Progress

Paul Bowers

Need evidence of change? Just look at my updated photo. What worked fine for years is no longer suitable. My wife said the old photo made it look like our son had become publisher. I got the point.

Change and new norms are rampant in the airport community, too. In June, the French city of Bordeaux opened a new terminal dedicated exclusively to low-cost carriers. Traffic on these carriers has ballooned from 119,000 passengers in 2003 to almost 500,000 in 2009. The new terminal was designed to minimize boarding queues, speed up bag collection and ultimately turn flights around in only 25 minutes. My guess is that landing fees are also low-cost.

Looking for great examples of change a little closer to home? San Jose's expansion and renovation (see Page 6) is a doozy. The airport is primed for the future and has every right to be proud. It's remarkable how officials managed to reduce the project's price tag from $4.5 billion to $1.3 billion and compress its time frame from ten years.

Switching to a design-build model was cited as a huge factor. Throw in shared-use equipment for gates, ticket counters and self-service kiosks; passenger seating with built-in electrical outlets and HVAC; solar power for the rental car facility and potential LEED silver certification, and you've got a bushel basket full of changes worth getting excited about.

Want more? This issue has 11 feature stories, more than 20,000 words, discussing innovative airport projects undertaken with the help of smart and creative consultants and suppliers. On Page 58, our Industry Insider provides architectural tips that can help take the financial sting out of change. And don't forget to check out AirportImprovement.com for details on how Detroit Metro is leading an industry wide change toward healthier food concessions. Take a bow change agents. You deserve it.

Cheers!

Paul