AXiNsider is an interview-style podcast featuring in-depth discussions with the professionals, leaders and wave-makers working to steer the airport and concessions industries toward growth and innovation.
Episodes
Tuesday Dec 01, 2020
Tuesday Dec 01, 2020
“If the employee experience is positive, it’s going to drive optimal and exceptional customer experiences.”
While there’s still a lot of uncertainty around when airports might start truly recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic that has devastated it since March, there are some positive signs in terms of hiring. A survey of its clients conducted by CXE earlier this year indicated that nearly two-thirds were starting or planning to start bringing back substantial portions of its pre-pandemic work force. Many of those companies also have started spending more time focusing on improving the employee experience, with plans to communicate regularly, train aggressively and regularly recognize and show them appreciation for their work. These strategies, in both the short- and long-term, could help improve the overall travel experience for passengers.
Thursday Oct 29, 2020
Thursday Oct 29, 2020
“An infrastructure package … is something that stimulates jobs. It does a lot to get people back working and get the economy moving.”
President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden have both promised significant infrastructure bills during their campaigning for president. There aren’t a lot of details as to what their plans would include or how they would be funded. But the need for significant upgrades to roads, bridges and airports across the U.S., coupled with the ability to stimulate the economy and get people back to work, make it likely that either candidate, if elected, would make such investments an early priority.
Tuesday Oct 13, 2020
Tuesday Oct 13, 2020
“Millennials and Gen-Zers, so many of these people do so much from their smart device. Data is all part of that, so if we start to share data better, maybe we create a different environment and we change how we do things.”
As the industry prepare for eventual recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, several other factors are affecting what the industry might look like in the future. Millennials are becoming more prominent and powerful and they’re less likely than older passengers to spend money on food or retail when they travel. So, as airports look to find ways to convince travelers they are safe, they also must deal with the likelihood of changing passenger habits that could affect the layout and mix of the entire experience.
Friday Aug 28, 2020
Friday Aug 28, 2020
“It might look like there’s not a lot going on here, but we’re almost busier than ever. In some of the areas we had identified as potential areas of growth, we’re moving really quickly on. Real estate development is one and cargo is the other.”
Traffic at Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) is running at about 30 percent of 2019 levels. But that doesn’t mean the airport has nothing going on during the industry-wide COVID-19 crisis. The airport delayed the groundbreaking on a $1.1 billion modernization project, but spent time rethinking design aspects of its future terminal that airport officials hope can mitigate the impact of potential future health outbreaks. PIT also has begun development of its Pittsburgh Airport Innovation Campus, which aims to attract participants in the 3D printing industry to the airport, furthered its solar and natural gas developments on the way toward unveiling its self-sustaining microgrid, and diversified its non-aeronautical revenue formula with a foray into the cargo business.
Wednesday Aug 12, 2020
Wednesday Aug 12, 2020
“Carriers are burning let’s call it $25 million a day. We need to get from a cash negative perspective to a cash neutral to a cash positive, then we can talk about profitability. So, I think we’re really three or four years away.”
Initially, Delta Airport Consultants’ research indicated the possibility that by the end of 2019, traffic could be back as high as 40 percent of 2019 levels. The recent second-wave of COVID-19 cases around the U.S., however, and the accompanying announcement by several carriers that they would shrink capacity after Labor Day, indicate a slower recovery, with regional air service likely to experience the greatest suffering. A slow return to flying by businesses and ongoing restrictions on international travel also represent a drag on a potential recovery, meaning it’s likely three or four years or more before traffic even approaches the record year that 2019 was for many airports.
Wednesday Jul 29, 2020
Wednesday Jul 29, 2020
“For the first time I’m hopeful to see a seamless, touchless process in travel. People have been talking about it for a long time. … We should use the crisis to move these things along. The experience can become much more pleasant.” Rian Burger, Senior Principal specializing in Airports for Stantec Architecture
While COVID-19 has had a disastrous effect on travel, it’s pushing airports to make many changes that have been talked about for years. Enhanced cleaning processes and touchless transactions are among ways the industry is getting healthier. Airports should consider furthering those enhancements and going a step further by diversifying revenue streams going forward to ensure that pandemics or other disasters don’t have the same kind of impact in the future.
Wednesday Jul 15, 2020
Wednesday Jul 15, 2020
“I’m not sure there is ever going to be a return to exactly the way things were before. I think there will be a new normal and everyone will get used to it, but there will be a change in the way things are done that will remain permanent.” Julie Wienberg, Vice President of Aviation Infrastructure, HNTB Corp.
The COVID-19 health pandemic will eventually be in the past and signage reminding travelers to socially distance and wash hands may go away with it. But this is likely not the last pandemic this country will see. Whether it’s building with materials that are easier to clean, increasing the availability of touchless options for passengers or designing security measures that ensure the health and safety of travelers and those who work at the airport, increased awareness of the implications of health-related incidents will create long-term change in the airport experience.
Tuesday Jul 07, 2020
Tuesday Jul 07, 2020
Vancouver-based Smart Design Group has benefited significantly from its work in aviation design. So, as the effects of COVID-19 ravaged travel counts across the world, Nick Baker wanted to give something back. He's offered his company's services for free to members of the Airport Minority Advisory Council in order to help smaller businesses navigate changes necessary to consider reopening. While he's optimistic and hopeful that the effects of COVID will be a memory in the next couple years, he's also got some ideas on how the industry can evolve to win back the confidence of travelers and emerge stronger as travelers return.
This episode is the first in Airport Experience New's newly branded, AXiNsider podcast series.
Tuesday Jun 23, 2020
Tuesday Jun 23, 2020
The Craft of Perpetual Creation and Reinvention. This Hub Session features a conversation with Ross Koenigs, research and design brewer for New Belgium Brewery, in which he discusses reinventing the wheel to stay abreast of trends. Hub Sessions took place at the 2020 Airport Experience Conference in Denver. We share these Hub Session recordings with you here courtesy of Plaza Premium Group, the Hub Session Sponsor.
Tuesday Jun 23, 2020
Tuesday Jun 23, 2020
The Next in Line of the Evolving Airport Hotel. This Hub Session features a conversation with Jonathan Song, director of global business development for Plaza Premium Group, in which he discusses the ins and outs of bringing hotels to airports. Hub Sessions took place at the 2020 Airport Experience Conference in Denver. We share these Hub Session recordings with you here courtesy of Plaza Premium Group, the Hub Session Sponsor.