06 News
A Push to Modernize Airports to Fuel More Shopping
1 OCTOBER, 2016 | HOSPITALITY | 
276
A project to update the aging terminals at La Guardia Airport is part of a worldwide trend to modernize airports and offer more amenities for travelers.
This summer, while traveling from New York to Denver, Marc Stewart noticed that the Delta Air Lines terminal at La Guardia Airport felt unfamiliar.
“Usually, I fly United, which means you are in the old concourse where there are not even enough bathrooms. So, I was pleasantly surprised when I walked into Delta’s terminal at La Guardia and saw some innovative options,” said Mr. Stewart, 45, a television journalist. “As soon as you go past security, you see a food setup that’s reminiscent of Whole Foods. There’s a food bar, snacks beyond potato chips. It is a completely different feeling.”
What Mr. Stewart encountered is going on all over the world. Airport operators are updating aging terminals and constructing new ones, wooing travelers with retail and dining options that encourage them to spend more money. And they are spending as much as 30 percent more at some airports, according to OTG, the airport concessionaire that worked with Delta on the remodeled terminal that Mr. Stewart visited.
When revenue from airport amenities goes up, the fees airlines pay to use an airport can go down, which in turn can attract more airlines to offer service to the region.
It is up to the airport “to be attractive to the customers: both the airline and the traveler,” said Angela Gittens, director general of Airports Council International, a trade group. By providing more services and better shopping, an airport can “keep their aeronautical charges down and entice airlines,” she said.
When it comes to commercial real estate, airports offer the two biggest factors linked to retail success: location and foot traffic. The average time a traveler waits at the airport is more than two hours, according to an article published by the International Council of Shopping Centers.
Recognizing this, airports large and small are redesigning their buildings and changing the products and services on offer, following the example set over the past two decades by airports in emerging markets.
Airports in Hong Kong, Beijing and Doha, Qatar, reset the standard with dazzling architecture, capacious restrooms, comfortable seating at the boarding gates and plenty of power outlets throughout the terminals. Skytrax, an aviation-ranking site based in Britain, has given Singapore’s Changi Airport the award for best airport six years running in part for its butterfly garden, movie theater, pool and two hotels. Its latest upgrade is the Changi Jewel, a 10-story hotel and entertainment complex, which opens to travelers next year.
276
A project to update the aging terminals at La Guardia Airport is part of a worldwide trend to modernize airports and offer more amenities for travelers.This summer, while traveling from New York to Denver, Marc Stewart noticed that the Delta Air Lines terminal at La Guardia Airport felt unfamiliar.
“Usually, I fly United, which means you are in the old concourse where there are not even enough bathrooms. So, I was pleasantly surprised when I walked into Delta’s terminal at La Guardia and saw some innovative options,” said Mr. Stewart, 45, a television journalist. “As soon as you go past security, you see a food setup that’s reminiscent of Whole Foods. There’s a food bar, snacks beyond potato chips. It is a completely different feeling.”
What Mr. Stewart encountered is going on all over the world. Airport operators are updating aging terminals and constructing new ones, wooing travelers with retail and dining options that encourage them to spend more money. And they are spending as much as 30 percent more at some airports, according to OTG, the airport concessionaire that worked with Delta on the remodeled terminal that Mr. Stewart visited.
When revenue from airport amenities goes up, the fees airlines pay to use an airport can go down, which in turn can attract more airlines to offer service to the region.
It is up to the airport “to be attractive to the customers: both the airline and the traveler,” said Angela Gittens, director general of Airports Council International, a trade group. By providing more services and better shopping, an airport can “keep their aeronautical charges down and entice airlines,” she said.
When it comes to commercial real estate, airports offer the two biggest factors linked to retail success: location and foot traffic. The average time a traveler waits at the airport is more than two hours, according to an article published by the International Council of Shopping Centers.
Recognizing this, airports large and small are redesigning their buildings and changing the products and services on offer, following the example set over the past two decades by airports in emerging markets.
Airports in Hong Kong, Beijing and Doha, Qatar, reset the standard with dazzling architecture, capacious restrooms, comfortable seating at the boarding gates and plenty of power outlets throughout the terminals. Skytrax, an aviation-ranking site based in Britain, has given Singapore’s Changi Airport the award for best airport six years running in part for its butterfly garden, movie theater, pool and two hotels. Its latest upgrade is the Changi Jewel, a 10-story hotel and entertainment complex, which opens to travelers next year.
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