Concessions at Lindbergh Field are set to undergo a major overhaul as part of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority’s redevelopment plan to increase retail space and offer travelers an experience that better reflects the spirit and flavor of the San Diego region.  Airport planners say the existing concessions area will be doubled and that the variety of food, beverage and retail offerings will include more local and small businesses, as well as large and familiar brands that travelers are comfortable with. “We think that when passengers land in a new city, they’re eager to see stores, shops and restaurants that reflect the new area they’ve just entered,” said airport spokesman Steve Shultz. “Our goal is to have the best of local, regional and national retailers in the airport environment.” The Airport Authority has decided to take a new direction with concessions as the contract with current master concessionaire HMS Host expires in November 2012 and there are no further opportunities to extend that lease. HMS Host, headquartered in Bethesda, Md., operates in 111 airports around the world and has held the prime contract to operate concessions at Lindbergh Field since 1965. The new concession program coincides with a $1 billion construction project currently under way that will double the size of Terminal 2. The project, known as “The Green Build” is scheduled to be completed and open for business in 2013. According to Shultz, the plan calls for the redevelopment of all concessions in Terminals 2 East and West, Terminal 1 and the Commuter Terminal.  Shultz said the new concession development program will follow a more decentralized or “hybrid” management approach of direct leasing with multiple prime concessionaires and multiple small businesses — instead of one large primary concessionaire like HMS Host calling all of the shots. Using this updated strategy, airport officials hope to optimize non-aviation revenues, ensure diversity, encourage competition and maximize concessions, which in 2009 generated $67 million in gross sales. Other cities throughout the country like Portland, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles are currently updating their concessions programs also. The Airport Authority is inviting proposals from businesses with a proven track record in food and beverage operations, retail establishments and services in airports, transportation centers and malls. A request for proposals (RFP) was released in early February and vendors may compete for concessions now. Responses are due by May 2. A committee will review all bids and make recommendations to Airport Authority executives, who will then make further recommendations to the board. A projected date of June 2012 has been set for the construction phase to begin. A networking event and airport tour was held on Feb. 16 at Liberty Station for businesses interested in submitting bids. Large national companies that may serve as principal contractors, smaller local companies offering all types of goods and services as well as architectural and engineering firms attended the meeting. Founded in 1928, San Diego International Airport (SDIA), which features 41 gates in terminals 1 and 2 and four gates in the Commuter Terminal, is the busiest single-runway commercial service airport in the United States and is the only major airport serving the region. About 4,900 workers are employed at the airport, which served 16.9 million passengers last year and contributed an estimated $9.9 billion to the region’s economy. Passengers interviewed recently gave their own takes on what they would like to see offered at the airport. While waiting to enter SDIA for a departing flight, Phillip Reiss of Montclair, N.J. said he always looks forward to traveling to San Diego for the Mexican food. “I wish I could get my hands on some right now,” Reiss said. “Or at least something that I can take to eat on my flight back home.” Norma Goldstein of New York, N.Y. said she mistakenly packed her diabetes medication in her luggage and would have to go without it for at least seven hours until her flight landed. “People are traveling sick or they’re on vacation and can’t get to their medications,” Goldstein said. “It would be a good idea if people could find a drug store in the airport where they can have their prescriptions called in.” Michelle Brown of Tampa, Fla. said she was inspired by the fresh produce readily available from local farms in North County. “Finding good healthy meal choices in an airport can be tough,” said Brown. “As a vegetarian, it’s even harder. I would applaud a restaurant that incorporates the farm-to-plate concept in an airport like San Diego’s.” For more information on business opportunities at Lindbergh Field, visit www.san.org/smallbusiness.