Successful airports tend to operate at peak efficiency when they partner well with the state agency that supports them. This is especially true in Colorado, where the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) Division of Aeronautics offers several programs to help member airports prosper.
When Philadelphia International (PHL) wanted to upgrade its asset management system to a more robust tool, the project team talked with personnel at other airports about their experiences. As the Pennsylvania airport continues to deploy its upgrade, PHL Enterprise Asset Manager Milton Robinson is sharing his department's experience to help other airports reap similar benefits.
Small airports in the northern U.S. share one common trait with huge airports such as Chicago O'Hare and Kennedy International in New York: They have to keep their runways and taxiways clear of snow during winter. Most, however, don't have multimillion-dollar budgets for accomplishing this.
Chattanooga Metropolitan (CHA) has managed to turn unused land alongside its runways and taxiways into an environmentally sound source of electricity that powers the same amount of energy that CHA facilities at the Tennessee airport use each year.
In Alaska, the days start to cool quickly in September, and by October, daily high temperatures struggle to reach 50 degrees. At Juneau International Airport (JNU), the ground maintenance team knows what's looming: cold, freezing rain in autumn, followed by an average snowfall of more than 85 inches during winter.
Many airports create master plans for future development, but the roadmap recently commissioned by Eugene Airport (EUG) in Oregon takes the process to an entirely new level. The extensive document analyzes, justifies and phases significant facility improvements to accommodate the fast-growing demand for increased air service in the Eugene community. The plan took 22 months to prepare, and the guideposts it contains are designed to help the airport move forward for decades.
Prompted by heavy traffic caused by vehicles dropping off and picking up passengers during peak travel times, Tampa International Airport (TPA) is overhauling its curbside operations. The strategy: express curbsides that provide departing passengers with only carry-on bags a direct path to TSA checkpoints and airline gates'no stops at the ticketing/check-in lobby required.
Lynn A. Boccio, vice president of Strategic Business & Diversity Relations for Avis Budget Group, distinctly remembers picking up a call from a then-unknown airport colleague just before the 2016 Airport Minority Advisory Council (AMAC) Conference.
As confirmed reports of measles continue to emerge in pockets throughout the United States, airport operators throughout the country face the prospect of receiving contagious passengers and visitors.
Walkability is a buzzword usually associated with city planning; and curb appeal is typically an issue for real estate agents. Both, however, are now key features at El Paso International (ELP). The West Texas airport is completing an $11 million exterior renovation that links its terminal to nearby restaurants and onsite hotels via paved walkways. Improving passenger drop-off/pickup areas and upgrading exterior landscaping and lighting are other primary projects.
Like many other airports throughout the industry, Denver International (DEN) was unnerved when Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL) experienced a massive power outage in December 2017. In addition to causing an 11-hour blackout at the nation's busiest airport, the outage impacted air travel throughout the country and prompted airports around the globe to take a second look at their own power systems.
At San Diego International Airport (SAN), energy planning and management runs in parallel with sustainability goals. As the airport has grown in recent years, officials identified the need for increased utility capacity and redundancy.
