Author: Katie Bliss

April is National Volunteer Month, and there is no better time to highlight the hard work and dedication of the volunteer and trade organizations operating at our airports. You may be surprised to learn how much gets done by these organizations and how many of these volunteers work with you at the airport. They are dedicated groups of people that work well together across multiple organizations to put forward the kindness and support to those most in need. If the airports themselves are a community, the volunteer organizations are a community within that community. There is a lot of hard…

Welcome to the March issue of Metropolitan Airport News. In celebration of Women’s History Month, we are delighted to bring to you a feature with Cheryl McKissack Daniel in the spotlight. Ms. McKissack Daniel has an amazing background to share with us and a compelling story of hope, perseverance and determination. Her family has been well known in the construction industry for generations, way ahead of their time from the start. McKissack & McKissack has been engaged in PHL, LGA, EWR, and JFK for years, currently working on the New Terminal One build. We were happy to have Ms. McKissack…

It looks like 2022 is off to a raring start. We have a lot going on at the airports with construction, redevelopment, tremendous cargo volumes, and increased passenger traffic. While LaGuardia is celebrating their multi-year redevelopment coming in at 90% complete, JFK has had some groundbreakings to mark the start of what’s to come and EWR is getting ready for completing milestones related to the Terminal A redevelopment. Not bad for working through and coming out of a tough time for aviation over the past few years. While we all get excited to see and use all the new modern…

Happy New Year to all of you, your teams, and your families! I truly hope we are gearing up for a wonderful year ahead full of peace, prosperity, and good health. We’ve been through so much as a community. Despite the awful news cycle and hectic conditions, we’ve continued to work hard, we’ve experienced incredible loss and exhibited strength when we didn’t think we had any more. As we reflect back on 2021, we should be proud as a community that we continued to serve our customers and clients and most importantly, those in need and each other. This year’s opening issue of the Metropolitan…

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your friends and family. Things usually get quite hectic leading up to Thanksgiving and don’t slow down until after New Year’s Eve for me. I am very excited about seeing the social events coming back. There are parties to attend, gifts to buy for local children that are in need, and service projects in place to make sure as many people in our area can enjoy the holidays regardless of their situations. There are many opportunities to help out, reach out to local organizations in your area and see what you can…

Employment and jobs are always a hot topic in the airport community and across the aviation industry. There always seems to be a shortage of candidates. There are barriers to entry with many of the jobs that are available and let’s face it, it isn’t the easiest industry to be involved with. The hours can be unconventional and the work can be physically and emotionally taxing. If you love aviation and the fast-paced airport environment, there is no place you would rather be. Sometimes a job at the airport, is just that, a job. There are so many jobs at…

For those of you who are history buffs and aviation enthusiasts, I hope you enjoy our carefully curated historical features that bring you back in time. So much of the aviation industry started right here in New York. We are truly the ‘Cradle of Aviation.’ This month’s featured article, Travel By Air, The Golden Years: 1920s-1960s, focuses on the golden age of air travel when the rich and famous were the passengers. The experience was top of the line, and service was above all else. As a child of a TWA GSE Mechanic, I remember traveling in the 70s and…

Mayor de Blasio and New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) announced a 15-year, $191 million Offshore Wind Vision (OSW) plan to make New York City a leading destination for the offshore wind industry. The plan also ensures the city meets nation-leading climate goals of 100-percent clean electricity by 2040 and carbon neutrality by 2050. The $191 million offshore wind investment will put New York City on path to: Create over 13,000 jobs and generate $1.3 billion in average annual investmentEnsure 40% of job and investment benefits are directed toward women, minorities, and environmental justice communities Reduce 34.5 million tons of CO2 –…

It’s such a beautiful time of year to get out of the house and enjoy all that this region has to offer, it’s also a very busy time of year for many of us. I’m not sure about you, but my event calendar is quickly filling up! I have noticed that many of the in person events we enjoyed pre-COVID are returning to the airports, and our industry is quickly getting back to business with networking and social activities. I am also noticing less talk about COVID fatigue and more discussions about how positive the future is looking. While some…

On the 20th Anniversary of the attacks on America, the JFK Airport community came together to unveil a long awaited memorial to those who perished that fateful day. It was a labor of love and respect taken on by many individuals and organizations. The JFK Chamber of Commerce, the Port Authority, Columbia Association of CBP and many others have worked relentlessly to make this happen. The monument has a permanent home in front of the Port Authority Administration Building 14 at JFK International Airport. It pays respect to the lives of the Port Authority Police, Port Authority Civilian staff, United…