For years, Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) faced a problem many airports would relish: too much passenger demand. Now, BOS can accommodate three of the world's largest passenger jets simultaneously, and plans are set to add more gates in a few years. The fix, a $168 million expansion and renovation to Terminal E, debuted in late January.
Passengers traveling through Terminal 3 at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) are getting through check-in faster, navigating the TSA screening process more easily and relishing new views of the desert and city-and more improvements are on the horizon.
After 10 years of planning and negotiating and building, Williamson County Airport Authority recently cut the ribbon on its new terminal. To honor local veterans, it changed the name of the entire facility from Williamson County Regional Airport to Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois (MWA) and named the terminal after a local World War II flying ace and former airport authority chair. Fittingly, MWA dedicated the new Captain Robert W. Duncan Airline Terminal on Veterans Day (2016).
While U.S. presidents like to talk about plans for their first 100 days in office, officials at Northeast Florida Regional Airport (SGJ) can proudly show what they accomplished in 100 days. SGJ closed its existing terminal, tore that structure down and constructed a new 14,000-square-foot facility-all while maintaining flights into and out of the airport.
Community support for West Michigan Regional (BIV) in Holland, MI, is highly visible to anyone arriving at the general aviation airport. Literally. Contributors who donated to the "Earn Your Wings" fundraising campaign will be formally recognized on a permanent display in BIV's new Airport Business Center, the primary showpiece of a $7 million improvement program that also added a parking lot and expanded the existing aircraft apron.
Charleston International (CHS) is no longer a "small town airport," and local officials are thrilled with the change. After six consecutive years of passenger growth, CHS broke its previous 2014 record by moving more than 3.4 million travelers through its terminal last year. Volume is up nearly 1.5 million passengers since 2010.
With the recent addition of a sweeping skylight in its main lobby, Norfolk International Airport (ORF) finally has the grand connection to nearby botanical gardens its original 1970s design intended. According to ORF officials, the 10,000-square-foot skylight and other elements of the airport's $34 million renovation program create a terminal that is modern and aesthetically stunning, and also more efficient and better equipped to meet current and future passenger needs. A $6 million project updated ORF's general aviation facility.
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.
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.
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.
