The Resurgence of Small- to Mid-Size Airports

As the global pandemic rolls on, people are reexamining their relationships with their cities. This trend isn’t new, but it has been accelerated by the global pandemic and the resulting mass migration to a work-from-home lifestyle. According to City Pulse Survey, over two-thirds of respondents want to leave their global city for smaller, less populated areas with a high quality of life and low cost of living. Second-tier cities, such as Raleigh, Nashville, Columbus, Pittsburgh, and Austin, are seeing population growth, which will inevitably lead to passenger growth. As a result, airports in these cities are likely to see an influx of travelers. The question is, how will airports respond to new passenger load and use patterns?

The way that we think about travel is also changing. Passengers are prioritizing safety and control over speed and convenience, choosing their own vehicle or a less convenient route if it gives them more control over the journey. Here’s where smaller airports have an advantage: most passengers drive themselves or are dropped off instead of taking mass transit, lighter flight schedules mean quicker security and fewer passengers, and the terminal itself is smaller and easier to navigate. Travelers who want to avoid crowded hubs will be drawn to the ease and predictability of smaller airports, perhaps choosing to fly out of Cleveland instead of Chicago or Baltimore instead of Philadelphia.

This disruption presents an opportunity to rethink how we want to travel in the future. Could we be on the verge of a boom or resurgence for small- and mid-size airports? Here are some strategies we’ve developed that cities and airports can use to revitalize their facilities in the post pandemic world:

Unlike megahubs like New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) or Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), which are essentially under ceaseless construction, smaller airports build only at a breaking point. As a result, those facilities are often fundamentally outdated and lack the modern amenities today’s traveler demands. The opportunity to build a new facility or reimagine a passenger terminal may only happen once in a generation, so ensuring that design is anchored in the context of the city is critical to its long term relevancy. Smaller cities should take advantage of the influx of new residents and reimagine their airports as modern gateways, connecting people and building resiliency.

A fine example of this regionally-anchored design approach is Jackson Hole Airport (JAC), in Jackson, Wyoming, a key regional airport providing air service to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. The richness of the landscape is expressed through material, with a mass timber structure, rusted steel, and regional stone bringing warmth and context to what is typically a cold and sterile airport environment.