Airport Design
The return of the great American airport – is the sleeping giant waking up? (Part II)
The spark from private investment
Private investment is the key accelerant, echoing how BAA’s non-aeronautical revenue revolution spread across Europe and was then stunningly redefined by airports across Asia and the Middle East. Those latter regions used their seemingly unbounded resources, space and willpower to create a startling new standard of airport and passenger experience – complemented by a powerful focus on commercialisation, especially in the retail experience.
Iconic airport locations such as Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong and, most recently, Zayed International were aided by governments that had the advantages of finance, space and less regulations to overcome – advantages that US airports simply do not possess in their battle to revive their infrastructure.
Most of Asia’s newest airports are ‘statements’ aimed at creating memorable, destination-like experiences with cutting-edge architecture, extensive amenities and entertainment and strong sense of place that are often national expressions of achievement and pride.
US airports have, of course, traditionally focused much more on functionality, efficiency and the management of large passenger volumes. Today’s modernisation movement in the USA includes signs that some airports are slowly moving toward creating more engaging and passenger-friendly environments and a shift towards a more holistic experience.
Many US airports are investing in their infrastructure, often incorporating stronger expression of retail and F&B, including Los Angeles Tom Bradley Airport (LAX), San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Denver and Houston George Bush Airport. New York’s LaGuardia Airport recently finished a multi-billion-dollar transformation, while Newark Airport’s ‘Building a New EWR’ programme is well advanced and its Terminal A was recognised this year with the Skytrax award as the world’s best new airport terminal 2024, echoing LaGuardia’s Terminal B receipt of the same global award in 2023 – JFK may well be aiming to make 2025 the city’s third consecutive success.
The country’s largest project is LAX with a long-planned US$14 billion renovation, including a new people mover system, new terminals and improved traffic flow, particularly aiming to be ready to welcome the Olympics and Paralympics in 2028, albeit not in the numbers originally forecast.
At TDS, we’re supporting development projects at Seattle and at Chicago O'Hare, which has an US$8.5 billion modernisation plan, including the construction of a stunning new Global Terminal.
JFK New Terminal One will help alter the traveller experience at this key East Coast gateway
If you build it, will they come?
Of course, even the most successful redevelopment projects do not resolve every challenge facing US airports. LAX, for example, has been a frontrunner in revitalising the US airport model but plans for expansion have been put on hold after passenger traffic forecasts to 2028 were revised significantly downward (from 110 million to 90 million).
Interestingly, the airport has adjusted its strategic approach and will continue to invest – now focusing not on capacity expansion but on renovating and updating core infrastructure to improve passenger comfort and experience. Intriguingly, this enforced focus could actually deliver a pioneering ‘hybrid’ that blends the strengths of US functionality with a lighter version of the most pertinent elements of Asia’s enhanced passenger experience; could that result in the best of both worlds for the LAX passenger?
How the revitalised New York JFK Terminal 8 will look once complete
A retail revolution?
Many current projects are also using the opportunity to inject a stronger sense of place, such as at Portland Airport’s new terminal which includes an extraordinary structural-exposed lattice of locally sourced timber – expressing the authentic look, texture and aroma of Portland. The retail experience has already been emphatically raised at Boston Logan and the commercial visions for international terminals at all three New York airports are sparking hopes of a new revolution in the US airport retail experience, both for the traveller and the opportunities for driving commercial revenue.
Inevitably, the dominance of domestic traffic at US airports is a major factor in defining a new standard of retail experience but key airports and operators are clearly committed to setting new benchmarks.
The current surge in developments is particularly driven by the energy of pioneers such as JFK Millennium Partners, the consortium chosen by the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey to build and operate at JFK’s new terminals 1 and 6, supported by the retail expertise of Avolta, including the regional expertise of Hudson. Vantage Group is a vital driving element in those developments and the company has brought a vital new energy to the market.
I’ll close with a defining comment from the dynamic Sammy Patel, VP Commercial, emphasising the rising role of travel retail: “From the offset we challenged prospective bidders to think outside the box and be creative about how T6 will redefine the standard for duty free in North America.”
Decades of creaking infrastructure cannot be remedied overnight but the revolution is underway – the sleeping giant is waking up.
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The Moodie Davitt eZine
Issue 338 | 27 September 2024
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