Author: Julia Lauria-Blum

I recently received correspondence from Geoffrey Arend Sr., who commented on my April 2026 Editor’s Notebook article, ‘An Art Deco Icon at Newark Liberty International Airport’. Geoffrey Arend Sr. is an aviation historian and author who led campaigns in the 1970s and 1980s to preserve Newark Airport’s historic 1934 Building One, an Art Deco masterpiece. As publisher of Air Cargo News and author of Great Airports: Newark International, he launched a massive 1979 public campaign that successfully prevented the structure from being demolished. Arend’s advocacy highlighted the building’s architectural and historical significance, including its status as the first commercial passenger…

On Monday, June 1, 2026, airport officials, hospitality leaders, and local representatives gathered post-TSA security near Gate 25 at JFK International Airport Terminal 5 for an official ribbon-cutting ceremony. The event marked the formal opening of three celebrated New York City culinary institutions: The Halal Guys, and Nom Wah Tea Parlor, and Melt Shop.  The ribbon-cutting ceremony was preceded by a Lion Dance. This vibrant, traditional Chinese performance is often held during festive celebrations, cultural parades, and grand openings to bring good fortune and prosperity. “We are excited to welcome The Halal Guys, Melt Shop, and Nom Wah to JFK…

Daniel “Dan” Dameo, 89, passed away peacefully at home in Bridgewater, New Jersey, surrounded by his loving family on May 21, 2026. Dan, a highly accomplished and nationally acclaimed aviator in the warbird and airshow community, attended Syracuse University and graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in Business. He married Joan Soper of Malone, New York, in 1956, and their joyful marriage lasted nearly 70 years. He spent his professional career alongside his brother, Rocque, his sister, Virginia, and his nephews, building the family business, Dameo Trucking, founded by his father in 1936. Beyond his family, Dan’s true passion…

The QueensLink and QueensWay initiatives are competing blueprints for the transformation of the 3.5-mile Rockaway Beach Branch, an abandoned Long Island Rail Road line and landscape running through central and southern Queens. While both proposals aim to reclaim this derelict rail line and space- untouched since 1962-their conflicting visions offer drastically different outcomes for the borough’s infrastructure and community life. The debate revolves around a disused, abandoned municipal rail corridor stretching from Rego Park to the Rockaways. New York City officials are now weighing two competing visions: QueensLink, which proposes a multi-modal approach by layering a new subway extension beneath…

From runways to subways, Queens functions as a critical transit hub where multi-billion dollar airport modernizations intersect with a complex network of rail and bus lines serving millions of daily commuters. Queens County is the largest of New York City’s five boroughs by land area and occupies the easternmost section of the City. Located at the western end of Long Island, adjacent to Brooklyn, it is bordered by the East River and Long Island Sound to the north and Jamaica Bay to the south. The borough spans 109 square miles of land, totaling 178 square miles when including its waterways. The southern portion of…

This past Thursday, the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City, New York, hosted an evening cocktail reception for the opening of an historic and landmark mural called The Pre-Lindbergh Era of American Aviation, by artist and aviator Aline ‘Pat’ Rhonie.  Aline Rhonie was a pioneering pilot who learned to fly in 1930 in Reno, Nevada, and at Roosevelt Field on Long Island during the Golden Age of Aviation. By the end of 1931, Rhonie earned her transport license, and in 1933, she helped found the Luscombe Airplane Company in Kansas City, Missouri. The following year, in 1934, Aline became…

On April 17, Wilson Technological Center celebrated the Class of 2026’s achievements at the Aviation Maintenance Technology Recognition Ceremony, held at the Western Suffolk BOCES Republic Aviation campus in Farmingdale. Wilson Tech’s 1,910-hour Aviation Maintenance Technology (AMT) program prepares students to become FAA-certified Airframe and Powerplant technicians in an extensive, state-of-the-art hangar where they gain hands-on experience under FAA-certified instructors. The ceremony began with Diana Santiago, Executive Director of Career & Technical Education, and Lisa Romanowski, Principal, welcoming and introducing the program to a standing-room-only crowd of attendees and guests. Following a heartfelt address by the keynote speaker, Andrea Adragna…

Newark Metropolitan Airport was the first major commercial airport in operation in the United States. Its development began in 1928, and in the first years of its existence, one-third of the world’s air traffic ran down its runways. With an innovative legacy spanning nine decades, Administration Building 1 (formerly Building 51) was at the center of Newark Airport, where many firsts took place. The building, originally dedicated in 1935 by Amelia Earhart, served as the nation’s first passenger terminal. It housed the first air traffic control tower and the first weather bureau. Newark was also the first to have a…

JFKIAT is the private operator of Terminal 4 (T4) at John F. Kennedy International Airport. In 1996, JFKIAT was selected by the Port Authority of NY & NJ to develop, build, and manage the former International Arrivals Building (IAB) at JFK. In 2001, T4 reopened after a $1.4 billion redevelopment that transformed the former IAB into a modern, efficient terminal. In 2013, Terminal 4 completed Phase I of its expansion, adding 457,600 sq. ft. and nine new gates. In January 2015, T4 opened the 80,000 sq. ft. B Concourse Phase II expansion, adding 11 new gates to accommodate Delta’s regional…

On Sunday, March 22, a Jazz Aviation Mitsubishi CRJ-900 collided with an airport emergency vehicle shortly after landing on Runway 4 at New York LaGuardia Airport, killing both pilot and co-pilot. Flight 8646, operated by Air Canada Express, originated in Montréal and was carrying 72 passengers and 4 crew members. In an official statement, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey officials confirmed that the Captain and the First Officer were killed in this accident. “At approximately 11:40 pm on Sunday, a Jazz Aviation flight operating on behalf of Air Canada was involved in an incident on Runway 4…