Many airports use chain-link fencing with barbed wire, but Dallas Love Field (DAL) officials sought more advanced fencing with a more pleasing appearance.
Manitowish Waters Airport (D25) in northern Wisconsin is more than just a place for planes to land. It’s a testament to visionary thinking back in 1945.
Passengers tend to think of airport security as TSA checkpoints and police K9s, but much more goes into keeping the public safe. From increasingly sophisticated terminal cameras to employee credentialing and thermal imaging, airport security systems leverage advanced technologies; and systems eventually wear out or require major upgrades.
For 23 years, TSA has screened passengers and their belongings at U.S. airports to help keep air travel safe. The traffic is staggering, with an average 2.5 million people passing through checkpoints at more than 430 airports each day, and even more during holidays and other surges.
Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ) has wrestled an issue to the ground that other airports throughout the world are still grappling with’the use of fire suppressant foam that contains per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are linked to harmful effects for humans and the environment.
Before recent upgrades, parking at Regina International (YQR) was like parking at many airports. The system worked well most of the time. But when there were problems, customers had to wait for help, sometimes up to half an hour.
Miami Int’l Airport (MIA) ranks among the busiest airports in the world, with about 43,000 takeoffs and landings a month. Naturally, the bustling airport makes safety a top priority. But unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) using drones present a growing safety risk.
Some say it isn’t easy being green, but Nashville International Airport (BNA) certainly makes it look effortless. When the Music City airport opened Concourse D in 2020, the project achieved LEED Silver certification for a sustainable, wellness-oriented design and construction process. It is one of just nine airport facilities in the world to earn LEED Silver under the U.S. Green Building Council’s v4 standards.
Abundant wildlife is a major attraction at Yellowstone National Park, right up there with its famous geysers. The chance to see everything from bear and bison to raptors and fox draws millions of visitors ever year. While such sightings are welcome within the confines of the park, they are hazards on the airfield of Yellowstone Regional Airport (YRA) in Cody, WY.
Many people wouldn’t live in a home without a fence around it, but tenants at Columbus Municipal Airport (BAK) were perfectly content with a lack of formidable fencing around the general aviation airfield. The same 4-foot tall-farm-style fence surrounded the perimeter of the nearly 80-year-old Indiana airport since 1970.
Reagan National Airport (DCA) opened two new security checkpoint buildings shortly after Americans observed the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The $269.8 million project was expressly designed to heighten security at the major airport just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., and to improve the screening experience for passengers and TSA officers.
Even though COVID-19 put obstacles in its path, Lehigh Valley International (ABE) never veered from its mission of adding more hangar space. Last July, the eastern Pennsylvania airport opened a new 54,000-square-foot hangar to accommodate soaring passenger traffic and newer corporate jets that weigh up to 100,000 pounds.
When it came time for St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) to rehab its primary air carrier runway, closing the airfield was not an option. Officials needed a plan to keep commercial aircraft flying in and out of the Florida airport. Airport officials brainstormed with consulting engineer Kimley-Horn and other project partners to devise a way to complete most of the work during daytime hours.
Amid all the turmoil that COVID-19 has wrought, the only public airport on the small island of Nantucket, MA, is taking on a big issue: potential environmental contamination associated with common components in FAA-mandated firefighting foam.
In a flash, the information that airports routinely collect about arrivals, departures, passenger counts, etc. has become more important than ever. Records detailing where each passenger originated, for instance, are crucial in light of COVID-19 travel restrictions and advisories.
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.
As the general public continues to shy away from commercial air travel during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, airports are finding new ways to keep their important infrastructure improvements on track. Teams supporting projects in Pittsburgh and Puerto Rico, for instance, learned how to keep projects moving during shutdowns in March. Leveraging remote technologies that allowed personnel to work from home proved pivotal in both cases.
A can-do attitude gets things done, and that’s definitely the mindset of Rick King, chair of Minnesota’s Metropolitan Airports Commission. In early January, after learning that less than 11% of Minnesotans had their REAL IDs, King began researching solutions.
An updated logo referencing the Pacific Northwest is a graphic symbol of what’s new at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). But its most impressive new offering is a back-of-house system few will ever see.
TravelPulse magazine recently named Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International (JAN) Mississippi’s best airport in 2018; but management is not taking the title for granted.
One year after a man went on a shooting rampage near the baggage claim area at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), the Broward County Commission passed an ordinance requiring all aviation employees to receive emergency response training. Before the 2018 resolution, airport workers received security training, but many tenant employees did not.
As airports throughout the U.S. wrestle with growing passenger volume and heightened security concerns, parking sometimes takes a backseat. Not so at Raleigh-Durham International (RDU). The North Carolina airport recently introduced a new $7 million system to make parking easier and faster for customers.
In 2016, dozens of U.S. communities were hit with alarming news: Harmful chemicals from a large family of man-made compounds known as PFAS (short for per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) had been found in their drinking water. In fact, a nationwide groundwater study detected PFAS-contaminated drinking water in 43 states.
