Manchester Airport Group will enter the U.S. airport market before the end of 2015 when it opens a 5,000-square-foot Escape Lounge on the mezzanine level at Minneapolis-St. Paul International (MSP).
The lounge is open to any traveler on any airline for about $45 per day. Travelers will have access to complimentary food and drinks – or for an additional fee, an upgraded offering of higher-quality fare – along with Wi-Fi, newspapers, magazines and a quiet atmosphere away from the rest of the terminal’s hustle and bustle.
“We’re very excited about the launch of our first Escape Lounge in the USA,” says Rosemarie Andolino, president and CEO of M.A.G.-USA. “The Escape Lounge at MSP will be our flagship lounge and will provide the airport’s passengers with an opportunity to begin their travel in the most enjoyable and relaxing manner possible.”
Although consolidation has reduced the number of players vying for concessions across the U.S. in recent years, M.A.G.-USA is just one of a few companies that operate in airports overseas that have put a stake in the ground and announced their intentions to grow in the U.S.
They’re joined by Fraport Group, which operates out of Frankfurt (FRA) but has operations on five continents, and by ATU Duty Free, a Turkey-based company that is a joint venture between TAV Airports Holding, Unifree Duty Free Inc. and Gebr Heinemann.
M.A.G. Comes In Many Shapes
The Escape Lounge is one of M.A.G.’s signature offerings, but it’s not the only way the company intends to make waves in the United States. M.A.G. has experience working in the role of a program developer, much the same as JFKIAT has in shaping Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy International (JFK), Andolino says.
It also has a strong parking operation overseas that is heavily data- and volume-driven. The company did more than
2.3 million online bookings in 2014 and, as part of a program that allows people to drop off their car in front of the door where they want to enter the airport, handled 6,000 valet movements per day. M.A.G. staff then monitors the travelers’ provided return flight information and will have their cars waiting for them on arrival.
“It’s another huge benefit,” Andolino says. “The customer experience is, by far, better and the cost is better than traditional valet.”
The company is experienced at developing entire programs. It plans to compete for the right to redevelop the Great Hall in Denver International’s (DEN) Jeppesen Terminal and has an interest in the recently released request for proposals at Midway (MDW) in Chicago, though the parent company overseas will handle the specifics of that project because Andolino’s previous job as commissioner of the Chicago Department of Aviation creates a conflict.
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