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What to Expect

We hope you enjoyed the 2018 Annual Conference & Exhibition! Take a look below and check out what happened yesterday. See you in Tampa next year!

 
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Yesterday's Happenings

“Assess their pain points,” said General Session II Keynote Julie Setser on a few occasions during her presentation Tuesday morning. Setser, the Vice President of R&D Innovation Capability at Proctor & Gamble was driving home the point that there is a good probability you will find your next innovative idea if you do just that with your consumers. Innovation is at the heart of the business model at P&G, where they strive to make products that “create a meaningful difference in people’s lives,” said Setser. And they actively and successfully employ this method with their new products, as evidenced with the Gillette Treo, Pampers and Oral B videos. 

But there’s a balance there that needs to stay intact and there’s also the issue of time, because the “fast fish eats the slow fish” in their world instead of the “big fish eats the little fish.” 

Setser’s following examples and visuals were direct and impactful, and highlighted how even a massive company such as P&G has to keep abreast of change and continually improve. 

Companies who fail to embrace change fast enough won’t survive. “It is crucial for us to figure out how to survive and thrive in this changing economy,” said Setser. She outlined some ways P&G has adjusted its approach in order to do this, but a few stuck out such as:

- We need to adopt some more agile ways of working.
- It is really important to think deeply and really reflect on, ‘What are our proprietary gifts and how are we leveraging them?’”
- The solution to consumer understanding is not continually asking them. Assess their pain points, their challenges and what new opportunities you can create to solve some of those problems for your consumers.
- Create small groups of people 100% focused on new ideas. At P&G they incorporated this in the form of Learning Labs.
- Implement smaller teams. “Collaboration is easier when you have small teams,” she said. “It makes the difference of something getting to market and something dying along the way.”

P&G has also studied the market extensively and a massive trend they are seeing is “the demand for more sustainable and natural solutions and more transparency.”  Another trend is urbanization, which forced them to think more broadly and differently. They are also dealing with the effects of technology too, and embracing the “technological shift.” 

Her challenge to the attendees: “Try it on.” Don’t start big, but start. “We manage risk by taking small steps and learning from them,” she explained. The airport industry has a lot of consumer pain points, she said. “My advice is to take them seriously.”

 

It was a packed house at one of the last sessions of the day on Tuesday, and deservedly so. The panelists all shared some amazing stories about rightsizing – from all different perspectives – and were candid and forthcoming about what happened, contributing factors, their responses, what surprised them and what they could have done differently. Also, they supplied some real-life examples that supported a comment made by moderator Chellie Cameron, CEO at Philadelphia International Airport, when opening the session: “It is not just infrastructure that has to be changed when airports make decisions.” 

TOO BIG: Reg Wright, President and CEO at Gander International Airport Authority, retold the Gander “international lounge” story in a lighthearted manner, but the realities of what this airport is struggling with are anything but comical. “I am trying to operate an airport for aviation as it existed in 1957,” said Wright. And, around that time, it was decided that an international lounge of gigantic proportions (about a third of the size of the airport) was necessary. Now, “our operating costs are 10% of our annual expenditures,” said Wright, and mostly due to this Modernist lounge. But there is nostalgia associated with the lounge and many, especially those who have lived in the community for a while, do not want to see anything happen to it.  Wright said this whole problem would not exist if things had been done differently at the planning stage. “The pubic consultation process was weak.” 

TOO FAST:  At Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Airport Director Lance Lyttle has a different challenge. Sea-Tac is growing too fast.  In just one year, they went from the 13th busiest to 9th busiest, said Lyttle. “We have seen tremendous growth taking place.”

So, the challenges there are with building fast enough to keep up, with having enough land to do so, and with their community outreach.  Not everyone likes to see airports expand, and when public meetings come around there would be very vocal opposition. While there is a silent majority that wants to see the airport grow, “they won’t even show up at a public meeting,” said Lyttle. So, Lyttle started a group called START that has members from airlines, FAA, city managers and the vocal community. “The objective of the group is to look at practical solutions we could put in place… Let’s work toward a solution instead of just complaining.” 

RAPID DOWNSIZING:  Scott Brockman, President and CEO at Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority, said, “We were just humming along” then everything started to turn when Northwest Airlines and Delta filed for bankruptcy at the same time, followed a few years later by a merger.  After the merger, they started to unwind the hub at Memphis and scaled back their flights from 250 flights per day to 19. The number of leased gates went from 83 to 17. 

“The piece that we were not prepared for was the psychological impact on the community,” said Brockman. “It was a pretty ugly situation.” The number of people working on site per day went from 6,500 to 3,200 and the ones who were left were still angry. 

However, “the more transparent we became, the more you could feel the tide turning,” he said.  And, it was about controlling the story better too. They learned that it is better if “you are telling the story first instead of defending yourself from a negative perspective.”

 

Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) announced Susan (Sue) Baer has been named the recipient of the 2018 Williams E. Downes, Jr. Memorial Award. The Downes Award, the highest honor given by ACI-NA, is presented to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in promoting the cause of airports and aviation throughout the local, national and worldwide communities. Following her passing in 2016, the award was presented posthumously and received by her son, Nicholas Martella, during a special ceremony at the 2018 ACI-NA Annual Conference and Exhibition in Nashville, TN on October 2, 2018.

“Throughout her tenured career, Sue Baer understood that collaboration, stakeholder engagement, and creative problem solving are essential to effective and efficient airport management,” said ACI-NA President and CEO Kevin M. Burke. “She leaves a legacy that ensures the future of the aviation industry and its leaders will flourish for years to come.”  Read more >> 

 

On behalf of the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority, President & CEO Doug Kreulen accepted the 2018 Host Airport Award during the 2018 ACI-NA Annual Conference and Exhibition.

 

During the North American Security Update at the ACI-NA Annual Conference, Transportation Security Administration and Transport Canada representatives discussed how government and industry leverage strategic partnerships to develop risk-based policies, deploy technologies and design innovative measures that streamline the process while ensuring a high level of security. In the current environment of ever-evolving threats to civil aviation, panelists discussed how government and industry collaboratively develop security measures that account for the unique geographical layouts and operations of North American airports.

“We have to trust and rely on government regulators and aviation industry partners that they are making the necessary investments and following necessary procedures to protect the public,” said Chris Free of Transport Canada.

Panelists also discussed the importance of collaboration between governments and partners to maximize efficiency and safety, including things like the Trusted Advisory Group and other ways that industry, academia and government can come together to address the challenges and pressing issues facing the industry where security is concerned.

Cutting edge technology plays a key role in these programs and helps to maximize both security and efficiency. Tools like AI and other technology can help ease the burden on regulators and airports to keep the public safe while being flexible enough to accommodate the needs of the airports. Regardless of the airport or location, it’s obvious that technology and collaboration will be key to mitigating threats and keeping airports secure.

 

Yesterday, Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA) announced new leadership elected at the ACI-NA Annual Conference and Exhibition in Nashville, TN.

“ACI-NA is only as strong as our members and their active engagement. These airport industry leaders will help ensure ACI-NA continues its long history of advocating on behalf of the industry as the Voice of Airports®,” said ACI-NA President and CEO Kevin M. Burke. “I look forward to working with ACI-NA leadership as we advance airport industry priorities in Washington and Ottawa.” Read more >> 

 
Getting Social

Last night, the 2018 ACI-NA Annual Conference and Exhibition came to a close with amazing live music, great food, and wonderful company at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Thanks everyone for coming to help us close out the world’s largest “for airports, by airports” event!

 
Aviation Headlines

Just because you’re at a conference doesn’t mean the world stops. Centerlines LIVE will continue providing the latest industry news while Centerlines Today is on hiatus. This section will feature the latest industry news so you don’t miss a beat while networking with old friends and new connections.

>> Meet the wildlife wranglers who spend their day scaring birds away from the airport in St. Louis
The STL airport biologists here have one mission: Preventing run-ins between birds and planes that can result in safety risks to passengers, costly damage for airlines and, yes, snarge. 

>> Philly firm gets $4.4M contract to work on Trenton-Mercer Airport terminal design
The eventual replacement of Trenton-Mercer Airport's passenger terminal and other work took a significant step forward recently with the hiring of a Philadelphia engineering firm. 

>> Augusta Regional Airport tightens curb enforcement
Augusta Regional Airport officially began tightening curb enforcement of unattended vehicles Monday in an attempt to increase security. 

>> Don't take pot on international flights, Canada’s transport minister warns
Canada's transport minister says travellers aboard domestic flights will be allowed to carry a small quantity of cannabis with them after Oct 17. 

 >> American Airlines adds new flights from DFW Airport to Mexico, the Caribbean and more
American Airlines is bulking up its service to Mexico and Central America from DFW International Airport, with new routes and additional daily frequencies to 10 international destinations starting next year. 

>> San Antonio airport announces new nonstop flights to New York City's JFK airport
Beginning February 14, American Airlines will begin daily nonstop service from the San Antonio International Airport to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. 

>> Tulsa airport to offer daily nonstop flight to LAX starting in April
For the first time in nearly seven years, Tulsa International Airport (TUL) will offer a daily nonstop flight to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), beginning April 2. 

>> Passengers are stranded as another European airline collapses
Primera Air, a small low-cost airline that spent the last year expanding its reach from northern Europe to hubs in North America, filed for bankruptcy and ceased flying on Monday night, leaving passengers stranded at airports on both sides of the Atlantic.

 
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