Airport Experience® News - Leadership Issue 2025

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DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR LARGE-HUB AIRPORTS

viable. “Now we’re full service,” Makovsky says. “They can operate anywhere on the airport and they do so very safely. We’re the first airport in the world to provide the service, and people actually fly to town just for the opportunity to take a Waymo. “It’s been a great partnership,” he adds, noting that Waymo is “willing to pay what everybody else is paying” and was committed to creating a positive experience for all. Next Steps As director of a large-hub airport, Makovsky has myriad other priorities as well, everything from tackling sustainability challenges and working toward zero carbon emissions by 2040 to incorporating new technologies to enhance the traveler experience. And, he admits, not everything in life is about aviation. “You get to a point in your career where your wife tells you stop talking about airports,” he says. That point hit, so he branched out a bit, channeling his “animal lover” side and volunteering with the Phoenix Humane Society, where he serves on the board of directors. For the foreseeable future, however, aviation – and PHX in particular – will still be front and center in his life. “I love what I do, and our airport is going through this incredible growth phase right now,” he says. “How often in your career do you get to say you will have a hand in affecting the lives of generations to come and millions of people that go through your facilities? I’ve got a great team and I’ve got a community that supports us. With those kinds of tailwinds, it’s fun to do what I do.”

huge issue for our customer base,” he says, adding that the lack of a street pricing policy helped concessionaries weather the downturn from the pandemic. “At the end of the day, you know, I’m all about the laws of economics – I really would rather let the market play it out,” he adds. “As long as the concessionaires are careful to moderate [their approach], I think most customers understand that they need to pay a little bit of a premium at the airport, because there are more costs associated with providing that service at an airport. But everything good comes in balance. And I remind our concessionaires that we have to be careful so customers continue to feel that they’re getting value for the offerings that they have.” On the services front, Makovsky gets kudos from industry colleagues about his negotiations with Waymo , the autonomous driving technology company. Waymo approached the PHX team three years ago with a request to bring Above: The PHX concessions program features a range of local brands – including Bunky Boutique, Chelsea Kitchen and Four Peaks Brewing – that help reinforce a “sense of place” in the airport. Right: Makovsky says he’s looking forward to the next phase of development at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. A new terminal is in the planning stages, with construction expected to begin in 2030.

autonomous vehicles to the airport. “What I have come to appreciate was how they approached us,” Makovsky says, noting the company wanted to learn about the airport and slowly roll out its service. “I like to call it the crawl, walk, run approach,” he says noting the Waymo team wanted the opportunity to prove themselves. “I had a lot of skeptics on my team, and rightfully so, because Sky Harbor Boulevard is such a vital lifeline for our airport. Having an errant operation – something that might mess up Sky Harbor Boulevard – would be a bad day for our customers here.” Testing ensued, first on a limited scale then broadened out as the model proved

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AX NEWS DECEMBER 2025 / JANUARY 2026