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Buckle up, because we’re diving into the untold stories of the mobility world.
From monitoring the policies influencing how we move to tracking down stolen cars, we’re bringing you inside the busy, high-stakes world of transportation - including everything from autonomous vehicles and micro-mobility to public transportation and air travel.
Brought to you by the American Car Rental Association, each episode tackles the big issues driving the future of mobility: autonomous vehicles, data rights, new business models, and the laws that could flip the industry on its head.
With jaw-dropping stories, bold opinions, and no holds barred, we’re here to challenge the status quo and get you thinking about the future of how we move, whether by car, bike, plane, or train, and why it matters to everyone.
[00:00:00] Annie Russo: There's so much that goes on, on the operations side. what passengers see is when they go through a terminal, right?
[00:00:05] Annie Russo: Their experience from the curb to the aircraft, but what happens behind the scenes at airports is probably the coolest part, things that people
[00:00:13] Annie Russo: have no idea about unless you've done a tour and gotten to see all of the components that go into running an airport.
[00:00:33] Carlos Bazan:
[00:00:33] Don Lefeve: I'm joined today by Annie Russo, the chief political and congressional strategy officer at Airports Council International North America, or ACI, where she's served since 2008. Annie, welcome to TMP.
[00:00:47] Annie Russo: Thanks so much for having me, Don. It's really great to be here
[00:00:49] Don Lefeve: let me kind of start off by
[00:00:52] Don Lefeve: saying, how did you come to work at, ACI?
[00:00:54] Annie Russo: my story of how I came to work at the, Airport Trade Association is an interesting one. I had worked on Capitol Hill previously to coming to ACI?
[00:01:03] Annie Russo: and I had spent a lot of time working on transportation issues. I worked for a member of the SUD subcommittee and then, a member of the T&I committee, both had represented airports, and I had spent a lot of time, working on airport issues and aviation issues, over that course of time.
[00:01:22] Annie Russo: and my second boss, Steve Rothman, represented Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, and I had done extensive work on noise issues and flight issues, out of Teterboro. So I knew all the folks at the Port Authority really Well, and I was thinking about leaving The Hill, saw an ad for a director of government affairs job at ACI-NA.
[00:01:44] Annie Russo: I applied for it, it kind of went from there. But I always joke that, you know, at the time that my boss, Steve Rothman at the time, you know, I worked on all these issues for him regarding Teterboro, found them super interesting and dealt with all these issues dealing with airports.
[00:02:01] Annie Russo: I was like, well, if I could work on it on that side of the issue from The Hill perspective and from a member of Congress who cared tremendously about his constituents who live near the airport and ensuring, you know, that he had a good working relationship with the Port Authority, then I could certainly do it from the other side.
[00:02:18] Annie Russo: the folks at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey when I started at ACI never let me forget where I started, and the work I did with them for Teterboro. So it was interesting to move to the other side than representing airports. so I've been here ever
[00:02:31] Annie Russo: since.
[00:02:32] Don Lefeve: what's the one thing most people don't know about working on Capitol Hill?
[00:02:36] Annie Russo: I think the best part about working on Capitol Hill, is when you're very young, you get a lot of responsibility. So, you know, I started when I was twenty-one years old, and by the time I was twenty-two, I had a job where I was in charge of legislative issues, and I worked for John Olver from Massachusetts, who was on the House Appropriations Committee.
[00:02:58] Annie Russo: I was handling appropriations bills for him. So I was, you know, meeting with people from the district, and I happened to be from that district, which made that job especially, interesting and special and working on earmarks, uh, at the time and other major issues involving federal funding for high priority issues.
[00:03:18] Annie Russo: So getting to do that at twenty-two, is I think, unheard of in the private sector, and gives young people opportunities that they would never get otherwise. And, an opportunity for someone who's young and energetic to be able to shape policy or help constituents back in a congressional district is something that is, incredibly important, but a great opportunity for young people.
[00:03:44] Annie Russo: and it was certainly an incredible opportunity for me. working on Capitol Hill?
[00:03:49] Annie Russo: was something I knew I wanted to do from the time I was in eighth grade. So getting to do that early on in my career, is something I will always be grateful for.
[00:03:58] Don Lefeve: And so you come to ACI,
[00:04:02] Don Lefeve: what did you learn at ACI versus The Hill? And kind of a follow-on to that is how have the issues in airports shifted from when you first joined on or even your time on The Hill to where they are today?
[00:04:15] Annie Russo: So one of the great things about, I think, especially working at A- trade association, and I'm sure you would agree, is that you really get to do a lot of policy work and policy development. that is what makes it a little bit different than other forms of lobbying, uh, and other places that you can work as a lobbyist.
[00:04:32] Annie Russo: So immediately upon coming here, I had the opportunity to work with our, subject matter experts on a variety of different issues. When I first started, I spent a lot of time working on environmental issues, and at the time, cap and trade was a really big deal. So we got to put together a policy about, you know, where ACINA would be on, cap and trade, for example.
[00:04:54] Annie Russo: You know, never wound up going anywhere. But nonetheless, those were, timely things going on on the Hill, and I was able to work with our policy team to put together a policy on that, you know, within my first few months of being there. And from there, things have certainly changed a lot for airports.
[00:05:10] Annie Russo: The one common thread throughout, you know, my entire time here has been our need for more infrastructure investment, and we've had a lot of success with that along the way and you know, hope to build on that as we look forward to the next FAA reauthorization bill in the next Congress
[00:05:28] Don Lefeve: and talk to the listeners about, how airports, are funded.
[00:05:34] Don Lefeve: Are they all funded through, federal taxes, state taxes, combination of both, or private sector as well?
[00:05:39] Annie Russo: So it is a mixed bag of how airports are funded. I mean, first and foremost, airports are funded by the users of airports. from everything as a passenger, when you arrive at the airport, when you're purchasing something at concessions, the airports are allowed under federal law to charge a user fee called the passenger facility charge, that is capped at four dollars and fifty cents, but that's applied to tickets.
[00:06:07] Annie Russo: there's a lot of revenue. We have both, it's really put into two buckets. There's the bucket of aeronautical revenue, which is, you know, derived from the aeronautical part of our, operations through aircrafts and, use of runways and taxiways and terminals. And then there's non-aeronautical revenue, which is what your members help us with and their customers and our passengers, through everything from parking and obviously rental cars, taking TNCs to the airport and other rents and for other parts of the airport that don't have an aeronautical function.
[00:06:43] Annie Russo: So it's really divided into those two buckets. But the, the driving force behind our funding is most certainly the passenger. In addition to that, there is, the Airport Improvement Program, which is a very important part of, airport funding for all size airports in the United States, not just commercial service airports, and that's who ACINA represents, but general aviation airports as well?
[00:07:06] Annie Russo: The Airport Improvement Program is, funded through the Airport and Airways Trust Fund, which is funded through a series of taxes, that are applied to the users of the aviation system, and there's a variety of different taxes that feed into that, on aeronautical, use across the board from everything from, uh, fuel taxes, to directly through passengers, uh, you pay on your ticket tax.
[00:07:32] Annie Russo: So the AIP program is funded by users as well, and airports of all sizes benefit from that program. and you asked about state grant programs. Uh, many states do have state grant programs. It's a smaller piece of the pie, but also another vitally important one. But that really does, depend on what state you're in and what that looks like and what that means for airports in that state.
[00:07:57] Don Lefeve: obviously airport funding, I've got to imagine is, a huge issue any time, or actually every day, on Capitol Hill. But when you first came in, what were some of the issues that you were dealing with then as opposed to what we're seeing now?
[00:08:12] Don Lefeve: How have airports changed?
[00:08:14] Annie Russo: airports have grown, right? The number of passengers has really increased, you know, over the last, decade and, and even more. So every year we're seeing growth within the industry, and we see that growth modernization needs to happen. so if you think about all the changes that happen in aviation all the time from new aircraft coming on board.
[00:08:34] Annie Russo: Every time there's a new airplane that is introduced into the system, airports need to evaluate how they can accommodate that, that aircraft if they're coming, to their facilities. So, they need to think about how jet bridges connect and where they can accommodate that aircraft.
[00:08:50] Annie Russo: Everything from facilitation of the passengers, if it's an international flight through customs. and then on the front end, you know, where those passengers are going through, uh, checkpoints for TSA, how large the hold areas are that are at the gate. So modernization happens all the time based on trends that we see, based on things that, are changing within the industry, you know, on a yearly, daily basis.
[00:09:17] Annie Russo: And a lot of it also changes there's a lot as you know, changes to how people get to the airport, whether that be with new transit systems that have come online. TNCs were a game-changer in terms of how people get to the airport. Then COVID came, and we saw people start, driving again or looking for other options to get to the airport.
[00:09:35] Annie Russo: So there's always modernization that is happening, that needs to happen to our facilities, that's driven by passenger trends and just an influx of passengers. The other thing that really changes for the airport industry is what's happening on the airline side. And as there's, you know, been mergers of major carriers, that also changes what happens for airports in terms of the number of passengers that they're seeing come through their facilities.
[00:10:04] Annie Russo: That can go up, that can go down. and as we've seen, just shifts in patterns across the United States of people moving from area to area or moving from urban areas, to more rural areas or rural areas to urban areas, that all impacts demand, and we have to m-move with those changes in demand. sometimes they go up, sometimes they go down, and airports have to adjust for all of that.
[00:10:30] Annie Russo: I think the thing that has happened though over time is that we've seen airports take on more debt, and the debt burden for airports has grown as we need to modernize our facilities to meet these demands of passengers. And the revenue side just hasn't quite kept up with that. So our, debt burden has grown, you know, and that's a real challenge for the industry moving forward to keep up with the demand.
[00:10:55] Don Lefeve: airports are, an economic driver, for either personal travel or professional travel, business travel. how big is that? And how much of an impact does that have on federal, state and local economies?
[00:11:08] Annie Russo: we see shifts all the time let's just take a step back. I think it's really probably for all of us, we think about, you know, pre-COVID, post-COVID, because really the demands shifted during COVID. and so during COVID, we saw a huge increase when things started to bounce back in domestic travel, and we didn't see as much international.
[00:11:28] Annie Russo: Over time, we've seen international come back, but the international numbers are actually down a little bit from where they were even a year ago. there is a difference between domestic travel and international travel, how an airport processes those passengers through customs.
[00:11:42] Annie Russo: The patterns of international travelers versus domestic travelers are very different. So you have to accommodate and you have to, adapt your facilities based on who is coming, through your front door and then who's, you know, leaving on an aircraft. so right now we're seeing a stronger domestic market in most cases than we are international.
[00:12:05] Annie Russo: And, you know, that's something that we're always monitoring as an industry and keeping a close eye on and working with other stakeholders, to ensure that, the United States is seen as a welcoming place to have international travelers. and also I think the other great thing about the airport industry and the travel industry and the aviation industry, all rolled into one, is that we have the ability to welcome people from domestic markets or from international markets, and both are incredibly important to the success of our industry.
[00:12:38] Annie Russo: And we want to ensure that we have the best facilities possible, to meet the demands of wherever your origination is. We care about how you get to the destination and that, you know, we're working with those, other partners within a city or a community to ensure that passengers to that community have everything that they need.
[00:12:57] Annie Russo: And that starts and ends at the airport in most
[00:13:00] Annie Russo: cases.
[00:13:01] Don Lefeve: talk to me a little bit about the partnership that, ground transportation, specifically rental car plays in an airport
[00:13:09] Annie Russo: So it's a really important part, not only in terms of a customer service, relationship that, you know, we have with rental car companies to provide passengers, wanting to rent cars to get to their final destination after landing at our facilities or coming to our facilities, an important piece.
[00:13:27] Annie Russo: But, you know, certainly I think, we have strong, relationships on the business side and, as we look at our breakdown of revenue, rental cars are very helpful in airports generating revenue. according to one of our surveys, it shows as much as, rental car revenue, you know, is a major source of non-aeronautical revenue for airports, about 17%, according to that survey.
[00:13:51] Annie Russo: So, you know, a significant piece and a partnership that I know our industry really values.
[00:13:57] Don Lefeve: one of the issues I know, that we see a lot is not all, but more and more airports seem to be going away from kind of walkable access to go get your rental car.
[00:14:09] Don Lefeve: more and more people I guess, are having to get bussed out to go get their rental car or other mobility options. are airports doing anything to bring those closer to the terminals so that there is seamless travel?
[00:14:23] Annie Russo: seamless travel?
[00:14:24] Annie Russo: is always something that's an important passenger amenity and, demanded by passengers oftentimes. The problem for airports is that we're really land constrained and space constrained. there's like not new areas of land, where airports are currently operating and have been, to be had to be able to purchase some like new land near a terminal.
[00:14:47] Annie Russo: Like airports already own that. And there's safety considerations I think that there's the facility growth that has happened at many airports. And airports spend years doing master plans, following master plans, and they have to do what's best for the future of the airport in order to accommodate the aeronautical side on growth.
[00:15:11] Annie Russo: And looking at those passenger amenities becomes incredibly important to the overall operation. so there's, you know, safety and security considerations as well, and it really does, to your point, vary airport to airport about where the terminal is situated. And oftentimes, I think the reality of what we're dealing with in the airport industry in the United States are aging terminals, and we've done a great job, I think, of rehabbing what we can.
[00:15:37] Annie Russo: and there's a lot of new terminals coming online. but because of that space constraint, you know, being able to build things near terminals is really difficult because you need to keep your options open for the expansion in the future as well. So it's a complicated piece of the airport puzzle about where you put everything and how close you can get things to the terminal, and it's not always easy.
[00:15:58] Annie Russo: Which is why as we look to do consolidation of rental car facilities, and where that makes sense, that oftentimes they're not within walking distance and we have to look for other opportunities to get passengers to those facilities, which, you know, I think CONRACs are really a great passenger amenity, in terms of being able to go to one location to be able to get your rental car instead of, as a customer, as a person who rents rental cars at airports, it's a lot easier to go to one place to return it or pick it up than it is to have to try to figure out, you know, where the location is where you pick up or drop off.
[00:16:33] Annie Russo: there is that piece of it that I think comes from demand, and then it's just a matter of where it can fit in, and that really varies vastly from airport to
[00:16:40] Annie Russo: airport
[00:16:41] Don Lefeve: we've got an FAA bill coming up in two years. What are some of, ACI's, priorities for that bill?
[00:16:49] Annie Russo: we are working on those still. we'd love to see a highway bill get done. I don't think that unfortunately will happen before the end of this Congress or this calendar year. Probably spills over into the next one, and we're facing an extension of that. But there are some things in the highway bill and the surface transportation bill that, would really help airports, including allowing airports to be able to, use TIFIA loans as a way of financing, airport projects, especially those that lead to airports.
[00:17:18] Annie Russo: a big thing for us and a growing need for us is how people access the airport, especially the roadways that lead into airports. we were really excited when the House included the, allowing airports to be able to continue to use TIFIA, in their surface transportation bill and, you know, look forward to continuing to work that issue until the highway bill is done.
[00:17:40] Annie Russo: You know, amongst other things in there that we thought were incredibly important. So getting a highway bill done is really important to our industry because getting people to the airport, is vital in order to have a successful operation. and so as we look forward to FAA reauthorization, you know, many of the challenges that airports have faced, you know, over the last decade and beyond remain, including the, the financial burden and how we meet our growing infrastructure needs to deal with that passenger demand.
[00:18:09] Annie Russo: The bipartisan infrastructure law really helped a lot with jump-starting projects. increases in AIP the last FAA reauthorization bill has made a big difference, but it's still not enough. So I expect that we will continue to be working more funding for infrastructure in the next FAA reauthorization bill.
[00:18:27] Annie Russo: along with the rest of the aviation industry who's aligned on modernization of air traffic control being a priority for all of us because that adds to efficiency, efficiency in the system that really helps passengers, in the end. all of these things kind of go together.
[00:18:43] Annie Russo: There will be a big focus on modernization, I think not only by us, but by other stakeholders as well. But first, let's get the surface bill?
[00:18:50] Annie Russo: done.
[00:18:51] Don Lefeve: what trends are you seeing develop with, deplaning passengers? Is it more, connections these days? Is it, more direct flights? what are some of the trends that you're seeing today?
[00:19:04] Annie Russo: I talked about earlier, we're seeing a, a very strong domestic market, and a lot of, you know, I think passengers coming from one US city to another US city and business travel has bounced back, but leisure travel is very strong, and I think with a focus on, especially if you think about it, you know, celebrating America 250, there's been such a focus on all of the natural treasures that we have here in the United States and, a real strong interest in visiting other parts of the country maybe you've never been to, a lot of family travel.
[00:19:37] Annie Russo: You know, that has already impacted, what airports think about in terms of passenger experience and amenities. We're seeing a focus on ensuring that, passengers of different abilities have strong accommodations at airports. We know that's something that's incredibly important to the traveling public, and airports are rising to that occasion to meet those demands.
[00:19:59] Annie Russo: the Trump administration and Secretary Duffy have put a strong emphasis on family-friendly airports, and that was something that's been, you know, a trend that is here to stay. and airports are including, family amenities, for passengers, with smaller children, in their plans for modernization of facilities and terminals.
[00:20:21] Annie Russo: And, you know, I think those are welcome, changes from the traveling public and things that will continue. very much a focus on modernized facilities is one that we will continue to, look to strive to reach for the traveling public, especially with that strong domestic market.
[00:20:42] Annie Russo: then on the international side, it's always, trying to ensure that We are as welcoming as possible. You know, airports are the front doorstep to communities and ensuring that international passengers have what they need from airports as well, when they arrive or when they depart us.
[00:21:01] Annie Russo: That's a strong concessions program, and lots of good tourist information and, those types of accommodations are things airports have done and will continue to do as we see what happens in the future. Again, the, the markets change a lot and we have to adapt with them and grow and change with them.
[00:21:19] Annie Russo: So it's always evolving. that is one of the coolest parts about the aviation and airport industry is that it does change and we change with it and, and that's something that I'm-- makes me proud to work for the airport industry, and for the people who I know are in it as something that they take very seriously and care tremendously about.
[00:21:39] Don Lefeve: How are airports, adopting
[00:21:42] Don Lefeve: tech?
[00:21:43] Annie Russo: Oh, they're doing a lot to adopt tech. you know, from using it to see, to track passenger trends, there's lots of, uh, great apps that you can use at an airport now, using technology to deliver food to you. If you're sitting at, you know, in a hold room or at a gate, you can have your food delivered right to you.
[00:21:59] Annie Russo: You can order it in advance. those are great accommodations. on the back end, airports are using, tech in terms of safety monitoring, anything that could be on the airfield, monitoring wildlife. There's so much that goes on on the operations side. that's actually, you know, what passengers see is when they go through a terminal, right?
[00:22:20] Annie Russo: Their experience from the curb to the aircraft. but what happens behind the scenes at airports is probably the coolest part, things that people have no idea about unless you've done a tour and, and gotten to see all of the components that go into running an airport. They are small cities in and of themselves, but the safety side of them and how tech is being used, especially AI, being used to, supplement and enhance airport operations, is really interesting, super cool.
[00:22:53] Annie Russo: I'm a mom of two teenage boys, and getting to see how airports are using tech, I think if high school kids had more of an opportunity to be exposed to that, we'd start to see a growing interest in working at airports because it's super cutting edge and really, um, amazing to watch and really interesting.
[00:23:12] Annie Russo: So, we're using it all the time, and I think that's something that, again, as we evolve and as the technology evolves, we're gonna see more of. but airports will always need an important, highly skilled workforce to be able to operate. Safety is first and foremost for this industry day in and day out, and you need people to be able to do that.
[00:23:34] Annie Russo: So tech?
[00:23:34] Annie Russo: is a great enhancement to that, it most certainly does not replace the highly skilled airport workers, that are employed by airports and airlines and all of our business partners to be able to do the work they do every day. And so, you know, I think that combination of hands-on work that you can do as an airport employee with the use of technology, makes the jobs in our industry incredibly special and, so interesting.
[00:24:01] Annie Russo: Like, your day is never the same every day.
[00:24:04] Don Lefeve: in my experience, I've learned kind of almost two maxims. Like, no two airports are alike,
[00:24:09] Don Lefeve: I think you appropriately put it. I mean,It's almost like a city within a city, right?it's crazy to think about all the various operations that actually transpire.
[00:24:19] Don Lefeve: what is the one thing that kinda keeps you up at night? I should say your members as well. is it things on the security side? Is it bird strikes? Is it, new tech and privacy or, what are the issues of the day?
[00:24:33] Annie Russo: Yeah, I think it really depends on who you are at the airport and what your job is. That's a different answer for everybody. I know the security people have their own answer, the operations people have their own answer. you hit the nail on the head with each airport being so different.
[00:24:47] Annie Russo: for some airports are trying to figure out how they can grow their facilities to accommodate demand for service. And for other airports that have lost service, they're trying to figure out how they bring back that service. You know, an airport depends on, passengers to be able to survive. So it always, you know, you have services always, I think right there.
[00:25:09] Annie Russo: You've got to be safety is number one all the time through and through every day, the mission of the airport, right? You have to have the safety part and the security part, mission-driven, constant, every day?
[00:25:20] Annie Russo: important piece. And then as you get, you know, how do you build the facilities? How do you grow the service?
[00:25:25] Annie Russo: How do you maintain the service? That's on the business side and, how you all do that, I think, you know, for some people at the airport is what probably keeps them up the most at night. But that answer to because airports are so dynamic, so interesting, - that question is different for everybody, and depends on what your role is at the airport, which again, I think just makes them such amazing and super cool places to work.
[00:25:48] Don Lefeve: Yeah. Well, I mean, there's no shortage of issues, that they face
[00:25:52] Annie Russo: shortage of issues ever. There's never a dull moment. There's like - I don't ever remember a time where I'm like, "Wow, today was such a boring day." because just when you least expect something to happen, something happens, there's always something new going on, and that's what makes it such an interesting industry.
[00:26:11] Annie Russo: And the people who work in it are incredibly loyal to the airport industry. And, you know, it's because it is, like one big family. and people are so passionate about what they do, and they understand the importance of the role that they play in making sure.
[00:26:25] Annie Russo: that that airport is functioning and working and has success and is meeting the passenger needs.
[00:26:31] Annie Russo: that is really What makes it unique, uh, I think from other industries.
[00:26:36] Don Lefeve: So we have a segment here called, WTF, oh sh*t, fill in the blank, right?
[00:26:42] Don Lefeve: what is the craziest story either you've experienced or have heard about at an airport?
[00:26:49] Annie Russo: I'm gonna talk about what I experienced. let me put some context around it. I was obviously at ACI-NA during COVID. and, you know, certainly like everybody else, never expected that to happen. Never expected in the years leading up to, March of 2020, that people would stop flying.
[00:27:12] Annie Russo: That was something no one ever thought about. so having been at ACI and being on phone calls with members, hearing about how airports were empty, nobody was flying, aircraft were empty, and what horror that was, and worried about their employees and what, people coming to work and, dealing with all of that.
[00:27:34] Annie Russo: So then when I first returned, to flying again for work, we did that, we had to get back out there, right? There were things still going on and, we had heard about all the trends that were happening that during COVID business travel basically stopped and it was leisure travel. But it wasn't just leisure travel, it was people who didn't normally fly.
[00:27:57] Annie Russo: one of the first times I got back on an aircraft, I was leaving Las Vegas and I had been to Vegas many, many times before. and it was a really late flight and it may have even been a red-eye. And, I got lucky enough to get the upgrade, right? Like it's like, you know, golden ticket if you get the upgrade, especially on a long flight.
[00:28:16] Annie Russo: So get the upgrade and I board the plane, looking around the plane and it was like the reality of what we had been hearing. And normally if you get the upgrade, like you're sitting with people who are business travelers and it was not business travelers.
[00:28:32] Annie Russo: And I actually thought it was almost, out of a, you know, an SNL skit in a way a gentleman got on with this like vintage suitcase,you know, like those old, square or rectangular ones with the metal clasps on them. And he had like tape around it holding it together and stickers, and he's like trying to shove it in the overhead.
[00:28:54] Annie Russo: And I just was like, "I can't believe this is happening. I've never seen anyone travel with a suitcase like that." And then right behind me, there was almost a fistfight because passengers were fighting over the bin space above them. Because they thought that they had actually, you know, bought the bin space above them, and the flight attendant had to step in and break up a fistfight.
[00:29:15] Annie Russo: But they didn't wind up calling airport police. But it was like out of a skit. and I felt like I was in an SNL skit. And so that was definitely the weirdest thing that ever happened
[00:29:24] Annie Russo: to me
[00:29:25] Don Lefeve: talk to me about, the impact of COVID. obviously we all lived through it. incredibly, tumultuous time, right? I mean, the world looked like it was ending, and then three months, six months later it's, you know, popped back and, the economy was doing very well.being a, you know, public place of travel, I mean, you guys were front lines of that. how have things recovered since COVID?
[00:29:49] Annie Russo: obviously an incredibly scary time when nobody was flying and, and we are forever grateful to, the federal government, you know, both the first Trump administration and then the Biden administration for COVID relief funding. Without that, think it would've been a total disaster for the aviation industry in general, but most certainly airports as well, who we carry a lot of,debt and needed to repay that debt.
[00:30:12] Annie Russo: So that was a lifeline and, and forever grateful for that. it has changed, a lot about how we think about things. You know, I think during the time airports you know, it provided an opportunity actually to get some things done quickly when there weren't passengers in terminals, and airports took advantage of that.
[00:30:31] Annie Russo: But it also changed the way I think we thought about some of our facilities, not only in, in terms of, think more spacing because people no longer wanted to be, so close to each other in terms of ensuring... There was a big emphasis at the time on cleanliness, not that there wasn't before, but a new level, everybody had to deal with that or that has a public space and those standards stay.
[00:30:53] Annie Russo: they don't go away. and I think just, you know, patterns change where we saw, and I'm sure you all felt this too, a shift in how people get to and from the airport. And we haven't seen a major shift, change again. We were s-seeing shifts in patterns pre-COVID. COVID changed that, and we haven't seen that shift back.
[00:31:13] Annie Russo: So, people, started driving to the airport more or renting cars more, than they were previously. So some of those things have not changed. So it did definitely change behaviors of passengers, and I think the expectations for airports also have not changed, since COVID too, for a variety of different things.
[00:31:32] Annie Russo: I don't think that's a bad thing at all. I think that's a good thing. That's just now normal for all of us, as we, get further distance from COVID. But I think it's really hard not to talk about it because it did, change so much, for the industry. And, and to your point about being at front and center It put airports in the limelight, right?
[00:31:51] Annie Russo: During COVID,
[00:31:52] Annie Russo: there were the health stories that we were all paying attention to on the news, but then an immediate economic impact, airports, airlines were immediately impacted, and that became news stories in and of themselves. So I do think that, I give the industry a lot of credit.
[00:32:09] Annie Russo: Airports did a phenomenal job during that time of messaging, of, taking advantage of that limelight and of that scrutiny and, pressures that they were under to build great relationships, with stakeholders. And that continues today. So there was, I think, everlasting impacts of that, that have really benefited the airport industry, you know, I think in the last six years and then into the future.
[00:32:37] Annie Russo: So if you're gonna look at the bright side, I do think that's part of it.
[00:32:40] Don Lefeve: Anything you wanted me to ask that I haven't asked you?
[00:32:44] Annie Russo: you know, just to highlight, I think that there has been so many good things, good stories from the airport industry, that have happened in the last year. that airports, with shutdowns, especially with the TSA shutdown lasting so long, it did incredible things to help, TSOs and TSA staff at airports in working with community partners.
[00:33:08] Annie Russo: Airports themselves are limited in what they can do directly, but, they were able to, you know, because of those great relationships, reach into communities and get nonprofits to help federal workers who weren't getting paychecks, and be able to, show the communities that they really care, and that they care about the staff
[00:33:28] Annie Russo: Even if they're not their direct staff, they care about the people who work at airports. And I think that's a, a thing that I really love about this industry. the other thing to highlight is that we have made incredible progress on modernizing airport terminals specifically. And we've had a number of new terminals open, a number of them about to open.
[00:33:51] Annie Russo: It's really exciting. The new Burbank terminal is set to open in early October. But that, that comes on the heels of, Portland, and San Diego, and, Pittsburgh, among a bunch of others. And there's exciting things happening in terms of better facilities to better serve communities and passengers in the airport industry.
[00:34:15] Annie Russo: And that's something that we're really proud of to represent commercial service airports across the country and, you know, look forward to showcasing those more about the good work that is being done and the economic impact, that airports have on local communities. And in part, Thanks, to business partners like rental car companies who work with us all the time to ensure that passengers have what they need and to meet the needs of people visiting airports and communities.
[00:34:44] Annie Russo: that's a great partnership. And I think sometimes, as in the current political climate and with current politics, the actual good that comes of investment sometimes gets forgotten about. So I do think that it is really important to keep highlighting for all of us all of the really great things that are happening and the roles that each stakeholder plays in that.
[00:35:07] Annie Russo: Because it's not just the airport alone. There's a lot that goes into it, and a lot of cooperation, that goes into building those facilities. And that's just incredibly important to the country overall and to local communities. so that is the one last thing I do definitely wanna highlight.
[00:35:25] Don Lefeve: Thanks, Annie