IMPROVEMENTS UNDERWAY AT LAMBERT AIRPORT By Brian R. Hook Holistic is how Kevin Dolliole, director at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, describes the approach to improvements underway at the airport. “We’re going about a very balanced approach to improving every aspect of the airport operation,” Dolliole says. Whether passengers are flying into, out of, or making a connection at Lambert, Dolliole says he wants to enhance the passenger’s experience. KEVIN DOLLIOLE director, Lambert-St. Louis International Airport Ever since Dolliole flew into town himself and started his new job as director on May 1st, he has been overseeing short-term improvement projects at the airport. He says long-term plans are also in the works. “I want to make sure that we’re going through a process of planning well and thoroughly of what can and should be done,” he says. Dolliole says he wants the short-term projects to eventually tie into a long-range plan. Even as airport passengers enter the grounds at Lambert, the passengers may notice some improvements. “The arrivals portion was starting to look a little unkempt and we’ve gone out and we’re freshening up there,” Dolliole says. “We’re painting different areas, adding plants, and adding more significant landscaping to the exterior areas.” Expect to see parking improvements as well. “We’ve moved from the concept of just airport parking to creating an identity for our parking,” Dolliole says. Long-term parking is now called Super Park and has new signage and a building that houses attendants to assist passengers with flight information. Plus, Dolliole says the airport is also currently in the midst of rehabbing some of its short-term garage facilities. Dolliole says the goal is a cleaner, brighter appearance starting at the front door and continuing throughout the terminals. In the Main Terminal, a new solar film is being applied to the exterior of all the windows to provide a uniform window tint. The film will reduce glare and minimize summer heat and air-conditioning costs. In the East Terminal, new windows are also being installed to replace windows that have been damaged. Plus, there’s new carpeting. New carpet is being installed in the public areas of concourse A and B, along with the connector between the B and C concourses. Last year new carpet was installed in both C and D concourses. Dolliole says a new contract was also recently awarded for the expansion of the security checkpoint at concourse A. As passengers walk around the terminals, they will notice new concessions. There is now a Chili’s Grill & Bar, a Wolf Gang Pucks, a Brooks Brothers and a Starbucks. “We’ll be looking for other opportunities in the concessions arena as well,” Dolliole says. Dolliole also reports the runway expansion project, started before he arrived, is on time and on budget. He says construction will be completed by April of next year and will be fully operational by June. “We are in very good shape with that project,” he says. Dolliole acknowledges that Lambert took a hit when American Airlines reduced its flights at the airport by more than half to 207 daily flights in 2003. But he says the airport has since rebounded. “There’s still close to 400 departures a day from here,” he says. “That’s pretty significant air service. It is still real strong service out of this market.” Dolliole says the most recent numbers tell the story: Lambert reports that in August both passenger and connecting traffic increased over the same month of 2004. Passenger totals were up 10.7 percent from August of 2004. Connecting traffic was up 16.3 percent. “I’m very happy to say that year-over-year, we’re up. We’ve been up every month this year,” he says. “As traffic grows, as the market creates more demand, and as some carriers make strategic decisions to add flights, those numbers will increase.” But Dolliole says he will not sit back. “We’re going to work to increase air service as though we only have two flights a day out of here. We are going to work that hard,” he says. “But there is good service from here. We still have service to 84 destinations.” Lambert ranked as the 21st busiest airport by the Airport Council International in 2003. The airport estimates that it has $5.1 billion annual economic impact on the St. Louis region. It employs over 15,000 people through airlines, vendors, service companies, and the City of St. Louis, which owns and operates the airport. Recent bankruptcies among several airlines and the high-cost of jet fuel have also hurt the airline industry nationwide. But Dolliole says those woes are not site-specific. “That’s a nationwide issue. It’s not like St. Louis would suffer as an individual destination. We’re not better off or no worse off than any other location,” he says. Dolliole says St. Louis has the physical facilities in place that will be needed for the future. He says the airport has an opportunity to enhance the customer’s experience through aesthetic improvements, infrastructure improvements and functionality. “The one thing passengers can count on is that there will be a very strong, very intense, and very focused effort to do everything in our power to ensure that we’re providing this community the best facilities that can possibly be put forward.”

November 2005 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Nora Akerberg, Vice President and Co-Director of HOK Interiors, shares her thoughts on design. AGC President Len Toenjes comments on construction trends. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.stlrcga.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.technologygateway.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Director Kevin Dolliole is making a very focused enhancement effort at Lambert. John Pitcher of OPUS gets in on a national trend. McEagle’s Paul McKee loves to build.