Airport Business

OCT 2013

The airport professional's source for airport industry news, articles, events, and careers.

Issue link: http://airportbusiness.epubxp.com/i/193245

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 19 of 39

40 under forty AGE 38 RACHEL WOOD ❘ RACHEL Wood may be a relative "newcomer" to the aviation industry, but her enthusiasm and eagerness to learn have been a strong component of her success. She has worked diligently with various departments and businesses within the airport to obtain an in-depth understanding of all airport functions. When an opportunity became available at Branson Airport, Wood leapt at the chance to be a part of it. "I was excited about getting involved in helping to open the first fully privatized airport in the United States. I knew this would have a tremendous economic impact on the community I love and I was excited to get involved," she says. The fully privatized Branson Airport opened DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & AIR SERVICE DEVELOPMENT BRANSON AIRPORT on May 11, 2009. It was the first non-replacement commercial service airport built in more than 40 years. Wood's job initially was to oversee all accounting and finance processes, assist in development of all businesses, and get the airport processes ready for operation. Today, she is the deputy director of Marketing and Air Service Development and vice president of Fly Branson Travel responsible for the continued development of Branson Airport, FlyBranson Travel, Branson JetCenter, and Branson AirExpress. In less than five years, the Branson Airport has become the 200th largest commercial service airport in the country. In addition to its rapid growth, Southwest Airlines began service in March. Wood, who has a Bachelor's degree in accounting from Missouri State University, is an active member in her hometown having served on the Board of Directors of the Branson Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau, Branson Lakes Area Lodging Association, Branson Chamber District Marketing Council, Boys & Girls Club of the Ozarks, and other non-profit organizations. Her advice to others entering the field is simple: "Never let someone tell you that something isn't possible," she says. "A person can do anything they set their mind to if they work hard and never give up on their goals YEARS IN AVIATION and dreams." 5 "Never let someone tell you that something isn't possible. A person can do anything they set their mind to if they work hard and never give up on their goals and dreams." RACHEL WOOD, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & AIR SERVICE DEVELOPMENT, BRANSON AIRPORT AGE 33 RENÉE LEBEL ❘ "I realized at a very early age that airports were an exciting place to be, little did I know that one day I would get to work for an airport authority," says Renée Lebel, who has played a key role in Aéroports de Montréal's (ADM) program to lift customer service and enhance the passenger experience at Montréal-Trudeau International Airport (YUL). A graduate in political science from McGill University, Lebel joined ADM in 2006 as a product development advisor after working for seven years at a Montréal-based management consulting firm specializing in market research and strategy. Lebel was involved in various self-service initiatives in her first years at ADM, including the deployment of common-use CUTE and CUSS platforms. She was also instrumental in launching sev- 20 airportbusiness October 2013 DEPUTY DIRECTOR, PRODUCT AND SERVICE DEVELOPMENT AÉROPORTS DE MONTRÉAL eral mobile projects, such as Montréal-Trudeau's SMS flight information system and Air Canada's mobile boarding pass pilot project. In 2009, Lebel was part of the team that helped test and deliver Montréal-Trudeau's state-of-theart trans-border departures facility. The sector features an innovative automated outbound baggage system that significantly increases handling capacity and speed and was also one of the first to offer common-use bag-drops. In 2011, Lebel was promoted to deputy director, Product and Service Development, in ADM's Passenger Experience department. In her new position, she worked closely with the Canada Border Services Agency to deploy advanced Automated Border Clearance (ABC) kiosks at Montréal-Trudeau Arrivals Hall. Lebel has also played a major role in the roll-out of real-time wait time displays for YUL security checkpoints and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol; in implementing a passenger wait time and queue management system at Canadian Customs; in setting up self-service bag-drops in collaboration with WestJet, a first in North America; and in establishing an off-site check-in operation at the Cruise Terminal in Montréal's Old Port. Of her contributions, Lebel says, "I have a huge sense of pride when I walk through our airport and see the various improvements I have contributed to deploying in the last 7 years." YEARS IN AVIATION 7

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of Airport Business - OCT 2013