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COVER STORY 26 airportbusiness May 2015 the raised floor 15 feet away from the counters, or across in the front hall." "We tried to keep the ticket area as flexible as possible," explains Hannon, "to address the changes that happen all the time in the aviation industry from a process standpoint." All checked bags go into a single inline baggage system, eliminating the need for pas- sengers to hand carry their bags from ticket counters to TSA scanners. Another passenger friendly feature is the fact that visitors no longer have to go up a ramp and through narrow lines to the security checkpoint. In addition, the security area is a beautiful space designed to calm the travel process. A honey- comb design on the ceiling filters natural light from 15 skylights overhead while the use of Terra cotta tiles, stainless steel and blue glass further the sense of calm. White adds the airport keeps lighting lower in the security area than in other parts of the airport because it has a calming effect. "It keeps the area more tranquil," he says. "We have pock- ets of brightness in the check-in areas, at the gates, in the walkways and restrooms, employee work stations, and areas like that." Passenger amenities also include new con- cessions and retail offerings—post security. The prior arrangement placed most concessions pre-security, which Hannon says meant travel- ers had to guesstimate their schedules to make sure they had time to eat before they headed to their flights. "There weren't any options after they went through security," he says. "We found out across the board that cus- tomers wanted conveniences we didn't really have in terms of food and beverage concessions and retail offerings, and they wanted them in the right place," White adds. "In the old facility, 90 percent of our concessions were pre-security. In the new one, 85 percent are post security." New concessions options, operated by MSE Branded Foods, include an Aviators Cafe and bar pre-security, and a Grab and Fly snack center with a wine bar, Dunkin' Donuts, Chick- fil-A, River City Brewing Co. and Air Capital Bar post-security. On the retail side, Paradies ma nage s t wo C N BC Sma r t shops a nd the Air Capital Market in the concourse. Once at the gate, passengers will find plenty of plugs for their electronics—a fact brought up in every focus group the airport held. "We've gone overboard to some degree—nearly every seat has two electrical plugs and two USB plugs," White says. Between gates, the airport also included a work area with bar stools that offer 10 power outlets and USB ports to charge electronics. Passengers get to their plane through air-conditioned and heated glass-walled jet- ways—a big first in the airport's history. "There will be a jetway at every gate," says White. A covered walkway keeps passengers out of the elements as they walk to the covered park- ing garage—also a first in the airport's history. A consolidated rental car facility is attached to the garage. This was a separate $40 million project, says White. "We did not originally plan to build a parking garage and rental car facility. We were just going to continue to operate with our existing surface lots," he says. "But custom- ers told us this was something they wanted. That's why it's a separate project with its own budget and funding sources. Overwhelmingly the public is thrilled by this addition." In recent months, Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport, formerly known as Wichita Mid-Continent Airport, received a new name and a new terminal. Both meet the lofty expectations customers set when passing through an airport situated in The Air Capital of the World. LIFE IS ART THERE'S A popular saying, "Life is art, live yours in color." Though it applies to people and how they live their lives, it also carries over to the airport. "We heard over and over in our planning meetings: 'Make sure you have some good public art,'" says Victor White, director of airports for the City of Wichita Airport Authority. The airport hired a public art consul- tant on HNTB's team to look for an artist to create just such a piece They ultimately retained Portland, Ore.-artist Ed Carpenter, who designed a piece of public art that will span more than the length of a football field. The 360-foot long piece, constructed of dichroic safety glass, stainless steel cables and turnbuckles and cellular polycarbonate, arches over the airport's mezzanine from the ticket counters to the baggage claim. According to the artist, the piece has "wing-like qualities" that evoke the feeling of wings or flying. In total the art and exhibits for the terminal cost approximately 1 percent of the construction budget. Geothermal heating in the concrete will prevent snow/ice buildup in walkways, while banks of windows let in plenty of natural light.