Author: Joseph Alba

A Bangladeshi man — inspired by ISIS — set off a pipe bomb adjacent to New York’s Port Authority bus terminal during rush hour Monday morning December 10th, sowing mass chaos but causing few injuries — likely because the “attempted terrorist” detonated his “low-tech device” prematurely. The suspect, Akayed Ullah, a Bangladesh immigrant, set off the device in an underground corridor that connects the Port Authority Bus Terminal to the subway system at rush hour, injuring himself and three others. The suspect traveled from Brooklyn to Manhattan on the subway system and was just in a corridor just outside the bus…

International travel at a young age inspired Yichuan (Edison) Luo ‘15 to explore the aviation management industry. When he was in middle school, his family moved from his hometown of Shanghai, China to California. Traveling back and forth between the two international cities during his school years piqued Luo’s interest in aviation, but it wasn’t until a high school trip to the East Coast of the United States that Edison knew he found his niche. “I fell in love with New York City and knew I wanted to move there to attend college,” said Luo. “My passion for the aviation…

The combination of aid activity to Puerto Rico from the U.S. Government and private aid groups has been so extensive, that I ran across over 300 blogs and websites with aid packages and places to volunteer or provide financial aid, and I had barely scratched the surface. Although Department of Defense (DoD) officials have not released a breakdown of the various military forces thus far deployed to Puerto Rico, Gov. Ricardo Rossello said there were roughly 7,200 U.S. military personnel on the ground as of Oct. 2, according to a DoD press release, in addition to an estimated 3,000 non-military…

Bill Puckhaber, founder, and CEO of Pan American Training Institute and Publisher of the Airport Press, passed away in Somers, NY, with his family around him on Sunday, October 1st, 2017. Bill was a native Brooklynite, attended St. Johns University, where he achieved academic honors, and was inducted into the Who’s Who of American Students. After college, Bill entered the US Army and served stateside and in Europe. Upon his return to civilian life, he decided to embark on an aviation career and was hired by Pan American World Airways. His career with Pan Am was successful, moving up the…

I recently read an article in Aviation Week which solicited a heck of lot of comment. The article was called “Opinion: If Air Rage is out of control, ask Management”. The author, Bob Ross, President of the Professional Flight Attendants union, has dumped the entire blame for the recent spate of air rage incidents on the management of the airlines. Ross covers the entire range of rage promoters; smaller seats and overhead compartments, reduced angle of passenger seat back, crowded aircraft, and snarky flight attendants. He indirectly cites poor wages and working conditions as the reason for the snarkiness of…

In January of 2004, a young woman who had a record of successes at several well-known magazines, joined JetBlue as a Graphic Designer. During that same period of time, a JetBlue aircraft landed in Fort Lauderdale from JFK with the CEO and founder of the airline, David Neeleman on board. Upon landing, he assisted fellow passengers with their luggage and then began clearing seat backs and picking up trash under the seats. That commitment to service; the rolling up one’s sleeves no matter their title, was a hallmark of this still growing and prospering company. And that culture remains today.…

On Friday, March 17th, International Airlines Group (IAG) launched a new airline called LEVEL. According to IAG, the parent company of British Airways, Iberia, Vueling, and Aer Lingus, LEVEL will be the long haul low-cost carrier that will connect Europe with destinations across the Atlantic. “LEVEL is an exciting new IAG airline brand which will bring a stylish and modern approach to flying at prices that are even more affordable,” IAG CEO Willie Walsh said in a statement. Based out of Barcelona, Spain, the airline will use a pair of new Airbus A330 jets and will be operated by Iberia’s…

Located just a few miles from JFK Airport, Fastener Dimensions, Inc. is a primary aircraft and aerospace parts supplier. This family-owned and operated company works continually to maintain the personal, small business approach that fueled its growth into an industry leader. Fastener Dimensions serves manufacturers (Boeing, Sikorsky, Lockheed, BAE, Harris, and many others), their sub-tiers, repair stations, airlines, and other distributors worldwide with same-day shipment and outstanding customer service. It provides value-added services, such as kitting solutions (ready-to-assemble kits), vendor-managed inventory, and long-term agreements. Combining strong engineering capability and highly skilled technical support, Fastener Dimensions helps OEMs develop new products…

This is a tough one to unravel. Who do you think is the good guy? The duck hunter who in a public-land site, is hunting and who’s hunt is being interfered with by drones that are scaring the ducks away. Or, is the owner of a drone who is flying his gadget in the same public land, and then retrieves it only to find bullet holes in the drone. I have strong feelings about the rights of both the hunter and the drone flyer. I believe in and respect private property, but I also believe that a person wanting to…

Metropolitan Airport News had a conversation with Sophia Mendelsohn, the head of JetBlue’s sustainability efforts, and the topics ranged from the now famous JetBlue garden, to the more prosaic subjects of reduced carbon dioxide aircraft fuels, airport service vehicles and all the other improvements airports can make to reduce air toxicity. The T5 terminal at JFK airport has two gardens, a rooftop garden that is open to customers as a way to relax, rather than continue the pressures of travel in a busy and loud airport terminal. Solving that problem can be defined as human sustainability. Plants as we all…