With huge windows and plenty of open space, the mezzanine in Terminal 1 provides the best airfield views at Minneapolis-St. Paul International (MSP). And until recently, 5,000 square feet of the prime airport real estate was used for storage. That's right, storage. Late last year, however, MSP began leveraging its second-story asset to create a new 'luxury amenity.' It now leases the mezzanine space to MAG USA for an upscale common-use passenger lounge. MAG USA is the U.S. subsidiary of U.K.-based Manchester Airport Group, which owns and operates four British airports, including Manchester Airport and London Stansted Airport.
"Airports are more than simply points of departure and arrival. They are complex businesses in their own right," said Angela Gittens, director general of Airports Council International World, at this year's Airport Service Quality Awards ceremony.
Some travelers rate airport food only a small step above in-flight airline food. Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (MHT) in New Hampshire is doing its best to change that perception by upgrading its main sit-down restaurant.
As the debate rages on about ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft operating at U.S. airports, another alternative ground transportation method is quietly spreading throughout the industry: car-sharing services.
When Southwest Florida International (RSW) opened a 24-hour gas station/convenience store last summer, it became the first airport in the state to offer a turnpike-style travel plaza. Strategically located between RSW's entrance and exit roads, the facility sits on land that Lee County Port Authority set aside for that very purpose when it modernized the Fort Meyers airport with a new terminal that opened in 2005.
Walk down the aisle of any flight lasting more than an hour, and you can probably guess what titles are topping the New York Times best-seller list with surprising accuracy. Airline passengers are highly vested in reading; and so are the airports they pass through.
Winnipeg Richardson International Airport (YWG) is partnering with Plaza Premium Lounge to add a common-use lounge to its lineup of customer services. Scheduled to open in April, the 3,200-square-foot facility is the Manitoba airport's first lounge without a specific airline affiliation.
