Ahead of her appearance at Passenger Terminal Conference 2025 in Madrid, Spain, in April, Deanna Zachrisson, director of terminal business development at San Diego International Airport, sits down with Passenger Terminal Today to reveal more about her upcoming presentation, ‘Give the people what they want‘.
What is your presentation about?
My presentation will focus on reexamining the traditional fundamental principles of creating successful airport restaurant and retail offerings. Although the Covid-19 pandemic is behind us, the ripple effects on the aviation industry are still being felt. For airport developers, it means that the underpinnings of the deals with the private companies looking to invest in an airport business have changed. Innovation enables both airports and concessionaires to seize on new opportunities, but we need to understand each other and our respective businesses.
How does your work enhance the passenger experience at San Diego International Airport?
The passenger experience is a complex web of factors where an entire airport organization contributes within its respective disciplines. In my arena, restaurant and retail offerings must be compelling enough for passengers to choose to make it a part of their experience. My work is about selecting the right operators with the right concepts in the right locations.
What strategies do you implement to meet evolving passenger demands?
The key is that passenger expectations do evolve over time. Normally, when we bring a restaurant or retail concept into an airport, there’s a significant investment by an operator involved under a long-term lease. I work to create spaces and contractual structures, so an operator can change and evolve their concept quickly and at limited expense to meet new passenger preferences and trends.
How do you ensure you are adapting to changing market needs in the airport environment?
There is no magic bullet. It involves actively pursuing information and new datapoints that may be indicative of changing needs. It also means being willing to experiment. It’s not too many years ago when traditional news/gift locations did not – often were not allowed – to sell food items beyond candy bars and snacks. Experimenting and finding success with grab-and-go fresh food items transformed that business for airports, customers and concessionaires.
What role does data analytics play in shaping your passenger experience strategies?
The increasingly robust ability to collect data about passenger behaviors – going far beyond just sales data – enables an airport to shape the passenger experience to not only meet the passenger ‘where they are’ but in a predictive fashion designed to create new experiences to drive passenger preferences.
To hear more valuable industry insights from top aviation executives, book a conference pass for Passenger Terminal Conference, taking place on April 8, 9 & 10, 2025, in Madrid, Spain.
