Airport Experience® News -Customer Service Issue 2026

ONE-ON-ONE

THE POWER OF CONNECTION Mel Montes Reflects On 14 Years With AXN, Shares What’s Next

BY CAROL WARD

ditor’s Note: Melissa K. Montes joined Airport Experience News in February 2013 and attended her first AX Conference shortly thereafter. Over the years that followed, she deepened her industry relationships and expanded her presence across the airport experience community, ultimately becoming vice president and publisher in 2020. More than that, Montes came to personify AXN and the AX Conference, bringing energy, vitality and a keen business sense to the company and its events. Earlier this year, Montes stepped down from her position at AXN to join financial technology event stablecon and launch their executive meetings program, Stable Connect. Separately, she launched 22 North Consulting and through it hopes to remain an integral part of the airport concessions ecosystem. Montes will continue to serve as an executive advisor to AXN through the end of 2026. After countless hours working side by side – from their respective home offices to industry events around the country – AXN’s Carol Ward sat down with Montes for a conversation reflecting on some of her most significant contributions to the industry, the industry’s ongoing evolution and a few of the memorable moments that shaped her years with AXN. E

WARD: It’s been nearly 14 years since you joined Airport Experience News. Can you reflect on your time in the industry? What are some key stand-out moments in your career? MONTES: My time in this industry has honestly been amazing. When I think back to when I first joined AXN – at the time, ARN – there were so many conversations happening about what the airport experience could become, especially the push for local concepts and stronger sense of place. To now look around and see so many of those ideas come to life has been pretty incredible. In terms of a key standout moment, look, I know we all have COVID fatigue and are probably over talking about it, but I have to say that period was one of the most defining moments of my entire career. We couldn’t hold live events. Our media partners understandably had to shift their dollars and their focus away from our magazine. Everyone was just trying to figure out what came next. It taught me a lot about resilience, but even more about how to lead when you don’t have all the answers. What really stayed with me was watching this industry come

together. People shared ideas, supported one another and generally cared about finding a better path forward. And frankly, the chaos created opportunity. It forced us all to think differently and try things we probably wouldn’t have tried before. WARD: What are some key ways the airport concessions world evolved during your tenure? MONTES: I’d start with local brands and sense of place. It really came into its own. Today you can land in an airport and before you even leave the terminal, know exactly where you are. Airports have become the first hello and last goodbye to a city, and concessions play a huge role in telling that story. Number two, technology went from being a nice to have to simply being part of how we travel. Travelers expect mobile ordering, self checkout, touchless payment, digital menus, order ahead, and even delivery to the gate. The best technology isn’t technology for technology’s sake. It removes friction and gives travelers something incredibly valuable at the airport – time. Number three, airports have become experiential. Live music, rotating art and

Above: Melissa K. Montes, former vice president and publisher of Airport Experience News, has left the company to pursue a new opportunity.

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AX NEWS OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2026