When throngs of red, white and blue politicos descend on Cleveland in July for the Republican National Convention, Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) will greet them with a newly updated ticket lobby and other recent renovations. Between delegates, staffers, journalists, lobbyists and others, the city is expecting 50,000 extra visitors.
When Executive Director Michael Olson first came to Central Nebraska Regional Airport (GRI) in 2005, commercial air service was sparse. A few years later, it was completely nonexistent for a brief time. "We knew we had to make some changes to our program," Olson recalls.
The decision to renovate or build new is often viewed as a high-stakes fork in the road, but Port Columbus International (CMH) seems comfortable straddling the common divide. In March, the Ohio airport celebrated the end of an $80 million terminal renovation program while maintaining its options to build a new midfield terminal in the future. Fresh finishes, an infusion of natural lighting and updated mechanicals were completed to bridge the gap until passenger numbers establish a clearer path toward ground-up construction.
Travelers passing through Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) need only look down to see one of the most striking components of the airport's recent multimillion-dollar renovation. The airport replaced its uninspired, dated tile flooring with smooth new terrazzo that serves as the "canvas" for an eye-catching piece of art. The new material also eliminates the familiar racket of suitcases rolling over tile flooring.
For many years, the only escalator in Minot, ND, was at Woolworth's, which also had a lunch counter. Today, there's a new escalator in town-inside the airport's spanking new terminal, and Minot International (MOT) holds its own claim to fame as the largest airport terminal in North Dakota.
As of December 9, 2015, travelers flying out of Tijuana's General Abelardo L. Rodriguez International Airport (TIJ) have a faster and easier way to access the Mexican airport from the U.S. side of the border. Instead of waiting in long lines of vehicles at the San Ysidro or Otay Mesa border crossings, airline passengers can now use the new Cross Border Xpress (CBX) terminal, which spans the U.S.-Mexico border.
Raising money for major construction projects is typically a major challenge, but officials at Lafayette Regional (LFT) recently got the job done in short order with a short-term sales tax earmarked to help fund a new terminal.
Terminal renovation projects often provide shiny new flooring, fresh paint and updated fixtures. But they can also be an excellent opportunity to spruce up dated marketing strategies. Gerald R. Ford International and Louisville International are both seizing the chance to renovate their brand identities while remodeling their facilities.
In mid-October, Houston's William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) opened a new terminal, bringing the world of international travel to its passengers. The five-gate facility is the first international terminal for Southwest Airlines, which fully funded and led the development of the project.
Central Wisconsin Airport (CWA) travelers are greeted these days by a newly renovated and expanded terminal. Updates were direly needed, reports Airport Director Tony Yaron; and the nearly $38 million multiphase project took five years to complete. "The terminal was overcrowded and aging," he explains, noting that the facility hadn't been updated since the mid-1980s. "After 9/11, we had to fit a CT-80 screening device into an old travel agency office between the ticketing offices and the street. Travelers had to schlep bags through the lobby."
When was the last time you heard about a significant public facility such as a school or stadium being built without dedicated local tax dollars' Albert J. Ellis Airport (OAJ), just outside of Jacksonville, NC, recently pulled it off. The airport's $43.9 million project added new facilities for commercial and general aviation passengers, plus a wide variety of other airside and landside improvements.
The $229 million renovation of Terminal 5 in Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) wrapped up this summer on time and on budget, with optimism high about how it will enhance the travel experience for about 6.6 million domestic passengers who use the facility each year. With Delta Air Lines as the terminal's sole airline tenant, the initiative was cooperatively funded by Delta ($11.2 million to renovate its proprietary areas and equipment), a TSA grant ($25 million for inline baggage screening) and nearly $193 million by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), which owns and operates LAX, Los Angeles Ontario International and Van Nuys Airport.
