Publisher's Column

Unleash PFCs: Payments From Congress

By Paul Bowers | May 1, 2017 | Publisher's Column| May-June 2017

The airport market is red-hot, serving more passengers in 2016 than ever before. The Department of Transportation recently reported that U.S. airlines served a record 823 million passengers in 2016, up 3.1% from the 798 million served in 2015.

Group Hug for TSA

By Paul Bowers | March 1, 2017 | Publisher's Column| March-April 2017

These days much of what you see in the press is negative. And part of the blame lies squarely on the shoulders of my brothers and sisters in the media. Some feel that it's easier to sell subscriptions and ads with outrageous or negative headlines, stories and images. I think that's just lazy.

Good Grief! It’s Hangar With an “a”

By Paul Bowers | January 1, 2017 | Publisher's Column| January-February 2017

One of my recent Google Alerts included a newspaper article about an aviation company that received a grant to help fund its new corporate office complex. Part of the project was going to include a "hanger." Yes, hanger with an "e" instead of an "a."

Western Michigan Scores Big

By Paul Bowers | November 1, 2016 | Publisher's Column| November-December 2016

No, I'm not talking football. But there's something brewing at airports in the western part of Michigan that's worth cheering for.

Objectivity

By Paul Bowers | October 1, 2016 | Publisher's Column| October 2016

It's no accident that newspapers don't let newsmakers write the news. There are issues of research, time, credibility, balance and ultimately publication readership. The same shouldbe said for credible industry and business-to-business publications

Big Thanks

By Paul Bowers | September 1, 2016 | Publisher's Column| September 2016

You're about to page through our largest edition ever. It's a hefty 88 pages, with 14 stories, a couple personal perspective columns and plenty of pertinent industry advertising-all bound for four trade shows: ACI-NA, Boyd Forecast Summit, NASAO and SWIFT. Whew, I get winded just thinking about it!

Where to Turn?

By Paul Bowers | July 1, 2016 | Publisher's Column| July-August 2016

Like many people of our vintage, my wife is handling more and more of her aging mother's affairs. After her recent move into an assisted care facility, there was a lot of follow-up paperwork. Our experience changing my mother-in-law's address with one insurance carrier was particularly frustrating.

Got CSR?

By Paul Bowers | May 1, 2016 | Publisher's Column| May-June 2016

Harkening back to my early days in business school at UW-Whitewater, I'm reminded of freshman speech class. I like to talk, so giving speeches was no big deal. However, before we began writing, practicing and delivering speeches, much of our time centered on the topic of listening. That's right, listening.

Good Ideas to Pass Along

By Paul Bowers | March 1, 2016 | Publisher's Column| March-April 2016

We?ve been getting a lot of press releases lately reporting individual airports? annual passenger counts. And the news is good!

Fresh Blood

By Paul Bowers | January 1, 2016 | Publisher's Column| January-February 2016

There are certain moments in life that stick with you forever. I vividly remember my first AAAE annual conference at the Dallas Loews (or whatever it was called back in 1993). The airport industry was new to me, and it was quite intimidating to watch industry veterans interact so easily.

Oh, What a Feeling!

By Paul Bowers | November 1, 2015 | Publisher's Column| November-December 2015

Over the last few months or so, I've detected a change in attitude, and this sense was validated at the national conferences I attended in fall. What is it, you ask? That airports and other aviation sectors are now enjoying the best of times.

Who’s Your Role Model?

By Paul Bowers | October 1, 2015 | Publisher's Column| October 2015

Recently, I read an article about the steps Pfizer has taken to shape its internal culture. It really caught my attention that the pharmaceutical giant explicitly uses the provocative phrase "no jerks" to convey how management expects employees to behave.

No results found.

Carpe Diem

By Paul Bowers | September 1, 2015 | Publisher's Column| September 2015

Recently, I had a spirited discussion with a friend about a particular airport. After quite a bit of back and forth about what is good and not so good about the facility, my friend finally said, "I don't know what the big deal is. It's very functional."

Show Me the Money … & the Innovation

By Paul Bowers | July 1, 2015 | Publisher's Column| July-August 2015

Money and airport funding are definitely vital ingredients for creating and maintaining healthy airports. But I submit that there's another topic that should receive equal billing: innovation.

Identity Crisis or Opportunity?

By Paul Bowers | May 1, 2015 | Publisher's Column| May-June 2015

Remarkable architecture can instantly telegraph specific locations. Show many people a certain famous opera house, arch and tower, and they'll easily name the cities of Sydney, St. Louis and Paris, respectively. Here in the airport industry, we have our own share of memorable architecture: Denver International's iconic white fabric peaks, the distinctive curved forms around the control tower at LAX, and even the blue-green carpeting at Portland International.

Confessions of a Technology Junkie

By Paul Bowers | March 1, 2015 | Publisher's Column| March-April 2015

I love technology. It's the great enabler. Publishing a magazine is so much easier and efficient now that we download files rather than hand-assemble wax-coated strips of text and paper photos. And our online edition and website provide additional sources with even more content.

What’s Good for the Goose…

By Paul Bowers | January 1, 2015 | Publisher's Column| January-February 2015

It's a New Year. We have the same party in both houses of Congress, Moody's has changed its outlook for the U.S. airport industry to positive from stable, and both enplanement growth and the U.S. economy are expected ...