December ended a great year with many airport projects being recognized on a grand scale. Airport employees work by the Houston Airport System Vision Statement: to become a high performance organization that establishes the Houston Airport System as the standard of excellence and success in the Americas.

ACI Excellence in Airport Marketing, Communications and Customer Service Award

Houston Airports’ Air Service development team was recently recognized as best among airports for its promotional item strategy at the 2015 ACI Excellence in Airport Marketing, Communications and Customer Service Awards ceremony.

In 2014, the HAS Air Service Development Team embarked on a complete refresh of its promotional item strategy.   The new approach aimed to create sought-after items to drive increased communication and positive association with the airport among airline stakeholders.

Since April 2013, Houston Airports have welcomed 10 new foreign flag carriers and expanded service from existing airlines.

Bush Intercontinental Airport recently welcomed Texas Sky flight service to Victoria, Texas. Texas Sky is a member of the Regional Sky family that serves the state of Texas. 

anna.aero Route of the Week

anna aero, an aviation news publication, recently named George Bush Intercontinental Airport as their Route of the Week for the arrival of Air New Zealand’s nonstop service between Houston and Auckland. IAH is now the only airport in North America to offer nonstop service to all inhabited continents.

Champions of Diversity Award

Overseen by the City of Houston's Office of Business Opportunity Advisory Board, the Champions of Diversity Awards honors prime contractors, as well as Minority, Women, Small, and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (MWSDBEs), for their outstanding performances on City of Houston contracts. It also recognizes a City of Houston Department and Community Partner that has supported and contributed to the accomplishments of the City’s MWSDBE Program.

The Houston Airport System was recognized for awarding nearly $26.5 million in contracts to certified MWSDBE companies during its most recent concessions contracts process. Overall, nearly 40 percent of the $1.6 billion in concessions contracts were awarded to companies that fall under the Airport Concessionaire Disadvantaged Business Enterprise guidelines, and an ACDBE firm was selected as a Prime Concessionaire for the first time in airport system history.

Airport Business Magazine: 2015 40 Under 40

Houston Airports Managing Aviation Planner Karen Korir was recently added to Airport Business Magazine's 40 Under 40 list honoring the best and brightest under 40 years of age. She led the program planning effort for the $1.5 billion IAH Terminal Redevelopment Program (ITRP) that includes a new international terminal, expansion and reconfiguration of Federal Inspection Service and other infrastructure improvements. Korir was also involved in planning support for the spaceport program at Ellington Airport and development of new master plans for Houston’s airports.

Energy Partner of the Year Award

The Houston Airport System was presented with the Texas A&M University Energy System Laboratory’s Energy Partner of the Year award at the Clean Air Through Energy Efficiency conference held in Galveston, TX on December 3.