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Managing the Concession Program 205
Figure 13-3. Example of concession information on an airport website
(Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport).
and presents location maps by concourse showing the concession locations. The brochure is
available for viewing on the airport website and can be viewed by persons online while in the air-
port or can be downloaded as a portable document file (.pdf ).
Airport websites serve a similar function, and can inform passengers of the available food,
retail offerings, and services at an airport. Figure 13-3 shows an example of the concessions list-
ing on the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport website.
Many large airports outside the United States offer online catalogues and the ability to order
goods in advance. This opportunity provides outbound passenger with a means to minimize time
spent picking up merchandise at multiple locations at the airport. It is particularly effective for bulk
purchase of items such as cigarettes and alcohol, where the customer’s preference is established.
13.6.1 Branding the Concession Program
Raising awareness of and the reputation of the airport concession program should be long-
term goals. One approach to raising the profile of the concession program is to brand the pro-
gram, which can strengthen its identity with customers and help raise overall sales. The Port of
Portland brands the landside concession area at Portland International Airport as the “Oregon
Market.” The developer of the concession programs uses its “AIRMALL” brand at Baltimore/
Washington International Thurgood Marshall, Boston Logan International, Cleveland Hopkins
International, and Pittsburgh International Airports.
The branding of retail programs at major airports outside the United States is common. At
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, a world leader in airport concessions, a distinctive yellow shop-
ping bag is used for all purchases at its concessions. The bag features the airport’s See/Buy/Fly
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208 Resource Manual for Airport In-Terminal Concessions
Commercial
33%
Director/Deputy Director
67%
45%
CFO/Finance
33%
Director/Deputy Director
17%
VP Marketing &
Development
6%
VP Revenue
Management
6%
55%
CEO or COO 11%
6%
Assistant Aviation
6%
Director Small Hub
Medium Hub
Director of Properties or Large Hub
17%
Real Estate
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
Figure 13-5. Reporting relationship of person with primary responsibility
for the airport concession program.
backup staff member listed for each concessionaire. Periodic rotation of staff assignments may
be used as an effective cross-training tool.
At a minimum, the concession manager’s duties include the following:
• Understanding the underlying terms and conditions of the concession agreements to be
monitored
• Assessing risk to determine where monitoring time is best spent
• Developing and documenting a monitoring plan
• Interacting regularly with concessionaire managers
• Developing an understanding of each category of concession operation
• Conducting compliance reviews
• Providing constructive feedback to concessionaire management, as needed
• Responding to concessionaire questions and requests and advising concessionaires of upcom-
ing events that may affect their business
• Acting as an advocate for the concessionaire when needed
• Following up on customer complaints
• Reviewing and evaluating concessionaire performance
• Briefing senior management on concessionaire activities
• Taking corrective action to address noncompliance when necessary
Quality control practices (discussed in Chapter 3) are an important part of concession per-
formance monitoring. In monitoring concession agreements, mystery shoppers, customer com-
ment cards, passenger intercept surveys, focus groups, performance metrics, and discussions
with counterparts at peer airports are often used, as well as field visits to similar types of busi-
nesses at other locations to compare operations. Figure 13-6 shows the frequency of use of major
quality control practices by hub size.
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Managing the Concession Program 215
erative and participate in industry associations and conferences to share information and net-
work with peers.
Concession managers and their staffs can particularly benefit by visiting with their counter-
parts at airports with concession programs that have a reputation within the industry for being
well managed. Consultants and concessionaires that were surveyed for this research project cited
the airports listed below as having particularly well-managed concession programs (Canadian
airports listed at U.S. hub size equivalent):
• Large Hubs
– Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
– Las Vegas McCarran International Airport
– Los Angeles International Airport
– Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
– Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
– Salt Lake City International Airport
– San Francisco International Airport
– Tampa International Airport
– Toronto Pearson International Airport
– Vancouver International Airport
• Medium Hubs
– Austin Bergstrom International Airport
– Calgary International Airport
– John F. Kennedy International Airport–JetBlue Terminal
– Montreal Trudeau International Airport
– Nashville International Airport
– Ottawa International Airport
• Small Hub
– Norfolk International Airport
