Airport Experience® News - 20 Years of the AX Conference

RESPITE, PAMPERING & CONVENIENCE Over 20 Years, Lounges And Services Have Popped Up To Enhance The Traveler Experience

BY SARAH BELING

In what seems like the blink of an eye, airport amenities have bloomed from bare-bones dining and retail to resort-like lounges, gyms, and entertainment centers. For the modern traveler accustomed to purchasing device chargers from a vending machine or taking a shower in a private suite, it’s hard to recall what airports were like before the vast portfolio of services offered today, but talk to some of the industry’s biggest game changers and you’ll see just how much has evolved in two decades of passenger perks. For some, new approaches to legacy services have spelled success. Denise Pullen of The Classic Shine Company - a shoe shine business founded in 1983 and available at the Dallas Fort-Worth International Airport (DFW) , Knoxville’s McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS), Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF), and George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) - says that the key to evolving within an ever changing transit market is to offer clear performance analytics.

“There was no accountability in the shoe shine [business],” says Pullen of the industry’s standard sales model. “I give airports data.” Using a Clover POS system, Pullen and her staff track all their shines, using analytics to optimize the customer experience. “I can spot my traveler anywhere,” says Pullen, citing that moving

to credit card payments and targeting shifts around business travel patterns has helped her customers locate and utilize The Classic Shine’s services more easily. Her strategy has paid off: “After COVID, the tips have never been better - people appreciate us more,” she adds. “Small businesses make the world go ‘round.”

Right: The Classic Shine Company has evolved since its launch in the mid-1980s, and now offers airports sales

data and uses analytics to optimize the traveler experience.

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AX NEWS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024