Airport Experience® News - Food & Beverage Issue 2026

LATEST BUZZ

Right: Executive Director Dan Mann (pictured at an event celebrating record passenger traffic) says investments are needed to ensure an optimal traveler experience at the growing airport.

Operations and Command Center opened as the nerve center for terminal operations. SDF installed the largest geothermal system of any U.S. airport to heat and cool the terminal. Jet bridges at nearly all gates were replaced. Parking capacity expanded by 35%. Baggage claim was fully overhauled, with a new layout, a new handling system and new rental car counters. The airport also built internal systems to monitor baggage wait times and jet bridge connection times. “Our staff is notified when temperatures are inconsistent in the terminal, or when passengers have waited for an extended period on checked luggage,” Mann says. “Having these systems provide information quickly allows us to respond immediately to address the need.” The pandemic, rather than pausing the program, created opportunity. With fewer travelers, SDF timed terminal and airfield projects to minimize disruption for passengers and airline partners. Cargo operations, anchored by UPS Worldport , kept the airport financially steady throughout. The decision to keep investing proved well-founded. SDF’s top four busiest years on record have all come since 2019, with the top three arriving in the past three years. The Checkpoint Project The most visible project now underway is a 30,000-square-foot security checkpoint expansion, set to open in early 2027. It will be the largest change to the terminal’s physical footprint in more than 35 years, increasing screening from six to 10 lanes and allowing TSA to process up to 60% more passengers.

SDF added a sixth permanent lane and a seventh pop-up option before determining a full rebuild was the right path. TSA committed to staffing the new facility. “The ultimate driver for the checkpoint expansion was our morning outbound push,” Mann says. “Simply put, we had more passengers than screening capacity.” In 2018, SDF’s busiest departure hour saw roughly 1,400 passengers. By 2024, that figure had climbed to 1,800. And then there is “Departure Sunday,” which is the day after the Kentucky Derby. It is SDF’s biggest departure day of the year, with outbound passengers growing from 11,000 in 2017 to nearly 20,000 in 2026. Coordinating that volume under the current configuration requires intensive pre-planning with TSA and the airlines. The new checkpoint changes that equation. Design and architecture firm Alliiance is leading the checkpoint’s design, with a mandate that went beyond square footage. “Daylighting was a primary design driver for the new security checkpoint,”

says Michael McClimon, principal at Alliiance, “We’re bringing natural light deep into the space to improve passenger comfort, reduce stress and support staff wellbeing in what can be a high-intensity environment.” The design pulls west-facing sunlight in without the heat, through electrochromic glazing that tints on demand. Mechanical systems run independently of each other, which keeps air quality consistent and cuts energy waste. Restrooms are roughed in for conversion to single-user facilities as accessibility standards shift. And the layout leaves room to add lanes if volume keeps climbing. Further down the redevelopment path will be new concessions offerings in a central core. SDF’s food, beverage and retail offerings generated $12.39 per enplanement in 2025, a figure Mann points to as evidence of both strong demand and untapped potential. Currently, about half of SDF’s concession space sits post-security, where passengers spend the majority of their time. Expanding those offerings is a priority.

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AX NEWS JULY/AUGUST 2026