Airport Magazine - June/July 2017

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