Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) President Greg Principato this morning recognized John Infanger, editorial director for Airport Business Magazine, for 25 years of service to the aviation community at the ACI-NA 20^th Annual Conference & Exhibition.

Statement of ACI-NA President Greg Principato:

“For 25 years, John Infanger has covered the airport and aviation industry with intelligence, integrity and energy.  He will, as good journalists do, ask tough questions and hold people accountable using the facts and their own words.  John is thorough and fair, laying out the facts for his readers, shedding light on complex aviation issues.  Whether you are an industry insider or lay person, you will be better informed about airports and aviation after reading John’s work.

ACI-NA is delighted to recognize and celebrate John’s quarter century of covering our industry and to wish him many, many more years of service to his many readers and admirers.”

The plaque presented to Infanger had the following inscription: “In recognition of 25 years as an aviation journalist whose articles continue to be required reading for everyone in the airport industry.”

Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) has launched a redesign of its website at www.aci-na.org.  The new design is intended to better serve the needs of its airport and associate members by focusing on the most relevant content and providing enhanced functionality with improved navigational aids.

“We’re pleased to introduce the redesigned website, www.aci-na.org, as the definitive resource on airports for our members and stakeholders,” said ACI-NA President Greg Principato.  “The new site better showcases the work of ACI-NA on behalf of our more than 350 North American member airports, which are critically important for commerce and economic development for their local communities and provinces. The new design encourages visitors to learn about ACI-NA’s 17 committees and provides easier access to data, news and available business opportunities in the airport industry,” concluded Principato.

The re-designed home page boasts two new features:

• Call to Action: At the top right of the home page, the site features a ‘call to action’ quote from ACI-NA President Greg Principato which links to a supporting document and a specific call for member action on legislative, regulatory or other industry issues.

• Slide-Show Marquee: The slide-show feature, located just below the navigation bar on the home page, is designed to draw visitors deeper into the website or ACI-NA blogs by highlighting the latest news, blogs and conferences.

Additionally, each committee section now offers a one-stop, all you need home page for each of the 17 ACI-NA Committees. These home pages list the latest committee news and upcoming events including webinars, conference presentations and resource materials.

Other Key Improvements:

• The Communication hub of the home page features quick access to all ACI-NA blogs, social media outlets, news and publications.

• The Education hub of the home page features quick access to upcoming ACI-NA events, ACI’s Global Training, and the most recent presentations.

• The Job and Business Opportunities hub of the home page features quick access to two of the most visited locations of the site, job opportunities and RFP offerings, which is now more prominently displayed at the bottom of the home page.

Over 350 airport and airline representatives gathered i Cleveland, OH this week for the ACI-NA Marketing and Communications & JumpStart Air Service Development Program. The ACI-NA JumpStart^® Program is the premier airport-to-airline networking program designed to bring airports and airlines together for face-to-face meetings. It has a 14-year track record of success. This year’s event will connect over 50 airline route planners from 26 airlines with more than 1,000 scheduled one-on-one meetings, which is a new record in the history of the JumpStart^® program. This number does not take into consideration the side-meetings being conducted throughout the conference that are not on the official meeting schedule. With every legacy carrier from the US, Canada and Mexico, and a number of low cost carriers in attendance, it’s sure to be a busy one and a half days of meetings. This year’s JumpStart^® welcomed a number of first-time airline attendees — Minneapolis/St. Paul-based Sun Country; Cleveland-based Streamline Air; and Winnipeg-based Exchange Income Corporation, which represents four Canadian airlines: Bearskin Airlines, Calm Air, Keewatin Airlines, and Perimeter.

JumpStart in Cleveland, June 23, 2011.

JumpStart has steadily increased the number of available meetings slots by 40 percent from 2009 and 10 percent from 2010. The strategy of moving JumpStart from one day to one and a half days, starting on Wednesday afternoon and continuing all day Thursday, has been welcomed by both airports and airlines and has maximized their value of attendance. As a result, airports across all hub sizes have more scheduled meetings this year with an average of 6.4 meetings.

A total of 157 airports, a new record, participated in this year’s program, compared to 150 last year.  Airports in attendance include 10 large hubs, 26 medium hubs, 39 small hubs, 66 non-hubs, and 22 Canadian airports.  Small and non-hub airports see steady increase both in terms of the number of airports in attendance and the number of meetings scheduled. The increased attendance from small and non-hub airports is what differentiates JumpStart from other similar industry events.

In addition to the one-on-one meetings, airports and airlines will be able to take advantage of many networking opportunities such as the JumpStart reception held on June 22, networking breaks, and a post-JumpStart reception at the Cleveland Browns Stadium, hosted by the Cleveland Airport System and the 2012 conference host, Sacramento County Airports.

At the ACI-NA Customer Service & Aviation Education Conference held last week in Denver, the point was made by Sally Covington, deputy manager of aviation Marketing and public relations at Denver International Airport: customers are not a commodity; they are not just a can of soup. Her statement rang true for me and I’m sure, for the rest of the almost 90 attendees in the room.

Q&A time at the Customer Service Conference last week in Denver.

As the new ACI-NA Director of Membership and Marketing, I was delighted to attend my first Customer Service and Aviation Education Conference and excited for a myriad of reasons. First off, this was my first time traveling to Denver, which is a way cooler city than I thought and, the Rocky Mountains make for a breath-taking view from the airport. Secondly, I was going to meet and talk with folks from our member airports, which is always a treat. And lastly, this was a record-breaking Customer Service Conference in terms of attendees and, like everybody else, I was eager to learn best and next practices, share ideas and information, and network with colleagues.

The content and speakers were excellent. I could go on and on about each session, but here are some highlights:

In the opening keynote session, Lou Carbone of Experience Engineering created that aha moment for attendees when he said, we shouldn’t stop at best practices in customer service but instead, look beyond to next practices. Founder and CEO of Open Doors Organization, Eric Lipp, and his panelist certainly opened our eyes and understanding with his Better Serving Customers with Disabilities session. Airports, and other organizations for that matter, would do well to better understand and provide for their customers with special needs.

A key takeaway for me was offered by Cathy Nyfors of the Vancouver Airport Authority. In conclusion of her presentation on the Vancouver 2010 Winter Paralympics, she summed it up by saying that it’s all about people. And I agree. It takes people to serve people. Customer service is about more than a bunch of programs, systems and processes. It’s everyday people like you and me serving our customers, meeting their needs and exceeding their expectations.

Nick Bilton with Hardy Acree

He also discussed the importance of smart content and hyper-personalization, noting that “everything will be personalized in the future.” Bilton outlined a time in the not too distant future where a passenger will arrive at the airport and download content to his mobile device from a website. He will expect the website to recognize which news articles he may have already read, the fact that he does not care about sports or that he only wants a short summary of the articles.

The latest neurological research, showing that human brains were actually built to multitask, which is included in his new book, I Live In The Future & Here’s How It Works, was also covered.  Answering the criticism that multi-tasking may not be productive, he said, “the ability to engage in two tasks at the same time depends entirely on what the tasks are”.  (Bilton reminded us that people have multi-tasked for years.  For example, in the 1940’s people listened to the radio while reading books. No one worried then.)  Also, that research shows that the brains of children who have grown up with technology and videogames can more quickly process information and have increased attention spans, as well as better eye-hand coordination.

Bilton reminded airport representatives that “technocondria”- the fear of new technology- has been around since the invention of the telephone. He urged airports to embrace technology, remembering that new generations of travelers “pay for experiences, not content.” Build on platforms that will be around such as Facebook and Twitter, he suggested. “Take one step and build experiences on these bigger platforms because people have invested in them,” Bilton said. The important thing is to build communities around specific experiences at the airport.

Engage in the conversation — share your thoughts here or on Twitter. Many of you gave us an instant review during Bilton’s presentation.

With the June 25 deadline for entries to this year’s Excellence in Marketing and Communications Contest quickly approaching, a past winner spoke Tuesday, June 8, about her airport’s successful campaign.

During the 2010 ACI-NA Marketing and Communications Conference Traci Bednard, Edmonton International Airport’s vice president of communications and passenger experience, said the “We’ll Move You” brand was the product of a five-year strategic plan for redevelopment.

“It’s not about a logo switch, but a long-term process that requires considerable investment,” she said of the campaign, which Edmonton believes led to recent growth at the airport.

Bednard said winning the honorable Peggy G. Hereford Award in both 2008 and 2009 served to justify the  campaign; providing evidence that the airport’s efforts were worthwhile.

Her advice to future applicants? “Have the entry form in front of you as you develop your campaign,” she said.

For more information on Edmonton’s marketing campaigns visit www.flyeia.com. To submit entries online for this year’s Excellence in Marketing and Communications Contest visit http://public.aci-na.org/comm2010/

The award, which is considered the airport industry’s most prestigious honor awarded to a communications and marketing professional, recognizes exceptional values, accomplishments and creativity, and commitment to both the airport industry and their profession throughout an honoree’s career.

In presenting the award, Luce Bureau, Aéroports de Montréal, said, “Jerry has brought commitment, talent and integrity to every initiative he has worked on, exhibiting strong personal values and professionalism in all areas of his career. He has left an unforgettable impact on the region’s air industry, and the airport community has benefited greatly from his innovative leadership and unique approach to marketing and communications.”

As vice president of marketing and business development for the Halifax International Airport Authority (HIAA), which operates Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ), Staples oversees all air passenger and cargo marketing and development, lease administration and market trend analysis for the airport. YHZ is Canada’s 7th busiest airport and among the busiest and highly acclaimed air transportation hubs worldwide.

Staples joined the airport staff more than 22 years ago, moving into progressively more senior roles ever since. Using a creative and forward-thinking attitude, Jerry has successfully strengthened HIAA’s marketing approach through a well positioned, well executed travel website and a dynamic social media strategy. In addition to bringing integration and innovation to HIAA’s overall marketing and brand recognition, Jerry has also been responsible for fostering benefits for the region’s air industry as a whole. He has served as a member of the ACI-NA Steering Group for the Marketing & Communications Committee and regularly attends Jumpstart, hosting the event in 1998. 

Staples becomes only the third individual to receive the Ted Bushelman Legacy Award, which was first presented two years ago to the award’s namesake, Bushelman, who served as Senior Director of Communications at Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport for 40 years.

Upon first blush, the parallels between theme parks and airports are not entirely obvious. However, as Marilyn explained, both entities have a desire and a self-induced obligation to go green and to involve their local communities in their efforts.

As the recipient of the 2009 City of San Diego’s Waste Reduction and Diversion Award for 14 years in a row, Sea World offers numerous programs and initiatives that can be copied and pasted into the airport model:

1. Sea World not only recycles more than 50 percent of all its waste, including animal and construction waste, and more than 20,000 pounds of food is recycled from Sea World’s culinary operations.

Marilyn’s Tip for Airports: Collect the food leftovers from the concessionaires and donate the remains to the local humane society.

2. Sea World has placed 4,000 low-flow irrigation nozzles on its landscape property and has increased its use of drip irrigation.

Marilyn’s Tip for Airports: This is an expensive and intensive process. However, implementing this water conservation effort can actually save you money on your utility bill. Sea World has reduced its irrigation water use by 20 percent.

3. Sea World has held six community recycling events in the last two years where hundreds of thousands of pounds in recyclable materials were collected and recycled.

Marilyn’s Tip for Airports: Get your community engaged by holding green events. Get the local youth involved by starting an essay contest on protecting and preserving the environment.

These are just a few examples of the efforts that Sea World has taken to go green, and just a few ideas that airports could consider. Check ACI-NA’s website in a week or so to see Marilyn’s full presentation and others from the event.
-Victoria Houghton

Yes, there is an app for airports; in fact, there are a number of competing apps that airports can utilize to their advantage. This thriving world is still brand new and no one knows where the possibilities will end. Right now, it is a veritable laboratory of innovative ideas that differ in function, intricacy, cost, and demands on airport IT and communications.

One of the fundamental options for an airport is simply creating a mobile website. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport created its own mobile site to guide passengers through its terminals. Its mobile website is programmed and scaled down to properly display on any smart-phone.

Denver and Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport have joined a growing network of airports on a new app, goHow Airport. Instead of building and maintaining their own app site, the airports entered into a partnership. The folks behind goHow Airport will be soliciting ads from vendors within each airport.

The “grand daddies” of airport apps, Airport Maps and GateGuru, have created their networks without the active involvement of the airports.

In this rapidly evolving world, GateGuru is now selling advertising, has arranged a marketing plan with JetBlue to reward frequent users and is incorporating elements of the app Foursquare.

Another airport app, Airside Express, is building its network by first striking deals with the airlines and an airport concession company. Next on the list are airports looking for an enhanced presence on its network.

Click here to read more about apps for airports. You can also catch this new trend near the beginning of the wave at the 2010 ACI-NA Communications and Marketing Conference in San Diego on June 8 to learn about the various routes airports are taking, how deals are being structured and the benefits for airports.

By Louis Serino

Posted on 04/30/2010 on CAK Blog Port

I had the pleasure of speaking on a panel with Benet Wilson, Biz Aviation editor at Aviation Week (and oh so much more) and Morgan Johnson, social media guru at jetBlue Airlines at the ACI-NA Technology Conference in Orlando this past Wednesday.

Now, I’ve been on what seem like a gazillion social media panels since we started blogging, tweeting, FBing, Flickring and YouTubing but this ranks as one of my all time favorites. Benet is an uber-social, super cool journalist who is clearly on top of all things aviation. Morgan shared some very cool examples of how they have used social media to help solve customer problems and to respond to a crisis (like that big snow storm around Valentine’s Day 2007- poor dears).

What was even cooler was that the IT managers in the audience were very engaged in the topic and genuinely interested in supporting their respective airports marketing and communications departments get more involved in social media. Sometimes IT and Marketing don’t see eye-to-eye on issues like access to social networking sites and legal issues. This group, however, really seemed to get it.

I learned a couple of things too:

Social media isn’t a perfect fit for every company, airport or outfit

1. Airlines with massive followers and fans cannot possibly be expected to answer every call for help immediately but they can get a team assembled to address most issues quickly and effectively.
2. Benet is even cooler than I thought originally…and that’s saying a lot…because I’ve always held her in high esteem. Follow her tweets @AvWeekBenet, if you are an aviation fanatic like me.

ACI-NA has good news! This year, the contest is going online. This means more judges, no expensive postage, and no big boxes and poster boards. Click here for more information on how to submit your entry. The online system will be up and running April 30, 2010, and will be available on ACI-NA’s ‘Awards’ web page.

Since its inception in 1990, the Excellence in Airport Marketing & Communications Contest allows ACI-NA to recognize the quality of work, abundance of talent, and creativity within the marketing and communications field of the airport industry. The contest is sponsored by the ACI-NA Communications and Marketing Committee and includes a variety of categories including web site design, annual reports, newsletters, advertising campaigns, special event planning and more.

A major component of the contest is the judges’ selection of the recipient of the Peggy G. Hereford Excellence in Communications Award. This award symbolizes overall achievement in an airport’s marketing and public relations program, honoring the creativity and effectiveness of the airport’s staff.

Click here to view past winners.

Submissions MUST be submitted by close of business on Friday, June 25, 2010.  Winning entries will be announced in August and recognized at the 19th ACI-NA Annual Conference & Exhibition in Pittsburgh, PA, Sept. 29, 2010, and will also be featured at future marketing and communications meetings.

Click here for more information. We look forward to your participation!

Attendees spent most of Thursday discussing the merits and disadvantages of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and blogs. Airports, both small and large, shared some ideas on how to get started using these tools and how to perfect their usage. Some takeaway tips include:

• Use www.Hootsuite.com to schedule tweets during weekends and non office hours.
• Strive for 100 Facebook users to earn a personalized URL.
• Tap into www.mashable.com to guide the social media n00b (Twitter slang for “newbie”)

In addition to the numerous discussions on social media and a helpful NextGen 101 session from ACI-NA’s Chris Oswald, the attendees had the opportunity to learn about the best ways to communicate during a crisis. Some tips from the experts include:

• Stay in your lane to ensure accurate information is distributed.
• Utilize interviews—in addition to social media outlets—to disseminate information.
• Hold a press conference in a controlled environment

Finally, the seminar closed with an upbeat presentation by media trainer, Dr. Joe Trahan. A few brave attendees were put in the spotlight in front of their peers for an on-camera practice interview. Some of Dr. Trahan’s recommendations for a spotless interview include:

• Prep one hour for every one minute of interview.
• Use the 27-9-3 rule when crafting sound bytes: 27 words, 9 minutes, 3 messages.
• Speculating is not okay; saying you don’t know is okay.

Most of the seminar presentations can be found on ACI-NA’s website. Click here to access the agenda and PDF versions of the presentations. Pictures of the event will be posted soon on ACI-NA’s Facebook page.

Also, by popular demand, click here to access the Socialnomics YouTube clip that appropriately kicked off the seminar. Social media skeptics: consider yourself warned.

Thanks to all of the speakers and participants that made this seminar a success. And remember, what happens in Vegas, stays on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube…

According to a recent ACI-NA survey on social media efforts at airports, more than 2/3 of airport respondents (64.2%) have a Facebook page. About 60% of respondents are using Twitter to ‘tweet’ their airport news and events, and about 42% are utilizing YouTube to post video clips of various airport events and services.

When asked why, 95.1% indicated that the No. 1 reason to implement social media tools is to help the airport communicate with their communities better. The second and third reasons were to enhance customer service and gain media exposure. The majority of responding airports (51.4%) have found these methods to be helpful in achieving these goals.

As these tools continue to permeate the marketing and communications scene, stay tuned for more information from ACI-NA on the latest social media trends at airports throughout North America. In the meantime, check out ACI-NA’s Facebook page, follow us on Twitter, and peruse Centerlines Blog and Greg’s Blog.

-Victoria Houghton, Sr. Mgr., Communications & Marketing

Simple steps such as wearing the right shoes, having your ID ready, and following the 3-1-1 rule were among the tips that can help facilitate a smooth security screening process through the airports, Sec. Napolitano said.

The secretary also said that TSA’s new Secure Flight program is now being implemented with airlines to fulfill a 9/11 Commission recommendation. Secure Flight prescreens passenger name, date of birth and gender against government watch lists for domestic and international flights, making travel safer and easier by keeping known or suspected terrorists from obtaining a boarding pass, she said.

Safe traveling “is a shared responsibility,” the secretary said, adding that “part of safe traveling is the ability to stay healthy.”

With that, the secretary introduced Dr. Anne Schuchat of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Schuchat unveiled the CDC’s Travelers’ Health public awareness campaign on how to stay healthy during the flu season. The campaign comprising posters at airports and seaports; media buys in radio and television outlets; and social media activities; centers on four key messages:

• Travel only when you feel well
• Get your flu vaccine
• Wash your hands often
• Cover your coughs and sneezes

The CDC campaign will run throughout the 2009-2010 flu season.

When Christopher Baum took on the role of senior vice president of sales and Marketing for the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau, he had his work cut out for him. First, he assessed the perception of the city among different age groups. To young 21- to 34-year-olds, Detroit was “hip.” To baby boomers, Detroit was “gritty.”

How to create a brand that would appeal to all? His answer: Ditch the slogan. “A slogan for Detroit would have been a lightening rod for criticism,” Baum said. Instead, Baum and a coalition of stakeholders set out to identify five important brand attributes that consumers could connect with the city. They are (in this order): cars, culture, gaming, music and sports.

The brand attributes work, Baum said, because people could identify with at least two or three of them. The new messaging was used in a $1 million ad campaign. The result: $68 million worth of tourism. Said Baum: “If you’re really on target with your message it’s amazing how quickly you can change perceptions.”