Airport Experience® News - Customer Service Issue 2023

DIRECTOR’S CHAIR

kids to do projects. It was a really cool idea that our team came up with. Then we’re always looking for accessibility, inclusivity, [with things like the lactation pods and the Hidden Disability Sunflower program]. WARD: How are your in-terminal concessions performing? CARRENO: That’s really been a standout. We’ve had $150 million in sales in the last 12 months. We’re a gate-constrained, small facility so we really have to get creative about how we maximize our concessions. We’re really focused on how we make improvements within the small footprint that we have. We’re overhauling it right now. We have some really good partners and we’re doing some rebrands, some remodeling. The question is, how do we improve the customer experience with a program that people want, with brands that people want, but at the same time throughput people quicker? I hate to say but we’re

almost capped on how much revenue we can generate. So, how do we get past that cap? Our peak day is really all day, every day. We’re always busy because of our constraints, but how do we prevent people from waiting 30 minutes at the Chick-fil-A line? We have a really great partnership with our concessionaires and I think they’re really tuned into the customer experience and bringing the right changes in. WARD: Who are your prime concessionaires? CARRENO: We have HMSHost and Hudson, then a bunch of smaller ACDBEs. We also have Star Concessions and SSP [America]. It’s a great mix. Our biggest problem now is trying to ensure people are able to get to the concession [in a reasonable time]. People don’t want to wait in long lines, and that’s what we have sometimes. We’ve got to think of technology solutions so we’re able to accommodate everybody that wants to purchase something. WARD: Switching gears, I’ve read that DAL has new technology that captures wind from jets and converts it to electricity. Can you tell me about that or any other sort of sustainability-focused efforts you have underway? CARRENO: We’re tuned into sustainability. This effort of our latest one, partnering with Dallas-based JetWind Power Corporation. We think it’s revolutionary, [technology that captures and converts wind generated from an aircraft into clean and sustainable energy]. It’s in the pilot program stage, but it’s something that we think an airport like Dallas Love can scale up and get significant benefits.

Above: The DAL team launched a customer service initiative designed to appeal to the airport’s junior travelers: a mobile cart that encourages art projects on the go.

Left: Dallas Love Field is limited by law to just 20 gates. With demand high, the airport is struggling with busy concessions and crowded gatehold areas.

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AX NEWS CUSTOMER SERVICE ISSUE 2023