Sweeping retail and restaurant changes are coming to Terminal A at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport by the spring of 2015, the culmination of a comprehensive physical upgrade to the facility.

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority announced Wednesday at its monthly board of directors meeting that full-service dining, publicly accessible iPads and charging stations and an expanded lineup of food, beverage and retail options will be part of the newest passenger comforts incorporated into the nine-gate terminal. The redesigned Terminal A, which originally opened more than 40 years ago, will also boast the airport’s first full-service spa.

Airports Authority CEO Jack Potter told the board that a joint venture of two companies, OTG and BMG, has been selected to manage the Terminal A concessions development, working with MarketPlace Development, the Authority’s main contractor for concessions management.

“OTG has more than 17 years of experience in 10 airports,” Potter said, adding that “BMG is also an experienced operator, with food and beverage locations in New York and Boston. We plan to create a food and retail experience in Terminal A featuring restaurants affiliated with well-known chefs, and we plan to engage with local community partnerships to provide experience for under-served young adults who aspire to pursue careers in culinary services.”

The new array of shops and restaurants will be a highly visible component of the Airports Authority’s ongoing program to convert or reconstruct 95 percent of all Reagan National and Washington Dulles International Airport concessions through 2015. The first phase of new shop and restaurant openings is expected this spring.

“It has long been the Airports Authority’s desire to modernize and optimize the passenger experience in Terminal A at Reagan National,” said Paul Malandrino, airport manager at Reagan National.

Conceptual renderings appear below. Click directly on the images to view them in full size:

Conceptual rendering, Terminal A post-security	Conceptual rendering, Terminal A gate area

In addition to the concessions redevelopment, the terminal is undergoing multiple structural improvements. A lobby renovation, which includes new flooring and fixtures and allows more natural light, was completed in 2013. An expansion of security checkpoints will be completed this year. These projects will clear the way for new shop and restaurant offerings to come soon afterward.

“We believe the new shops and restaurants will transform the terminal into a more popular destination for passengers flying at Reagan,” said Steve Baker, vice president for business administration at the Airports Authority.

At the Airports Authority’s board of directors meeting, Potter also noted progress toward the completion of Phase 1 of the Authority’s project to build the Silver Line extension to the Washington region’s Metrorail mass transit system. The Authority’s construction contractor, Dulles Transit Partners, has submitted a declaration of substantial completion, which begins a 15-day review period in which the Airports Authority will determine whether to concur with the declaration or request additional testing or work. Concurrence with the substantial completion declaration would begin the process of turning Phase 1 of the project over to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, which operates the Metrorail system.

Phase 2 of the Silver Line project, which also is underway, will eventually extend Metrorail service to Dulles International Airport and onward into Loudoun County, Va.

The board and Airports Authority senior managers also acknowledged the work of hundreds of employees at Dulles and Reagan airports – as well as the Dulles Toll Road, which also is operated by the Authority – in removing snow and addressing other challenges of recent winter weather.

“There has been a weather-related event either directly or indirectly affecting our airports almost every week since the official winter season began,” Chief Operating Officer Margaret McKeough told the board.  “So far this winter, our employees have responded to more than 20 weather-related events impacting our airports, including 15 days that involved snow removal. This frequency of weather interruption is the most we can recall in a single season. 

“Last Thursday’s snowstorm was a particular challenge,” she said. “It was one of the largest snowfalls ever recorded in our area and the most snow we’ve had in this area since the big “Snowmageddon” storm of 2010.  Several hundred of our employees spent long days and nights on the job clearing snow from our facilities and working to assist passengers and keep the public and the news media well informed.”
McKeough also discussed 2013 year-end air traffic statistics, which showed the Airports Authority served 42.4 million passengers, fueled by record passenger levels at Reagan National and steady international passenger growth at Dulles.

Reagan marked its third consecutive record year with 20.4 million passengers.  At Dulles domestic traffic declined by nearly 6 percent, driven in part by regulatory decisions allowing airlines to shift flights from Dulles to Reagan, but the decline was partly offset by a 10th consecutive year of growth in international travel. International growth is expected to continue in 2014 with the anticipated addition of service by Air China at Dulles. The airline is planning an official announcement in March.

2013 Year-end Statistics:•

Reagan National: 20.4 million passengers (+3.9% vs. 2012); Third record year in a row

• Passenger service growth across major airlines included: 
  US Airways, Delta, American, Southwest, JetBlue

Dulles International: 21.9 million passengers (-2.7% vs. 2012)

• Domestic passengers: 14.8 million (-5.9%); Third year of domestic decline
• International passengers: 7.0 million (+4.6%); Tenth record year in a row
• Service highlights: New airlines Brussels and Etihad, larger Emirates aircraft, increased service to
  San Salvador, Ottawa, Montreal, Manchester and London.

Other business at Wednesday’s board meeting included the introduction of Ginger Evans as vice president for engineering. She joins the Authority from Parsons Corp., one of the world’s largest engineering and construction organizations, where she served as senior vice president responsible for the global aviation practice. She has served as a director of aviation for Denver International Airport.  

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, established in 1987 by the governments of Virginia and the District of Columbia, manages and operates Ronald Reagan Washington National and Washington Dulles International airports, which together serve more than 40 million passengers a year. The Airports Authority also operates and maintains the Dulles Airport Access Road and the Dulles Toll Road and manages construction of the Silver Line project, a 23-mile extension of the Washington region’s Metrorail system into Loudoun County, Va. No tax dollars are used to operate the toll road, which is funded by toll revenues, or the airports, which are funded through aircraft landing fees, rents and revenues from concessions. The Silver Line construction is funded by a combination of toll-road revenues, airport contributions and federal, state and local government appropriations. The Airports Authority is led by a 17-member board of directors appointed by the governors of Virginia, Maryland, the mayor of Washington, D.C., and the president of the United States.