Airport Experience® News - Post-Conference Issue 2024

customer experience for the Port of Portland, adding that select concessionaires will pay employees for time spent going through the badging process and/or for their travel time from the employee parking lot to their place of employment. “We value PDX employees and recognize that working at the airport is not easy, and many of the frontline airport jobs are on a lower wage scale, so helping with transportation costs can be a helpful amenity on top of regular wages,” Hunter says. “Getting to work is often more time-consuming for airport employees because you have to park offsite and take a shuttle or rely on public transportation. We’ve made investments to ensure employee parking and transit options are secure and accessible.” For all active part-time and full-time City of Phoenix employees, including PHX employees, free bus and light rail cards are available, and airport employees also have access to free onsite parking and free Level 1 electric vehicle charging for employees who have electric and plug-in hybrid cars. SFO’s Yakel notes that given the high housing costs in the Bay Area, addressing the costs of longer commutes is a key factor that needs to be addressed. SFO has a program that offers airport employees a discounted

fare on Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), as well as an Employee Commute Option, which provides a subsidy of about $200 per month for employees commuting to and from work via public transit. Last year SFO also launched an airport operated commuter bus, called Go>SFO Shuttle, which serves major communities across the Bay. A monthly unlimited ride pass on this shuttle is $190, which is competitively priced to offer savings over personal vehicle commuting, Yakel says. “The response has been very strong, with about 600 to 700 employees using the shuttle every day,” he adds. “SFO has purchased additional busses with plans to expand this service to other communities across the Bay.” LAWA has offered a multi-faceted rideshare program since 1990 that’s used by more than 15 percent of its approximately 2,900 employees. One aspect is its vanpooling program, which began with four vans and has since grown to 70 vans that transport employees to and from the airport along several routes; another is a carpooling incentive for all LAX employees, including a 50-percent discount on monthly parking passes for those who carpool; and another is a $110 monthly subsidy for LAWA employees to use toward a monthly transit TAP card.

Above: Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport hosts a variety of well-received employee engagement events ranging from luncheons and picnics to a chili cook-off fundraiser for a local nonprofit.

Transportation Is Top Of Mind Airports are increasingly acknowledging that right along with access to childcare, access to reliable and affordable transportation is a top concern for their employees. Last year Denver International Airport (DEN), which is currently exploring opportunities for childcare services onsite at the airport, announced an agreement with the Regional Transportation District to provide the lowest EcoPass rate for all concessionaire employees at DEN, a perk that was already part of the benefits package for City and County of Denver employees. “Affordable transit options and creating better transportation and mobility for current and future employees across the airport is a priority for me personally and will be an ongoing priority for DEN,” said CEO Phil Washington at the time of the announcement. The airport also offers employees free 24/7 parking that can be used for personal travel as well as work travel. The Port of Portland, which like DEN is undergoing a childcare needs assessment for Portland International Airport (PDX) employees, incentivizes concession and air service provider employers to offer subsidized TriMet transit passes for employees by paying half of the monthly pass cost for participating companies. “We don’t have data that can directly tie retention to this employee amenity, but we’ve seen an increase in PDX employers offering TriMet passes as a benefit,” notes Kaitlin Hunter, senior manager of concessions and

Left: As part of its PDX People program, the Port of Portland leads Portland International Airport employee recognition events, including its annual Employee Appreciation Week with food trucks and prizes for employees, in addition to smaller, “surprise and-delight” or holiday events that take place throughout the year.

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AX NEWS APRIL/MAY 2024