Current Issue...

New Satellite Concourse Provides Efficient Gate Expansion at Nashville Int’l
New Satellite Concourse Provides Efficient Gate Expansion at Nashville Int’l
To accommodate increased passenger demand, Nashville International Airport® (BNA®) recently constructed a standalone Satellite Concourse adjacent to its main terminal. The 89,000-square-foot structure opened in October 2023 and now houses operations primarily for Allegiant Air and Spirit Airlines.
READ MORE
Dallas Fort Worth Int’l Bolsters Employee Security Screening Program
Dallas Fort Worth Int’l Bolsters Employee Security Screening Program
Efficiency and efficacy are the watchwords for employee security screening at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW).
READ MORE
Denver Int’l Completes State-of-the-Art West Security Checkpoint
Denver Int’l Completes State-of-the-Art West Security Checkpoint
In the last two decades, passenger volume has nearly doubled at DEN, and security technology has changed considerably. As part of the airport’s Great Hall Program, a $2.1 billion capital improvement project, all checkpoints are moving up a level—both physically and technologically.
READ MORE
Harry Reid Int’l Tests Self-Service Checkpoint
Harry Reid Int’l Tests Self-Service Checkpoint
For 23 years, TSA has screened passengers and their belongings at U.S. airports to help keep air travel safe. The traffic is staggering, with an average 2.5 million people passing through checkpoints at more than 430 airports each day, and even more during holidays and other surges.
READ MORE
Safety Management Systems: Lessons from the Airline Sector
Safety Management Systems: Lessons from the Airline Sector
Nearly a decade ago, the FAA Safety Organization issued a final rule requiring Part 121 certificated operators—scheduled commercial airlines—to implement Safety Management Plans. The goal was to help carriers detect and correct safety risks before they become hazards.
READ MORE
Historic Wildfires Prompt Kelowna Int’l to Move Commercial Flights From Day to Night
Historic Wildfires Prompt Kelowna Int’l to Move Commercial Flights From Day to Night
With wildfires raging throughout British Columbia last summer, two things kept Kelowna International Airport (YLW) ahead of the game: good working relationships with the provincial and national governments, and partners such as Nav Canada.
READ MORE
Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Completes Five-Gate Addition
Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Completes Five-Gate Addition
With an eye on growth and a heightened commitment to passenger comfort, Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA) unveiled a 30,000-square-foot terminal expansion in mid-February.
READ MORE
New ARFF Facility Boosts Efficiency, Paves Way for New Terminal at Monterey Regional
New ARFF Facility Boosts Efficiency, Paves Way for New Terminal at Monterey Regional
A new $9.9 million aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) station is enhancing operational efficiency at Monterey Regional Airport (MRY), as well as providing a more comfortable environment for the personnel that call it home for days at a time.
READ MORE
Punta Gorda Closes Runway, Powers Through Rebuild Project
Punta Gorda Closes Runway, Powers Through Rebuild Project
File it under “good things come to those who wait.” The roughly year-long reconstruction and rehabilitation of the primary runway at Punta Gorda Airport (PGD) was a welcome improvement that took patience, planning and lots of enabling projects.
READ MORE
Moving Walkways Replace Decades-Old Monorail at Tampa Int’l
Moving Walkways Replace Decades-Old Monorail at Tampa Int’l
Guests at Tampa International Airport (TPA) can now use a series of moving walkways to quickly travel through the long-term parking garage to the adjacent main terminal, and vice versa.
READ MORE
New Outdoor Deck Relieves Passenger Congestion at Charlottetown Airport
New Outdoor Deck Relieves Passenger Congestion at Charlottetown Airport
While some airports have struggled to recover passenger traffic lost during the COVID-19 pandemic, the opposite is true at Charlottetown Airport (YYG) on Prince Edward Island in eastern Canada. In 2023, the airport recorded 402,686 passengers—an increase of more than 18% from 2022.
READ MORE
Southwest Hangar Complex at Gulf Shores Int’l is Full
Southwest Hangar Complex at Gulf Shores Int’l is Full
If Gulf Shores International Airport (JKA) were a hotel, management could hang up a “No Vacancy” sign regarding its available hangar space. Airport Director Justin Fletcher proudly reports that all 13 sites of JKA’s Southwest Corporate Hangar Complex are filled.
READ MORE
Hawaii Provides State-Owned Airports with Online Platform for Environmental Systems Management
Hawaii Provides State-Owned Airports with Online Platform for Environmental Systems Management
Recognizing the need for robust environmental systems management, the Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) Airports Division provides a cloud-based, no-code system for its 15 state-owned and state-operated airports.
READ MORE
Art Without Borders - San Diego International Airport (SAN)
Art Without Borders - San Diego International Airport (SAN)
San Diego International Airport (SAN) is celebrating that longtime binational bond with a temporary art exhibit titled Espacios & Lines.
READ MORE
Terminal Modernization at Boston Logan Has Passengers and Locals Seeing Red, But in a Good Way
Terminal Modernization at Boston Logan Has Passengers and Locals Seeing Red, But in a Good Way
Nearly 250 years after Paul Revere rode out of Boston warning of a pending advance by British Redcoats, a shimmering red coat of paint warmly welcomes international visitors to the modern airport in his colonial hometown.
READ MORE
Pause

Quebec City Jean Lesage Int’l Prepares Terminal & Airfield for 2020 Traffic

Quebec City’s Jean Lesage International Airport (YQB) recently doubled the size of its terminal, made widespread technology upgrades and increased baggage handling capacity using an innovative project delivery method that had airport employees—not outside contractors—managing and coordinating all of the projects.

Savannah/Hilton Head Int’l Prepares to Integrate Drones Into Airport & Airfield Operations

Patrolling the perimeter fence at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (SAV) is a difficult task, thanks to about 400 acres of swampland—and the alligators, snakes and other wildlife that live there. But it’s an easy job for a camera-equipped drone. That’s why the Georgia facility is striving to become one of the first commercial airports in the United States to integrate drone flights into some of its routine safety and security operations.

Conversion to LED Airfield Lighting Proves Beneficial for Detroit Metro

Since 2006, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) has been incrementally transitioning its airfield lighting from incandescent to light emitting diode (LED) technology. Dave Garrett, the airport authority’s electrical department manager, explains that the switch has several benefits, including energy savings, product longevity and—to a certain degree—reduced maintenance.

Fort Lauderdale Int’l Shares Lessons Learned From 2017 Active Shooter Tragedy

Early last year, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) in Broward County, FL, experienced the deadliest airport shooting in U.S. history when a passenger killed five people and sent six others to the hospital with injuries. More than 50 others were hospitalized for chest pains, low blood sugar, broken bones, etc. incurred while fleeing the scene and during a subsequent stampede triggered by false reports of another shooting.

Sea-Tac Int’l Leverages Competition to Boost Janitorial Efficiency

Airports often award a single contract for their janitorial services. Beginning this year, executives at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) are taking a different tack. They divided up the work and awarded contracts to three different companies, hoping that competition among the firms will improve efficiency and tangible results.

Airline Consolidation & Dehubbing Trigger Rightsizing Projects

There is a lot of buzz about the “customer experience” these days. Sometimes referred to as simply “CX,” it has become the focal point of business plans and marketing strategies across a wide swath of industries. Everyone from chief executives to frontline foot soldiers is charged with making customer interactions exceptional, memorable and worth repeating.

Northeast Ohio Regional Maintains Commercial Certificate to Support Economic Growth

In 1965, a forward-thinking businessman and aircraft operator named Robert Morrison marshaled local politicians and civic leaders to create the Ashtabula County Airport Authority for the purpose of developing an airport that would serve as an economic driver for Ashtabula County and northeast Ohio.

Tampa Int’l Kicks Off Master Plan Updates With New Rental Car Center & Automated People Mover

Valentine’s Day was extra sweet for Tampa International Airport (TPA) this year. The growing Florida facility opened two substantial new pieces of infrastructure to the public: a $323 million consolidated rental car center and a $412 million automated people mover. Both projects were designed to reduce curbside congestion at the terminal, improve customer service and pave the way for future passenger growth.

St. Clair Regional Closes Up Shop After 10-Year Struggle

St. Clair Regional Closes Up Shop After 10-Year Struggle
Building and opening a new airport is no easy task—that goes without saying. As it turns out, closing one may not be any easier. Just ask the folks in St. Clair, MO.

Wyoming Airports Band Together to Save Their Commercial Air Service

Wyoming Airports Band Together to Save Their Commercial Air Service
When Devon Brubaker began his job as manager of Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport (RKS) in spring 2015, many residents of the southwest Wyoming community were not even aware the airport offered service to major connecting hubs. Since then, his team has worked with SkyWest Airlines to create more affordable flights, supported by more effective marketing; and Brubaker is proud of the results.

Pages

2022 Charlotte Douglas International Airport Report of Achievement

Giving back to the community is central to what Charlotte Douglas International Airport and its operator, the City of Charlotte Aviation Department, is about, and last year was no different. 

Throughout 2022, while recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, we continued our efforts to have a positive impact on the Charlotte community. Of particular note, we spent the year sharing stories of how Connections Don't Just Happen at the Terminal - from creating homeownership and employment opportunities to supporting economic growth through small-business development and offering outreach programs to help residents understand the Airport better.

This whitepaper highlights the construction projects, initiatives, programs and events that validate Charlotte Douglas as a premier airport.

Download the whitepaper: 2022 Charlotte Douglas International Airport Report of Achievement.

 

 

Featured Video

Delta Opens New Cargo Control Center to Track Shipments

When cargo flights are delayed or diverted, it not only affects customers expecting freight, it also impacts airports handling the traffic. Sometimes it takes a domino effect of gate shifts to accommodate off-schedule or unexpected cargo flights.

New York State Earmarks $200 Million for Airport Development, Holds Project Competition to Disperse Funds

New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has put the state’s money where its airports are. Recognizing and emphasizing the importance of air transportation to general economic prosperity, the governor launched the $200 million Upstate Airport Economic Development and Revitalization Competition in 2016.

Protecting Your Bottom Line From the “Uber Effect”

It has been about seven years since Uber and other transportation network companies (TNCs) first hit the streets in the United States. And just as airports begin to secure and analyze meaningful data about their effect on parking and other non-aeronautical revenue streams, another major force is preparing to merge into the market. In less than 18 months, the first autonomous vehicles are scheduled to be in commercial operation.

Quebec City Jean Lesage Int’l Prepares Terminal & Airfield for 2020 Traffic

Quebec City’s Jean Lesage International Airport (YQB) recently doubled the size of its terminal, made widespread technology upgrades and increased baggage handling capacity using an innovative project delivery method that had airport employees—not outside contractors—managing and coordinating all of the projects.

Savannah/Hilton Head Int’l Prepares to Integrate Drones Into Airport & Airfield Operations

Patrolling the perimeter fence at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (SAV) is a difficult task, thanks to about 400 acres of swampland—and the alligators, snakes and other wildlife that live there. But it’s an easy job for a camera-equipped drone. That’s why the Georgia facility is striving to become one of the first commercial airports in the United States to integrate drone flights into some of its routine safety and security operations.

Conversion to LED Airfield Lighting Proves Beneficial for Detroit Metro

Since 2006, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) has been incrementally transitioning its airfield lighting from incandescent to light emitting diode (LED) technology. Dave Garrett, the airport authority’s electrical department manager, explains that the switch has several benefits, including energy savings, product longevity and—to a certain degree—reduced maintenance.

Fort Lauderdale Int’l Shares Lessons Learned From 2017 Active Shooter Tragedy

Early last year, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) in Broward County, FL, experienced the deadliest airport shooting in U.S. history when a passenger killed five people and sent six others to the hospital with injuries. More than 50 others were hospitalized for chest pains, low blood sugar, broken bones, etc. incurred while fleeing the scene and during a subsequent stampede triggered by false reports of another shooting.

Sea-Tac Int’l Leverages Competition to Boost Janitorial Efficiency

Airports often award a single contract for their janitorial services. Beginning this year, executives at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) are taking a different tack. They divided up the work and awarded contracts to three different companies, hoping that competition among the firms will improve efficiency and tangible results.

Airline Consolidation & Dehubbing Trigger Rightsizing Projects

There is a lot of buzz about the “customer experience” these days. Sometimes referred to as simply “CX,” it has become the focal point of business plans and marketing strategies across a wide swath of industries. Everyone from chief executives to frontline foot soldiers is charged with making customer interactions exceptional, memorable and worth repeating.

Northeast Ohio Regional Maintains Commercial Certificate to Support Economic Growth

In 1965, a forward-thinking businessman and aircraft operator named Robert Morrison marshaled local politicians and civic leaders to create the Ashtabula County Airport Authority for the purpose of developing an airport that would serve as an economic driver for Ashtabula County and northeast Ohio.

Featured Video

Digital Issue:

May/June Digital Issue

Connect

Twitter



Publisher's Blog

What’s in a Name?
I’m all for improving our airports. But do new names necessarily make them better?
more >>

# # #

Industry Insider

Cyberattacks on the Aviation Sector: Threats, Trends and Strategies
The aviation industry has been a prime target for nefarious cyberattacks over the last few years.
more >>

Project Nominations

Know of a project that should be covered in a future issue of Airport Improvement?

Artscapes

Art Without Borders - San Diego International Airport (SAN)
Art Without Borders - San Diego International Airport (SAN)
San Diego International Airport (SAN) is celebrating that longtime binational bond with a temporary art exhibit titled...
more >>

# # #

# # #

# # #

# # #

# # #

# # #

# # #

# # #


# # #
 

# # #