It was about two years ago when a group of the nation’s largest airports decided that an insular approach to solving some of the industry’s biggest problems wasn’t enough.
With infrastructure funding in disarray and massive Customs logjams for international passengers visiting the United States, a group of airports decided to join with the U.S. Travel Association, forming a committee called the Gateway Airports Council.
“This allows us to reach out to a broader audience and get our message out, to help bring awareness to the challenges we’re facing as airports,” says Rosemarie Andolino, commissioner at the Chicago Department of Aviation and current chair of the GAC.
Andolino credits Jeff Fegan, former CEO of Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW), with bringing the two groups together.
“Jeff Fegan was a member of U.S. Travel and introduced us to the group,” Andolino recalls. “He really led the charge.”
In fact, a handful of large airports were already involved in U.S. Travel when plans were laid for the more formal partnership.
From the broader travel industry perspective, linking with airports makes sense, according to Patricia Rojas-Ungar, vice president of government affairs for the U.S. Travel Association.
“The issues that airports face are important to the entire travel community because when there are problems with capacity and delays, that impacts the entire spectrum of travel,” Rojas-Ungar says.
John Martin, director of San Francisco International (SFO), says he thinks a broader-based coalition, including airports and the larger travel community, is crucial when tackling some of the issues facing large U.S. airports in particular.
“We’re working toward a stronger, more unified voice for the entire travel industry, of which the airports are very much a part,” Martin told ARN in an interview late last year.
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