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New Satellite Concourse Provides Efficient Gate Expansion at Nashville Int’l
New Satellite Concourse Provides Efficient Gate Expansion at Nashville Int’l
To accommodate increased passenger demand, Nashville International Airport® (BNA®) recently constructed a standalone Satellite Concourse adjacent to its main terminal. The 89,000-square-foot structure opened in October 2023 and now houses operations primarily for Allegiant Air and Spirit Airlines.
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Dallas Fort Worth Int’l Bolsters Employee Security Screening Program
Dallas Fort Worth Int’l Bolsters Employee Security Screening Program
Efficiency and efficacy are the watchwords for employee security screening at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW).
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Denver Int’l Completes State-of-the-Art West Security Checkpoint
Denver Int’l Completes State-of-the-Art West Security Checkpoint
In the last two decades, passenger volume has nearly doubled at DEN, and security technology has changed considerably. As part of the airport’s Great Hall Program, a $2.1 billion capital improvement project, all checkpoints are moving up a level—both physically and technologically.
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Harry Reid Int’l Tests Self-Service Checkpoint
Harry Reid Int’l Tests Self-Service Checkpoint
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.
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Safety Management Systems: Lessons from the Airline Sector
Safety Management Systems: Lessons from the Airline Sector
Nearly a decade ago, the FAA Safety Organization issued a final rule requiring Part 121 certificated operators—scheduled commercial airlines—to implement Safety Management Plans. The goal was to help carriers detect and correct safety risks before they become hazards.
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Historic Wildfires Prompt Kelowna Int’l to Move Commercial Flights From Day to Night
Historic Wildfires Prompt Kelowna Int’l to Move Commercial Flights From Day to Night
With wildfires raging throughout British Columbia last summer, two things kept Kelowna International Airport (YLW) ahead of the game: good working relationships with the provincial and national governments, and partners such as Nav Canada.
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Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Completes Five-Gate Addition
Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Completes Five-Gate Addition
With an eye on growth and a heightened commitment to passenger comfort, Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA) unveiled a 30,000-square-foot terminal expansion in mid-February.
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New ARFF Facility Boosts Efficiency, Paves Way for New Terminal at Monterey Regional
New ARFF Facility Boosts Efficiency, Paves Way for New Terminal at Monterey Regional
A new $9.9 million aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) station is enhancing operational efficiency at Monterey Regional Airport (MRY), as well as providing a more comfortable environment for the personnel that call it home for days at a time.
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Punta Gorda Closes Runway, Powers Through Rebuild Project
Punta Gorda Closes Runway, Powers Through Rebuild Project
File it under “good things come to those who wait.” The roughly year-long reconstruction and rehabilitation of the primary runway at Punta Gorda Airport (PGD) was a welcome improvement that took patience, planning and lots of enabling projects.
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Moving Walkways Replace Decades-Old Monorail at Tampa Int’l
Moving Walkways Replace Decades-Old Monorail at Tampa Int’l
Guests at Tampa International Airport (TPA) can now use a series of moving walkways to quickly travel through the long-term parking garage to the adjacent main terminal, and vice versa.
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New Outdoor Deck Relieves Passenger Congestion at Charlottetown Airport
New Outdoor Deck Relieves Passenger Congestion at Charlottetown Airport
While some airports have struggled to recover passenger traffic lost during the COVID-19 pandemic, the opposite is true at Charlottetown Airport (YYG) on Prince Edward Island in eastern Canada. In 2023, the airport recorded 402,686 passengers—an increase of more than 18% from 2022.
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Southwest Hangar Complex at Gulf Shores Int’l is Full
Southwest Hangar Complex at Gulf Shores Int’l is Full
If Gulf Shores International Airport (JKA) were a hotel, management could hang up a “No Vacancy” sign regarding its available hangar space. Airport Director Justin Fletcher proudly reports that all 13 sites of JKA’s Southwest Corporate Hangar Complex are filled.
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Hawaii Provides State-Owned Airports with Online Platform for Environmental Systems Management
Hawaii Provides State-Owned Airports with Online Platform for Environmental Systems Management
Recognizing the need for robust environmental systems management, the Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) Airports Division provides a cloud-based, no-code system for its 15 state-owned and state-operated airports.
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Art Without Borders - San Diego International Airport (SAN)
Art Without Borders - San Diego International Airport (SAN)
San Diego International Airport (SAN) is celebrating that longtime binational bond with a temporary art exhibit titled Espacios & Lines.
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Terminal Modernization at Boston Logan Has Passengers and Locals Seeing Red, But in a Good Way
Terminal Modernization at Boston Logan Has Passengers and Locals Seeing Red, But in a Good Way
Nearly 250 years after Paul Revere rode out of Boston warning of a pending advance by British Redcoats, a shimmering red coat of paint warmly welcomes international visitors to the modern airport in his colonial hometown.
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Sea-Tac Establishes Environmental Guidelines for Ridesharing Companies

Seattle has long been considered one of the greenest cities in the United States, and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) is making sure that the ground transportation options it offers passengers live up to that reputation.

Lost Nation Airport Boosts Income with Community Sports Park

Lost Nation Municipal Airport (LNN), a reliever for Cleveland Hopkins International, has an unusual business as its major tenant. It's not a corporate flight department or aircraft maintenance shop, but rather a family sports and recreation facility, complete with basketball courts, indoor soccer fields, batting cages and lots of other facilities designed for fun.

Nashville Int'l Turns Quarry Lake into Largest Geothermal Cooling System in North America

When temperatures rose to sweltering heights this summer, Nashville International Airport (BNA) kept visitors cool with an energy-saving geothermal system which leverages naturally low temperatures in an onsite quarry lake. Shrinking utility bills help airport management also stay cool as a cucumber.

Norfolk Int'l Spruces Up Terminal with $40 million Facelift

With the recent addition of a sweeping skylight in its main lobby, Norfolk International Airport (ORF) finally has the grand connection to nearby botanical gardens its original 1970s design intended. According to ORF officials, the 10,000-square-foot skylight and other elements of the airport's $34 million renovation program create a terminal that is modern and aesthetically stunning, and also more efficient and better equipped to meet current and future passenger needs. A $6 million project updated ORF's general aviation facility.

Airports Leverage Technology to Take the Mystery Out of Security Wait Times

Wait times at TSA checkpoints became a hot topic this summer, especially when passengers stuck in screening lines began missing flights after arriving hours before their departure times. As lines grew, so did the frustration, and U.S. airports redoubled ongoing efforts to keep passengers happy while maintaining high security levels.

McCarran Int'l Completes Transition to All-Concrete Runways

In April, McCarran International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas reopened its 14,500-foot primary runway, following a six-month closure. Runway 7L-25R, which handles about one-third of the airport's traffic, had been temporarily closed from October to April during each of the past two years to replace nearly 366,000 square yards of deteriorated asphalt concrete pavement. Now, aircraft operate on 19-inch-thick, full-strength Portland cement concrete pavement.

Lakeland Regional Gains Maintenance Support by Integrating with City's Security System

Until recently, Nan Walsh was concerned about the "security of the security" at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL), a Part 139 facility in a particularly lake-dotted portion of central Florida. As assistant director of LAL, Walsh felt that the dated, stand-alone security system the airport had been using had "reliability issues." And that was putting it diplomatically.

O'Hare Concessionaire Leverages Farm-to-Table Food Trend

Operators of Green Market, a new grab-and-go concession at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, knew they had a winner even before it opened in March. They trusted the appeal of their concept: healthy foods purchased from local vendors. What they didn't know was how quickly and enthusiastically airport visitors would embrace the current trend.

Gerald Ford Int'l Changes From County Governance to Airport Authority Control

The new governing authority at Gerald R. Ford International (GRR) is confident that the airport is now better poised for increased growth and a stronger regional presence. On July 1, 2016, the Grand Rapids, MI, airport officially transitioned from county governance to control by the newly created Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority. The transfer follows two years of discussions and three agreements between the authority and Kent County Board of Commissioners, as required by the FAA.

Boston Logan Squeezes in 10 More Floors of Parking Space

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2022 Charlotte Douglas International Airport Report of Achievement

Giving back to the community is central to what Charlotte Douglas International Airport and its operator, the City of Charlotte Aviation Department, is about, and last year was no different. 

Throughout 2022, while recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, we continued our efforts to have a positive impact on the Charlotte community. Of particular note, we spent the year sharing stories of how Connections Don't Just Happen at the Terminal - from creating homeownership and employment opportunities to supporting economic growth through small-business development and offering outreach programs to help residents understand the Airport better.

This whitepaper highlights the construction projects, initiatives, programs and events that validate Charlotte Douglas as a premier airport.

Download the whitepaper: 2022 Charlotte Douglas International Airport Report of Achievement.

 

 

Featured Video

Eppley Airfield Sculpts New Retail Opportunity with Interactive Art Gallery

Eppley Airfield (OMA) in Omaha, NE, put its outside-the-box thinking on full display when it opened an interactive art gallery in late April. In addition to selling pieces by regional artists, the new concession features live demonstrations of select artists creating their work-a strategy that is engaging airport visitors and boosting retail sales.

Survey Says: It Pays to Know What Customers Are Thinking

As competition for passengers grows fierce, some airports are turning into freestanding, amenity-filled cities in their own right. Those actively engaged in the "amenities/service race" often consult survey data to guide their ongoing improvement efforts.

Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport Updates 50+-year-old Hangar

There comes a time in every airport's life when the focus has to become "out with the old and in with the new." Sometimes that means building entirely new facilities. More often, it involves breathing new life into existing facilities by adding modern updates and conveniences. Such was the case when Abraham Lincoln Capital (SPI), a commercial air service airport in Springfield, IL, recently updated its hangars.

Sea-Tac Establishes Environmental Guidelines for Ridesharing Companies

Seattle has long been considered one of the greenest cities in the United States, and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) is making sure that the ground transportation options it offers passengers live up to that reputation.

Lost Nation Airport Boosts Income with Community Sports Park

Lost Nation Municipal Airport (LNN), a reliever for Cleveland Hopkins International, has an unusual business as its major tenant. It's not a corporate flight department or aircraft maintenance shop, but rather a family sports and recreation facility, complete with basketball courts, indoor soccer fields, batting cages and lots of other facilities designed for fun.

Nashville Int'l Turns Quarry Lake into Largest Geothermal Cooling System in North America

When temperatures rose to sweltering heights this summer, Nashville International Airport (BNA) kept visitors cool with an energy-saving geothermal system which leverages naturally low temperatures in an onsite quarry lake. Shrinking utility bills help airport management also stay cool as a cucumber.

Norfolk Int'l Spruces Up Terminal with $40 million Facelift

With the recent addition of a sweeping skylight in its main lobby, Norfolk International Airport (ORF) finally has the grand connection to nearby botanical gardens its original 1970s design intended. According to ORF officials, the 10,000-square-foot skylight and other elements of the airport's $34 million renovation program create a terminal that is modern and aesthetically stunning, and also more efficient and better equipped to meet current and future passenger needs. A $6 million project updated ORF's general aviation facility.

Airports Leverage Technology to Take the Mystery Out of Security Wait Times

Wait times at TSA checkpoints became a hot topic this summer, especially when passengers stuck in screening lines began missing flights after arriving hours before their departure times. As lines grew, so did the frustration, and U.S. airports redoubled ongoing efforts to keep passengers happy while maintaining high security levels.

McCarran Int'l Completes Transition to All-Concrete Runways

In April, McCarran International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas reopened its 14,500-foot primary runway, following a six-month closure. Runway 7L-25R, which handles about one-third of the airport's traffic, had been temporarily closed from October to April during each of the past two years to replace nearly 366,000 square yards of deteriorated asphalt concrete pavement. Now, aircraft operate on 19-inch-thick, full-strength Portland cement concrete pavement.

Lakeland Regional Gains Maintenance Support by Integrating with City's Security System

Until recently, Nan Walsh was concerned about the "security of the security" at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL), a Part 139 facility in a particularly lake-dotted portion of central Florida. As assistant director of LAL, Walsh felt that the dated, stand-alone security system the airport had been using had "reliability issues." And that was putting it diplomatically.

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Publisher's Blog

What’s in a Name?
I’m all for improving our airports. But do new names necessarily make them better?
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Industry Insider

Cyberattacks on the Aviation Sector: Threats, Trends and Strategies
The aviation industry has been a prime target for nefarious cyberattacks over the last few years.
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Project Nominations

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

Artscapes

Art Without Borders - San Diego International Airport (SAN)
Art Without Borders - San Diego International Airport (SAN)
San Diego International Airport (SAN) is celebrating that longtime binational bond with a temporary art exhibit titled...
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