Airport Experience® News - Pre-Conference Issue 2026

Miami International Airport (MIA), which will serve as a host for the World Cup, is accustomed to high-traffic events, having welcomed millions of additional travelers for recent events including the Art Basel Miami Beach festival during the Thanksgiving Day travel weekend, the 2020 Super Bowl and the Miami Grand Prix in 2024. The airport’s 2026 World Cup hosting plan includes increases in Customs and Border Protection (CBP) staffing and collaboration with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to implement its latest screening technologies, as well as support from the federal government to expedite visa processing times for international travelers, says Greg Chin, MIA’s communications division director. MIA’s expertise has proven helpful for the team at fellow World Cup host airport Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), who reached out to the South Florida hub for advice on managing the heavy influx of travelers. “I reached out to Miami because we had not held a large-scale event like that before, and then we decided to bring in some other airports that we thought would all benefit from that kind of conversation and sharing information,” says SEA’s manager of World Cup logistics Julie Collins. “Not surprisingly, some of the knowledge that we gleaned early on from Miami was around communication. [MIA] had a lot of really tactical, on-the ground services” around specialized ground share transportation for passengers, players and officials, adds Collins. And for the two airports hosting the 2026 Super Bowl — San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and San José Minetta International Airport (SJC) (which will also host several matches in the 2026 World Cup, the NCAA Men’s Basketball West Regional tournament in March 2026, and the 2026 US National Table Tennis Championships) - “there’s never enough time” for planning says Scott Wintner, SJC’s deputy director of marketing and communications, but the airport team’s institutional knowledge from previous events has come in handy. SJC, which has hosted the Super Bowl in 2016 and a number of large-scale events in the intervening years, is “really well-versed in welcoming groups and conventions, but also major sporting events to the South

an influx of business jets,” around 2026’s World Cup, says Jim Szczesniak, director of the Houston Airport System (HAS). “Once we know which teams are playing in Houston, we’ll fine-tune the plan to reflect each fan base’s unique travel habits and expectations,” he adds, “because, whether helping a family arriving on a commercial flight or coordinating private charters, our focus is on delivering a safe, efficient and user-friendly experience that reflects Houston’s world-class hospitality.” Hospitality Focus One of the most critical aspects of welcoming sports fans is making the airport’s lounges, dining and retail concepts feel attuned to the event with limited-edition offerings and experiential activations. Some airports, like DFW, are expanding their lounge offerings in anticipation of international travelers, or are installing a World Cup countdown clock (currently on display at IAH). Others, like PHL, plan to offer FIFA merchandise as well as globally inspired food and beverages “to create a welcoming, engaging experience that reflects both the spirit of the tournament and the best of our city,” says Dana Krawchuk, MarketPlace PHL marketing and guest experience manager. PHL’s Douglas adds that the airport’s 2024 WrestleMania in-airport activations, which included an in-airport pep rally, wrestling ring, merchandise, in-airport branding and plenty of photo ops, “generated so much

Bay,” says Wintner. He notes that the airport has been engaging with city officials as well as sports and entertainment venue design firm Populous to prepare its facilities for the World Cup and Super Bowl to “make sure that visitors to our region feel like they’re part of the action from the moment they touch down and then are sent off with a great last impression of their visit to the South Bay.” SFO, which has hosted previous large scale sporting events including Super Bowl 50, the 2025 NBA All-Star Game and the 2025 NCAA Western Region Basketball Tournament Games “formally began preparing for Super Bowl 60 in May 2025,” says Doug Yakel, public information officer at SFO. “A common focus for these events is accommodating increased demand for private and corporate aircraft operations, including aircraft parking,” he adds. “We anticipate approximately 4,500-5,000 non-airline aircraft operations related to this event over the five-day event period and have already met with local FAA and FBO teams on aircraft operations and parking.” SFO has also suspended any airfield construction projects that might cause flight delays during this period, and is meeting with local stakeholders to ensure smooth operations on the airport’s nearby roadways. And at William P. Hobby International Airport (HOU) and George Bush International Airport (IAH), “Our team is currently focused on tactical planning, everything from coordinated bus transportation for large groups to handling

Right: San José Minetta International Airport will showcase neighborhoods, history and “wacky, interesting factoids” as part of its welcome to sports communities.

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AX NEWS FEBRUARY 2026