January/February 2023 - 33

CONSULTANTS CORNER
we solve the project. Swinerton has
worked at 45 commercial airports,
five government ones. We've learned
in our own process how we solve
these things that could be intrusive
to airport operations. We plan and
phase and communicate what we're
going to do in a manner that minimizes
impact. We look at minimizing
impact to airport operations first, to
security issues second. Then we look
at how we're phasing in our temporary
measures while being as invisible as
possible to the passenger.
At Long Beach Airport, we carefully
planned pre-pandemic to make sure
we didn't impact those operations. We
were adding on, we were renovating
the historic building, we were adding
a new ticketing building, adding a
whole new baggage handling system,
and expanding the baggage pickup on
the back end.
We had this phasing plan that
everybody was happy with and then
when the passengers left, we completely
re-phased the project to address the
priorities of the airport. We completely
changed the phasing to address a
careful cashflow management the
airport had in mind. And in the end,
we kept people at work all the way
through the pandemic. We delivered it.
AB: Do we have to build our way out of
the security checkpoint struggles we see
or is it a technology solution?
CS: It's both technology and actual
physical expansion and modernization.
I'm a frequent traveler. I was
already very comfortable with all the
expediting measures that are possible
and all the technology. I think that
more passengers are more comfortable
with the technology, therefore those
options are going to expand.
We see facial recognition being
plugged into the conventional TSA
checkpoint. As we move forward,
those areas are going to be redesigned
to be primarily touchless and self-service
so that most people can just flow
right through. I think technology is
going to help improve that process.
My personal dream is to be able to
not stop moving from when I get to
the airport to when I sit in my seat.
But in the meantime, there's a capacity
issue. Funding is being routed toward
increasing the number of security
lines that are available for people to
go through.
AB: With more material options available
on the market, how can airports
think about building an overall better
environment for travelers and staff
while also finding efficiencies in facility
maintenance?
CS: We're looking at hold room and
gate modernization for several airports,
including Denver and United
as combined clients. We're Americans.
We want to be right by our gate, but
travelers want more personal space.
It's all about providing options for
passengers, not just the same rows and
rows of seats. I think we as builders
can contribute to that by encouraging
the use of and giving them examples
of prefabrication. There are a lot of
spaces that are repetitive in an airport
and proposing solutions such as large
modular pieces and do component
construction so that bigger pieces,
more preassembled, show up at the
airport before you even start to impact
operations. At the Portland airport's
TCORE project, we're providing
the cross laminated timber and mass
timber component of some massive
prefab cassettes.
AB: What has the stress test from the
travel crush in 2022 taught us about the
weaknesses we have in airport infrastructure
in North America?
CS: The first thing I would point to
is in the modernization. When we
say modernization in our industry,
we often think about getting a bigger
building and adding more gates.
But the special systems within the
airport, which provide passengers with
information is even more important.
Having more gate information system,
such as FIDS and GIDS and flight
information was already improving.
I see our airports even more focused
on that piece of it.
Another trend is more operational
readiness training where airports and
airlines are going to an even deeper
effort to make sure everything works
100 percent. I'm not talking about just
the air conditioning coming on, I'm
talking about these communication
systems and emergency systems are
fully working so people can be confident
in an airport.
AB: We're almost a year into the
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law becoming
law. How have you seen this impacting
the industry as a builder?
CS: Now that we see
BIL money is starting
to flow, I've noticed
airports are looking
at their needs lists and
now taking a look at
an additional funding
source and reprioritizing
some projects because they
meet the criteria that was put forth
in the BIL. I see airports prioritizing
security and safety functions and
components of their airports.
It runs from fire and life safety
Carrie Shaeffer
systems and egress all the way up to
aircraft rescue and firefighting facilities
and more specialty items they
need. I'm hearing them report out
to us on how they're timing their
projects. Some of those things are
floating higher in priority based on
available funding.
AB: As a builder, what does the industry
need to do to meet the challenges of
hitting BIL timelines with issues related
to supply shortages?
CS: If I could request one thing
as the builder, I would want our
airport clients to be as upfront, open
as possible from day one on what
the funding source and structure
is for any project. We want to be
in compliance and there's no discovery
along the way that we need
to backtrack or add on additional
information. We just want to make
sure we're, organized and in complete
compliance to make sure that
there's no questions. 
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023 \ AVIATIONPROS.COM / 33
http://www.AVIATIONPROS.COM

January/February 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January/February 2023

Inside the Fence
Airports Make Capacity a Top Issue in 2023
Airport Business 2023 Projects of the Year
Equipment Matters
Integrated Sink Puts Hand Hygiene Entirely within Reach
What to Expect for Kansas City International Airport’s New Terminal
Built for Success
Project of the Month: Collaboration Key to JAC’s Improved Water Collection Process
Airport Guru
Legal Matters
After the Emergency: What’s Next?
January/February 2023 - 1
January/February 2023 - 2
January/February 2023 - 3
January/February 2023 - 4
January/February 2023 - Inside the Fence
January/February 2023 - 6
January/February 2023 - 7
January/February 2023 - Airports Make Capacity a Top Issue in 2023
January/February 2023 - 9
January/February 2023 - Airport Business 2023 Projects of the Year
January/February 2023 - 11
January/February 2023 - 12
January/February 2023 - 13
January/February 2023 - 14
January/February 2023 - 15
January/February 2023 - 16
January/February 2023 - 17
January/February 2023 - 18
January/February 2023 - 19
January/February 2023 - 20
January/February 2023 - 21
January/February 2023 - 22
January/February 2023 - 23
January/February 2023 - Equipment Matters
January/February 2023 - 25
January/February 2023 - Integrated Sink Puts Hand Hygiene Entirely within Reach
January/February 2023 - 27
January/February 2023 - What to Expect for Kansas City International Airport’s New Terminal
January/February 2023 - 29
January/February 2023 - 30
January/February 2023 - 31
January/February 2023 - Built for Success
January/February 2023 - 33
January/February 2023 - Project of the Month: Collaboration Key to JAC’s Improved Water Collection Process
January/February 2023 - 35
January/February 2023 - 36
January/February 2023 - Airport Guru
January/February 2023 - 38
January/February 2023 - Legal Matters
January/February 2023 - 40
January/February 2023 - After the Emergency: What’s Next?
January/February 2023 - 42
January/February 2023 - 43
January/February 2023 - 44
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