Austin aims to become the most accessible US airport

Austin is one of the fastest-growing cities in the US. The Texas capital, a centre for business, entrepreneurs and students alike, has also seen its airport become a growing unofficial hub for American and Southwest Airlines.

This means a dramatic expansion for the 24-year-old Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. The Airport Expansion and Development Program (AEDP) will cost an estimated US$3.5 to US$4 billion. Part of this includes a new midfield concourse which will be built in parallel to the main terminal and connected via an underground tunnel.

While not directly overseeing the project, Mark Janchar, Senior Strategy and Innovation Consultant at the airport, is involved in short- and long-term strategy planning. This includes transitioning from pre-Covid goals to designing a set of new targets and an accompanying framework.

“We need to transition to have a large hub mindset,” says Janchar. “Now is the time when we have to make sure that our vision, our strategy and our designs align with where the airport is going.”

Everyday innovation

In the short term and top of mind for Janchar is the overhaul and construction of a new baggage handling and contingency system. He likes to call this ‘everyday innovation’ or ‘tactical innovation’.

“Some people might not see baggage handling contingency plans as innovation, but I like to champion that kind of innovation because this is the everyday problem-solving that can involve everyone at the airport,” he explains. “From frontline employees to division managers, I like to have them involved in workshops because they can give us the lived experience of what’s happening on the ground.”

The new concourse will also provide Austin with the chance to excel in accessibility. Janchar wants the airport to become the most accessible in the US.

“I’m looking at all the different projects that fall under this umbrella, such as what are our translation services? What about our visual paging? Where are the gaps for all types of passenger journeys? Are people getting an opportunity to participate in all our concessions?”

Successful past projects which are helping increase Austin’s accessibility profile include creating a new mobility lounge where wheelchair users can wait after check-in so attendants can more easily locate passengers to then take them through security and onwards.

Additionally, a solution was found to fill the gap between wheelchair services in the terminal and the rental car facility. Limited by staffing resources, and after reaching out to similarly laid-out airports across the US and workshopping solutions internally, Janchar and his team realised the best solution was to utilise parking attendants. He sees this as another example of everyday innovation and problem-solving.

Seeing results

A service designer by training and background, this is Janchar’s first role in aviation. Although he has worked on “very fulfilling projects” in previous roles, he admits that a lot of times it was hard to see the change he was making, unlike in aviation.

“I love working here because you can see the change in front of your eyes,” he says. “If I do a service blueprint workshop, I get everyone involved there. We design an improvement to a service and then we implement it and I can go visit it in the terminal and see it every day.”