Airports Council Launches AirportNEXT Program

September 10, 2024

Inaugural Winners of the AirportNEXT Awards Announced in Grand Rapids

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA), the trade association representing commercial service airports in the United States and Canada, today announced the launch of the AirportNEXT program and the winners of the first annual AirportNEXT awards. The announcement was made at the 2024 ACI-NA Annual Conference and Exhibition in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

“Airports work around the clock to build strong partnerships across the local communities they serve,” said ACI-NA President and CEO Kevin M. Burke.  “Each of this year’s winners have demonstrated leadership, vision, and collaboration with their stakeholders in key areas to improve the passenger experience.  We congratulate each of the airports that participated in our inaugural year and look forward to growing the AirportNEXT program for next year.”

AirportNEXT, a pioneering initiative spearheaded by AirportNEXT Solutions Inc., was introduced in a pilot project across the United States and Canada this spring. During the past six months, 24 airports across the US and Canada participated in a pilot project to create the initial data base of stakeholder sentiment about airports. The program aims to validate and expand the existing database of stakeholder sentiments regarding airport operations and effectiveness.

“We are extremely grateful to ACI-NA and the airports which have contributed to the pilot project,” said Tom Ruth, President, AirportNEXT Solutions Inc.  “The ACI-NA team and Airport Steering Committee have provided valuable information to finalize our comprehensive model and survey designed to assess airports.”

“These first annual awards are based on extensive analysis of feedback received about infrastructure and facilities and stakeholder alignment. We received more than 200,000 data points about airports on a number of critical areas,” explained Paul Ouimet, Chairman of AirportNEXT Solutions Inc. “This feedback has been instrumental in recognizing the achievements of outstanding airports in the program’s inaugural year.”

The awards celebrate the achievements of airports that have excelled in various operational and stakeholder engagement categories, highlighting their commitment to excellence and innovation in the aviation industry.

 

The 2024 AirportNEXT Overall Award Winners are:

Tier 1 Airports (Below 850,000 passengers): Fredericton International Airport

Tier 2 Airports (850,000 – 4 million passengers): Greenville–Spartanburg International Airport

Tier 3 Airports (4 million – 16 million passengers): Edmonton International Airport

Tier 4 Airports (More than 16 million passengers): Dallas Love Field Airport

 

The 2024 AirportNEXT Award Winners by category are:

 

Infrastructure and Facilities:

Border: Vancouver International Airport

Security: Dallas Love Field Airport

Services: Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport

Technology Services: Fredericton International Airport

Terminal: Fredericton International Airport

Transportation Access: Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport

 

Stakeholder Alignment:

Airlines: Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport

Community: Edmonton International Airport

Economic Development and Tourism: Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport

Government: Dallas Love Field

Sustainability: Edmonton International Airport

Workforce and Culture: Edmonton International Airport

 

For more information about the AirportNEXT program, please visit the AirportNEXT website.

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About ACI-NA

Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) represents local, regional, and state governing bodies that own and operate commercial airports in the United States and Canada. ACI-NA member airports enplane more than 95 percent of the domestic and virtually all the international airline passenger and cargo traffic in North America. Approximately 380 aviation-related businesses are also members of ACI-NA, providing goods and services to airports. Collectively, U.S. airports support more than 11.5 million jobs and account for $1.4 trillion in economic activity – or more than seven percent of the total U.S. GDP. Canadian airports support 405,000 jobs and contribute C$35 billion to Canada’s GDP. Learn more at www.airportscouncil.org.