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.
A good technician knows how to diagnose and fix a problem. A great technician knows how to identify problems before they arise and take the steps necessary to prevent serious issues. The staff at the Aviation Maintenance Training (AMT) program at Western Suffolk BOCES’ Republic Airport campus proved they are indeed great technicians as the program adapted to challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic without any turbulence. Monitoring what was happening globally and locally in March of 2020, AMT Program Manager and FAA Liaison Diana Santiago knew that there would likely be a need to move to a fully remote…
As the year came to an end, Governor Cuomo was busy signing the Healthy Terminals Act. This bill was passed by the NYS Legislature in July 2020 to provide ‘covered airport workers’ supplemental hourly wage increases of at least $4.54 to offset healthcare costs. There are some asking questions about whether the Healthy Terminals Act will lead to an unhealthy airport employer financial statement in the process of lifting up our essential airport workers. In addition to the PANYNJ annual wage increases, adding this additional payroll cost will certainly stress some business owners and airport tenants during this already difficult…
When completed, the JFK solar project will be the largest canopy system in New York State. The Port Authority Board of Commissioners authorized the development, construction and operation of New York State’s largest on-site solar plus storage system at John F. Kennedy International Airport. The JFK solar installation will create a carport canopy with solar panels on top on the southern section of the airport’s long-term parking lot 9, providing covered parking to approximately 3,000 parking spaces. The 12.3-megawatt (mw) solar energy system includes 5 to 7.5 megawatts of battery storage, which will provide enhanced resilience to Airtrain JFK. The…
Last month, JetBlue announced the first major refresh of their Mint service, JetBlue’s premium travel experience including the introduction of new products. As part of their focus on sustainability and JetBlue For Good platform, retiring Mint items will be revitalized in an impactful way. Rather than throwing these items away, JetBlue is providing unused and gently used and cleaned items like blankets, pillows, dishes and cutlery to those who need them most, while also diverting waste from landfills. JetBlue is also providing unused amenity kits and toiletries to homeless shelters, and headphones to some of the JetBlue Foundation’s education partners to…
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that the largest publicly accessible fast-charging station for electric vehicles in the Northeast is now operational at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens. The ten-port charging station is part of a joint initiative by the New York Power Authority and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey that will reduce New York State’s carbon footprint and improve air quality by incorporating electric vehicle technology throughout JFK and LaGuardia airports. The EV charging hub, compatible for all current fast-charging EV models, will help decarbonize the transportation sector and reduce greenhouse gas emissions 85 percent by 2050, a target…
This Dec. 19, 2020, on National Wreaths Across America Day at 2,557 participating locations, dedicated Americans in every state honored our nation’s heroes by safely placing a total of 1.7 million veterans’ wreaths on their headstones and remembering them, by saying each name out loud. “The 2020 theme for Wreaths Across America has been ‘Be an American worth fighting for,’ and this year I have been blessed to see my fair share,” said Karen Worcester, executive director of Wreaths Across America. “The determination of the American people and their commitment to the mission to Remember, Honor, Teach, made it possible…
On December 19th, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey unveiled features of the new flagship terminal at Newark Liberty International Airport which incorporate best-in-class arrivals frontage design. This new design creates four distinct areas for taxis, app-based ride-share vehicles, buses, and private passenger vehicles to reduce traffic congestion, ease passenger loading, and dramatically enhance the customer experience. In addition, the new terminal design incorporates state-of-the-art technology and safety features in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The one million square foot new terminal will open, as planned, in late 2022 with cutting edge design changes built into the…
At one time, IBM’s Watson Labs had a common area wall adjacent to the cafeteria where ideas were written down on a chalk board for other scientists to look at and comment on. Then Watson Labs did an interesting thing, they added an idea wall inside the reception area and the ideas became bolder and revolutionary rather than evolutionary. Why did this happen? As it turned out, many visitors were interns or other young and aspiring engineers and scientists, and we all know what that means; ideas and thinking that were outside the existing plans and processes and…
The India Times reported that grounded airline Jet Airways may be able to resume operations by summer next year if the everything goes as per plan. The new owners said that the airline may start both domestic and international operations with all the slots that were available to Jet Airways before it stopped flying. Jet Airways suspended flying in April 2019 after struggling with more than $1bn of debt. The move came a month after the carrier was taken over by a consortium of investors led by the State Bank of India, resulting in the exit of its founder and…
Besides the new rule for emotional support animals, another casualty of the tightening rules on aircraft involves cell phones. “If you’re like me” is a phrase that is not a great way to begin an article, it reeks of self-indulgence. But if you’re like me, sitting next to a person on an airplane who is constantly on their mobile phone is torturous. OK; there are exceptions, “Honey, we just landed, I’ll call when I am at the hotel” is fine. But reading off columns of numbers on a spread sheet is not only bad manners, it is border-line passenger abuse.…