In the early 1980s, airlines created loyalty programs to encourage passenger loyalty. Within the last decade, European airports followed suit, building their own loyalty programs by collaborating with airport vendors, such as restaurants, duty-free shops, and parking facilities, to provide value-added service to travelers. Airports in the United States have slowly started to embrace the trend by creating their own airport loyalty programs or collaborating with third-party loyalty program providers.

Turf and vegetation management practices differ at airports because of each airport’s unique terrain, geography, and vegetation. Although there is some guidance from the Federal Aviation Administration on airside applications for artificial turf, information on the means, methods, techniques, and practices airports use to manage airfield turf and vegetation is sparse.

Emissions from surface traffic can be a substantial portion of carbon emissions at an airport.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, airport operators had to develop strategies that maintained operations while ensuring employee safety and public health. Though not all airport-related tasks can be performed from remote worksites, many airports identified tasks that could be performed remotely.

Airport economic impact studies are used as an indicator of the growth and sustainability of the aviation industry. The collected data demonstrate the importance of an airport and the economic growth of regional, statewide, and national airports. It can be difficult to effectively leverage an airport’s economic impact study by demonstrating how the airport contributes to economic growth.

Pavement condition data are a critical component of pavement management programs. The accuracy and validity of pavement condition data are the basis for many activities conducted by airports and local agencies.

Most state agencies have a formal process in place to distribute aviation funds. Each process varies greatly from state to state.

In the absence of comprehensive guidelines related to standards for surface apron and ramp markings, airports have worked with their specific stakeholder groups (such as airlines and ground crews) to develop unique apron and ramp marking practices that meet their operational needs. Consequently, variations are seen in apron and ramp markings at airports across the United States.

Unexpected flight diversions may impact airport operations from routine to emergency incidents.

The technology procurement process includes sourcing and acquiring software, hardware, and services. Systems and nuances of technology procurement vary within each airport, and navigating such variances at a pace that meets the airports’ needs and technology evolution can be challenging.

Global reports of bee declines have fueled efforts to reduce threats to pollinators and raise public awareness of bees as pollinators of our food crops and native plants. Some airports have implemented pollinator-friendly practices and programs that restore habitat for bees and bring public awareness and appreciation to these fascinating insects.

Parking is important for airports. More than 70 percent of airline passengers and visitors at most airports use private vehicles to access the airport, and public parking is an important contributor to an airport’s finances and revenues, frequently representing the largest source of non-aeronautical revenues at most airports.

The increasing need to use airport land for non-aeronautical revenue and decrease operating expenses may generate consideration of on-airport farming operations and agricultural leasing.

Airports make facilities available for non-commercial purposes, such as for community use by community or nonprofit groups.

An airport emergency plan (AEP) is meant to support airports in defining roles and responsibilities of stakeholders during emergencies, identifying specific threats that could affect airports, and establishing communication protocols for the airport community.

Every airport that aspires to high ratings must offer an engaging arts program because these are offered by all of the world’s most highly rated airports. It is also now generally accepted that airport arts programs yield many additional benefits for airports, passengers, and the communities in which airports are located. Airport arts programs have become an amenity that airport passengers now expect, and they serve to tether an airport to its local community.

Airport employees face a variety of stressors in their daily work lives, and there are numerous and varied approaches that airports are currently taking to focus on employee well-being.

Managers of airports of all sizes face a perennial dilemma: how to efficiently train operations personnel to meet Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 139 requirements and ensure a safe and secure airport environment.

Providing connectivity to the local community or region served by a general aviation airport is essential for providing a complete service to airport users and capturing economic benefit whether large or small.

Airports have implemented a variety of renewable energy technologies since 1999—with the largest growth occurring over the past decade—in parallel with the evolution and maturation of renewable energy markets. Of the renewable energy options available to airports today, the prevailing technology is solar photovoltaic (PV), which accounts for 72% of all projects cataloged in the Renewable Energy Projects Inventory.