Name: Charles E. “Chilly” Ewing, Sr.
Title: Director of concessions
Company, city: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport; Atlanta, Georgia
Number of employees: 63,000 employees overall; 6,000 in concessions
Recent project: Completing requests for proposals for new concession vendors and organizing our Global Runway event
First job: As a youngster, I worked at a newsstand. Later I spent 27 years in the U.S. Air Force and served in Vietnam and Desert Storm.
Little-known fact about you: I enjoy riding motorcycles and I love to golf.
Your Business
What innovations/initiatives do you foresee in the industry over the next years? Airports are still catching up with technology. Concessions will follow street trends: more self-checkout lanes, seamless payment options and faster service. These changes will improve throughput and passenger satisfaction while giving retailers new ways to operate within the airport environment.
Best career advice you’ve received: While in the military I received a rolled-up scroll with ten words that shaped my thinking: “If it is to be, it is up to me.” That sense of responsibility has guided my career.
What advice would you give someone starting out in the field? Be patient and clear about your goals. Find the right opportunity and be willing to relocate if needed. For anyone beginning work at an airport, spend time learning how the facility operates—everything changes quickly here, so familiarity pays off.
Charles E. “Chilly” Ewing, Sr. as a Traveler
Favorite travel memory or story: During my 27 years with the U.S. Air Force I logged nearly every type of aeronautical hour and traveled extensively around the world. Those experiences have given me a lifelong appreciation for travel and logistics.
One travel tip you cannot live without: Keep screenshots of your travel documents. Phone problems happen, and a saved image of your boarding pass or itinerary can keep you moving without delay.
Best advice for business travelers: Pack light. While many passengers avoid checked luggage, I recommend minimizing carry-on items and checking bags when possible to simplify movement through the airport and reduce stress.
About Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
In your opinion, what are the highlights of dining at ATL? The variety of dining options is a major highlight. Our food offerings represent Atlanta and Georgia, with many local restaurants featured throughout the terminals. With about 70 percent of our traffic connecting, the airport is often a passenger’s first impression of the region, so we use dining to showcase local flavors. Each year we bring together outlets for community events like the Taste of Hartsfield-Jackson, which supports charitable causes while celebrating our vendors.
Tell us about Hartsfield-Jackson’s Global Runway. Global Runway is a fashion presentation and retail pop-up experience that highlights our fashion and retail concessionaires. The event showcases a range of styles from extravagant to budget-friendly, and it draws interest from passengers, retailers and airport staff. There is also a silent auction component that benefits Bert’s Big Adventure, a nonprofit that provides trips to Walt Disney World for children with chronic or terminal illnesses and their families.
What can travelers expect from ATL in 2019? We planned to refresh the food and beverage outlets in international Concourse E and evaluate more than 80 retail leases as they expire. Our objective is to update and diversify the passenger experience by introducing fresh, exciting concepts rather than automatically renewing incumbent vendors’ leases.