Airport Experience® News -Customer Service Issue 2026

LATEST BUZZ

the program’s price tag near $440 million, a figure that reflects how far the plan traveled from its original one-building focus. JAX set a passenger record last year, and VanLoh has pointed to that continued growth as the reason the airport needs more space, more gates and more flights to keep pace with demand. “Increased year-over-year passenger traffic was an indication that we needed to grow,” VanLoh says. “With parking, some days during the summer, as well as popular holidays, every single on-airport parking space would be full.” It was the same story with gate capacity. At certain periods during the day, VanLoh says, every single gate in the terminal was occupied with an aircraft. “It was hindering potential growth as airlines look to hit the scheduled banks at their hubs. Adding six new gates not only gives us six additional gates, but remote aircraft parking as well.” Those six gates sit inside the new Concourse B, a three-level, roughly 165,000-square-foot addition that will bring the terminal’s total gate count to 26. American Airlines is set to occupy five of the six, part of a broader push into new routes and added frequencies out of Jacksonville. Combined with the widened checkpoint and the garage on the way, the program targets the three pinch points that shaped daily operations at JAX for years.

airports rebuilding their food and retail lineup, pairing hometown names with national brands travelers already know. “We wanted a mix of local concessions that showcase some of our community’s most popular eateries and national brands travelers are familiar with and love,” VanLoh says. In Concourse B, HMSHost was awarded a 15-year contract to design and operate the nearly 5,500 square foot Oak and Ocean Food Hall. Willie Jewell’s Old School Bar-B-Q, V Pizza and Pura Bean Coffee are all local spots that showcase Northeast Florida. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there will also be the airport’s first Chick Fil-A. The rest of the concourse lineup includes Cantina Louie Mexican Street Food, Panda Express and Salt & Tide alongside a handful of travel retail shops built around Jacksonville landmarks and neighborhoods.

Passenger Upgrades Parking sits at the top of VanLoh’s list when he describes what travelers will notice first. “We’re building a third car parking garage that will add 2,000 spaces to our inventory, ensuring we’ll have parking for our travelers year-round,” he says. The garage will open prior to this year’s holiday season. The roughly $100 million structure sits alongside JAX’s two existing garages and will also reshape the rental car pickup and return area to cut down on curbside traffic. Concourse B carries its own set of upgrades once it opens in December. “With Concourse B there will be a new Delta Sky Club as well as a new The Club JAX (a Priority Pass lounge) that will be double the square footage of the old clubs,” VanLoh says. Concessions planning for the new concourse leans on a familiar formula for

Left: JAX passenger numbers continue to climb, prompting the airport to add more gates and more flights to keep pace with demand. Below: HMSHost was awarded a 15-year contract to design and operate the nearly 5,500 square foot Oak and Ocean Food Hall.

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AX NEWS OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2026