BY GINGER EVANS
Another busy summer travel season is upon us, and I am encouraged by the continued
growth in air travel across the
nation. It’s an exciting time for
airport planners and designers, as
aviation hubs throughout the system
are looking to improve, revitalize
and expand terminal facilities.
Here in Chicago, a transformation
is underway at Midway International
to elevate the customer experience,
grow airport revenues and
strengthen the airport’s economic
impact for the Chicago region.
We announced the Midway
Modernization Program (MMP) in
the summer of 2015, which focuses
as Chicago’s aviation commissioner
two years ago, one of my first
observations was the tremendous
opportunity that existed at
Midway to enhance and expand its
concessions program.
In recent years, Midway consistently
has achieved record-breaking
passenger levels, earning it a
reputation as one of the fastest
growing airports in the U.S., even
as other airports struggled through
the Great Recession. In 2016,
the airport served more than 22
million passengers — the most ever
in its 90-year history. Bolstered
by the strength of Southwest
Airlines, which operates more
flights from Chicago than any
other market, Midway is one of the
most financially sound airports in
the nation. Chicago Mayor Rahm
Emanuel and our leadership team at
the Chicago Department of Aviation
(CDA) recognize that now is the
time to invest in Midway to grow its
competitive edge.
Similar to airport operators
around the country, and the world
for that matter, our leadership
team at the CDA understands that
generating non-airline revenue is
Chicago Midway
LAUNCHES NEW CONCESSIONS PROGRAM
LAUNCHES NEW CONCESSIONS PROGRAM
on three improvements that are
critical to maintaining and growing
Midway’s competitive edge —
expanding the security checkpoint
area to create an efficient security
screening process for passengers;
adding a wider array of new
concessions, services and amenities
for travelers within the terminal’s
expanded footprint; and adding
1,500 premium parking spaces in
the terminal garage.
The cornerstone of the MMP,
which represents the largest capital
investment in the airport in over
a decade, is a complete renovation
and expansion of the concessions
program. When I started in my role
¾ Planning
¾ Environmental
¾ Engineering
¾ Construction
Administration
¾ Program
Management
¾ Business &
Financial Planning
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