Airport Experience® News - Conference Issue 2024

ONE-ON-ONE

some enhancements in the central part of the terminal and the gate areas. That expands what you would normally expect from a concession operator or developer. With the implementation of these elements and the concession program, we would like to highlight the JetBlue brand as a New York-based airline. Very high on the agenda of our client, JetBlue, is the exceptional service, the quality, and what JetBlue stands for that needs to be reflected in the concession program. We want to capture more the spirit of New York City and bring in some well-known brands from New York. For Reagan and Dulles, we are making good progress - we have a great team on site who has managed the transition period excellently. We will be working with MWAA to implement a concessions program that meets their expectations. WARD: Finally, you have contracts at CLE and EWR Terminal B. Are there any new developments with those programs? TRENK: Cleveland has seen remarkable development after the pandemic. It’s a smaller operation, but it’s a very robust and good operation. The program is really delivering very, very good results with high customer satisfaction. We have grown the number of concession units and have high ACDBE participation rates of more than 40%. We have several nice local concepts - the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is present at the airport. We are also looking forward to the redevelopment of the airport terminal. We are very eager to see what changes that will bring about and how we, with our concession program, can contribute to that transformation. At Newark Terminal B, it’s a management contract. We have also some projects in the pipeline. There is an RFP coming up where we would like to see some changes to the mix of food and beverage retail. The objective is to see how we can improve passenger experience. We’re always looking at how we can be better, how we can be innovative, how can we have a customer-focused and quality oriented service offer.

the airport. When we look at a customer base, we try to give them something that makes their journey memorable when they are arriving at the airport or leaving the airport. The whole program there is reimagined. We are now operating 85 locations and we have great ACDBE participation of over 48%. We know that airports [are instrumental in] driving the economy of a city, of a region, and we want to give smaller operators and new enterprises the opportunity to participate. We have seen very strong sales growth. I think when we started sales per enplanement were around $11. Now they are over $15.50, roughly. It’s not just a program that has brought change in terms of the offer, the variety, the types of

concepts. It is also commercially successful. We are very, very satisfied with the program and I hope that our partner there sees it the same way. We are looking forward to further developing that program and continuing on that growth path. The next step is concourse D. So the story continues. We want to continue to develop this iconic program we have started and showcase the best of Nashville and Tennessee. WARD: Do you have a similar vision for the MWAA airports and Terminal 5 at JFK? TRENK: For Terminal 5, we are partnering with JetBlue for a redevelopment of the terminal. We are looking for a revamp of our concession program, and we have certain other elements where we [take on]

Left: Local brands and concepts, like these at Nashville International Airport, help create a local feel in airport concessions programs developed by Fraport USA.

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AX NEWS MARCH 2024