Enhancing customer service in the present and the future was the hot topic of discussion at the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority June board meeting. In addition to establishing what defines a world-class airport, the Board got its first look at initial design concepts for Phase 1 Terminal C of the South Terminal Complex project.
“In order for Orlando International Airport to continue to offer world-class customer service, we need to expand our world-class facilities while also adding excitement to the travel experience,” said Frank Kruppenbacher, Greater Orlando Aviation Authority chairman.
As part of the aviation authority’s ongoing commitment to providing the highest level of service, staff collaborated on refining language that epitomizes that vision of excellence:
“A World-Class Airport provides a seamless arrival and departure experience that exceeds the needs of the traveler. This experience instills a memorable imprint of the culture and environment of the region.”
Further illustrating a focus on the future was a presentation by renowned airport architect Curtis Fentress. His summary of preliminary designs for the South Terminal Complex featured descriptions and the first visuals of proposed project advancements for the $1.8 billion first phase. They include:
- “The Boulevard” — A corridor that runs the length of the terminal and connects the major civic areas of the ground transportation facility, the ticket hall and the concessions hub.
- State-of-the-art Baggage Handling System — Radio Frequency Identification technology will offer 100 percent baggage tracking. Faster than conventional baggage conveyors. Modularity will allow for future expansion. Lower life-cycle cost.
- Unique customer arrival experience — Arrivals and bag claim will be located on the third level, departures, ticketing and security will be located on the second level and ground transportation on the first level.
- Dynamic concessions — More concessions will be located beyond security. Club/Lounge opportunities will be available along with a “concessions in the park” area.
- Imaginative multi-media experience — Interactive video displays will be featured in the ticket hall, concessions hub and ground transportation facility.
“The challenge is to create a new gateway for Orlando, one that is unique and says Orlando and enhances The Orlando Experience,” said Fentress. “We’re making this intuitive so the passenger is drawn from one element to the next in order to create a very exciting and memorable arrival into the city of Orlando.”
The 16-gate first phase will feature a flexible gate configuration that will be able to accommodate narrow body, jumbo and super jumbo aircraft. While still currently only in the design phase of development, the South Terminal project will continue to move forward in response to Orlando International Airport’s record-breaking traffic that surpassed 40 million annual passengers in May based on a rolling 12-month total.
“At this point, we will surpass the trigger set earlier by the board of 38.5 million passengers for six consecutive months and with all things being equal, we expect to begin construction of the South Terminal in the first quarter of 2017,” said Executive Director Phil Brown.
