Category - Landside Development

Airports Use Digital Platform to Manage Gate Utilization, Aircraft Parking

Airports Use Digital Platform to Manage Gate Utilization, Aircraft Parking
​Until recently, the common-use gates at Eisenhower National Airport (ICT) were a bit like Wichita’s version of the Wild West. The system worked fine when gates were, in fact, open. But when two different airlines wanted to use the same gate, there was no clear way of deciding which had priority.

Consulting Subsidiary Supplements & Diversifies Revenue Stream for Winnipeg Airports Authority

Consulting Subsidiary Supplements & Diversifies Revenue Stream for Winnipeg Airports Authority
Leadership decided to parlay the organization’s experience operating and managing Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport (YWG), Canada’s seventh busiest airport for passenger traffic and the busiest for air cargo, into a consulting firm for other Canadian airports. Executives felt that the strategy would not only support WAA’s financial well-being, but also allow the organization to “give back” to the airport community.

Memphis Int’l Builds Mission Control Center to Consolidate Operations, Boost Efficiency

Memphis Int’l Builds Mission Control Center to Consolidate Operations, Boost Efficiency
Memphis International Airport (MEM) recently addressed several separate, but related, facility issues in one deft move. By constructing a new nerve center for operations and maintenance, the Tennessee airport not only substantially increased its own efficiency, it also accommodated the expansion needs of its largest tenant, FedEx.

Pandemic Ushers in New Safety Measures at Dallas Fort Worth Int’l

Pandemic Ushers in New Safety Measures at Dallas Fort Worth Int’l
When COVID-19 first began lashing the United States last winter, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) initiated a multimillion-dollar response effort within weeks. As early as January 2020, the airport increased its cleaning/disinfecting frequency and rolled out strategies and procedures specifically designed to address the emerging global health crisis.

Salt Lake City Int’l Supports New Terminal with New Enterprise Asset Management Software

Salt Lake City Int’l Supports New Terminal with New Enterprise Asset Management Software
When Salt Lake City International (SLC) opened the first phase of its $4.1 billion redevelopment program to passengers in mid-September, airport officials understood the importance of making the most of that investment. So they took the uncommon opportunity of having a fresh, new facility to simultaneously implement a fresh, new approach to asset management.

Virtual Ramp Control System in the Works at Orlando Int’l

Virtual Ramp Control System in the Works at Orlando Int’l
When Orlando International Airport (MCO) opens its new South Terminal Complex in early 2022, the facility’s gleaming glass façade, airy environs and high-tech features will no doubt impress passengers. But largely invisible technology will also be working on the tarmac to enhance their experience: a virtual ramp control system designed to minimize gate delays.

Enabling Projects Pave the Way for Extensive Landside Improvements at Los Angeles Int’l

Enabling Projects Pave the Way for Extensive Landside Improvements at Los Angeles Int’l
Airport projects generally fall into two groups: “sexy” projects, such as new terminals or faster baggage handling systems, and enabling projects that are important but far less tangible for passengers and guests.

Airports of All Sizes Are Championing Diversity

Airports of All Sizes Are Championing Diversity
Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) presented its inaugural Watkins Guardian Award to Smith for promoting the growth and evolution of minority- and women-owned businesses and suppliers, while also fostering advancement of civil rights and equal opportunities for all.

Symbiotic Relationship With State University Helps Propel Salina Regional Into the Future

Symbiotic Relationship With State University Helps Propel Salina Regional Into the Future
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.

Noise Study at San Diego Int’l Reveals Surprising Results

Noise Study at San Diego Int’l Reveals Surprising Results
Plenty of unknown challenges emerged when COVID-19 turned the industry upside down in a matter of weeks. San Diego International Airport (SAN) also found an opportunity. While air traffic is at record lows due to the global pandemic, the metropolitan airport is analyzing how the noise data it routinely collects correlates with the number of noise complaints from the community. Spoiler alert: The relationship is not what you might expect.

Consulting Teams Working Remotely Keep Projects Moving Despite Pandemic Shutdowns

Consulting Teams Working Remotely Keep Projects Moving Despite Pandemic Shutdowns
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.

New Orleans Int’l Brings Janitorial Management In-House

New Orleans Int’l Brings Janitorial Management In-House
When Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) officially opened the doors of its new terminal in November 2019, the facility gleamed. The concourses and updated finishes literally transformed the way nearly 25,000 passengers traveled through the airport each day. But shortly after the grand opening, cleaning challenges emerged that threatened the image and reputation of the city’s flagship airport.

Los Angeles Int’l Expands Pandemic Protocols with Pilot of Thermal Imaging

Los Angeles Int’l Expands Pandemic Protocols with Pilot of Thermal Imaging
From the very onset of the COVID-19 crisis, Los Angeles World Airports has been aggressively pursuing new processes, protocols and technologies to keep Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) clean, healthy and safe for employees, tenants and passengers.

Trenchless Sewer-Lining Project Helps Prevent Glycol From Entering Groundwater at Minneapolis-St. Paul Int’l

Trenchless Sewer-Lining Project Helps Prevent Glycol From Entering Groundwater at Minneapolis-St. Paul Int’l
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) recently completed a roughly $3.5 million project designed to prevent the glycol used to deice planes from potentially seeping into groundwater. By sealing select sections of concrete storm sewers with leak-proof liners, the airport avoided the higher cost and disruption associated with excavating and replacing pipes.

Lighting Audit & LED Conversion Illuminate Energy Savings at Atlanta Int’l

Lighting Audit & LED Conversion Illuminate Energy Savings at Atlanta Int’l
As the world’s busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL) spans more than 7 million square feet of property. Naturally, it takes a lot of supplies and materials to keep the facilities that large running smoothly. Everything from carpeting and trash cans to paper towels and window cleaner is purchased and used in high volume.

Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Int’l Pilots Global Exchange Program

Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Int’l Pilots Global Exchange Program
Savvy airport officials know that it makes sense to help senior-level executives improve their leadership skills and broaden their perspectives. Such training helps the executives and airports. Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) put a global spin on its development program by sending one executive to experience life at a European airport and another to observe operations at an Asian airport.

Lanyards Heighten Awareness of Passengers With Hidden Disabilities

Lanyards Heighten Awareness of Passengers With Hidden Disabilities
When customers roll up to a ticketing counter in a wheelchair or navigate through the concourse tapping a white cane on the floor, airport employees know that they might want extra assistance. It’s far more difficult, however, to identify customers with conditions that are less apparent such as learning difficulties, mental health issues or hearing impairments.

Best Practices for Public & Media Relations

Best Practices for Public & Media Relations
By their very nature, airports require nimble communication teams. One day, it’s a routine personnel announcement or upbeat ribbon-cutting ceremony; but the next can bring an all-out media frenzy about COVID-19. The topics airports must address run the gamut, and so do their communication strategies.

Washington Dulles Continues to Brace for Winter Storms

Washington Dulles Continues to Brace for Winter Storms
Washington, D.C. is experiencing an especially mild winter this year. In fact, it is on track to be the fifth warmest on record for the past 150 years. (Fingers crossed, it doesn’t prove to be a jinx.)

An Inside Look at How Colorado Supports its Airports

An Inside Look at How Colorado Supports it’s Airports
Successful airports tend to operate at peak efficiency when they partner well with the state agency that supports them. This is especially true in Colorado, where the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) Division of Aeronautics offers several programs to help member airports prosper.

Charlotte Douglas Int’l Improves Wayfinding to Enhance the Travel Experience

Charlotte Douglas Int’l Improves Wayfinding to Enhance the Travel Experience
Frequent flyers take great pride in their ability to overcome travel hurdles. They have finely honed strategies for moving efficiently through security, managing tight connections and scrambling to book other flights when theirs are delayed or canceled. It’s almost a science.

Philadelphia Int’l Upgrades its Asset Management System

Philadelphia Int’l Upgrades its Asset Management System
When Philadelphia International (PHL) wanted to upgrade its asset management system to a more robust tool, the project team talked with personnel at other airports about their experiences. As the Pennsylvania airport continues to deploy its upgrade, PHL Enterprise Asset Manager Milton Robinson is sharing his department’s experience to help other airports reap similar benefits.

Snow Removal Equipment at Juneau Int’l Gets A New Home

Snow Removal Equipment at Juneau Int’l Gets A New Home
In Alaska, the days start to cool quickly in September, and by October, daily high temperatures struggle to reach 50 degrees. At Juneau International Airport (JNU), the ground maintenance team knows what’s looming: cold, freezing rain in autumn, followed by an average snowfall of more than 85 inches during winter.

Airfield Solar Farm Puts Enormous Dent in Chattanooga Metro’s Electricity Bill

Airfield Solar Farm Puts Enormous Dent in Chattanooga Metro’s Electricity Bill
Chattanooga Metropolitan (CHA) has managed to turn unused land alongside its runways and taxiways into an environmentally sound source of electricity that powers the same amount of energy that CHA facilities at the Tennessee airport use each year.

Small Airports Share Tips About Buying Multifunction Snow Equipment

Small Airports Share Tips About Buying Multifunction Snow Equipment
Small airports in the northern U.S. share one common trait with huge airports such as Chicago O’Hare and Kennedy International in New York: They have to keep their runways and taxiways clear of snow during winter. Most, however, don’t have multimillion-dollar budgets for accomplishing this.

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FREE Whitepaper

Fairbanks International Airport Baggage Transport Conveyor Enhanced With Mod Drive™ System


Fairbanks International Airport Baggage Transport Conveyor Enhanced With Mod Drive™ System

Airports face a host of unique industry challenges, such as meeting efficiency regulations and seeking out the best maintenance practices to reduce costs and keep operations flowing. In today’s current economic climate, any potential cost savings can go a long way. 

In 2019, Alaska’s Fairbanks International Airport (FAI) sought to modernize its equipment and operations. They were dissatisfied with the performance of the gearmotors on their baggage transport conveyors and began searching for new suppliers. Regal approached FAI with a solution that could improve equipment performance and simplify maintenance, with the added benefit of energy cost savings: the Hub City® MOD Drive™ system.

This white paper discusses the hardware deployed, the test results and the annualized expectations for ROI.

 

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Publisher's Blog

Mission Accomplished
Planning for March/April’s issue started last fall, and many stories were assigned around Thanksgiving.
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Industry Insider

Addressing Airport Cybersecurity and Technology Resiliency Just Became More Urgent
Bad actors have the motivation and means to knock airport operations offline.
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Project Nominations

Know of a project that should be covered in a future issue of Airport Improvement?

Artscapes

Flight 123 on UtopiAir Now Boarding for Shangri-La - Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS)
Flight 123 on UtopiAir Now Boarding for Shangri-La - Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS)
The magic of air travel is alive and well at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) in Texas.
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