In mid-March, just as most of us started using the phrase 'social distancing' and began wondering how the impending shelter-in-place orders would affect our states, Oakland International Airport (OAK) in California was dealing with one of its first 'unprecedented' events related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wilmington International Airport (ILM) in North Carolina has officially turned coronavirus lemons into lemonade. Fueled by vacation and business traffic alike, ILM crossed the 1 million passenger mark last year and was in the midst of a large terminal expansion project to accommodate its rising traffic when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March.
Just as home rennovations turn life upside down for families, infrastructure projects complicate life for airport operators. Kingston's Norman Rogers Airport (YGK) in eastern Ontario, Canada, worked dilligently to keep operations running smoothly for customers while completing $16 million of improvements spanning landside and airside areas alike.
Even though the terminal at Evansville Regional Airport (EVV) was more than 30 years old, personnel there still called it the new building because it replaced the airport's original 1928 terminal. So after crews finished a major runway rehabilitation in 2015, Airport Executive Director Nate Hahn quickly turned his focus to making the 'new building' live up to its name.
Guided by the ambitious goal of revolutionizing the guest experience, San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is steadily making its way through the $2.4 billion reconstruction of its recently renamed Harvey Milk Terminal 1.
Before design of the $590 million Terminal 3 Modernization Project at Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) in Phoenix began in 2013, about 30 stakeholders held a workshop to establish goals for the project. Consensus within the group was to 'create a world-class facility that was value-oriented, efficient and created a sense of place.'
Portland International (PDX) regularly ranks among the nation's top airports for amenities, customer service and traveler satisfaction. Travel + Leisure magazine has rated PDX the best U.S. airport for seven consecutive years. Money magazine ranked it No. 1 in 2019, up from second place in 2018.
First it was smartphones and smart TVs, then smart cars and watches. What's next, smart restrooms' In a word, yes. And Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) has them. Last summer, ATL became the first facility in the world with a fully connected smart restroom.
In 2010, Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) opened its brand-new Terminal B. Silicon Valley had survived the dot-com crash, and the greater Bay Area was just starting to come out of the 2008 Great Recession. Established giants like Google and Apple were rebooting, and new high-tech companies were growing like wildflowers. In short, the local business community was thriving and ready for SJC to expand.
In a construction trailer at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), Gensler Senior Associate Vineta Clegg's desk area is strewn with birthday decorations. Across the office, the desk of a colleague is also festooned, even months after the event. Snacks and photos of children abound.
Approaching the TSA checkpoint at the recently renovated Elmira Corning Regional Airport (ELM) is now like a walk in the woods. Travelers pass through a gently curving corridor with floor-to-ceiling glass walls that showcase courtyards filled with greenery.
