July-August 2022 - 18

COVER STORY
The new customer care desk at WestJet
was a key piece of Calgary International
Airport's refresh program for Concourse C
CALGARY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
More local offerings were an important
aspect to Calgary's refresh of Concourse C.
CALGARY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
A Partnership to
Completion
YYC loaned HMSHost money to
keep operations going and develop
two locations on Concourse C. They
also combined efforts with other projects,
which included new flooring, a
new sprinkler system, installation of
a 40x13 digital advertising board and
jet bridge work.
HMSHost was adding Last Best
Brewing & Distilling, a local Calgary
brand offering locally crafted beer,
spirits and Alberta-inspired cuisine.
The company also wanted to enhance
the coffee experience by moving the
Starbucks to a location that offers
more seating.
The move allowed the airport
to leverage its goals and resources.
Leaders already wanted to redo the
entire area while traffic was down
and concessions partners had a capital
freeze. If they waited, it would create
more disruptions for passengers.
" We basically tried to combine a
whole bunch of projects into one integrated
program, " Barnes said. " Rip
the Band-Aid off and do it all at once
and do it quickly because it's one of
our busiest areas of the airport. "
The airport had one integrated
project team overseeing all the activity
in the area communicating with all the
stakeholders on a regular basis. Staff
also had regular calls with HMSHost
updating them about
the project.
YYC staff worked
closely with its partners
to co-develop
changes to the concourse
and develop
support programs meeting the needs
of all parties involved. Due to the large
and complex scope for the concourse
refresh, there were many stakeholders
with many requirements, thus requiring
regular communication with each
partner group, gathering feedback and
working through solutions.
restructured and its workforce dropped
about 35% during the pandemic. It
relaxed operating hour restrictions for
concessions partners, provided relief
on minimum annual guarantees and
kept regular contact with partners to
ensure they were getting the help they
needed to stay in business.
OUR PARTNERSHIP HAS ENHANCED
THE PASSENGER EXPERIENCE
WITH BOTH NEW AND IMPROVED
CONCEPTS IN CONCOURSE C. "
" By having one, centralized
command center from a project
management standpoint, that really
helped facilitate open dialogue with
all stakeholders, " Barnes said. " We had
both internal and external elements of
that. Lots and lots of communication
to keep it all on the rails. "
YYC also provided partner
support programs while facing significant
financial and resource challenges
to ensure its partners survived
the pandemic.
YYC had about $2 billion in debt
18 \ AIRPORT BUSINESS / JULY/AUGUST 2022
" The COVID-19 pandemic
brought us closer together as a community.
HMSHost can't say enough
about how airport leadership recognized
the immediate impact on concessionaires
and took steps to support
us, " said Amy Dunne, vice president of
business development for HMSHost.
" HMSHost wasn't able to build during
the pandemic because of the business
conditions. In response, YYC loaned us
money to fund the construction since
we agreed it was a great time to build
while traffic was low. This also allowed
July-August 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July-August 2022
