Podcast

Speaking of Design Ep. 26: Expert Roundtable on Improving the Airport Experience

Passengers walk the concourse at the Anchorage airport

As airport operators contemplate modernization and development of major programs, they face the challenge of  improving the experience for travelers. How can airports create an environment that enhances travel for passengers, while still meeting their core needs? In this expert roundtable discussion led by transportation industry leader Rick Pilgrim, three of HDR’s top aviation minds sit down to discuss practical solutions already being deployed and the global trends that will transform air travel in the near future.

Subscribe


Featured on this Episode

Bill Peduzzi
Bill Peduzzi

Bill Peduzzi champions the concept of “empathetic design” for airports, prioritizing the experience of travellers. As our aviation director, he’s spent more than 30 years advising airports on design and improvements, including work on some of the largest airports in North America. Bill discovered his passion for air travel watching Apollo astronauts as a child, and that spirit of discovery continues to influence his work pushing boundaries for continued improvements at airports around the world.


Esther Chitsinde
Esther Chitsinde

Esther Chitsinde applies her logical mind to unravel environmental challenges in airport development. A senior environmental planner in our Dallas office, Esther worked for a decade at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, where she got a front row seat to see how a major hub is transforming the travel experience responsibly and sustainably. Today, she collaborates with airports across North America to find sustainable solutions to complex environmental challenges.


Robert Feteanu
Robert Feteanu

Robert Feteanu brings a global perspective to his airport designs. As our Canadian aviation lead and a global aviation strategic advisor, Robert supports airport projects worldwide. His specialty is capacity analysis and space programming, finding the best ways for travellers to move through airports both throughout major projects. Robert’s work has taken him to major airports in Asia, the Middle East, Europe and North America, each providing different challenges. “When you’ve seen one airport,” he says, “you’ve seen one airport.”


Rick Pilgrim
Rick Pilgrim

Rick Pilgrim has nearly four decades of transportation planning and engineering experience. As the former mayor of Bow Mar, Colorado, he understands the political pressure that comes with developing transportation projects to meet a wide range of societal needs. In his present role as our principal transportation consultant, Rick continues to provide insight and expertise toward projects that are transforming the transportation industry.

 


Credits: Produced by Danny Sullivan and John Tourek. Special thanks to Dan Golden.