After nearly three years of testing, Winnipeg Richardson International Airport (YWG) in Manitoba formally launched free autonomous wheelchair service to passengers in early December 2022, marking a first for North American airports.
When Mark Gale took the reins at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) in early 2016, the newly inaugurated chief executive officer began presiding over a facility that was home to several airlines, yet hub to none. Just months after arriving, FLL's new chief executive began a mission to extend VIP customer service comforts and conveniences to more airport guests.
While biometrics initiatives had already emerged in the 1990s, the COVID-19 pandemic spurred more passengers to want additional low-touch and touch-free options. Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) took this to heart and commissioned facial recognition technology at 25 boarding gates.
To keep pace with growth, SEA is investing more than $4.6 billion over the next five years on projects designed to upgrade facilities and elevate the passenger experience. It's all part of a long-term capital campaign called Upgrade SEA. The challenge, however, is space.
The snow removal team at Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF) is nationally recognized as one of the best in the business, with impressive credentials including 10 Balchen/Post Awards for excellence in snow and ice control. When a historic blizzard tested the team's mettle this past December, it rose to the challenge in dramatic fashion.
Christmas came a little early at Memphis International (MEM) in Tennessee. The nation's busiest cargo handling airport opened a centralized deicing facility (CDF) on Nov. 15, 2022, just in time for the busy holiday shipping and travel season.
Three years ago, officials at Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) had a big challenge that needed to be addressed relatively quickly. The South Carolina airport had an ever-increasing demand for fuel, and its existing storage tanks could no longer meet that demand.
The new 20,865-square-foot, single-story ARFF facility at Sacramento International Airport (SMF) is about three times larger than its predecessor. The station it replaced was more than 50 years old and not designed to be staffed around-the-clock. Construction of the new facility began in August 2020 and was completed last June.
Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) is taking a new industry-leading step by piloting a new kind of testing strategy'one that doesn't involve swabbing the noses of passengers or airport workers. A lab established at the airport is testing wastewater samples collected from terminals 1 and 3 and samples from the aircraft waste collection area Triturator for a wide range of viruses such as COVID, influenza and mpox.
In aviation and architecture, the horizon is ever distant. At Denver International Airport (DEN), sightlines are clear, and the future looks bright. Southwest Airlines' new hangar, which opened on the eastern edge of the airfield in March 2022, represents a $100 million investment of permanence.
