Charlotte Douglas International (CLT) has invested heavily in its airfield maintenance program over the past several years. From airfield markings and lighting to snow removal, landscape operations and wildlife management, the North Carolina airport has committed time and resources to its comprehensive effort.

Once the exclusive domain of tech geeks and ultra-serious computer gamers, online forums are now mainstream information sources for many people. Airport operators and personnel, in fact, have multiple industry-specific sites at their disposal.

Airfield maintenance can be tough at any location, but few places in North America present more challenges than northern Alaska. Keeping runway and taxiway lights working at the remote airfields that dot the state can be extremely challenging, and workers who undertake the job often work in downright punishing conditions.

Meeting annual training requirements for aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) personnel can be particularly challenging at smaller airports with small staffs, where firefighters often perform airfield maintenance in addition to their primary ARFF and operational duties.

Last winter was particularly rough on Washington, D.C., and its airports. Winter Storm Jonas, or "Snowzilla" as local media dubbed it, dumped 29.3 inches of snow on Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)-the largest amount from an individual storm in the airport's 70-plus-year history. The storm began midday on Friday, Jan. 22, and raged for 36 grueling hours.

In early 2014, the city of Dallas and Dallas Love Field (DAL) were in a unique and ultimately timely position from operational and funding perspectives alike. The expiration of the Wright Amendment in October 2014 allowed air carriers to modify flight routes out of DAL, thereby increasing air traffic and changing the aircraft types needed to handle traffic. In addition, the upcoming 2017 expiration of the letter of intent associated with the long-running Love Field Modernization Program will make federal discretionary and entitlement dollars available for airfield-related projects that had been deferred because of the modernization program.

Eppley Airfield (OMA) in Omaha, NE, put its outside-the-box thinking on full display when it opened an interactive art gallery in late April. In addition to selling pieces by regional artists, the new concession features live demonstrations of select artists creating their work-a strategy that is engaging airport visitors and boosting retail sales.

As competition for passengers grows fierce, some airports are turning into freestanding, amenity-filled cities in their own right. Those actively engaged in the "amenities/service race" often consult survey data to guide their ongoing improvement efforts.

There comes a time in every airport's life when the focus has to become "out with the old and in with the new." Sometimes that means building entirely new facilities. More often, it involves breathing new life into existing facilities by adding modern updates and conveniences. Such was the case when Abraham Lincoln Capital (SPI), a commercial air service airport in Springfield, IL, recently updated its hangars.