When Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) opened the first phase of its $4.1 billion redevelopment project in mid-September, one of the most critical aspects had been commissioned about six months earlier. It was imperative for the new baggage handling system to be ready to serve passengers on day one, and SLC officials report that it came through in spades.
Huntsville International (HSV) didn't plan for its new security system to go live during one of the greatest periods of unrest the U.S. has seen. But that's how the project schedule unfolded. The new $9 million integrated security system was commissioned in January, reaffirming the Alabama airport's commitment to protect the flying public no matter what is going on.
Late last year, Regina International Airport (YQR) in Saskatchewan added a glass wall, and concessions sales promptly jumped. Liquor sales doubled, and post-security food receipts increased by more than 50%. By installing the new wall, the Canadian airport shifted the crucial dividing line between its pre- and post-security areas, and increased the volume and variety of food service options for passengers after they clear the screening checkpoint.
Paine Field (PAE), just north of Seattle, saved an estimated quarter of a million dollars and two months of time on recent ramp repairs by suspending commercial passenger flights and closing the terminal to complete the project while traffic was already slow due to COVID-19. The strategy also spared its airlines and passengers the service disruptions such work typically causes.
Construction moved ahead, but not without challenges. From the airport's perspective, it was crucial for the project team to communicate frequently and coordinate effectively to keep daily operations running smoothly. Hensel Phelps stressed the importance of updating stakeholders about the construction schedule, especially when work transitioned between the two phases.
Recognizing the need to improve ground transportation flow, the airport operations team zeroed in on traffic from app-based transportation network companies (TNCs) such as Lyft and Uber. In mid-August, IAD debuted what it calls the third curb, an area dedicated solely to TNC pickups. The new system is designed not only to relieve congestion at the curb, but also to make it easier for passengers using app-based ride services to connect with their drivers.
Beatlemania, bell bottoms and lava lamps. These were all the rage in the '60s, when most of the bulk fuel farm at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) was built. It contains 62 tanks varying from 250,000 to 500,000 gallons each because it was designed for the way airlines worked at the time, with different grades of jet fuel and fuels with different tax status stored separately. But today, with comingled fuel and improved metering technology, the fuel farm is just as outdated as bell bottoms.
Some say that when one door closes, another one opens. Turns out that when one Air Force base closes, a lot of doors can open. Salina Regional Airport (SLN), located about 175 miles west of Kansas City, is currently a thriving municipal airport fed by a busy industrial park and a satellite campus of Kansas State University. But that wasn't always the case.
Central Nebraska Regional Airport (GRI) was ready to retire its old 1982 Oshkosh fire truck. But when airport officials considered replacing it with a new Oshkosh Striker 4x4, they realized they had a 'big' problem: The existing aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) facility would be too small for the new equipment. Their solution' Build a bigger new station.
Recognizing its airport's potential as an economic magnet, the city of Fitchburg, MA, recently built a new runway capable of handling corporate jets. The $14.7 million project was backed and largely financed by the FAA. Fitchburg Municipal Airport (FIT) opened the new 5,001-foot runway in late May. It replaces a 30-year-old, 4,510-foot runway that had large cracks and was disintegrating in spots.
Despite surprising underground discoveries and a limited construction period due to impending seasonal fog, Sacramento International Airport (SMF) opened its critically important new $30 million concrete runway on time.
In mid-September, Salt Lake City International (SLC) unveiled the first phase of its $4.1 billion redevelopment project, a comprehensive series of much-needed operational and aesthetic upgrades throughout the entire airport.
