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A Comeback? (Special Report)
The malaise at airports and airlines that was evident over the last few years is slowly starting to dissipate as this area of the travel sector anticipates a return to growth.

By Dana Dubbs

In testimony before Congress last April, James May, president and CEO of the Air Transport Association of America, offered these sobering details: U.S. airlines, weakened by the economic downturn that began well before 9/11 lost an estimated $18 billion during 2001-2002, expected to lose billions more in 2003, and didn't anticipate seeing profits industry-wide until at least 2005.

Along with that distressing testimony, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that air traffic is about 10% below year 2000 levels. However, the FAA also predicted a return to "normal" rates of air traffic growth-about 4% annually-starting in 2004.

Cautiously Optimistic

It is with that last, rosier FAA prediction in mind that many of the nation's airports are trying to position themselves for eventual financial recovery and are slowly bringing back projects intended to improve infrastructures, repair aging facilities, and accommodate expansion.

"The [airports] are looking towards the future so they don't get caught a few years from now without having planned for it," says Pat Askew, aviation group director at architectural firm HOK, St. Louis, MO. "A lot of terminal improvement initiatives were put on hold for a while, and those are coming back."

Some projects are scaled down and on slower timetables than originally planned. All have new requirements driven by security demands. An example of the footdragging pace at which some airports are moving is the new two million square foot American Airlines terminal at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. South Norwalk, CT-based interior design firm Silvester Tafuro is working on the project. The firm is proceeding on a slower timetable than initially planned.

"The new terminal will be opened in phases, and the phases have been changed so that the airline will only open what they need as they need it," states Steve Tafuro, executive vice president of Silvester Tafuro.

"The trends have been to be most efficient with the reduced revenues, do what enhancements are absolutely necessary to accommodate the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) security initiatives, and then be ready for the return," says Michael Steer, director of air transportation at URS Corp., an architecture and engineering firm based in Hunt Valley, MD.

Expansion: Full Speed Ahead

Conversely, some airlines are growing rapidly and are pushing for expansion. The most notable are low cost carriers, Southwest Airlines and JetBlue Airways. Both carriers are profitable, growing, and immersed in aggressive facility projects.

URS is working with Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI) to develop a new 26-gate terminal for Southwest. The airline is further expanding with new and improved facilities at Chicago's Midway Airport, Houston's Hobby Airport, and other airports.

JetBlue is planning a new flight training center and aircraft maintenance hangar at Orlando International Airport in Florida and is building a new maintenance hangar and two-story office facility at JFK. The airline also has a proposal into the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to build a 650,000 square foot building with 26 gates next door to its existing terminal at JFK, which it is outgrowing. The new building would sit behind and connect to the existing landmark terminal designed by Eero Saarinen for TWA.

Security Checkpoints

At all airports, new security requirements remain front and center. Last year, airports and airlines were scrambling to meet TSA's requirement for screening all checked baggage with explosive detection machines.

The machines needed for the job are the size of minivans, and so in order to meet TSA's deadline last year, many airports and airlines stuck the equipment into ticket lobbies and anywhere else they could find room.

Now, TSA is working with airports and airlines on facility modifications that will enable them to move the machines out of lobbies and integrate them into checked baggage conveyor systems. It's a slow, costly process. To date, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has authorized over $775 million to help six of the nation's largest airports defray the costs of installing these permanent systems.

In general, passenger security checkpoints are more complex and time consuming. Passengers must have a boarding pass, photo ID, and bags. Depending on the airport's security, passengers might be asked to open their bags for inspection, show their ID, remove their shoes-all within a very quick period of time. To keep the lines as short as possible and lessen the inconvenience to passengers, airports and airlines are trying to add more lanes and beef up staffing. "With all the security things going on, we've found that the customer experience has eroded," says Ken Buller, director of facilities, Southwest Airlines, Dallas, TX. "In the past year, we've embarked on several projects to improve that, from implementation of self-service kiosks to expansion of security checkpoints -where we have that opportunity-in order to increase the number of lanes and minimize the amount of time our customers have to stand in line."

"In a new terminal, we can plan for more security checkpoints, but it's not that easy to do in existing facilities," says Richard Smyth, vice president of redevelopment, JetBlue, Forest Hills, NY. "I know some terminals where it can't be done and others where they're knocking down walls and converting adjacent office space, concessions, and restaurants into security checkpoints."

One of the ways JetBlue will likely address this is with electronic, self-service check-in machines that have jumped in popularity among the traveling public.

Smyth states, "right now, electronic, self-service check-in is easily done for passengers who are not checking bags. People who are checking in bags will need some assistance, but there are still ways to incorporate self-service machines into the process -check-in by yourself and then an agent is nearby to tag the bag and take it from you."

The passenger screening process is expected to improve substantially as new technologies are tested and approved, such as biometric systems that match a person's fingerprints, irises, or other characteristics against a digital code stored on a computer chip or machine-readable strip.

By October 26, 2004, certain foreign visitors to the U.S. must start carrying passports and visas with biometric identifiers. On the same date, the State Department plans to start testing smart passports with computer chips containing facial recognition data.

Iris recognition technology from Iridian Technologies is currently used at JFK Airport to restrict employee access from the international terminal to the tarmac. It is also employed by Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) to speed trusted travelers through customs at Vancouver International Airport.

"A frequent traveler can sign up for what is, essentially, a fast lane," explains Frank Fitzsimmons, chief operating officer, Iridian Technologies, Moorestown, NJ. "You have a card with your iris code embedded in it, and you slip that into a kiosk much the same as when you're doing an e-ticket. The iris camera matches your live iris against the digital iris code, verifies you are you, prints your pass, and you exit the hall without stopping to talk to a customs officer."

Space Planning

With the added security precautions, passengers are dealing with the longer lines. Therefore, travelers are going to airports earlier and heading straight to security checkpoints, so as not to miss their flights. This changing traffic pattern is driving modifications in retail and food concession planning.

"Instead of stopping in lobbies and mingling out in those areas, they're going ahead through security checkpoints," says Paul Dorsey, senior project manager for facilities, Southwest Airlines. "We are seeing that the concessions are more vital past the checkpoints, while the concessions that are in front of the checkpoints aren't making as much money. I think there is a fundamental shift of putting concessions into the concourses, into the gate areas, past security checkpoints to accommodate those needs."

The need for more restaurants, snack stands, and other amenities beyond security checkpoints has also been building because the growing low cost carriers serve snacks, not meals. "We encourage people to eat before they go or bring a sandwich with them if they want to," says Smyth. "More and more airlines are picking up on that-not serving food-and that's driving more of a need for concessions post security."

Without an airline ticket, families, friends, limo drivers, and other various transportation people-who are at the airport to drive travelers to their final destinations-cannot gain access to concourses, thus creating a new problem: Where do these people congregate while waiting to pick up travelers? At its proposed terminal at JFK, says Smyth, JetBlue intends to designate a meeting area with seating and concessions so people can sit, have a cup of coffee, and get something to eat while waiting for passengers to arrive.

Southwest is also looking at ways to make waits more comfortable and convenient. "We find most folks hang out in baggage claim areas waiting for passengers," says Dorsey. "So, we're challenged with putting more information about flights down in those areas, more furniture, and even larger spaces for them."

Building A Sense Of Place

As with many aspects of a specific geographic area, city officials are asking designers to make distinct differences in how their airports are designed.

"There's an awareness and concern that the terminal not look like one that was just built somewhere else," says Askew.

Case in point: Indianapolis International Airport where HOK is designing a new midfield terminal. "The client is putting together a fairly aggressive and powerful idea for a big gateway to the city and the region," says Ripley Rasmus, HOK's senior designer on the project. "They have asked us to make a building which is very compelling and very unique. Something that represents them and them alone.

"One of the most dynamic things that we are incorporating is a wall that's 1,000-feet long, about 50-feet high, and made of Indiana limestone," notes Leesa Coller, HOK's lead interior architect on the project. "That wall will be the piece that says, 'You are in Indiana'. The wall starts outside, goes through the building, and then comes back outside again. It forms garden areas on either side of the terminal and can be seen from anywhere inside or outside the building."

At Kansas City International Airport, a major project is underway to transform the airport's three, 30 year-old terminals into modern, operationally efficient, sleek looking facilities that can accommodate increased use and create a more pleasing environment not just for people passing through but also people who work there.

Leron Hollinshed, owner of the Coverall Cleaning Concepts franchise in Olathe, KS, provides cleaning services for several airlines at the Kansas City airport.

"Everything has been updated-the flooring, the window frames, the glass. It's brighter and lighter. It's beautiful," states Hollinshed. As more people will start to fly again, airports will continue to update their facilities. As these changes are made, people who frequent and/or work at airports will be able to witness the many new features and modernizations. Perhaps, these changes will make the wait more enjoyable as people begin to migrate back into the sky.