It's been a busy year for us! In this episode, Amanda and Charles review some of the great things that have been happening in our airports, including new airlines and destinations, new shopping and dining options, lounges and more. They also cover what's coming up for both Reagan National and Washington Dulles International in the near future, including an update on the DCA Reimagined project, and a new concourse at IAD!
Interested in a career at the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority? See what we have available here: https://www.mwaa.com/careers
Have questions for us? We'd love to hear from you! Send us an email at info@thecapitalrunway.com
For more information, please visit our website at https://thecapitalrunway.com.
Staff:
Tanisha Lewis, VP of DISI
Jaimini Erskine, VP of Marketing & Concessions
Charles Wilson, Co-host/Co-producer
Amanda Ohbayashi, Co-host/Co-producer/Social media producer
Ryan Burdick, Editor/Co-producer
Bong Lee, Graphics
Brian McCoy, Digital Strategy/Co-producer
Sagia Depty, Marketing Lead/Co-producer
[music]
[00:00:04] Amanda: I'm Amanda.
[00:00:05] Charles: I'm Charles.
[00:00:06] Amanda: This is the Capital Runway Podcast. Hey, Charles.
[00:00:11] Charles: Hey, Amanda. How are you?
[00:00:12] Amanda: Good. How are you? Happy summer.
[00:00:14] Charles: Yes. Same to you. We're what, halfway through now?
[00:00:18] Amanda: Just about. Yes. I don't know about you guys, but we over in marketing are super busy.
[00:00:24] Charles: Yes. The diversity, inclusion, and social impact team has been hard at work as well.
[00:00:28] Amanda: What have you been up to this summer?
[00:00:29] Charles: I just got back from Martha's Vineyard. I was there for a week, and prior to that, I was in Turks and Caicos.
[00:00:36] Amanda: Oh, okay.
[00:00:38] Charles: I need to take another vacation.
[laughter]
[00:00:41] Amanda: That's so awesome.
[00:00:41] Charles: I had a great time in both locations.
[00:00:44] Amanda: Did you get a lobster roll?
[00:00:46] Charles: I did. I did one.
[00:00:48] Amanda: Just one?
[00:00:49] Charles: Yes. I was tempted to do another one, but I was like--
[00:00:51] Amanda: When I go to New England, it's lobster rolls for every meal.
[00:00:55] Charles: Yes. [laugher] We had a great time, and it's good to be back in DC.
[00:00:58] Amanda: That's awesome. I hope you're staying cool. It's so hot.
[00:01:00] Charles: Yes. I'm glad the heat has died down a little bit. I think, what? A couple of days ago, it was the hottest day-
[00:01:09] Amanda: Ever.
[00:01:10] Charles: -ever recorded. Everybody's due for a cool down.
[00:01:14] Amanda: Yes. Speaking of summer travel and everything that's been happening, we thought we'd give everyone, our listeners, an update on all things that are happening at both airports.
[00:01:25] Charles: There's a lot going on.
[00:01:26] Amanda: We have so much going on. We have tons of new airlines and routes coming to both airports. Over at Dulles, we welcomed Swiss, Sun Country, Aeromexico, and Novello, all this past spring and summer. We also have new routes for United. Do you want to talk about those a little bit?
[00:01:48] Charles: Yes. We have seasonal routes to Anchorage, Alaska. Then we have some Pennsylvania routes to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, State College, and Harrisburg.
[00:02:00] Amanda: Yes. Let's not forget Mobile, Alabama is also new to the United roster.
[00:02:04] Charles: Yes.
[00:02:05] Amanda: Over at DCA, we had some new American routes.
[00:02:08] Charles: Yes. We got Baton Rouge and Wichita, Kansas.
[00:02:11] Speaker 3: Let me hit record.
[00:02:12] Amanda: Let's talk a little bit about the seasonal Alaska route. That one, we're super excited for.
[00:02:19] Charles: I am too because I took a trip up there a couple of years ago and had an awesome time. I can't wait to go back. Now I can take a direct flight from Dulles to Alaska. That's awesome.
[00:02:29] Amanda: We actually got to talk to Trudy Wassel recently about that new route. Let's hear what she has to say. Good morning. We have our first guest joining us today from Anchorage Airport. Welcome, Trudy. She is the Deputy Director for Anchorage.
[00:02:48] Trudy Wassel: Yes, ma'am.
[00:02:49] Amanda: Welcome.
[00:02:49] Trudy Wassel: Thank you.
[00:02:50] Charles: Welcome to the podcast. Glad that you're here.
[00:02:52] Trudy Wassel: Yes, me too. It's wonderful to be here in beautiful DC.
[00:02:55] Amanda: Why is it important for Anchorage to attend conferences like JumpStart?
[00:03:01] Trudy Wassel: I feel that Anchorage has been doing these conferences for a very long time. We've been very successful. Besides this wonderful Dulles route from DC to Anchorage, great cities being connected to Anchorage, Alaska, and the whole state of Alaska.
[00:03:16] Amanda: Yes, you just mentioned the new Dulles-Anchorage route coming from United. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
[00:03:23] Trudy Wassel: Yes, we're super excited about that. DC was one of the major asks for the community in the whole state. We feel that this is a great opportunity for people from Washington, DC, this is beautiful here, to come see Alaska. Lots of great tourism to see. A lot of things to do in Anchorage. Fairbanks, trains, planes, hiking. We have eight national parks. Opening up our community to Washington, DC, and opening up Washington, DC to the state of Alaska.
Of course, this is our great capital as well. There's a lot of business travel between Alaska and the city. It just seemed like a perfect match when United started talking to us about possibly opening this up. We were super excited. Hopefully, that's what's going to happen here in Washington, DC, that visitors will come to Alaska and come back again.
[00:04:22] Charles: The most memorable experience was taking a helicopter trip on top of a glacier.
[00:04:26] Trudy Wassel: Yes.
[00:04:27] Charles: Just amazing. It almost felt like you were on top of the world.
[00:04:29] Trudy Wassel: Good. We're really happy to open up that to all these new markets. Like I said, especially Washington, DC. This is a great opportunity for the state of Alaska.
[00:04:40] Amanda: Awesome.
[00:04:41] Charles: We also heard from Courtney Goff from Avelo Airlines.
[00:04:45] Courtney Goff: At Avelo, our purpose is to inspire travel. We do that with great reliability, low fares, and convenience. We're excited to have nonstop service between Dulles and New Haven, Connecticut, which is our largest East Coast base. There's a lot of demand to get from southern Connecticut to the DC area. We're excited to make that happen without having to get on a train or a bus or bus in from elsewhere. You can get right into the heart of DC.
We've had several of our customers and travelers that have been like, "We really want a nonstop directly into the DC area." IED is our 53rd destination, and we're your 43rd airline, so it works out really nicely in that sense. We've got the threes going on.
[00:05:27] Amanda: Last but certainly not least is Palm Springs, which is also another new addition for United. We talked to Daniel Meyer from Palm Springs Airport.
[00:05:39] Daniel Meyer: The airport's got a new Conrad coming. We're going to be adding more gates, and we're doing all new-- Currently, redoing all of our restaurants and adding more restaurants, all of our retail. We're bringing in more local stuff to make it an actual Palm Springs experience. It's funny when I first started there-- Palm Springs is in a desert. When I first got there, we had three retail stores, and it was Desert Marketplace, Desert Mart, and Desert News. Very creative. [laughter]
Now we've made it into our local famous-- Las Palmas Oasis is a famous neighborhood in Palm Springs where some of our favorite restaurants that are really popular in downtown Palm Springs are going to open up airport locations. We're trying to bring that whole Palm Springs hospitality and feel all the way through the airport. When people get off the plane, in time they leave, they have the whole experience of our destination.
[00:06:27] Amanda: That's awesome. I love that. Yes. Lots happening in terms of new flights and new routes. We also have tons of new concessions opening at both airports.
[00:06:38] Charles: Have you tried any?
[00:06:39] Amanda: Yes, I've had Lucky Buns over at DCA.
[00:06:43] Charles: How was that?
[00:06:44] Amanda: It was really good. If you're craving that good burger, juicy burger, it's a good spot to be. It's right in National Hall near the, I think, Concourse B. Then also Half Moon Empanadas. Been there a couple of times. Highly recommend. I also really liked their sweet empanadas. They have a brownie one almost. It was really good.
[00:07:10] Charles: A dessert, I'm there. I got to try it.
[00:07:13] Amanda: They're just so convenient and handheld. Good for on-the-go. At Dulles, we have tons of new things. What do we have over at Dulles?
[00:07:22] Charles: Let's see. We've got Potbelly in Concourse D, Bagels and More in Concourse C, Union Kitchen in Concourse D, Brighton in Concourse B.
[00:07:32] Amanda: Let's not forget Freshie.
[00:07:33] Charles: Yes, Freshie in Concourse B.
[00:07:35] Amanda: They're smoothies and salads and whatnot. Very fresh and delicious. Always liked that one.
[00:07:42] Charles: Great. Then we've got a couple of things coming soon.
[00:07:44] Amanda: Yes.
[00:07:45] Charles: What do we have?
[00:07:45] Amanda: Over at Dulles, we have Gatsby opening soon. Over at DCA, we have another Cava, Dos Toros. This is not somewhere you want to eat, but the Lego store.
[00:07:58] Charles: Yes, parents are going to love that place.
[00:08:00] Amanda: Yes, I know.
[00:08:00] Charles: To give the kids something to do before they get on the plane.
[00:08:03] Amanda: Yes, absolutely.
[00:08:05] Charles: I can't wait to check out Cava. That's my favorite.
[00:08:08] Amanda: Oh, yes. You can't go wrong. Also, we have the new American Express Lounge just opened at DCA.
[00:08:17] Charles: Nice.
[00:08:18] Amanda: For all of the eligible American Express card holders, I know that was-
[00:08:22] Charles: I think I got an upgrade. [laughs]
[00:08:23] Amanda: -highly anticipated. Yes, me too. Speaking of DCA and everything we have happening over there, the DISI team has been working on a special project over there, right?
[00:08:39] Charles: Yes. For Juneteenth, we had a ribbon-cutting ceremony acknowledging the Abington Ruins Plantation. If you ever go get your rental car and you're walking from the garage to the rental car location, if you look to the right, you'll see remnants of an old building, and that's the actual site of Abington. We had a ribbon-cutting ceremony. I don't know if folks know, we actually have our own historian who actually documented the history of the site. We had some local officials come out to actually participate in the ceremony as well.
[00:09:16] Amanda: We've had signs out there that detailed Abington and the history of it. It belonged to the step-granddaughter of First President George Washington. What our ribbon-cutting was for was really to detail the lives of some of the enslaved people who lived there and how they contributed to the plantation and what they were responsible for.
[00:09:46] Charles: Yes.
[00:09:47] Amanda: We have three new signs up at Abington, two of which tell the stories of two of the enslaved people who lived there, one who was a seamstress and the other who was a stable manager and was a skilled horse trainer actually for George Washington. It's a great highlight of the history of the property.
[00:10:07] Charles: Yes.
[00:10:08] Amanda: Any other DISI initiatives you guys have been working on?
[00:10:12] Charles: Yes. We have a career day expo that's coming up later in the fall.
[00:10:17] Amanda: Oh.
[00:10:17] Charles: We want to be able to expose high school students to career opportunities at the airport. We're going to be inviting a lot of our airport professionals to talk about what they do and how they got interested in that career field and to be able to answer questions that high school students may have to see if they're interested in following the same path.
[00:10:35] Amanda: That's really awesome. Where can people find out more information?
[00:10:38] Charles: We will be posting it on our website. We're also going to be partnering with local schools in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area to get them involved as well.
[00:10:49] Amanda: We'll drop a link to more information in our show notes.
[00:10:53] Charles: Yes. Guess what, Amanda?
[00:10:55] Amanda: What?
[00:10:56] Charles: If you know someone out there who's looking for a new career opportunity, look no further than the Airports Authority.
[00:11:01] Amanda: Oh yes.
[00:11:02] Charles: Yes.
[00:11:03] Amanda: You can check out our latest opportunities at mwa.com/careers. You can see everything that we have available there. Everything from public safety to there are some trades opportunities and corporate opportunities. Check us out.
[00:11:18] Charles: We always say that MWA is like a small city. We really do have opportunities for everyone.
[00:11:23] Amanda: Absolutely.
[00:11:24] Charles: One other thing, we just published our 2023 environment, social, and governance report.
[00:11:32] Amanda: Wow.
[00:11:33] Charles: That is our first as airport. Please take a--
[00:11:37] Amanda: What is that? Let's talk about that for a second.
[00:11:39] Charles: The report provides an in-depth review of our initiatives and outcomes regarding sustainability, emissions reduction, waste management, water stewardship, and energy efficiency.
[00:11:51] Amanda: Wow.
[00:11:52] Charles: It's a great report, very detailed on how we're trying to reduce our carbon footprint and our role in improving the climate and environment around us.
[00:12:02] Amanda: Yes. Important because we are an airport, so we want to make sure we are doing what we can to limit that.
[00:12:09] Charles: Yes. You can find that on our website as well. It's a great read. Our team did a lot of great work to put that thing together. We should be proud.
[00:12:21] Amanda: Let's talk a little bit about DCA Reimagined. A lot of these new concessions that we have coming in to DCA are part of DCA Reimagined, which is a redevelopment of Terminal Two, and the amenities that are over and offered there.
Some of the things that are included in that are new seating options. We're going to have a lot of different seating options available. Also some new bathrooms. We're competing with that airport in Maryland for best bathrooms. Then a lot of, like I said, the shopping and dining options are all part of that.
[00:13:02] Charles: Great.
[00:13:02] Amanda: A lot more to come on that front. It's just the beginning, but we're super excited about it.
[00:13:08] Charles: Do we know when all that will be completed?
[00:13:12] Amanda: I don't think we have a final date, but it's over the next few years and as things start to open, we'll definitely be announcing it. I know they're trying to bring in a lot more local options, local food, people can get a little bit of taste of DC as they're just flying through. I'm excited. Especially when it comes to new seats, I love the seating options. Everybody will have their own, hopefully, plug-in place for your chargers and seating styles and some different options. It should be good.
[00:13:45] Charles: These improvements are going to be great.
[00:13:47] Amanda: Remember we talked to Diego in Gemini a few months ago about that. It's a good episode to refresh your memory on what exactly is coming.
[00:13:57] Charles: Yes. Sounds good.
[00:13:58] Amanda: Speaking of new things, over at Dulles, we also have a new concourse coming. I don't know if you've heard about that.
[00:14:04] Charles: Yes.
[00:14:05] Amanda: New Concourse E. That is also similar to DCA Reimagined, but it's going to be its own concourse. Much needed over there because we have so much passenger growth these past few years. We're going to also have some new comfortable seating areas. We're going to have 46,000 square feet of concession space. It'll have space for 14 new gates. Definitely exciting there.
[00:14:37] Charles: Nice.
[00:14:37] Amanda: Something that a lot of people are going to be excited about is direct access to the aerotrain. It's actually going to be built right on top of where the Aerotrain station was constructed.
[00:14:46] Charles: Super convenient.
[00:14:47] Amanda: Yes. We have tons more coming on that. I think that project is not going to be completed for a few more years, but definitely lots of exciting things happening.
[00:14:57] Charles: Yes. Let's talk about the new Fly Washington magazine. Have you checked it out yet?
[00:15:01] Amanda: Oh, yes. I just saw it out. It has Grant Hill on it. Also, fun fact, he used to play for the Orlando Magic-
[00:15:07] Charles: Yes.
[00:15:08] Amanda: -where I come from.
[00:15:09] Charles: His wife is an awesome singer, Tamia.
[00:15:12] Amanda: Oh, okay. We have a really great spread and interview on him in the magazine. Then there are also a lot of fun destination highlights in there, including Mexico city, San Diego, Munich, Nantucket. Lots to read. Then a whole big section on some local things going on in DC.
[00:15:33] Charles: Great. I'm going to check it out.
[00:15:35] Amanda: Definitely. Let's talk about Dulles Day.
[00:15:38] Charles: My kids are looking forward to that.
[00:15:39] Amanda: Did you go last year?
[00:15:41] Charles: We did. We had a great time and we're looking forward to it again this year. Especially the plane pool.
[00:15:48] Amanda: Of course.
[00:15:49] Charles: My son is definitely looking forward to that.
[00:15:51] Amanda: Dulles Day is going to happen on Saturday, September 14th this year. If anybody is not familiar, it's a plane poll that raises money for Special Olympics. That's really awesome. Then we also have a ton of other on-ground planes that are available. We can just walk around. There are some vending food options. They do mobile lounge tours and something I know that my fellow avgeeks appreciate is you can really get a nice view of planes as they're landing if they're using that particular runway.
[00:16:26] Charles: This is a great all around event for families.
[00:16:29] Amanda: Yes.
[00:16:29] Charles: Make sure you come on out and check it out.
[00:16:31] Amanda: Yes. I look forward to it every year. Hopefully, the weather holds up.
[00:16:35] Charles: Hopefully. [laughter]
[00:16:37] Amanda: We've covered a lot of ground today.
[00:16:39] Charles: Yes. We've got a lot going on at the airports.
[00:16:42] Amanda: Yes, absolutely. What are you looking forward to most for the rest of 2024?
[00:16:46] Charles: Is that a question about the personal life or just airports?
[00:16:50] Amanda: Both.
[00:16:51] Charles: Wow. I'm looking forward to football season.
[00:16:55] Amanda: Oh.
[00:16:55] Charles: Yes. I'm a big NFL fan.
[00:16:59] Amanda: Yes? Who's your team? Commanders?
[00:17:01] Charles: Of course, I'm going to root for the home team, but my diehard team, I'm a Raider fan.
[00:17:07] Amanda: Oh, okay.
[00:17:08] Charles: I remember at JumpStart, we actually talked to some representatives from Las Vegas who are very close to the NFL team there. Football, kids going back to school.
[00:17:20] Amanda: Ready for them to go back.
[00:17:21] Charles: Yes. Ready for them to go back. It's been a great summer and I'm going to enjoy the rest of it.
[00:17:26] Amanda: Yes?
[00:17:27] Charles: Yes.
[00:17:28] Amanda: For me, I'm looking forward to a girl's trip that I have planned in the fall. Going to get together with some good friends and hanging out with my family and maybe one or two more trips. We'll see. My mom and I try to go somewhere every Labor Day. Looking forward to planning that.
[00:17:47] Charles: Sneak one in before it gets cold.
[00:17:49] Amanda: Yes. [laughter] Hopefully go somewhere where it's not really hot either. I want to go somewhere where it's nice and cool, like Iceland. [laughs] Then as far as what's going on at the airport, so much. I'm just looking forward to seeing everything really come together. I cannot lie, I'm looking forward to another Cava at the airport. We always love to get that.
[00:18:17] Charles: I really just love working here because you really see the fruit of your labor and you see the change happen. You see that passengers are really enjoying the experience. I'm looking forward to all of it.
[00:18:31] Amanda: Should be great.
[00:18:32] Charles: If you have questions, you can find us at the Capital Runway Podcast. Our email address is info@thecapitalrunwaypodcast.com.
[00:18:43] Amanda: Great talking to you.
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