Travelers are starting to fly again, offering some relief to beleaguered airport shops and restaurants after the pandemic brought most travel to a standstill.

Duty-free outlets and other airport stores have been a rare success story in the slumping bricks-and-mortar world in recent years. Airport retail enjoys a captive audience. Travelers often have time on their hands and can be susceptible to buying a souvenir or luxury product on a whim, or as last-minute presents. The shops are especially popular with Chinese tourists.

But the sharp decline in air travel last year pounded these operations, and airports around the world have reported that annual revenues shank by more than half last year. U.S. airport shops and restaurants stand to lose $3.4 billion from July 2020 to the end of 2021, according to estimates from the Airport Restaurant & Retail Association. That’s more than three years of profits.

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Source: The Wall Street Journal
Date of Article: March 10th 2021

The two-day (March2-3) AXN Passenger Experience Conference featured panels of airport directors/CEOs, major concessions companies, technology service providers discussing the challenges and the future for airport concessionaires and the airport industry.

AIRPORT DIRECTOR OUTLOOK
Panel:
Chelle Cameron, CEO, Philadelphia International Airport
Justin Erbacci, CEO, Los Angeles World Airports
Lance Lyttle, Managing Director, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
Bryan Ryks, Executive Director and CEO, Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Airports Commission

The panel of airport directors and CEOs opened the AXN Passenger Experience Conference and discussed their efforts to manage through the pandemic and provide MAG and rent relief to airport concessionaires. Lance Lyttle, Managing Director, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Brian Ryks, Executive Director and CEO, Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Airport Commission, Justin Erbacci, LAWA CEO, and Chelle Cameron, CEO, Philadelphia International Airport all discussed the importance of airports assisting concessionaires and that the CARES Act and additional federal relief are very helpful to their ability to provide relief.

Justin Erbacci for Los Angeles World Airports said they responded quickly to the pandemic and put in initial MAG relief before there were any federal relief funds. He also provided assistance with refurbishment requirements and extended terms to allow more time to figure out what to do in the future. The current relief runs through the end of June, he said, and LAWA will need to do more to help concessionaires. “Federal money is a huge help and we couldn’t do it all without it.” All of the airport CEOs said they could not provide the level of relief to concessions without the CARES Act and most recent grants, and said they must have more federal assistance so they can continue to help concessionaires.

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Airline executives said they are starting to see a path out of the coronavirus pandemic as more passengers resume travel, following a weekend when airport volumes hit their highest levels in a year.

Delta Air Lines Inc. bookings began picking up five or six weeks ago as people have begun making plans for spring and summer, Chief Executive Officer Ed Bastian said at an industry conference Monday.

“We’ve seen some glimmers of hope over the last year, but they’ve been false hope,” Mr. Bastian said. “But this seems like it’s real.”

Airline stocks climbed Monday. Shares of United Airlines Holdings Inc. rose 8.3%, while shares of American Airlines Group Inc. climbed 7.7% and Delta shares rose 2.3%.

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Source: The Wall Street Journal
Date of Article: March 15th 2021

A group of Harvard health experts gave airports high marks for taking steps to ensure passenger safety, but stopped short of saying it is safe to fly during the pandemic.

Researchers with the Aviation Public Health Initiative at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health unveiled their second report to reporters on Thursday, saying that a multilayered approach similar to that recommended for schools and offices is in place at airports across the country. That approach, which consists of upgraded ventilation, sanitized surfaces, technology that encourages contactless transactions, as well as the familiar hand hygiene, mask wearing, and physical distancing, can reduce exposure to any virus that travelers may carry.
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The researchers said that redoubled personal commitment can provide an added measure of safety for those who must travel. That starts with staying home if you feel ill, being diligent about mask wearing, and stepping back from crowds at unavoidable choke points like boarding gates and baggage claim.

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Source: The Harvard Gazette
Date of Article: March 10th 2021