From The Runway Up: An Airport and Aviation Podcast

Every aspect of an airport is planned and designed to meet the needs of the traveling public, and some of those needs are requested even before a plane ticket is booked. Whether its mobile websites, water-refilling stations, or aesthetically-pleasing construction walls, airport staff listen to the experts when planning for current and future growth—the experts being their passengers. In this episode, we hear from special guests from the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority and Tampa International Airport on how they handle the passenger experience and what they think the passenger experience will look like in the years to come.  

• Christina Saull (left) is the Corporate Communications Manager at the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.
• Danny Valentine (right) is the Senior Communications Manager at Tampa International Airport (TPA).

• ACI-NA’s MarComm Conference and Award Ceremony in Ottawa, ON
• ‘Officials Unveil New Facial Recognition System at Dulles International Airport’
• D.C. Airports Mobile App
• Tampa International Airport’s Construction Walls
• Airport FAQs for McGhee Tyson Airport
• Dulles International Airport’s ‘Donuts with Dad’ Father’s Day Event (photos below)

‘An airport controls so little, but we are responsible in the eyes of our consumer for so much.’ 

• Birdy by KV https://soundcloud.com/kvmusicprod
• Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
• Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/dSCbsObNJo0

The post Passenger Amenities Constantly Change, How Do Airports Keep Up with the Trends? appeared first on From the Runway Up.

This year has been a record-breaking year at McGhee Tyson Airport. From hitting an annual passenger record in January of 2018 and then hitting a huge passenger milestone (2 million passengers!) in December of 2018, to announcing new nonstop flights, and welcoming a new Airport Authority president, 2018 was definitely one for the (log) books! In the episode, From the Runway Up hosts, Becky and Caitlin, highlight the top 18 events that happened at TYS in 2018.

No guests in this episode, just your hosts- Becky (right) and Caitlin (left)!

• In January, we announced a record-breaking 2017 with 1,988,019 passengers.
• In April and May, we hosted another Aviation Academy.
• In October, we completed the airport’s 80th Anniversary campaign.
• In October, American Airlines announced nonstop flights to New York City beginning in February of 2019.
• In November, From the Runway Up won an international communications award at ACI-NA‘s MARCOM in Ottowa, Canada.
• In November, we welcomed Patrick Wilson to the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority as our new President.
• In December, we reached a milestone of service 2 million passengers in 2018 (final year-end numbers will be announced in January 2019).

• Aviation Academy Episode
• HonorAir Knoxville Episode
• Art in the Airport Episode
• Air Service Development Episode
• Allegiant Air Recruitment Episode
• Airfield Modernization Program Episode
• Full-Scale Emergency Exercise Episode
• Bill Marrison’s Years of Service Episode

• Birdy by KV https://soundcloud.com/kvmusicprod
• Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
• Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/dSCbsObNJo0

The post Top 18 at TYS in 2018 appeared first on From the Runway Up.

McGhee Tyson Airport has changed drastically since Bill Marrison walked into the terminal in 1982. From a new airport operations building, fire and rescue building, and an airport terminal building, to the largest construction project in airport history and the potential of adding a new general aviation airport into the system, Bill has experienced a lot in his 36 years at TYS. In this episode, Bill Marrison discusses how his love for aviation began, talks about his favorite airport projects, and shares what he hopes lives on as his ‘airport legacy’.

Bill Marrison is the President of the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority (MKAA) and will be retiring on December 31, 2018, after 36 years of service to MKAA. He has been involved in the aviation industry for more than 50 years.

The post 36 Years in Less Than 36 Minutes appeared first on From the Runway Up.

As you learned in our previous episode, air service development is complex, time-consuming, and constantly changing. So what’s the ‘method behind the madness’? In this episode, we speak with an airline representative about what airlines look for when selecting communities to provide air service, and more specifically, why Allegiant chose Knoxville as a base of operations.

Hilarie Grey (right) is the Director of Corporate Communications for Allegiant. Before working with Allegiant, Hilarie worked in communications for McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas.

The post ‘See You in the Skies’: An Airline’s Take on Air Service appeared first on From the Runway Up.

Air Service Development is a tricky task that looks different at every airport, but one thing is consistent across the industry: Airlines are in the business of making money. Shocking right? Each airport is responsible for convincing airlines that they will be profitable in their market, and that can be a job that takes years.

In this episode, Jim Evans, Vice President of Marketing and Air Service Development for MKAA, discusses what airports are responsible  for in regards to recruiting airlines, what the state of air service looks like in Knoxville, and what the industry can expect in the future.

Jim Evans is the Vice President of Marketing and Air Service Development for the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority. He has been with TYS for 12 years and in the aviation industry for more than 35 years.

The post Pick Me! Pick Me! An Inside Look at Recruiting Allegiant Air to TYS appeared first on From the Runway Up.

Every three years, the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority is required by the FAA to host a full-scale emergency exercise. On October 27, 2018, more than 20 local emergency response agencies and more than 100 volunteers worked together to simulate an aircraft incident and practiced the required response.

In this special episode, we speak with the airport’s Director of Public Safety, Tom Aiken, and Lieutenant Kelly Simerly about what it takes to successfully implement a mass emergency exercise and its importance to the airport and the traveling public.  We also interviewed volunteers and agencies about their role in the exercise and the reason they volunteer year-after-year.

The post Special Edition: Airport Emergency Response Exercise appeared first on From the Runway Up.

As the industry saying goes, ‘once you’ve seen one airport, you’ve seen one airport.’ That’s one of many reasons why geographical information systems (GIS) play an extremely critical role in airport planning. Whether its mapping for on-property fire hydrants, historical building layouts, aerial noise contour, or maps for special events,  GIS is an aspect that is relied upon by all airport departments and customers.

In this episode, Blake Sartin, Senior GIS Manager for MKAA, discusses the unique uses for GIS and how people can get involved in the increasingly-popular career field.

Blake Sartin is the Senior GIS Manager for the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority. He has been with TYS since 2006.

The post GIS @ TYS appeared first on From the Runway Up.

Planning for the future of an airport system is a monumental task that considers every facet of airport usage, from passengers needs to aircraft fleet changes, and transportation trends to gate agreements. McGhee Tyson Airport is in the process of updating its Airport Master Plan, an FAA-required document that highlights the airport’s plan for the next 20 years.

In this episode, Bryan White, Vice President of Engineering and Planning for MKAA, along with Bill Barley, the Market Segments & Vice President of Aviation at CHA, discuss the planning process and the important ‘touch points’ that have to be considered when forecasting the future of any airport.

Bryan White (left) is the  is Vice President of Engineering and Planning for the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority. He has been with TYS since 2005. Bryan has been a guest on previous podcast episodes. Click here to listen to him talk about the current Airfield Modernization Program.

Bill Barley (right) is the Market Segments & Vice President of Aviation at CHA. He works as a consultant for the MKAA Engineering Department as a project manager.

The post Planning for the Future of TYS appeared first on From the Runway Up.

Recruiting businesses to East Tennessee (and more-specifically recruiting companies to do business on airport property) is a full-time job. The Knoxville Chamber (and many other local organizations) is tasked with selling Knoxville to businesses around the world in hopes that they bring more jobs and revenue to East Tennessee. In this episode, Doug Lawyer, Vice President of Economic Development for the Knoxville Chamber, discusses what all went into recruiting Cirrus Aircraft to TYS. He also talks about the status of our region and shares examples of many other businesses that have decided to call East Tennessee home.

Doug Lawyer is Vice President of Economic Development for the Knoxville Chamber. He’s been at the Chamber for 17 and works with the Airport Authority regularly.

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