By Tricia Sims | DFW Newsflash | November 2017
Dallas Fort Worth International (DFW) Airport officially launched two lounge areas called “The Bubble presented by Coca-Cola” on Nov. 2.
The two areas are located in terminal A and E. They feature charging stations, televisions and vintage Coca-Cola® decor, along with modern, comfortable seating.
“We are a global airport and we wanted to bring a global brand to make an exceptional customer experience,” Ken Buchanan, executive vice president of Revenue Management at DFW Airport said. “Customers are looking for that place where they can rest and charge up before they get on their flight. This is a great opportunity for them to get off the beaten path in a nice quiet environment. It’s really all about our customers. We are excited Coca-Cola decided to partner with us to bring this to our customers.”
These areas are a result of the new partnership between DFW airport and Coca-Cola that started March 2016. Previously, the airport was partnered with Pepsi.
“When we entered into our partnership with Coca-Cola, we talked about doing something new and different,” Buchanan said. “Something that wasn’t done in other airports. We wanted something that would help us engage with the 67 million passengers who come through DFW airport. This emerged from those initial conversations.”
Kelsey Young, business communications specialist at the DFW airport, said the partnership is all about finding someone to help better the customer care the airport gives.
“When we were selecting a partner, we were looking for someone who would bring value to the customers and help us achieve our goal of improving the customer experience,” Young said. “Coca-Cola has been willing to do that and is excited about it.”
Young herself knows the airport can be a stressful place.
“I was just stuck in a 12 hour layover a few weeks ago,” Young said. “I would have used this area then.”
These two areas are one of the first of their kind in the US, according to Buchanan.
“We here at DFW Airport and Coca-Cola are proud to unveil this new concept, which we believe will become a model for airport amenities and entertainment around the world,” Buchanan said.
Vice President of National Accounts for Coca-Cola, Shane Wheatland, is proud of these two lounges and the partnership between his company and the airport.
“At Coca-Cola, our mission is to refresh the world, but that mission goes on a little bit further when we talk about creating these moments of inspiration and happiness and to add value that really makes a difference,” Wheatland said. “The DFW teams and the Coca-Cola team have really done some fantastic work. Creativity has come out really well to create this fun spot. We think this is a great example of how these partners can come together to serve the travelers.”
Bob Sweeney, Vice President of Sales in Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages, has seen the project come full circle and is very happy with how it turned out.
“We made a presentation to the DFW board on our vision on where we wanted to take the partnership, and then we were awarded this contract,” Sweeney said. “Seeing it come from paper to actually standing here today is extremely gratifying.”
There is more to come, according to Buchanan.
“We will have these types of experiences in all of our terminals; these are just the first two,” he said.
In the first hour the lounge area in terminal A was open, it hosted visitors. Renee Hicks and her son Liam relaxed in the area.
“We had some time before our flight, and we saw the crowd so decided to come check it out,” Hicks said. “It is a really nice place to hang out before your flight. We are usually flying every couple months, so we will be back.”
