Airport Experience® News - Pre-Conference Issue 2026

Left: In June 2025, Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), revealed a world cup countdown clock, marking the days and hours until the major sporting event hits the city.

World Cup experience with parts of Seattle. That starts with our customers – making sure the customer experience is efficient, that customers are able to get from point A to point B with intuitive wayfinding and making sure that our transportation is easy to locate. We can have really exciting activities and banners [around the World Cup], but if the [customer] experience isn’t a positive one, we know that’s a real detriment.” “We’re also focused on ways that the airport employees can be engaged and really feel excited,” Collins continues. “So many of them come from all around the world. They’ve grown up with the FIFA World Cup, and so for them to get into the competitive spirit is something we really want to draw on, and have our airport community get excited about this big event next year.” The teams at SFO and HAS would agree. “For any such event, our goal is to ensure we deliver a consistently high airport experience irrespective of the increased volume of passenger and flight activity during these events,” says Yakel, by “operating a facility that is welcoming, dependable, reliable, rich in features and amenities ensures repeat business even after these major events are over.” “The most critical piece is delivering a seamless experience from the moment they arrive until they depart,” adds Szczesaniak. “For many fans, this will be their first time in Houston, and we want them to leave thinking, ‘That was easy, that was welcoming, I’d come back again.’ That means smooth curbside operations, plenty of staff ready to answer questions and efficient processing through TSA and Customs. Houston is a primary gateway to Latin America and the South Central United States, so the impression we make matters. If we do this right, travelers won’t just remember the World Cup—they’ll remember Houston as a place they want to return to for business or leisure.” And until the first fans touch down, “it’s going to be a period of time with lots of momentum,” says LGB’s Lopez-Rios of the ‘28 games.“ It is a ways out, but it comes quickly —it will be here before we know it!”

energy from fans and employees that PHL is finalizing similar plans to welcome guests for all major events coming to Philadelphia in 2026.” For the teams at IAH and HOU, which plan to incorporate team-specific merchandise once entrants are finalized for the World Cup, “the goal is to give fans a chance to celebrate their teams the moment they arrive, while also keeping the concessions experience smooth and efficient for all travelers,” adds Szczesniak. MIA, which will create soccer-themed activities for younger travelers and watch party areas for passengers to catch live World Cup matches, is also working to bring in a FIFA concessionaire, adds Chin, noting that the airport plans to have three FIFA-themed restaurants “and possibly some retail locations.” “We have the opportunity to really do some special things during that time,” adds Lopez-Rios of LGB’s Olympics hosting stint. In addition to working with concessionaire Paradies Lagardère to coordinate Olympic memorabilia, LGB, which regularly hosts community concerts with food trucks in its outdoor spaces, plans to create similar gatherings with live screenings of Olympic events for travelers and locals alike. LGB even has on-campus pickleball courts and offers pickleball pop-ups for those who feel inspired by the games to try their hand at a sport.

Image Building Airport leaders hope that passengers won’t just walk away with fond memories of their favorite sporting event, but also of the region itself. “While DFW doesn’t directly influence this, our beautiful, diverse and culture-rich region does,” says McCloskey, adding that the DFW team is “committed to making the airport experience enjoyable and not a barrier to returning – Dallas, Fort Worth and our surrounding communities are welcoming and warm, and we always strive to mirror that experience here at DFW.” The team at SJC hopes its work with design firm Populous to create a distinctive “San Jose 2026” brand both showcases its role in the year’s sporting events, and “gives people a glimpse into our community [by] featuring many of the neighborhoods in our community, some of the history of our community, and some of the wacky, interesting factoids about things that were born here in San Jose, to really try to draw people in and help tell the story,” says Wintner. “I think we all recognize that a lot of people know parts of our story, but they don’t necessarily tie it back to San Jose. And so that’s what, in part, this effort hopes to do for visitors who join us in ‘26.” SEA’s Collins adds, “It’s really [about] creating that sense of place – merging the

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AX NEWS FEBRUARY 2026