Author: Metropolitan Airport News
Metropolitan Airport News
Produced by a team of aviation professionals and enthusiasts, our mission is to inform and update the more than 68,000 employees who work on the metropolitan New York airport properties, as well as the many others that provide goods and services in the surrounding communities.
United became the first U.S. airline to add Braille to aircraft interiors, helping millions of travelers with visual disabilities more easily navigate the cabin independently. According to the Department of Transportation, about 27 million people with disabilities traveled by air in 2019. The airline currently has equipped about a dozen aircraft with Braille markings for individual rows and seat numbers as well as inside and outside the lavatories. United expects to outfit its entire mainline fleet with Braille by the end of 2026. “Finding your seat on a plane or getting to the restroom is something most of us take for granted,…
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced today the launch of a new specialized training program to be called the Institute of Concessions (IOC), offering extensive training and mentoring intended to increase the number of local and diverse airport concessionaires included in the Port Authority’s $19 billion transformation project of John F. Kennedy International Airport. The IOC is part of the agency’s community development program that is the centerpiece of the Port Authority’s redevelopment of JFK. Applications are now being accepted. “With the $19 billion transformation of JFK Airport into a world-class global gateway fully underway, we…
UPS and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the union representing about 330,000 UPS employees in the U.S., have reached a tentative collective bargaining agreement. “Together, we reached a win-win-win agreement on the issues that are important to Teamsters leadership, our employees and to UPS and our customers,” said Carol Tomé, UPS chief executive officer. “This agreement continues to reward UPS’s full- and part-time employees with industry-leading pay and benefits while retaining the flexibility we need to stay competitive, serve our customers and keep our business strong.” The five-year agreement covers U.S. Teamsters-represented employees in small-package roles and is subject to…
After more than 27 years of service with Swissair and SWISS, the Airbus A321 HB-IOC, the oldest member of the SWISS fleet, has made its final flight. The aircraft, which was widely known as the ‘Olympic Plane’ in view of its IOC (International Olympic Committee) registration, was flown to Castellón in Spain, where it was subsequently dismantled. As part of this phase-out process, SWISS has also been trialing a pilot project to see how various parts and components can be reused and recycled more sustainably in ecological and economic terms. So aviation fans and design enthusiasts can look forward to…
Delta Sky Club will take another bite at the Big Apple with the opening of its second lounge at its New York-JFK hub, located at Terminal 4 near Gate A7. The nearly 14,000-square-foot Club, which seats more than 250 guests and includes a covered Sky Deck, will operate alongside the Club on Terminal 4, Concourse B. Together, the two Clubs will have the capacity for over 800 guests simultaneously at JFK. The lounge design takes inspiration from New York City itself – the gritty and the glossy, a city rich with contrasts and pulsating with life. Just as true…
JetBlue announced the appointment of Susan Pfingstler to vice president of JetBlue University. Pfingstler will oversee the carrier’s award-winning training programs and facilities in this role. She will report to Warren Christie, JetBlue’s head of safety, security, fleet operations, and JetBlue University. From locations in Orlando, New York, and Salt Lake City, JetBlue University offers new hire and recurrent training for JetBlue’s airports, customer support (reservations), flight operations, inflight, system operations, and technical operations (maintenance) crewmembers, as well as pilot training services for a variety of other airlines around the world. “The journey of every JetBlue crewmember begins at JetBlue…
Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA), the trade association representing commercial service airports in the United States and Canada, announced the winners of the 2023 ACI-NA Airport Concessions Awards, which celebrate the resilience of airports, concessionaires, and business partners. Edmonton International Airport (YEG) was announced as the winner of the Richard A. Griesbach Award of Excellence, and the 2023 ACI-NA Concessions Person of the Year was awarded to Amy Snyder of Boise Airport (BOI). “This year’s recipients are just some of the outstanding examples of how the airport and concessions industries continue to work together to enhance the passenger…
Leadership change in Lufthansa Cargo’s Corporate Communications department: Nicole Mies has been in office as the new Head of Communications and Corporate Social Reponsibility since mid-July. She succeeds Jacqueline Casini, who left the company at the end of May. In her new role, Nicole Mies will be responsible for and manage the disciplines of internal and external corporate communications, marketing, environmental management, and corporate social responsibility, which are combined in one department. Until recently, she was Senior Director Customer Strategy, responsible for the entire brand and customer experience strategy of the Lufthansa Group airlines. Nicole Mies studied business administration at…
In a strategic move designed to enhance its market-leading position, Alba Wheels Up, a premier provider of global logistics services, announced its acquisition of VT Mancusi, an esteemed provider of customs brokerage and trade compliance services primarily for the flavors and fragrances and related end markets. The partnership aims to bolster Alba Wheels Up’s capabilities by diversifying its offering in the customs brokerage and trade compliance arena, positioning it to better cater to the global trade market, and enhancing its foreign trade zone expertise. “We are thrilled to welcome VT Mancusi into the Alba Wheels Up family,” said Damien Stile, CEO of…
The New York Wing of the Civil Air Patrol announced that the National Aviation & Aeronautics Business Academy has been brought to the East Coast for the first time in the Academy’s history. Participants will report to the Academy hosted by Vaughn College of Aeronautics & Technology in Queens on Saturday, August 5, 2023, for 7 days of intense focus on careers in the aerospace industry. The main emphasis of the Civil Air Patrol Aviation & Aeronautics Business Academy is to give teenage cadets an opportunity to interact with and study leaders in the aviation and aeronautics industry. All cadets…