Welcome to Open Mic, the airport- and aviation-focused podcast hosted by Curtis Grad, Chief Executive and Founding Partner of Modalis Infrastructure Partners. Each episode features in-depth conversations with global aviation leaders—airport executives, investors, innovators, and policy experts—exploring the trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping the airport and aviation landscape.

In this episode, Curtis speaks with Belinda Jain, Vice President, Customer Experience and Commercial at JFK International Air Terminal, operator of Terminal 4 at New York’s JFK Airport. Together, Curtis and Belinda explore n airport commercial strategy, how terminal operators can differentiate in a competitive airport environment and why customer experience must evolve into a broader “terminal experience” that includes passengers, employees, airlines and partners. 

They dive into:
✈️ Belinda’s global aviation journey—from the Queen Alia Airport project in Jordan to leadership roles in Mumbai and now JFK Terminal 4.
🏗️ Reimagining Terminal 4 through a major transformation program spanning passenger experience, employee experience, commercial strategy, and terminal ambience.
🛍️ The complexity of redeveloping and modernizing more than 100 concessions while maintaining operations for tens of thousands of daily passengers.
🤝 Why terminal experience goes beyond passengers—building a unified ecosystem that includes employees, airlines, and partners.
🌆 Creating a distinct “sense of place” at JFK Terminal 4 while aligning with the broader One JFK vision.

Timestamps:
1:06  Queen Alia Airport: Lessons from a landmark project
4:04  Leading transformation at JFK Terminal 4
4:50  Commercial redevelopment and concession strategy
12:10  F&B investments and terminal experience versus customer experience
16:40  Crazy aviation story: Opening day of a new terminal
18:15  From fashion and retail to airport commercial strategy
29:27  Magic Mirror: Rapid-fire questions with Belinda

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🌐 Visit https://www.modalisinfra.ca/openmic to hear more episodes and stay informed about the global aviation developments that matter to you.