel coming out of the pandemic. Daniel Solomon, co-founder and director of Lake Forest, IL-headquartered Minute Suites, says his company’s Traveler’s Retreats have traditionally appealed to both business travelers looking for a quiet location to work and leisure travelers looking for a space to relax during their dwell time. “We were introduced to more leisure travelers during the pandemic as business

travel curtailed and our suite workstation is deployed by leisure travelers as a space for luggage, personal items, or food, and the USB and electrical outlets have universal appeal,” he says. “That said, I think we all would welcome the return of business travel which is good for our industry.” Solomon says Minute Suites continues to benefit from both business and leisure travelers still cautious about Covid and looking for ways to practice socially distancing even as traffic returns to airports. “Our private suites provide natural social distancing and are “clean and serene” environments to limit interaction and stay healthy,” he says. “These factors often drive the decision to first visit Minute Suites’ The Traveler’s Retreat, but it is the services we provide such as sleep, relaxation, workstation, showers, yoga, quiet meditation, and more that keep them coming back.” Minute Suites is among many brands vying for travelers who are looking for a bit of privacy or space to rest. Various workstation, nap and rest solutions are on offer at airports throughout the country, with many others vying for space as well. For travelers interested in a more active airport experience, some terminals offer fitness walks, yoga rooms, gyms or other experiences. Ty Manegold, founder of ROAM Fitness, says that before his

Top: The ROAM Fitness BWI location features a complimentary clothing rental program, rapid onboarding registration, and airport specific strategies like FIDs in the gym to reassure travelers looking to squeeze in a workout during their dwell time. Above: Minute Suites has adapted to the pandemicrelated changes in travel with messaging aimed at both business and leisure travelers, including highlighting how their private suites provide natural social distancing in increasingly crowded airport terminals.

company opened its first airport gym at Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), they focused on how the experience had to differ from a typical gym. “You need to offer both physical solutions, like our complimentary clothing rental program, with curated services like rapid onboarding registration, and encapsulate the whole experience with airport specific strategies like FIDs (flight information displays) in the gym, smart-speaker Alexa devices in the bathrooms,” he says. “We also have food delivery partnerships with current airport restaurant incumbents to create healthy meals ready for pickup when leaving the gym and heading to your gate.”

Manegold adds the layout of the facility also had to be adapted for the need of air travelers, including having sufficient storage for carry-on luggage, power-enabled lockers so travelers can charge up your devices while exercising, and ensuring enough shower availability so as not to create a logistical bottleneck. Though the BWI ROAM location also serves airport, TSA and carrier employees, Manegold adds one of the major byproducts of the last two years has been the increased demand for convenience at all costs, including time at the gym. “We’ve brought the gym to you at the only time left in your day that you can’t fit into a Zoom call, fill with other chores, or replace all together; the dreaded dwell time,” he says, adding that while initially the majority of users were first impulse decisions, now frequent fliers, especially those originating at BWI, are increasingly building a visit to the ROAM gym into their travel routine. Health and wellness can also extend to retail or service products on offer, from massage chairs and spa products to new options. CBD, for example, is growing as a health supplement on the street, and at least one company has aspirations for airports. Sawatch Wellness recently presented at the Airport Experience Conference in Orlando touting the potential for providing CBD infused products to travelers via automated kiosks. Presenters Ryan and Kevin Bush, the company’s founders, pointed out that highly educated and highearning Millennial and Gen Z consumers are currently the driving force behind the surging interest in CBD for wellness. Unlike traditional cannabis, which is still a federally banned Schedule 1 drug, CBD products are federally legal in accordance with The Farm Bill of 2018, making it highly unlikely the sale of CBD in airports would run afoul of the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA), the company says. “We’re expecting explosive growth of close to 100 percent in the CBD market over the next few years – as we approach 2025, we’re looking at $7 billion in expected U.S. retail,” says Ryan Bush. “The nice thing too is that there’s not a big dog player in CBD – it’s very disparate, very broken up, so there’s a lot of opportunity to find beachheads in a pretty new market right now.”

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AX 2022 IN PICTURES 1

13 More than 700 industry executives convened Feb. 27 through March 2 for the 19th annual Airport Experience Conference in Orlando, Fla. The bustling Experience Hall offered a venue for connecting and networking among colleagues, old friends and new contacts, and brought brand experiences to the fore. The conference sessions took a forward look, gauging industry recovery and paving the way for future growth. Here are just a few of the many memorable moments of the industry’s most popular concessions event! 1. Rick Tucker of Huntsville International, Mark Gale of Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International and Greg Kelly of Savannah/Hilton Head International.

2. Carolyn Langdon shares upcoming concessions opportunities at Southwest Florida International Airport. 3. Kevin Westlye and Carla Wytmar of High Flying Foods, with Pat Murray of SSP America. 4. Chad Makovsky of Phoenix-Sky Harbor International Airport shares insights on the Directors’ Panel, while co-panelist Phillip Washington looks on.

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5. Michael Svagdis of SSP America asks a question during the Directors’ Panel. 6. Concessionaire James Kelly and Amy Snyder of Boise Airport in the Experience Hall. 7. Inez Lampley of Fresher, LLC, shares her experiences on the ACDBE financing panel. 8. Kevin Burke of Airports Council InternationalNorth America discusses airport financial health. 9. The AXC Experience Hall was a prime venue for networking throughout the conference.

27 10. The annual Schmooze event was a great way for airport representatives to meet with potential concessions partners. 11. Rebecca Ramsey of R.R. Ramsey Research and Stu Holcombe of Travel Retail Partners. 12. The seven-minute Schmooze sessions, conducted speed-dating style, attracted a broad range of airports and operators. 13. Gerry Inglis of ECG Ventures and Shane Norman of Steak ‘n Shake. 14. Regina Brown and Padraig Drennan, both of Stellar Partners, with Michael Baldwin, formerly of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. 15. Nancy Knipp of Airport Dimensions and Judith Byrd of Byrd Retail Group share their experiences on the Women in Leadership panel.

17. AX Conference panels brought big crowds of engaged industry members. 18. Deanna Zachrisson, now of San Diego International Airport, and Amy Snyder of Boise Airport at the Women in Leadership breakfast. 19. Jay Perlman and Zach Rubin of SleepySleeves. 20. From left to right: Dawn Hunter of SeattleTacoma International, Lauryn Mangum of Servy, Rob Crews of Crews, Khalia Moore of Seattle-Tacoma International, and Robin Gibson of Fraport.

21. Shane Robinson of S&C Robinson Enterprise and Scott Welding of SSP America. 22-28. Valuable connections were made and business was done in the Experience Hall.

16. Airport Experience News Publisher Melissa Montes moderates the Women in Leadership panel.

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2022 AWARDS MEMORIES Some of the most influential industry leaders were recognized at the closing ceremony of the 2022 Airport Experience Conference. AXN’s three Directors of the Year for 2021 – in the small, medium and large size categories – claimed their awards and shared their experiences with the audience. In addition, AXN’s 2022 Property Manager of the Year and the AX Icon award recipients were lauded for their invaluable contributions to the industry.

AXN Publisher Melissa K. Montes at the closing ceremony of the 2022 AX Conference.

Nick Crews of Crews Ltd., sponsor of the closing ceremony.

Rick Tucker, executive director of the Port of Huntsville accepts the award for Director of the Year in the Small Airports division.

Rick Tucker receives the award from Patrick Wallace of Paradies Lagardère.

Rebecca Hupp, director of Boise Airport, accepts the award for Director of the Year in the Medium Airports division

Delaware North’s James Wilson presented the award to Rebecca Hupp, also joined by AXN’s Melissa K. Montes.

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Mark Gale, CEO and director of aviation, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, accepts the award for Director of the Year in the Large Airports Division.

Mark Gale receives the award from presenter Courtney Thornton of Hudson, while Melissa K. Montes of AXN looks on.

Marlene Coleman, director of concessions management at HartsfieldJackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), accepts her award as the AXN Property Manager of the Year.

Marlene Coleman with presenter Derryl Benton of HMSHost and Melissa K. Montes of AXN.

Oris Dunham, with more than 50 years in the aviation industry, accepts his award as the AX Icon in recognition of his decades of service in forwarding the interests of airports and airport concessionaires.

Dawn Hunter of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport presents the AX Icon Award to Oris Dunham.

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SUSTAINABILITY SNAPSHOT

CUTTING CARBON

Four North American Airports Achieve Carbon Neutrality; More Efforts Underway BY SALLY KRAL

Above: The construction of a nine-gate terminal expansion project that received LEED Gold certification was one of many elements leading to AustinBergstrom International Airport becoming the fourth North American airport to receive carbon neutral accreditation through ACI-NA’s Airport Carbon Accreditation Program.

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ate last year, Austin-Bergstrom International (AUS) became the latest North American airport to achieve Level 3+ accreditation through Airports Council International – North America’s (ACI-NA) Airport Carbon Accreditation Program, confirming the airport’s carbon neutral status. It was the fourth North American airport to reach this level. The achievement was significant – airports around the world are scrambling to clean up their carbon footprint, and reaching carbon neutrality is daunting given the nature of the aviation business. According to the ACI Annual Report released in February, the Airport Carbon Accreditation program is the global standard for carbon management in the airport industry. The program’s aim is to

encourage and enable airports to implement best practices in carbon management with a focus on CO2 emissions, as they comprise the large majority of airport greenhouse gas emissions. The program was developed in line with international standards and involves independent administration and verification to ensure its credibility. There are six total levels of accreditation in the program: Level 1 is Mapping, which involves compiling a carbon footprint report; Level 2 is Reduction, where quantified emissions reductions begin to be made; Level 3 is Optimization, where the scope is widened to include third-party emissions; Level 3+ is Neutrality, where total airport emissions have been offset; Level 4 is Transformation, which involves developing a long-term management strategy toward reducing – rather than just offsetting – emissions; and Level 4+ is Transition, which involves offsetting any residual emissions. In addition to AUS, Vancouver International Airport (YVR), San Diego International Airport (SAN), and Dallas/Forth Worth International Airport (DFW) have all reached Level 3+ accreditation, with DFW surpassing this level to be the first airport in the world to achieve Level 4+ accreditation in 2020. “North America’s airports are incredibly driven to find new, innovative solutions to the challenges facing the industry – even amid a global pandemic, airports continue to be good neighbors and have not neglected their social responsibility priorities,” says Kevin Burke, ACI-NA president and CEO. “In fact, they’re strengthening their commitments to their local communities, demonstrating global leadership, and becoming better partners in the aviation system by managing and reducing their carbon footprints.”

SUSTAINABILITY SNAPSHOT

Above: Dallas/Forth Worth International Airport has been a leader in sustainability (initiatives and achievements shown). It was the first North American airport to reach carbon neutrality in 2016, and in 2020 it became the first airport in the world to achieve Level 4+ accreditation – the highest level in ACI-NA’s Airport Carbon Accreditation Program. Infographics credit: Dallas/Forth Worth International Airport

Leading The Charge DFW was the first North American airport to achieve carbon neutrality in 2016, the result of various direct actions. “To reduce our carbon footprint, we began purchasing 100 percent renewable electricity from Texas wind farms, which helped us achieve a reduction in electricity costs and decouple passenger growth from emissions, demonstrating that sustainability makes business sense,” says Robert Horton, vice president of environmental affairs for the airport. “We also began converting our compressed natural gas vehicle fleet to renewable natural gas sourced from local landfills – this has reduced operations and maintenance costs by approximately $1 million annually. Currently, 77 percent of the natural gas used in our fleet is renewable.” SAN was next to reach neutrality, in 2018. “Through the active implementation of our Carbon Neutrality Plan, we achieved carbon neutrality three years before our

2022 deadline,” says Brendan Reed, director of airport planning and environmental affairs for the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority. “Over the years, SAN has built energy-efficient facilities such as a consolidated Rental Car Center, International Arrivals facility, Facilities Maintenance Warehouse and an Airline Support Building, which have all achieved at least LEED Gold certification. We’ve also installed 5.5 megawatts of solar energy panels on roofs and in parking lots and converted our shuttle fleet to all-electric and other alternative fuel vehicles. And in 2021, we began participating

in San Diego Community Power’s Power100 service, which provides 100 percent renewable and carbon-free electricity to power the entire airport.” To address emissions from third parties at the airport, SAN has expanded its electric vehicle charger network for tenants and passengers, launched a carbon offset program called “The Good Traveler” to help passengers easily reduce the environmental impact of their travel, and created a novel greenhouse gas reduction incentive program for rideshare companies and other commercial transportation operators. In 2021 YVR became the first Canadian airport to be upgraded to the Neutrality level and the third in North America. “For us, the process of getting accredited was a validation of the practices we already had in place, including measuring our greenhouse gas emissions, implementing actions to reduce them wherever possible and then purchasing carbon offsets with

Right: San Diego International Airport’s larger Sustainability Management Program includes such actions as the installation of solar energy panels (shown) and the expansion of electric vehicle chargers (shown). With those and other actions, the airport became carbon neutral three years ahead of its 2022 goal. Photo credit: San Diego County Regional Airport Authority

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SUSTAINABILITY SNAPSHOT

a high degree of environmental integrity,” says Marion Town, director of climate and environment for the airport. Some ways YVR has reduced emissions have included switching to energy efficient lightbulbs in the terminal and on aprons, electrifying some of the airport’s fleet and exploring the use of renewable fuels. “To take accountability for the remaining emissions, we’ve purchased high-quality, local carbon offsets: For 2020 we supported the Darkwoods Forest Carbon Project in the West Kootenays of British Columbia,” Town says. “Our purchase helps ensure that the land will not be logged and that the habitat is preserved for the 39 confirmed at-risk species that call Darkwoods home. The amount that we offset is equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions from 2,194 homes’ energy use for one year.” Most recently, AUS joined the carbon neutral ranks. Some key initiatives have included installing and expanding electric vehicle infrastructure throughout the airport, which involves developing a charging master plan for fleet vehicles, employee and passenger vehicles, and ground service equipment; utilizing wind energy from West Texas through the Austin Energy’s GreenChoice program for 100 percent of the electricity used in the airport’s terminals and buildings; and switching its shuttle bus fleet to all renewable natural gas from Clean Energy Fuels. “Through the renewable natural gas program, we were able to share extra credits with several other onsite stakeholders, ef fectively reducing their carbon footprints by more than 60 percent,” notes B.J. Carpenter, sustainability program coordinator for the airport. “Additionally, AUS currently has six LEED or Austin Energy Green Building certified buildings, with many going beyond the basic LEED Silver requirements. And one of our more recent sustainability initiatives was partnering with Signature Flight Support to bring the first-ever delivery of sustainable aviation fuel to our campus.”

Just The Beginning For the aviation industry, carbon neutrality is just the beginning. The ultimate goal is to achieve net zero – where

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Above: Vancouver International Airport acquires carbon offsets as a tactic to reach carbon neutrality. In 2020 the airport supported the Darkwoods Forest Carbon Project, which conserves land in the West Kootenays of British Columbia (shown) from logging. Photo by Steve Ogle

carbon emissions are eliminated rather than just offset – by 2050, with many individual airports setting the deadline even sooner. “In 2020, we received recognition for our climate action work from the United Nations, and as we accepted our award... we announced our plans to achieve net zero carbon by 2030,” DFW’s Horton says. “Our net-zero roadmap and decarbonization strategy is built on three core areas: a continued transition to renewable energy sources; improvement of the efficiency of our facilities and fleet; and implementation of carbon removal technology to address residual emissions.” As of 2020, DFW has achieved a 79 percent reduction in absolute emissions from a 2010 baseline, Horton adds. YVR is also striving to become net zero by 2030, the first Canadian airport to commit to this goal. “We recognize that travel isn’t the enemy in fighting climate change, it’s carbon,” Town says. “Over the next eight years we will be electrifying our fleet, increasing building energy conservation and electrification, investing in renewable fuels, and purchasing carbon offsets and carbon removals to reach our net zero goal.”

Town adds that the airport also supports its partners, including airlines and the airport community, to drive sustainability across the supply chain. “This includes supporting the supply of low carbon aviation fuel, investing in charging equipment for ground support equipment, and providing ground power to enable crews to shut down aircraft engines and plug into British Columbia’s clean electricity supply,” she explains. Important work is indeed already underway – in North America and beyond – to help the global aviation industry reach net zero by 2050. But ACI-NA’s Burke notes that more government support is needed for terminal improvements to help the industry meet this goal, and he draws special attention to the need for a dedicated stream of funding for sustainable aviation fuel infrastructure. “As we look to the future, it’s important for airports to be involved in the policy discussion around sustainable aviation fuels, and it will be our leadership on the knowledge of infrastructure investments needed that will make sustainable aviation fuel a reality,” he says.

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10/28/20 12:36 PM

BEFORE YOU TAKE OFF

NOTES OF KINDNESS Fraport Encourages Travelers At JFK’s T5 To Share The Love BY SHAFER ROSS

Above: A greyscale graphic invited JFK T5 travelers to fill out a bright, colorful sticky note with kind sentiments and stick it on the wall during Random Acts of Kindness Week in February. Below: Airport guests and staff alike could approach the Kindness Wall and add their own message of kindness, positivity or hope.

ravelers who found themselves moving t hrough Joh n F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) the week of Valentine’s Day 2022 were feeling particularly loving when they encountered the interactive Kindness Wall in Terminal 5. A greyscale graphic proclaiming “Hey New York, color the world with kindness!” invited them to fill out a bright, colorful sticky note with kind sentiments and stick it on the wall. A week later, the original black and white heart was completely obscured with neon sticky notes bearing positivity. “We were very, very happy with it,” says Dana Milone, manager, program performance for Fraport New York, the division of Fraport USA that runs the T5 concessions program. “It was all overwhelmingly kind. That was the goal. There is still kindness in the world, and although there is negative out there, we were hoping that kindness would overpower, and it sure did.” The wall was open to contribution throughout Random Acts of Kindness Week. Airport guests and staff alike could approach the wall, see a table with sticky

notes, markers and a guide from Fraport New York’s team on the story of the Kindness Wall, and add their own message of kindness, positivity or hope. “The activation was live for a week but the art itself remained up through the end of the month and most of March,” says Milone. It was a nice reminder for travelers throughout the month, and people continued to take photos with and share the unique installation, which Fraport New York encouraged with the social media hashtag #T5KindnessWall, furthering the interactive nature of the piece. “I thought it would be a great idea – a creative way to activate a space and turn it into artwork with everyone’s contributions, as opposed to just putting something up for people to look at,” Milone says. “It could be a fun, colorful way to bring that wall to life.” “It was definitely very well received by our clients and customers, and even the Port Authority [of New York & New Jersey] has mentioned that they liked it as well,” she adds. “So, I think we’ll continue this and make it bigger and better for next year and years to come.”

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GAYLORD ROCKIES | DENVER, CO | FEBRUARY 26 - MARCH 1

Airport Experience News - Spring 2022

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Airport Experience News - Spring 2022