PBS&J Highlights Focus

Four years after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, brought U.S. air travel to an abrupt standstill, it can safely be said that the industry has rebounded, even exceeding pre-9/11 statistics. In fact, every man, woman, and child in the U.S. could have flown somewhere—twice—in 2004 and still not have reached the actual number of flights logged at our airports. And predictions indicate an unrelenting upward trend.

Are our airports up to the challenges ahead? Certainly whether they are or are not will have a huge impact on us both as travelers and as members of the communities in which the airports are located. This issue of PBS&J Highlights focuses on Airports with Staying Power, airports that are tackling the complex issues of the day head-on.

Sustainability Takes Off in Airport Planning and Design starts off this issue. Here we offer a definition of “sustainability” in the context of today’s airports and look at some of the types of solutions airports are implementing to achieve that goal.

PBS&J’s Jan Lyons discusses some of the financial strategies that airports are considering today in order to address their redevelopment and expansion needs in the article, The Sky Has Financial Limits. Tampa International Airport Executive Director Louis E. Miller answers questions about Benchmarking for Success in our Expert’s View.

What’s good for our national defense can be good for communities as well, as illustrated in the article, Preparing for a Giant. Likewise, general aviation airports can offer A Flight Plan for Economic Development.

Operating in a business climate that is dynamic, to say the least, airports will continue to have to seek creative ways to work smarter.