As the technological advancements and security quirks of air travel continue to evolve, airport terminals across the country are getting a much-needed face-lift.
These facilities, with their ticketing counters, security checkpoints, gates, and baggage claims, cram a lot of things into relatively tight quarters. But almost all of those aspects have radically changed in recent years. From added security in the post-9/11 era to the growth of smartphone boarding passes to the ongoing health concerns related to the pandemic, the physical spaces of airport terminals get used much differently now than they did just a few years ago.
For Delta Air Lines,one of the largest airlinesin the world, that’s led to a big investment in redesigning its terminals to better accommodate the ways air travel has changed. Across three of its main hubs—Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), LaGuardia Airport (LGA), and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)—Delta airline has spentthe last decade and more than $12 billionrethinking its facilities. It’s involved everything from building higher to almost completely eliminating the check-in hall.“We had to go vertical to make all of this work,” says Ryan Marzullo, managing director of corporate real estate for Delta. The airline’s terminals at both LGA and LAX are now four-story buildings, known as headhouses, with new layouts, infrastructures, and even climate change contingency plans. The design of Delta’s premium lounges has adjusted to changing conditions, with more space and an outdoor skydeck at LGA.
Part of the way the company has reconfigured its space is by recognizing the changing ways its customers actually travel.
At LAX, Delta has also rethought its security space as part of a $2.3 billion modernization. The building replaces what were formerly two separate terminals serving several different airlines, and now is primarily used by Delta. Consolidating services and streamlining security were primary concerns.
In Seattle, the experience of moving through the terminal was prioritized, both at security and after. The company estimates that improvements to its passport and security checkpoints will reduce average customer connection times by about 15 minutes. And a new 85-foot-high aerial walkway aims to provide a more pleasant trip through the terminal, with views of Mount Rainier in the distance and the active taxiway immediately below.
While mostly passenger focused, the terminal improvements should also smooth operations. At LGA, which sits on the water in Queens, all critical infrastructure and mechanical equipment was elevated above the flood levels expected to be seen in the region. And to reduce delays, nearly every gate was upgraded to be able to handle the full range of aircraft sizes now in use, meaning an early flight can be rerouted to almost any open gate. The airfield was even upgraded to allow for two-way traffic of planes, instead of the congestion prone one-way tarmac that previously existed.
Overall, Marzullo says, the $4 billion renovation reuses the space that was available, but with the modern realities of air travel in mind. “We were penned in, but we used every square inch of real estate that we could.”
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