Areas USA’s Carlos Bernal Elected Chair of ARRA Board of Directors

The Airport Restaurant & Retail Association (ARRA) today announces the election of Areas USA’s CEO Carlos Bernal to chair the Association’s Board of Directors for 2026 and 2027. Mr. Bernal was elected by the board and succeeds Bryan Loden of HMSHost by Avolta whose term as chair ended.

​Mr. Bernal is a visionary leader with more than two decades of experience in airport concessions and travel retail. As CEO of Areas USA, he led the 2025 acquisition of Delaware North’s Travel Hospitality Services, making Areas the largest privately held travel hospitality company in the United States. Carlos has consistently delivered growth through strategic vision, operational discipline, and people-first leadership.
 
“We’re excited to have Carlos take the helm of ARRA in his new role as chair,” said Andrew Weddig, executive director of ARRA. “He has been a valued member of the board since the Association’s founding in 2020. Carlos’ wide-ranging experience and leadership will be invaluable in guiding our mission to support airport concessionaires and the millions of travelers ARRA members serve each year.”
 
“The airport industry has navigated an unprecedented period of change, reinforcing the importance of collaboration and innovation,” said Mr. Bernal. “I’m grateful to be elected to this role and, having served alongside many of my fellow board members, I’m optimistic about what we can accomplish together. I’m honored to work with the ARRA board to help strengthen the airport experience and position our industry for long-term growth.” 
 
The Association also announces the election of Jeff Yablun of OTG Management to the board by the Association’s members, as well as the re-election of Greg Plummer (Concord Collective) and Kevin Westlye (High Flying Foods). Our newly elected board members join ARRA’s continuing board members David Bisset (Paradies Lagardère), Judy Byrd (Byrd Retail Group), Nick Crews (Crews Hospitality), Inez Daniels (Fresher LLC), Corliss Stone-Littles (Corliss Stone-Littles LLC), and Scott Welding (SSP America), as well as Messrs. Bernal and Loden.
 
“As we look ahead to the future of ARRA, I want to especially thank Bryan for his outstanding contributions as chair leading the Association through the industry’s difficult recovery from the pandemic. I also thank and greatly appreciate our outgoing board members Scott Socha (Delaware North) and Courtney Thornton (Hudson) who added invaluable insights from their many years of diverse experience in the travel industry,” said Mr. Weddig. “The ARRA board has always featured the most distinguished executives within our industry. Our new board continues this tradition as the Association works to evolve a sustainable and equitable business framework for the future of the airport restaurant and retail industry and, most importantly, continuing to serve the traveling public with the exceptional guest experience we have all come to expect.”