Jshank83 wrote:https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2017/11/07/retail-upgrades-underscore-lamberts-turnaround.html
Locked article on retail at the airport. Just curious if it says anything of note. Thanks.
I also noticed that on my phone it also shows a picture caption that says "Rhonda said more international flights will be added over the next year"
Not sure if that means what has been announced or more announcements to come. I am hoping at some point they unlock the article or stltoday does a report or something.
Here is the transcript
"When Southwest Airlines starts its new non-stop service from St. Louis to Cancun, Mexico, on Saturday, it'll be the latest in a string of improvements that St. Louis Lambert International Airport is doing "inch by inch" to take the airport to the next level, according to Director Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge.
Since the closing of the TWA hub in 2003 and the recession, Lambert has suffered from declining traffic and poor traveler perceptions. It consistently ranks low on consumer lists, such as the J.D. Power North America Airport Satisfaction Study where Lambert came in at 17 out of 21 large U.S. airports this year.
"We continue to ask our customers what they want, what makes sense and try to meet those demands," Hamm-Niebruegge told the Business Journal.
Among those demands — which Lambert culls from surveys, social media and personal interactions with travelers — were hour-long free Wi-Fi that the airport added last month, a new lounge that will open in Terminal 2 next month, and more dining options. Lambert announced last week that Three Kings Public House will open in Terminal 2 in the spring for an eight-year contract worth at least $2.03 million.
Those follow a second Vino Volo wine bar and Sweet Indulgences candy store that opened earlier this year, approval of ride-sharing apps like Uber and Lyft, more flight service to the entire San Francisco Bay Area from Southwest, and the announcement that Wow Air would begin nonstop service to Iceland.
"That has helped a lot in terms of people’s perceptions of (Lambert's) value and asset to the region," Hamm-Niebruegge said. "We take it inch by inch to get to the next level."
More international flights — a lack of which has long been a complaint of travelers — also is on the horizon over the next 12-18 months, she added.Lambert is guaranteed set revenue, called minimum annual guarantee, from its retail and concessions shops and receives a percentage of revenue that exceeds the minimum annual guarantee. In 2013, a new retail contract went into effect with the Hudson Group, with the airport set to earn $41 million over 10 years. In the last three years of the contract with its previous retail operator, Atlanta-based The Paradies Shops, Lambert received $5.5 million in retail revenue, officials said at the time. Lambert's new contract with Hudson guaranteed it $13 million in the first three years.
Revenue from terminal concessions at U.S. airports totaled $1.9 billion in 2015, up from $1.8 billion the year before, according to the Airports Council International, citing Federal Aviation Administration data. The Airports Council International found in its concessions study that food and retail were the fastest growing segments of non-aeronautical revenue for U.S. airports.
There are other signs that Lambert is rebounding from the recession and the TWA hub shutdown. Lambert saw a 7.7 percent rise in the number of passengers in fiscal year 2017, ended June 30, to 14.4 million passengers. For the first six months of 2017, total aircraft departures increased 7.8 percent with 45,450 take-offs.
Though J.D. Power ranked it 17th among 21 large U.S. airports, Lambert's overall performance improved to "about average" from "the rest." Lambert also improved its ranking in airport accessibility, security checks, terminal facilities and baggage claim to "about average." In addition, Fitch upgraded its bond rating of Lambert from BBB+ to A-, revising the rating outlook from "stable" to "positive." Fitch attributed the airport's stable financial metrics and limited competition, among other segments for its rating."
An hour is very impressive for STL considering this is the same airport that called "renovations" retiling and fixing ceilings and lights while other airports added food halls, shopping areas, innovative experiences like VR and touchscreen games and updated look/ architecture to the 21st century. This is the same airport that waits until people complain about lack of international flights or wifi or airline clubs ect. to change things. We don't innovate for a better user experience, we wait and then try to catch up when passengers complain about better experiences in other cities. However, on a positive note, we do innovate when it comes to functionality and airline business such as the dual customs hub as well as beehive and cattle transport, which I guess is more important than a customers impression of an airport.
