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As a result of insufficient airport capacity, 12% of demand for air transport or 1.9 million flights per year will not be accommodated by 2035, according to the report, which states that the upshot is that 237 million passengers will be unable to fly. And, with the developing world facing a potential capacity crunch of its own for very different reasons, the need for more airports, terminal buildings and runways is not going away. Nor is the need for increasingly innovative planning and design as aviation adapts to a new world order that demands it takes its social and environmental responsibilities seriously. This means that sustainable design and initiatives such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) must become the norm and no longer an aspiration or buzzword used by airports wanting to expand, architects and academics. Integrating sustainability into capital projects and building energy efficient terminals are just two of the topics on the agenda in the Planning and Design section of this issue. Out with old and in with the new also appears to be a theme for our airport features with both Ottawa and Miami boasting new bosses and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) waving goodbye to theirs. Also in this edition we launch a new airport marketing exchange feature in conjunction with our friends at SimpliFlying; turn the spotlight on North American airports with rail links; and, look at the adoption of new car parking technologies. In addition we find out more about the US airports wishing to opt out of using TSA screeners for security; route development; airport museums and retail/F&B innovation. AW Enjoy!
CONTENTS
In this issue
3 Opinion
Issue 4 Volume 18
20 Always growing
In one of her last interviews as aviation director, Susan Baer, talks to Joe Bates about her time at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the growth and future development plans of the Big Apples airport system.
New CEO, Mark Laroche, talks to Evra Taylor about the challenges and opportunities ahead for Ottawa International Airport.
28 Bienvenido a Miami!
Dr Emilio Gonzlez talks to Benet Wilson about his first six months in the hot seat at Miami Dade Aviation Department.
What will the departure halls of tomorrow look like? Leo A Dalys Timothy Hudson, considers the options.
36 Shopping list
Out of the box thinking is required to respond to changing commercial dynamics and new opportunities created by the evolving design of airport terminals, writes Alex Avery.
CONTENTS
Director General Angela Gittens Chair Yiannis Paraschis (Athens, Greece) Vice Chair Fredrick J Piccolo (Sarasota, USA) Immediate Past Chair Max Moore-Wilton (Sydney, Australia) Treasurer Louis E Miller (Atlanta, USA) ACI WORLD GOVERNING BOARD DIRECTORS Africa (3) Dalil Guendouz (Casablanca, Morocco) Pascal Komla (Lom, Togo) Robinson Misitala (Livingstone, Zambia) Asia-Pacific (8) Tan Sri Bashir Ahmad (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) VPAgrawal (Delhi, India) Ghanem Al-Hajri (Sharjah, UAE) Dennis Chant (Gold Coast, Australia) Zhiyi Dong (Beijing, China) Seow Hiang Lee (Singapore) Kerrie Mather (Sydney, Australia) Kosaburo Morinaka (Tokyo, Japan) Europe (7) Declan Collier (Dublin, Ireland) Michael Kerkloh (Munich, Germany) Yiannis Paraschis (Athens, Greece) Tonci Peovic (Zagreb, Croatia) Ad Rutten (Amsterdam, Holland) Stefan Schulte (Frankfurt, Germany) Jos-Manuel Vargas (Madrid, Spain) Latin America & Caribbean (3) Philippe Baril (Quito, Ecuador) Fernando Bosque (Guadalajara, Mexico) Hctor Navarrete Muoz (Merida, Mexico) North America (7) Thella Bowens (San Diego, USA) David Edwards (Greenville, USA) Frank Miller (San Antonio, USA) Reg K Milley (Edmonton, Canada) Fredrick J Piccolo (Sarasota, USA) Mark Reis (Seattle, USA) Maureen Riley (Salt Lake City, USA) Regional Advisers to the World Governing Board (7) Larry Cox (Memphis, USA) Stephen Gichuki (Nairobi, Kenya) Seow Hiang Lee (Singapore) Bongani Maseko (Johannesburg, South Africa) Barry Rempel (Winnipeg, Canada) Earl Richards (Jamaica) Miguel Southwell (Miami, USA) Observer World Business Partner Board Chairperson Randy Pope (Burns & McDonnell) Correct as of August 14, 2013
41 Keeping it simple
Designing energy efficient terminals that have a long-lasting impact on the environment, passengers and airport bottom lines requires a smart, yet simple approach, writes Wilson Rayfield.
Steven Thompson finds out more about Heathrows new showpiece Terminal 2, which opens for business next summer.
Leah Blackman discusses the reinvention of the airport dining experience in the US over the last decade.
Joe Bates reports on the fast tracked transformation of So Paulos Guarulhos International Airport in readiness for next years football World Cup.
55 Delivering sustainability
Integrating sustainability into capital projects from the outset is the best way to guarantee the long-term future of airports, writes Betsy Huigens.
59 Going places?
ASMs David Stroud contemplates the dawn of a new, more sophisticated era for route development that increasingly involves the use of social media.
Steven Thompson investigates the phenomenon of airport museums and what financial rewards if any they can bring to a gateway.
David McMullen and Shubhodeep Pal discuss marketing innovation in the age of the connected traveller.
70 Obstacle course
With the option on the table, why havent more US airports opted out of using the TSA to carry out security screening? Nicole Nelson investigates.
75 Concession news
Airport World reviews some of the latest retail and F&B projects and developments across the globe.
77 Centre stage
Pat Taggert reports on the growing trend of airports opening securityenhancing centralised collection and distribution centres for the delivery of food, retail and other supplies at airport terminals.
78 Driving change
Adopting new car parking strategies to improve customer service and generate revenue should be higher up the agenda of US airports, write Steven Grant and Michele Krakowski.
Joe Bates reviews a handful of car parking initiatives and developments in the US and Europe.
84 On a roll
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Ian Putzger discovers that an ever-increasing number of North American airports are warming up to the benefits of rail links.
89 Project watch
Airport World on Twitter Airport World is now tweeting. You can follow us @airportworldmag for the latest industry updates.
NEWS
Move over Thames Estuary Airport, now we have London Britannia Airport, which its supporters claim could become one of the worlds largest hubs handling over 200mppa. Built on a new man-made island in the Thames Estuary, the six-runway gateway would cost in excess of 54 billion and is the TESTRAD Consortiums response to the Airports Commissions call for ideas on how the UK can enhance its airport capacity. Unlike Foster+Partners plans for a Thames Estuary Airport on the Isle of Grain, London Britannia would be built further down the river and counts consortium members Gensler, Testrad and Royal HaskoningDHV as backers.
Rule Britannia?
In many respects, this is the most ambitious of all the airport proposals, the least contentious, the easiest and the most cost effective solution, says Ian Mulcahey, Genslers project director and managing director. Our professional team have spent many months identifying the optimum location in the estuary for the new airport. Unlike the historic Maplin Sands site and the Isle of Grain, we have settled on a location that avoids the sensitive land adjacent to the Estuary, and instead will create a new island. He notes that passengers would be able to access the new hub airport via high-speed rail.
Abertis has agreed the sale of its airport assets in Europe and the US for a combined fee of close to 850 million. Its stakes in Belfast International (Northern Ireland) and Stockholm Skavsta (Sweden), along with its Orlando Sanford airport terminal concessions and TBIs airport management business in the US have been sold to ADC & HAS Airports Worldwide for 284 million. Elsewhere, Spanish airport operator, Aena, has agreed a 502 million price for London Luton, subject to approval from competition authorities. As a result of the deal, London Luton will pass from the TBI group owned 90% by Abertis and 10% by Aena to a consortium in which Aena holds 51% and AXA Private Equity 49%. Earlier this year, the Welsh government bought Cardiff Airport for 61 million from Abertis, which still owns or manages airports in Mexico and Jamaica, through Desarrollo de Concesiones Aeroportuarias (DCA).
Summer sales
Kyrgyzstans airport operator is seeking investment partners for six airports and is inviting bids to build a food service outlet at Bishkek, the countrys main gateway. Asybek Arstanov, chief financial officer at the joint stock company, Manas International Airport (JSC MIA) told Airport World that the company is seeking investors to manage all aspects of the Kyrgyzstan gateways. The six airports in the tender request are Issyk-Kul, Batken, Isfana, Jalal-Abad, Kazarman and Naryn. At Issyk-Kul airport, JSC MIA estimates a project cost of about $70 million to construct airport facilities, so that the investor could then construct resort and tourism infrastructure. Upgrades at Batken, Isfana, Jalal-Abad and Kazarman are expected to cost $11.5m, $10m, $6.4 million and $6.5 million respectively.
News in brief
Manchester Airport Group (MAG) has reinforced its green credentials by holding on to its A+ rating in corporate social responsibility (CSR) from the Global Reporting Initiative. MAGs fourth annual CSR report, reveals that it has reduced its carbon emissions by 5,465 tonnes in 2012/13. Melbourne Airport has unveiled plans for a new 97-room apartment hotel in its fast developing airport precinct. It is anticipated that it will meet the growing demand for extended stay accommodation for people engaged in airport or aviation-related business and training activities. Quest, one of Australias leading serviced apartment providers, has been secured as the tenant. Aroports de la Cte dAzur (ACA) has bought Aroport du Golfe de St Tropez (AGST) from the Reybier group. ACA also operates Nice Cte dAzur (NCE) and Cannes-Mandelieu (CEQ) airports. Dominique Thillaud, ACAs CEO, described St Tropez Airport as a new luxury destination in our cluster. Columbia Metropolitan Airport appears to have a friend in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), whose International Center for AirTransportation (ICAT) has ranked it among the top 30% of US Airports for enplanements and the top 25% for connectivity. Construction of Libyas New Tripoli International Airport is underway, according to project director, Abdel Majid Saddah. The 20mppa capacity gateway has been on hold for a number of years. ADPi, VINCI, Odebrecht and TAV are among the international companies involved in the project. Second quarter passenger traffic at Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport decreased 2% as compared to the second quarter
10
NEWS
Credit: Kelly Barrie, Panic Studio LA.
Above politics
Australias Deputy Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, has said the decision about a new Sydney airport must be above politics. Speaking at CAPAs Australian Pacific Aviation Summit in Sydney, Albanese, who also serves as Aviation Minister, called for a new Sydney airport, that would allow for more growth in the city and the rest of Australia. All the tinkering in the world wont change the fact that Sydney airport is stretched for capacity. Saying no to a new airport is saying no to jobs and growth, said Albanese. He added: Four out of 10 flights [in Australia] are passing through Sydney a delay at Sydney spreads like influenza. Australia needs a new airport.
Picture this
In celebration of its expansion and renovation, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is staging its first-ever public art festival, entitled Influx: Art at LAX. The extravaganza presented by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) in partnership with the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) features 11 original, site-specific art installations located throughout LAX and includes the work of 45 Los Angeles-based artists. The artwork includes video, large-scale sculptures, mixed media, ink drawings, and murals. With the opening of the New Tom Bradley International Terminal, LAX is beginning a new era, and the art programme is an important part of this transformation, says LAWAs art manager, Sarah Cifarelli.
Adelaide Airport has become the first in Australia, and only the second international gateway in the world, to use Google Maps indoor Street View technology. The navigation works like Street View, so viewers can explore both the departures and arrivals levels of Adelaide Airports main terminal building. The technology available through the airports Google Business Photos initiative even lets you walk down one of the aerobridges and out alongside the edge of the runway in a 360 degree experience. Adelaide Airports terminal was chosen because its currently the newest and most modern looking of Australias airports, so the images look very good, admits Google photographer, Carlos Zuluaga.
Stake out
Khartoums eagerly awaited new airport is finally set to be built after Chinas Export Import Bank agreed to bankroll its development. The bank has agreed to loan the Sudanese government $700 million to fund the development of the new gateway, which is set to be built on an 80 square kilometre site about 40km from Khartoum. According to reports in China, the Sudanese capitals new airport will be constructed in 40 months by the China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) and boast a single terminal building and two runways. Mohamed Abdul-Aziz, director of Sudan Airports Holding Company, enthuses: Khartoums new international airport is a dream that all Sudanese people are looking forward to becoming reality.
VINCI has paid 364 million for 4.7% stake in fellow global airport operator, Aroports de Paris (ADP). Once the transaction is closed, its aviation division VINCI Airports will hold an 8% shareholding in ADP, which owns and operates Paris airport system and has stakes in a number of other gateways across the world. VINCI has acquired some of the French governments shares in ADP, which it put up for sale earlier this year. VINCI will propose to ADP, within the context of existing agreements, to enter into discussions to share our respective expertise, particularly in the area of international development, VINCI said in a statement. Fast expanding VINCI successfully bid 3 billion for a 95% stake in Portuguese airport operator, ANA, late last year.
11
Turkish delight
Joe Bates reports on some of the highlights of the recent ACI Europe/ World Annual Congress & Exhibition in Istanbul.
he election of a new ACI World chairman for 2014, ACI Africa joining the Airport Carbon Accreditation scheme, discussions about evolving business models, and warnings of the challenges ahead, ensured that this years annual conference and exhibition was a lively affair. Sarasota Manatee Airport Authoritys president and CEO, Fredrick Piccolo, was elected the new chairman of ACI World, succeeding Athens International Airports CEO, Dr Yiannis Paraschis, who completes his two-year stint in the hot seat at the end of the year. Additionally, former ACI Europe president Declan Collier, chief executive of London City Airport, was elected vice-chair. We welcome two very qualified airport leaders whose industry expertise and knowledge will help further guide and steer ACI to provide its members with the tools, services and strategies to continue achieving operational excellence, said ACI Worlds director general, Angela Gittens. Commenting on his future role, Piccolo enthused: I will do my utmost to help ACI further grow its relationships with ICAO, IATA, CANSO, IFALPA and other stakeholder groups to ensure that it continues to be in a position to help airports further strengthen their operations and enhance the standing of airports on the world aviation stage. The theme of this years conference was Dynamic, airport business transformation, so it was no surprise that in his opening address, TAV Airports CEO, Sani Sener, reflected on the rapid development of his company and Turkeys airport system over the past decade. Between 1990 and 2000, Turkey was a little bit complacent in terms of coping with the growth of the global economy, and coalition governments made it difficult to cope with the new era of economic globalisation, he admitted. But after 2000, with the single party government, things changed and Turkey was very successful in the privatisation of infrastructure assets. TAV was established after the Istanbul [Atatrk] airport tender, and in our first year in 2000, the airport handled 10 million passengers. Last year we achieved 45 million passengers, and together with our other airports in North Africa, the Middle East, the Balkans and the Caucasus, we handled 75 million passengers. Last year we also sold some of our shares to Aroports de Paris, which currently handles around 130 million passengers yearly around the world. So, together with ADP, we have established one of the biggest airport platforms in the world. Between us, we now operate a total of 37 airports handling 200 million passengers. We will use this extra information and knowledge to develop and grow the company.
Europes challenges
ACI Europe director general, Olivier Jankovec, reflected on changing times for the aviation industry during the opening session of this years event.
12
He said that Europes airports have evolved, and now have a stronger focus on business strategy and costs, enjoy more direct engagement with passengers, provide increased quality and boast diversified revenue streams. The developments, claimed Jankovec, have helped reinforce the status of airports as fully-fledged and competitive businesses, focused on their customers and supporting the economies of their communities. However, despite 2012 seeing a significant weakening in the recovery of air traffic that followed the 2008/2009 global financial crisis, Jankovec admitted that being profitable remained a key issue for the continents gateways. Europe is not just about a two-speed aviation market between EU and non-EU countries. There is also a big divide between the larger hubs and the smaller regional airports, he said. The hubs are showing a lot of resilience due to their reliance on intercontinental traffic. Meanwhile, small regional airports are almost exclusively dependent on intra-European demand and they have been the hardest hit by airlines capacity and route cutting. Overall, 48% of Europes airports are losing traffic. With the pace of growth slowing down in the global economy, record unemployment increasingly being recognised as the new Eurozone crisis, and no tangible prospects for real improvement in the economy this year, demand for air transport in Europe is likely to be stagnant at best, he warned. Outgoing ACI Europe president, Declan Collier, shocked some of the 825 delegates from 65 countries in the audience with the announcement that an airport capacity crunch in Europe could cost the European economy 230 billion. He said that despite recessionary pressures and the weak economic prospects affecting most of Europe, there was little appetite to capitalise on the strategic role aviation can play for growth and jobs.
Short-termism, micro-politics, regulatory burden, red tape, bilateralism and the urge to refill the state coffers are the forces that continue to pay havoc with the European aviation sector. Few European countries have a thoroughly thought-through and fully formulated aviation policy. Long-term challenges are being ignored at our peril. He noted that the recently completed Challenges of Growth 2013 report from EUROCONTROL shows that despite slower traffic growth prospects in the next 20 years, Europe continues to face a severe airport capacity crunch. Revenue pressures, capital costs, a lack of political support, poor planning processes and decreasing confidence are all colluding to constrain airport development in Europe, said Collier. He added: This report is a warning bell for European aviation. It means that more than ever, Europes airports need to be given their licence to plan, finance and deliver new facilities all within reasonable time frames. He called for a European Action Plan on airport capacity that would seriously address the airport capacity crunch. On a brighter note, ACI Africa became the latest region to join the ACI Europe launched Airport Carbon Accreditation programme (please see page 97 for more details).
13
Our airport service quality (ASQ) has, of course, been our standout programme in performance measurement and benchmarking. We added an enhanced retail component to the programme last year, and will add performance on accommodating passengers with reduced mobility, and more data analysis. All of our standing committees are engaged in developing performance measurements, developing key performance indicators in all of the major disciplines in which we work. The IT committee will have ready this year a benchmarking programme for the security of IT systems at our airports, an increasing concern given the dependence of our business and that of our tenants on the airports information technology functions. The safety and technical committee is developing key performance indicators for aerodrome safety, which will enable benchmarking, reporting and performance improvement across the sector. The facilitation committee has developed a guideline for airport service levels which we will either have incorporated in the airport design manual or issue as a stand-alone recommended practice. The economics committee will refine its previously published guidance for financial and efficiency performance indicators. We all know how difficult it is to compare airports but we also know that we can only manage what we can measure. Key resolutions passed at the ACI World Assembly included urging ICAO, states and other stakeholders to work together to support and promote the use of airport collaborative decision making (A-CDM). Others included calling on airports to support the development of next generation security; a plea for states and other stakeholders
to work collaboratively through ICAO to reach agreement on measures to reduce aviations impact on the environment; and, establishing a vision to ensure that passengers needs are addressed both when the system operates well and during periods of disruption. ACI also passed a resolution calling on ICAO and states to ensure that airports are consulted by air navigation service providers and aircraft operators before implementing new performance based management routes, so as to avoid adverse noise impact on those communities. An eventful second day ended with a Gala Dinner, held in the spectacular Ciragan Palace Kempinski on the banks of the Bosphorus, which included an awards ceremony for this years Airport Service Quality (ASQ) winners. Four new airports were inducted into the Director Generals Roll of Excellence Cancn, Juan Santamaria, Malta and Shanghai Pudong. The honour recognises airports that have ranked among the top five in ASQ for five years. For the first time, the ACI World gathering was preceded by a pre-conference conference in this case it was a Safety Symposium where delegates got to learn a little more about ACIs Airport Excellence (APEX) in Safety Programme and other key safety issues. Safety is the top priority for our industry, said Gittens. It is vital that airports identify and address their safety vulnerabilities. Istanbul will be a hard act to follow, but with next years ACI World Assembly, Conference & Exhibition being in the dynamic city of Seoul, South Korea in conjunction with ACI Asia-Pacific you know we are in for something special!
AW
14
World in motion
James Roach provides a round up of the latest ACI news from around the globe.
CI and Aroports de Montral (AdM) have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) in the presence of Montral International and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to promote excellence in airport management and operations at airports worldwide through ACIs Airport Excellence (APEX) in Safety Programme. Officially launched in September 2012, the APEX in Safety Programme helps airports enhance the safety of their airside operations for the benefit of the flying public. The agreement provides the foundation for specific cooperative initiatives between ACI and AdM under the APEX Programme. ACI director general, Angela Gittens, stated: The APEX Programme is strategically important to ACI and our member airports. Since relocating our World Office to Montral in 2011, ACI has forged a closer partnership with the ICAO to enhance safety worldwide and signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with ICAO, in June 2012. We are now taking the next logical step in formalising this cooperative arrangement with AdM so that the APEX Programme and ACI member airports worldwide can benefit from the airports expertise. AdM has always been very supportive of the APEX Programme and this agreement takes our cooperation to a new level. James Cherry, president and CEO of AdM, commented: I am delighted to formalise this new cooperative relationship with ACI. It is a great opportunity for AdM to share its expertise and leading practices and for AdM staff to further improve their knowledge of global safety practices, foster greater international cooperation and a sense of community. With ICAO and ACI developing technical safety standards and recommended practices here in Montral, it is also a great opportunity for AdM to showcase these best practices in safety and our innovations in airport operations. ACI plans to launch similar programmes in the other disciplines of airport management and this MoC includes provisions for ACI and AdM to extend their collaboration to these programmes in the future.
16
ACIevents
2013
September 22-25 ACI North America Annual Conference & Exhibition San Jose, USA
2014
March 12-14 ACI Airport Economics & Finance Conference & Exhibition London, UK
2013
November 2-5 ACI Latin America & Caribbean Regional Conference & Exhibition Montevideo, Uruguay
2013
October 19-23 ACI Africa Regional Conference & Exhibition Lom, Togo
2014
May 26-28 ACI World Annual General Assembly ACI Asia-Pacific Regional Conference Seoul, South Korea
ACIoffices
ACI World Angela Gittens, Director General PO Box 302 800 Rue du Square Victoria Montral, Quebec H4Z 1G8 Canada Tel : +1 514 373 1200 Fax : +1 514 373 1201 aci@aci.aero www.aci.aero ACI Fund for Developing Nations Airports Angela Gittens, Managing Director c/o Geneva, Switzerland Tel: + 1 514 373 1200 Fax: +1 514 373 1201 acifund@aci.aero ACI Asia-Pacific Patti Chau, Regional Director Hong Kong SAR, China Tel: +852 2180 9449 Fax: +852 2180 9462 info@aci-asiapac.aero www.aci-asiapac.aero ACI Africa Ali Tounsi, Regional Secretary Casablanca, Morocco Tel: +212 619 775 101 atounsi@aci-africa.aero www.aci-africa.aero ACI Europe Olivier Jankovec, Director General Brussels, Belgium Tel: +32 (2) 552 0978 Fax: +32 (2) 502 5637 danielle.michel@aci-europe.org www.aci-europe.org ACI Latin America & Caribbean Javier Martinez Botacio, Director General Quito, Ecuador Tel: +593 2294 4900 Fax: +593 2294 4974 jmartinez@aci-lac.aero www.aci-lac.aero ACI North America Deborah McElroy, Interim President Washington DC, USA Tel: +1 202 293 8500 Fax: +1 202 331 1362 postmaster@aci-na.org www.aci-na.org
ACI represents 573 members operating 1,751 airports in 174 countries and territories, which in 2011 handled 5.4 billion passengers, 93.1 million tonnes of cargo and 77 million aircraft movements. ACI is the international association of the worlds airports. It is a non-profit organisation, the prime purpose of which is to advance the interests of airports and promote professional excellence in airport management and operations.
17
ACI VIEWPOINT
ACI World director general, Angela Gittens, reflects on transforming the passenger airport experience.
We want people to know that airport operators are committed to the passenger experience. In an era where cutbacks and passenger aggravation can run high, renewed efforts to share stories of airports placing the passenger first are worthwhile for airports, their passengers and stakeholders. These stories reiterate the message that airports since the beginning of aviation have been invested members of the communities they serve, and as such, have and continue to be unwavering in their treatment of airline passengers as valued residents and visitors. On the theme of airports as invested members of their communities, starting in September, ACI will use our website and media contacts to showcase standout examples of airports placing passengers first under conditions of regular and irregular operations. I invite all ACI members to share their positive passenger facilitation stories, which we will use to help airports fully earn the credit they rightfully deserve within the larger aviation community, among industry stakeholders and the media for going above and beyond common expectations to facilitate the passenger journey. I encourage you to share your airport passenger facilitation stories, as an airport employee or airport passenger, including photos and videos with our communications manager, James Roach, at jroach@aci.aero. I equally encourage you to take a moment to learn more about and explore some of the tremendous offerings, old and new, available at airports worldwide. Along with your single item of carry-on luggage, I guarantee that you will board with a memorable experience. AW
hile most passengers are unfamiliar with the term passenger facilitation, much of their decision making about which airport to choose is based on this experiential dimension of airport service, planning and design. While airport operators have long embraced the concept of passengercentric airport planning and design, the need for airports to place the facilitation of passenger flow as a central priority has become more urgent as the forces militating against facilitation have gotten stronger. The growth in traffic, coming more quickly than capacity in some cases, the reduction in baggage allowances and meal service by airlines, the intensified and sometimes mercurial security screening regimens, the loss of ground service resilience by air carriers as they have trimmed staffing levels, have all served to erode the quality of the passenger experience. With the increase in competition among airports as they strive to retain or grow air service for the economic vitality of their communities and their own enterprises, airport leaders are intensifying their efforts to counterbalance the deficits in other areas of the travel experience. ACI assists in these efforts with the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) programme that can help an airport operator both to understand what is most important to their passenger population as well as to measure performance in providing the facilities and services. Airports are deploying social media channels to better communicate with their customers and further improve the passenger experience. Worldwide, we have seen significant investments of financial resources and creativity to design and re-design facilities, and provide a range of innovative services, activities and on site events that elevate the airport experience to new heights.
19 19
Always growing
In one of her last interviews as aviation director, Susan Baer, talks to Joe Bates about her time at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the growth and future development plans of the Big Apples airport system.
ne thing comes across in abundance in any conversation with Susan Baer her infectious enthusiasm and determination to get things done. These attributes, and of course, her almost unparalleled knowledge of New Yorks airport system she is the only person to have run JFK, Newark-Liberty and LaGuardia made her the natural successor to William (Bill) DeCota as aviation director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) back in 2009. And she certainly hasnt disappointed in terms of getting things done, as under her stewardship, all three airports have undergone or are in the midst of significant infrastructure development projects. Indeed, Baer once famously said that if there wasnt something going on at her airports in terms of building new facilities or revamping existing ones, she wouldnt be doing her job properly! She explains: People say to me that our airports are always under construction and ask when all this work is going to be done. I tell them that I hope never, because that means weve stopped and were not really meeting the needs of the future. Airports are huge enterprises and consist of many facilities across vast sites. Youve always got to be doing something, even if its just general maintenance and repair. Runways need redoing, from time to time taxiways have to be fixed and infrastructure needs to be replaced. Baer believes projects such as the JetBlue Terminal (T5) at JFK and the Global Gateway facility at Newark have helped breathe new life into airports. I like doing big projects. For example, at Newark I oversaw the $3.8 billion Global Gateway project from start to finish, she says.
We invested $2.8 billion in the project and built it fast to meet Continentals very aggressive timeline. The airline itself contributed around $1 billion. When I look back, this is arguably the project I am most proud of leading. She says that JFK has just been through a whole series of improvements over the last decade redoing all the roads, opening Terminal 1 in 2003, Terminal 5 in 2007, Terminal 8 in 2008 and, most recently, Deltas new $1.2 billion concourse in Terminal 4. The 346,000-square-foot expansion of Concourse B, means that T4 now covers more than two million sq ft, allowing Delta to move out of 50-year old facilities in Terminal 3. The construction of a new regional jet concourse will follow in the second phase of the Delta development. Also planned for JFK is an extension to Terminal 5 (T5i) to allow JetBlue to handle international flights, while PANYNJ is investing $450 million on airfield enhancements that include widening a third runway to make it A380 compatible. However, by far and the away the biggest project on the horizon for PANYNJ for the next five years is a new Central Terminal Building for LaGuardia.
LaGuardia facelift
Baer says that while the existing central terminal was modernised in the 1990s, the airports main concourses are all from the 1960s era and are desperately in need of an upgrade. Quite frankly, the concourses are terrible as they were built for the 1964 Worlds Fair and have long outlived their usefulness, she says candidly.
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Airfield capacity
Rising demand forecasts predict that traffic across New Yorks airports will rise by an average of 2.2% per annum for at least the next five years ensures that Baers successor will be tasked with the role of continuing to squeeze as much capacity as they can out of the citys airport system. Indeed, Baer says that increasing the capacity of New Yorks airports by replacing old and outdated facilities with new or upgraded ones that enhance customer satisfaction levels and operational efficiency, was her main challenge. She does, however, take heart from a report issued by Regional Planning Association (RPA), which claims that New Yorks airports will be one of the biggest winners from the full introduction of NextGen technology. The report states that the USs new air traffic management system will boost the capacity of New Yorks airports, effectively enabling them to handle demand until at least 2030. New York currently has the most congested skies in the world with an incredible 4,100 aircraft movements within a 15-mile radius of the Statue of Liberty on any given day. The RPA report also suggested that the PANYNJ should start to consider ways of enhancing airfield capacity at its airports by either adding new runways or improving its existing ones. As a result of the findings, the PANYNJ is pressing for the early roll-out of NextGen in New York and has begun working closely with the FAA on a study of its own to consider what potential different new runway options are open to it in the future. She notes that literally hundreds of different options have been looked at in the first phase of the study, which is set for completion later this year. None of the them are cheap and none of them are easy, warned Baer, who was quick to point out that the anticipated high development costs at LaGuardia effectively ruled out any runway enhancements there. Phase two of the study next year will look at what new capacity enhancing new terminals, support facilities and ground access improvements might be needed at all three airports. When both studies are complete, Baer hopes that PANYNJ will be able to gather enough political support to go to the FAA and get
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an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on additional runway capacity, a process that could take a minimum of six or seven years to complete. The important message here is that we are not just going to wait until we run out of capacity, and start to actually turn away customers and airlines before we do anything, she says. We are on the case now and working very diligently to ensure that we are in a position to add capacity some time in the early 2020s. With some of the possible runway options available including building over water or extending out into local communities, Baer is only too aware that enhancing airfield capacity at JFK and Newark wont be universally popular with the neighbours. However, like her counterpart Colin Matthews at London Heathrow Airport, who desperately wants a third runway, Baer says the economic impact of aviation it accounts for 5% of GDP in the US means that some tough choices have to be made.
Traffic highlights
A total of 109 million passengers passed through New Yorks big three gateways in 2012 a rise of 3.3% despite closures and disruption caused by Superstorm Sandy. JFK handled an all-time high of 49.3 million passengers (+3.5%) while Newark and LaGuardia welcomed 34 million (+0.9%) and 25.7 million (+6.6%) respectively. The traffic levels fall just short of the pre-recession record of 110 million set in 2007. It already has a temporary US Customs facility and we are building a new Federal Inspection Services (FIS) facility to ensure that it is fully equipped for regular international traffic.
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Why did I do it? Well, I suppose I like running airports, and was probably the only one crazy enough to do it! And, having risen to the top via a variety of roles that have included serving as PANYNJs chief operating officer and the deputy aviation director, she has no hesitation in revealing that she has loved every minute of her time in the hot seat. I suppose I came at things from a different perspective than Bill due to our different backgrounds, says Baer. Whereas Bill was more financial, my strengths lay in operational experience and knowledge of negotiating with the airlines I gained during my time managing our big airports. He was a hard act to follow, dont get me wrong, but I wanted to do things my way and use my skill-set to do achieve our goals. The fact that I knew, and understood how our airports worked and operated, ensured that I could pretty quickly navigate through what needed to be done at each airport. In terms of what still needs to be done, Baer says that PANYNJ has been working hard on providing a consistency of service and facilities across New Yorks airport system. We employ best practices across the board. So, within reason and bearing in mind that our airports are all different sizes and serve different airlines and customer groups, passengers should find the same things and service standards at all our airports.
Baer also notes that in spite of all the development going on at JFK, Newark and LaGuardia, she has also done her bit to ensure the preservation of old, historic parts of the airports. She cites the continued use today of LaGuadias old Marine Air Terminal (the art-deco designed facility that used to handle PanAm Yankee Clipper flying boats); the renovation and restoration of Newarks first passenger terminal and ATC tower; and the renovation of the Saarinen designed TWA Flight Center at JFK as examples of preserving a piece of aviation history. In fact, PANYNJ is currently talking to an investor that wants to build a new hotel behind the former TWA terminal and use its old historic central portion as a lobby and area for bars and restaurants. Its really quite exciting, says Baer, who insists that improving the passenger experience and raising customer service levels is a key strategy for PANYNJ. Rising score levels in its annual customer satisfaction surveys now in its 14th year and direct feedback from passengers certainly appear to show that visitors are happier with the service they receive now than ever before. We really do listen to our passengers and do our best to improve things whenever we can, enthuses Baer. Early on in the survey, for example, passengers told us that they cared about restroom cleanliness, so we assigned attendants to make sure that they are. We were also told that our wayfinding wasnt good enough, to we hired the company that did the signs at Amsterdam Schiphol to put things right. Now we score really well on both. It is also compulsory for all staff with an airport ID, and not just PANYNJ employees, to undergo customer service training as part of an ongoing customer service initiative. PANYNJ also holds annual awards for its best terminals and rates federal staff such as Customs and Border Protection workers and TSA security staff.
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In this issue
In the spotlight: Planning & Design Airports: Miami, Ottawa & New York Special report: Route development Plus: Security, rail links & car parking
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