Breathing a
sigh of relief
BY JEFF YAPALATER
(2500) Mercury Medical
Flow-Safe II CPAP devices arrived
via JetBlue at JFK Airport.
These CPAP devices are
used to effectively help treat
COVID-19 patients in Respiratory
Distress. JetBlue, The NY
30 AIRPORT VOICE, APRIL 2020
Hometown airline, donated
the flight, and Mercury Medical
donated these important
products to help prevent patients
from deteriorating to
the point where they will require
mechanical ventilation.
After arriving at JFK, these
JetBlue ground operations moving 2500 CPAP units for NYS emergency
services.
devices were immediately
loaded onto a provided SGWS
company truck and Local 701
driver for delivery to a government
storage facility outside
of Albany for use by a NYS response
team as necessary.
They do not require a mechanical
machine or electrical
power; simply connect to
an oxygen source within the
hospital to deliver adjustable
CPAP pressure. effectively
help treat COVID-19 patients
in Respiratory Distress. CPAP
therapy has been shown to be
very efficacious in preventing
these patients from deteriorating
to the point where they require
mechanical ventilation.
Said Dr. John Gargaro, MD,
Mercury Medical president
PAPD watches over precious CPAP medical cargo.
"Comfort" for the
Covid Patients
JFK terminal consolidations
T4 is main airport hub
As of Wed March 25, JFK International
Airport terminals consolidated
some of their airline flights and
terminals. Many airline operations
moved from their normal terminal
to other terminals during evening
hours consolidating reduced airline
flights and sharing security and related
personnel. Terminal 2 is closed.
Terminal 7 is closed. JFKIAT T4 and
American Airlines T8 are consolidation
terminals. JetBlue will operate a
bit differently with arrivals and departures
at both T5 and T4.
Many airlines are working at
greatly reduced capacity with some
approaching a 80 % or more reduction
in passengers. Total flights
handled at JFK flights, for example,
have fallen dramatically in the
Month of March and into April due
to rapidly changing air travel environment.
Even T4, which is the hub
of flights now, is devoid of the normal
hustle and bustle. Only a handful
of sparsely filled international
flights come and go. As a result
many business partners have scaled
back terminal operations, ramp services,
concessions and personnel reducing
the need for vast terminals to
operate normally. Specific terminal
and airline changes include:
-JFKIAT T4 will operate 24/7.
-T8 will operate arrivals and departures
until 8pm then move it’s
departures to T4. Closed between
Midnight-8am.
-T1 operates, until 8pm. then
close until 6am daily.
-T5 JetBlue operates inbound and
outbound flights until 8pm. Then
check-in and departures T4.
All JetBlue arrivals continue in
T5 for all flights except after 830pm.
-T2 Closed. Now all flights moved
to main Delta gates at T4.
-T7 Effectively closed. British
Ai8rways, Iberia, Alaska and others
are operating out of Terminal 8.
-All Nippon Airway ( ANA ) will
initially be checking passengers at
T7 then transferring to T4 for departures.
CBP operates a Covid Command
Center in Terminal 4 to aid arriving
travelers.
The Airtrain and connection to
Jamaica LIRR and buses are operating.
NY Express buses are operating
from JFK to LaGuardia, Newark
Grand Central and Port Authority
stations.