COVID ANNIVERSARY
A year later- Remembrances of the pandemic The Covid pandemic is
something we never considered
would happen. Our lives have
been changed. This pandemic
has humbled us all.
We have lost family and
friends to this dreaded virus.
Following are some airport
stakeholders heartfelt comments
on this 1st anniversary.
We don’t really know what
the new normal will be but
there is optimism to take us
through to a better future.
Charles Everett,
Port Authority
Deputy Director,
Aviation & General
Manager, JFK
For the past year during
the global coronavirus pandemic,
we have endeavored to
minimize exposure and maximize
hygiene to keep our people,
stakeholders and customers
safe at JFK. We have also
worked harder to engage and
communicate with a partially
remote work force while protecting
on-site essential workers.
Together, they supported
safe, efficient operations during
periods of reduced passenger
activity, adverse seasonal
weather conditions and construction.
16 AIRPORT VOICE, MARCH 2021
Now as we consider implementing
our plans to respond
to increased aircraft activity
and continue to navigate the
new challenges of our time,
we are hopeful for the future
thanks to the commitment of
the staff and JFK airport community,
adherence to effective
health and safety practices,
and the availability of vaccines
that are expected to reduce
the spread of the virus.
We will remain ever vigilant,
and mindful of those
we’ve lost, and the changes to
how we live and interact, as
we continue on our path to being
a world class operator of
world class airports.
Frank DiMola,
Executive Director
JFK Airport TFAC
In early 2020 when first
heard of COVID-19, we never
anticipated the economic and
human devastation that this
pandemic would bring to all
people of all nations – no one
was left untouched. The aviation
industry, including airlines,
airline service providers,
airport operators, and
those off-airport business that
rely passenger air travel experienced
unprecedented financial
losses, causing widespread
unemployment, and
more importantly on a personal
level the loss of lives of
our family members, friends
and colleagues to this virus.
We are still struggling
with the ongoing turmoil of
this pandemic and will slowly
work towards pulling ourselves
from this crisis over the
next 12-18 months. We have a
promising path forward with
the vaccine, and because of
the ingenuity, agility and resilience
of our airline, airport
and service provider leadership
and employees – who
continually look for opportunities
to protect and promote
the safety of air travel. Similar
in many ways to the lessons
learned in the aftermath
of September 11, 2001, when
our industry implemented
enhanced security measures
to thwart future terrorist attacks,
the COVID-19 pandemic
taught us much about taking
responsibility for our personal
protection, health and
safety, and the safety of others,
environmental cleanliness,
sanitary protocols and
virus screening and testing.
I can’t say enough about
the tremendous effort put
forth by the JFKIAT team
who sterilized every inch of
Terminal 4 for our airlines,
passengers and employees,
and by promulgating policies,
procedures and leading by
example, fosters a culture of
practicing enhanced personal
protection. Likewise, our T4
airline partners and government
agencies very assertively
enforce the protection of
the passengers and public that
they serve; and of course, the
JFK Port Authority management
team who by coordinating
with local, state and Federal
officials made sure that
our terminal operators and
JFK employees were aware of
the availability of vaccination
centers and supported the implementation
of best practices
to mitigate COVID-19 contagions.
In a world where division
seems the norm, TFAC’s
T4 partners remind me that
when we center our lives on
our common aspirations, we
can do great things for others
and ourselves. I am filled with
gratitude to be associated
with each of my T4 colleagues.
I know we have a long road
ahead of us and I remain very
optimistic about the future of
our airlines and our aviation
industry in general, and the
lessons learned from this COVID
19 crises…
Stephanie Baldwin,
VP Delta JFK
Airport Operations
It’s hard to believe that it’s
been almost a full year since
a State of Emergency was declared
in the U.S. due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. New
York was the epicenter yet
Delta and the airport community
as a whole worked hard
to take care of our passengers
and our teams.
Delta had kicked off 2020
with a historic keynote address
at CES outlining the
company’s plans to transform
the future of travel. A few
weeks later, Delta and everyone
in the industry was facing
its greatest test yet as COVID
19 rapidly spread around
the world and global travel
came to a halt. Transforming
the future of travel soon for everyone
required tackling urgent
and changing customer
needs. Delta moved quickly to
lead the industry in ensuring
cleanliness, providing more
space, and offering safer service
at every point in the journey.
Our people like so many
others demonstrated adaptability,
agility and an innovative
amid demanding circumstances
to keep customers and
employees healthy and safe
while still delivering thoughtful
experiences from curb to
claim. I think it’s safe to say
we all look forward to a “new
normal”. Mask up, get vaccinated
and stay safe! Summer
is coming and we look forward
to seeing everyone back
on airplanes enjoying all that
our world has to offer.
Michael W.
Simpson, Executive
Vice President The
Americas
WFS Appreciates the Efforts
of All Essential Critical
Infrastructure Employees
Functioning critical infrastructure
is imperative during
a crisis like COVID-19
emergency and a key for both
public health and safety as
well as community well-being.
At WFS, we recognize
airport critical infrastructure
employees have a special
responsibility in these times
to continue operations and
keep critical goods and services
moving. We remember
those that we have lost and
are thankful for all those that
work to keep us safe. And we
appreciate the efforts of all
airport employees who have
stood strong during this unprecedented
and challenging
year and are especially proud
of our WFS team members.
We are also grateful for all
the airport employers who
have worked together to keep
our industry’s critical infra