Commissioner Andolino Provides Perspective on Airline/Airport Relationships

CHICAGO, 2012-08-21 — /travelprnews.com/ — Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) Commissioner Rosemarie S. Andolino was a guest speaker today at a conference hosted by the International Association of Airport Executives Canada and the American Association of Airport Executives in Montreal, Quebec. Andolino and other industry leaders participated in a panel discussion about relationships between airlines and airports.

The issue was one of several timely topics discussed at the first-ever “Evolution of the Airport and Air Carrier Industry” international conference. The overarching theme of the event covered the historic and economic development of airports and air carriers and how this relationship continues to evolve.

Commissioner Andolino was joined on the “Airlines vs. Airports” panel by Dr. Lloyd McCoomb, A.A.E., former President and CEO, Greater Toronto Airports Authority; Cyriel Kronenburg, Head of Government and Infrastructure Affairs, North America and Caribbean, IATA; and George Petsikas, President, National Airlines Council of Canada. Each was asked to share their perspective on relationships among international carriers, airports and government agencies. Andolino was uniquely qualified to discuss this issue given her role as Commissioner of O’Hare and MidwayInternational Airports, which together serve more than 50 passenger airlines; as well as her leadership overseeing the massive O’Hare Modernization Program (OMP).

“In Chicago, we refer to the carriers at our airports as our ‘airline partners’,” said Andolino during her presentation. “You can’t have airports without airlines, or airlines without airports. Our approach is to work collaboratively with airlines – so that the best interests of the traveling public, our airports and our cities are served.”

Andolino cited the progress of the OMP and the success of the sustainability initiatives taking place at Chicago’s airports as examples of how airlines and airports can work collaboratively to deliver huge economic benefits, create jobs and be a model for environmental stewardship.

For more information about the “Evolution of the Airport and Air Carrier Industry” conference, click here.

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