Guide for In-Terminal Airport Concession Programs

Strategies and models for in-terminal airport concessions continue to evolve. Airports have to demonstrate resiliency and use innovative thinking to provide flexibility to concessionaires in a new environment. Escalating capital, labor, and operating costs have strained the existing business model of in-terminal concessions, while e-commerce, digitalization, and changing demand patterns have challenged traditional ways of understanding airport in-terminal concessions. Airports are looking for opportunities and approaches to become more agile and ensure their concessions programs provide a best-in-class experience for passengers while optimizing revenue to help meet rising airport operating costs and ongoing debt and enhance airport financial self-sufficiency. Building a concessions program requires airports to have the data and tools necessary to determine the best concessions models and strategies. The goals of a concessions program include optimizing concessions space, ensuring a balanced concessions mix, reducing barriers of entry, and identifying appropriate contracting and management practices. Research is needed to develop a guide to help airport operators develop and manage their in-terminal concession programs. The objective of this research is to create a guide to help airport operators develop and manage their in-terminal concession programs.

• Record URL:
  • http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=5578

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $499,867.00
• Contract Numbers:

  Project 01-55

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP)

  Transportation Research Board, 500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  Federal Aviation Administration

  800 Independence Avenue, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20591
• Project Managers:

  Murthy, Krishna

• Performing Organizations:

  Unison Consulting

  Chicago, Illinois   
• Principal Investigators:

  Patel, Bhavesh

• Start Date: 20240522
• Expected Completion Date: 20251121
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Airport terminals; Airports; Business models; Concessions; Handbooks; Marketing; Operating costs; Optimization; Revenues; Stakeholders
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Aviation; Finance; Operations and Traffic Management; Terminals and Facilities;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01889818
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: Project 01-55
• Files: TRB, RIP
• Created Date: Aug 10 2023 9:45AM