Since the late 1900’s and early 2000’s, airports across the country have made MAJOR upgrades in the services and products they offer to their passengers. Early in this century, airport managers focused on offerings that most resemble the amenities and brands that one would find at major malls throughout the US.
As airport retail and food and beverage offerings evolved, so has the focus on making the airport a destination and exciting part of the journey—rather than simply the means to an end. Retail and food and beverage offerings are the norm and now airport operators are looking for even more innovation to set themselves apart from the competition. Amenities such as Yoga rooms (Burlington International Airport, Dallas and San Francisco) and Pet Therapy programs (Los Angeles and San Francisco) are the buzz!
All of this fanciness is of course, to woo passengers and entice them to spend more time—and more money—in the airport. It is big business—several brands are now clamoring to get into the airport space, and conferences that support the airport concessions industry are claiming record attendance!
CSE is and has been at the forefront of airport concessions customer service since 2000—when we launched an industry-first, innovative service development program at Reagan National Airport. Since then CSE has partnered with over 100 airport projects in North America and is considered the leader in service development for the airport industry.
This is a hot topic and ABC’s Nightline recently aired a segment on trends in airport retail- Check out CSE’s own Holly Buckner, talk shop about airports and is dubbed the “Airport Guru”!
What are YOUR favorite airport amenities to indulge in while waiting for your flight?
LEARN MORE:
Check out these posts to dig deeper into the realm of service offered by airport concessions:
Are you seeking to improve service experiences in your airport? Download our Sample Airport Customer Experience Program to begin today!
