Airport Improvement: March-April 2010
Web Exclusive:
Detroit Metro Earns Top Honors for Healthy Concessions
Airport food used to be simple: Hot dogs spun endlessly on heated rollers, and almost everything else was deep-fried and served in a cardboard boat. Prepackaged, processed fare was easy for concessionaires, but hard on travelers' arteries and waistlines. Much to the delight of health-conscious travelers everywhere, airports are sprinkling such options throughout their food courts and terminals.... [more]
Concessions/Retail
Vancouver Int'l Relishes Role as Official Olympics Airport Supplier
It's often said that the first and last impressions of a city are made at the airport. Vancouver International Airport (YVR) is especially cognizant of its unique opportunity to have a lasting, positive effect on travelers as the world's entryway to the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. ...[more]
Ground Support
"Like New" Boarding Bridges Return to Service at Daytona Beach
Daytona Beach International Airport had a choice to make. Its five passenger boarding bridges that were put into service in 1992 were due for inspection. The ball screws supporting the vertical drive on the FMC Jetways would have to be pulled and inspected. If they were cracked, they would have to be replaced. There was also pervasive corrosion and the cabling was deteriorating....[more]
Information Technology
Software Amps Up Training at Boise Airport
A $120,000 investment in computer technology is making training Boise Airport (BOI) more effective and efficient, reports airport training coordinator Gary Smith. ...[more]
Operations
Lights, Camera, Airports
It's hard to watch Up in the Air without playing "name that airport" (or frequent flier lounge or airfield). But even for industry insiders, it's tough to tell what's real and what's the architectural equivalent of a body double. ...[more]
Parking
New Card System Speeds up Valet Parking
A valet parking service about a mile from Bradley International Airport (BDL) is using a new express checkout service to help returning travelers get on their way even more quickly....[more]
Passenger Transport
Dulles Debuts $1.5 Billion Train System
More than seven years of construction came to fruition in January, when Washington Dulles International Airport opened its much-anticipated AeroTrain to the traveling public....[more]
Runways
New Hardstands Pave the Way for Other Renovations
The Hawaii Department of Transportation (DOT) wants the "island experience" to begin for visitors as soon as their aircraft touch down. And it's investing billions of dollars to make sure it happens....[more]
Salina Municipal Opts for Preformed Thermoplastic Taxiway Markings
Located smack dab in the middle of the continental United States, Salina Municipal Airport (SLN) is commonly known as America's Fuel Stop. Each year, the relatively small Kansas airport delivers nearly 4 million gallons of fuel to more than 7,000 business jets and 3,000 governmental and military aircraft.
All those mid-continent fuel stops and the constantly changing local climate put SLN's pavement markings through an "extreme amount of wear and tear," explains Timothy Rogers, A.A.E., executive director of the Salina Airport Authority.
...[more]
Security
Airports Across the Nation Make Passenger Screening a Private Matter
From removing shoes and belts for metal detectors to privacy concerns about full-body scans, some airline passengers feel like they receive a virtual shakedown at airport security. Add understaffed checkpoints, overworked screeners and equipment glitches to the mix, and passenger screening quickly becomes a recipe for disaster. As customer complaints skyrocket, so does the risk of dangerous mistakes....[more]
Terminal
LAX Completes $723 MillionRenovation in March
International travelers arriving in Los Angeles expect a little pizzazz in the land of movie stars and endless beaches. But until recently, the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) greeted them with cramped spaces, dark and dingy corridors and outdated infrastructure. ...[more]
New Terminal Opens the Door to Economic Growth in Winter Haven
Passengers flying into Winter Haven Municipal Airport (KGIF) receive an especially warm welcome these days - and a surprise if it's been awhile since they visited. The new and dramatically larger 13,362-square-foot terminal building completed in 2008 could make people think they've landed in another city....[more]
