Late last year, Regina International Airport (YQR) in Saskatchewan added a glass wall, and concessions sales promptly jumped. Liquor sales doubled, and post-security food receipts increased by more than 50%. By installing the new wall, the Canadian airport shifted the crucial dividing line between its pre- and post-security areas, and increased the volume and variety of food service options for passengers after they clear the screening checkpoint.
House cleaning and redecorating like company coming to visit. Officials at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE) went one step further and completed a $10.5 million concessions overhaul to prepare for a series of important guests expected to arrive soon.
What used to be a standard 1990s food court in Terminal 1 at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) is now a rustic Northwoods getaway, complete with cabin-like seating enclosures and a faux forest.
An updated common-use lounge at Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) is now even better equipped to offer first-class treatment to more passengers. In June, The Club at Pittsburgh International doubled in size and gained 60% more seating capacity.
The Green Plate Program, introduced just a few months ago at Portland International (PDX) in Oregon, gives customers at its main pre-security food court the choice of having their food prepared 'for here' or 'to go.' Meals ordered 'for here' are presented on melamine dishes, with drinking glasses and metal silverware that are washed and used again. Customers who want their orders 'to go' receive them in disposable paper and plastic containers, with plastic silverware.
With structural steel still being erected for the $1 billion terminal expansion/renovation at Reagan National Airport (DCA), a new concessions lineup is already in the works. Ten concessionaires are being selected this fall for the new facility that is scheduled to open in 2021.
Customer engagement in Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) is taking another social/digital turn, this time in the form of billboard-size mosaics created with thousands of photos from passengers and airport staff. It's all part of an ongoing series of interactive guest-driven marketing campaigns sponsored by luxury traveler retailer DFS Group.
An internship program at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE) is literally changing lives by providing invaluable work experience for young adults with disabilities. The initiative also enhances the airport's culture and provides concessionaires with a new pool of candidates to meet their workforce needs.
Visitors at Nashville International Airport (BNA) will have new and more diverse food/beverage and retail options in the new year. The concessions update focuses on adding locally authentic options and signals a change for the Tennessee airport that serves 14.9 million passengers annually.
Most passengers don't expect ice skating, lawn games or beer tastings at the airport, but Denver International (DEN) provides them'and much more. For three years running, the airport has hosted an 'Events at DEN' series, and the lineup is proving so popular it also attracts visitors not flying into or out of the airport.
Thanks to a new specialty leasing program that debuted at Charleston International Airport (CHS) this spring, customers can now purchase a sampling of local and regional goodies and gifts at small kiosks inside the airport terminal.
Acquiring and managing luggage carts can be an expensive proposition, but Lexington Blue Grass Airport (LEX) and Harrisburg International (MDT) lighten the load by rolling equipment costs into their parking contracts.
