Transportation blogs take off

From time to time, we let Ambassablog readers know of cool new aviation- and transportation-related blogs appearing in the ... blogosphere. Two newcomers of note are:

• Fast Lane, the official blog of the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Mary Peters, pictured to the right.

• Airport Check-In, a blog about airports by the president of Airports Council Internation-North America (ACI-NA), Greg Principato.

Fast Lane covers aviation issues, as well as the other facets of transportation under the domain of the U.S. Department of Transportation, such as shipping, rail and highways. It's a great resource to keep abreast of major transportation issues across the nation and across many industries.

Airport Check-In, on the other hand, is all about airports. It just kicked off this month, and we look forward to more great posts like the first one about how airports have become the new "town halls" of the 21st Century. We're thrilled that Airport Check-In chose to list the Goodwill Ambassablog as one of its first examples of airport employee blogs.

These blogs and several others related to aviation are conveniently listed in the "Brother Blogs" and "Other Aviaton-Related Blogs" sections over in the right-hand sidebar of the Goodwill Ambassablog. "Brother Blogs" are ones most similar to the Ambassablog, in that they are blogs by rank-and-file employees. These include employee blogs at other airports, airlines and the Transportation Security Administration. They feature continually updated live feeds showing their most recent postings.

The blogs listed in the right-hand sidebar can be a convenient way to stay informed about what's going on in our industry and gain a deeper understanding of what employees at other agencies and companies are doing and thinking.

So it seems that transportation blogs have been cleared for takeoff ... and are already flying high!

Benchmarking Portland International Airport

In Airport Planning, we commonly compare San Diego International Airport to other airports to see how we are doing. Airport Planning typically looks at the following airports for benchmarking purposes:

• Portland (PDX)
• Tampa (TPA)
• Oakland (OAK)
• San Jose (SJC)
• Cleveland (CLE)

Benchmark airports are selected for a variety of similarities and/or instructional differences between them and our airport, such as: markets served, number of passengers, number of operations, leisure/business passenger split and geography. You can probably think of both similarities and differences between SAN and each airport above.

I recently attended a meeting with the Port of Portland (which operates Portland International Airport, or PDX, in Portland, Oregon) in support of the Destination Lindbergh project (look for more on this topic in an upcoming post.) Aside from taking all the photos you see above, I was also able to take a behind-the-scenes tour and gather some good information. Look at the comparison between PDX and SAN:

Portland International Airport (PDX)

• 14.6 million - passengers in 2007
• 265,000 - operations in 2007
• 3 - runways (longest is 11,000 feet)
• 37 - gates
• 55 - nonstop destinations
• largest airline - Alaska/Horizon

San Diego International Airport (SAN)

• 18.3 million - passengers in 2007
• 227,000 - operations in 2007
• 1 - runway (9,400 feet)
• 41 - gates
• 55 - nonstop destinations
• largest airline - Southwest

I want to extend a big thank-you to my host for the day, Jason at PDX. He walked me through the entire airport and showed off some of the unique things that PDX is doing, like:

• solar panels on the roof of their parking structure
• construction of a second parking structure and new Port of Portland offices
• TriMet MAX light rail line that goes directly to the terminal
• attracting a second daily flight to Europe
• local brand-name concessions
• being named TSA’s Western Area Airport of the Year
• and, perhaps most impressive, their commitment to sustainability

You can find out more about PDX’s long-term planning efforts on their PDX Airport Futures website.

The next time you travel to The Rose City through PDX (hopefully on one of San Diego International Airport's four-times-a-day nonstop flights) - or to any other airport - think of the comparisons to SDIA.

Going green with the blue bins

While talking with Airport Authority colleagues the other day, I found that some folks are confused about exactly what types of waste can go in the blue recycling bins located at every workstation. I thought I would look up the information and post it on the Ambassablog. After all, as Goodwill Ambassadors, we should know about the great recycling program we have here at San Diego International Airport and take advantage of it, in the spirit of sustainability, to be good stewards of our resources. Besides, we should be proud of our award-winning recycling program!

(Speaking of recycling, it’s just one component of the Airport Authority’s sustainability efforts I mentioned in my previous Earth Day blog post.)

We all have access to the blue recycling bins, whether we’re in the Authority offices or out in the airport terminals. According to Amiel in Landside Operations, there are about 75 recycling bins available throughout the airport (pictured here) for our 18.3 million annual passengers, their meeters and greeters, and the thousands of people who work at the airport. That’s in addition to the smaller blue recycling bins (pictured at top) in all Airport Authority office spaces.

Our recycling program is a “single-stream” program, which means that all recyclable materials can go in the same blue containers. So, what materials are eligible? Here’s an overview:

• Paper (including phone books, magazines, newspapers, etc.)
• Glass, aluminum and steel food and beverage containers
• Plastic bottles and jars – only if they have a #1 or #2 recycling symbol on the bottom. This number often appears inside a triangle.

This and more good information about the recycling program can be found in the handy Recycling Guide on the airport’s Web page. A list of some non-recyclable items is also conveniently listed in the guide. If you’re even more interested in going green, refer to the Recycling Guide for some useful “precycling” and re-use tips.

And, listen up Airport Authority employees: you can look forward to getting more sustainability tips at the Airport Authority’s upcoming internal Division Open House on June 12. But here’s an easy one to keep in mind right now: whether you’re an employee who works here every day, or a less-frequent visitor to San Diego International Airport, be sure to utilize those blue recycling bins!

SAN is so ... BLUE

Jet Blue first started serving San Diego in June, 2003 with nonstop service to New York's JFK Airport. Since then, they have added service to three more destinations. And guess what? Their fifth once-daily service, to Seattle, starts ... TODAY! To celebrate this milestone, I decided to get the inside scoop directly from some of the BLUEst people around: some of the 23 JetBlue staff at San Diego International Airport.

1. Some of you may know that JetBlue names all of their aircraft based on employee suggestions. The winner gets to help take delivery of either the Airbus A320 from the Toulouse, France factory, or the Embraer E190 from the factory in Brazil. What are some of your favorite aircraft names?

• I Only Have Eyes for Blue (Tina)
• Tale of Blue Cities (Brian)
• The Name is Blue ... Jet Blue (Brian and Mark)
• Blue is So You (Matt)
• 100% Blue (Elsa)
• Blue Sapphire (Maria)
• Blue is the New Black (Dean)

2. Onboard the aircraft, JetBlue has Direct TV in every seat. What are your favorite channels?

• Food Network (Tina and J.R.)
• CNN (Brian and Dean)
• Comedy Central (Elvira)
• History Channel (Royal)

3. Cutting to the chase, why are you excited about the new service between San Diego and Seattle service starting today?

• “It’s one of our most-requested city pairs ... Can’t wait!” (Brian)
• “Seattle has consistently been the number-one-requested destination on the West Coast.” (Matt)
• “It’s a new destination -- we’re growing!” (Elvira)
• "I can visit for a while before it rains.” (Dean)
• (And my favorite:) "Pike Place Market and a good cup of coffee.” (Royal)

4. Lastly, what is the best thing is about working for JetBlue?

• “All the great people we get to meet coming in and out of San Diego.” (Mark)
• “It doesn’t seem like a job, but more like a family.” (Matt)
• (And my personal favorite:) “It’s all about the BLUE.” (J.R.)

There you have it, straight from the source. What do ya’ll think -- any JetBlue favorites you want to share? Until next time, Here's looking at Blue, Kid.

Cyclists step forward

OK, we promised to give some recognition to the Airport Authority employees who let us know they rode their bikes to work on -- you guessed it -- Bike to Work Day 2008, which took place last Friday, May 23. And here they are:

• Amiel - Landside Operations Department


• Brett - Airport Planning Department (pictured above with the green bike)


• Diann – Training & Organization Development


• Gary - Facilities Development Department

• John - Facilities Maintenance Department

• Marion - Environmental Department

• Paul - Airport Planning Department (pictured above with the red bike)

• Paul - Environmental Department

• Ray - Facilities Maintenance Department

• Richard - Environmental Department

• Randy - Quieter Home Program

• Scott - Office of the Chief Auditor

• Sjohnna - Quieter Home Program

Check the comments section in the earlier post about Bike to Work Day for some great stories of employees' two-wheeled journeys to and from work that day, like this one:

"My bike is the blue recumbent parked next to Scott's in the picture. I also rode from Lemon Grove, but unlike Scott, this was my first attempt. The ride into work took one hour, five minutes and was pleasant in the cool morning air. The ride back home was not so pleasant. The climb back up to Lemon Grove's elevation in 85-degree heat made the ride quite challenging, although it only took 10 minutes longer. I arrived home fully spent, but I made it! I am planning on doing this more often!" -- Gary (Facilities Development Department)

Children are the future (part 2of 2)

Well, I know how much fun I had when I got to interact with the kids at the Airport Authority’s Take Your Kids to Work Day this year. I shared that experience with all of you on this blog in part one of Children Are the Future!

Now you’ll get to hear what the kids themselves thought of their day here, on their way to becoming “junior” Goodwill Ambassadors for San Diego International Airport. Any of the parents reading this post are invited to submit a comment of your impression and/or those of your kids once they were home and told you about their day. Have fun, and enjoy the post!

• Colleen: Today’s scavenger hunt was really fun. We ran around all morning, picture-taking and learning cool things about where our parents work and our local airport. It’s amazing the things you get to see around the airport when you don’t actually have to get on a flight. San Diego International Airport is a nice break from school. No, seriously, I’m not even joking. J

• Courtney: I had a fantabulous time today. Going throughout San Diego’s airport, taking pictures, learning exciting facts and completing a scavenger hunt was a swell time.J Not to forget that it was a whole day away from school.;) I also met some new things: Sallie the Duck and Jorge the Plane.

• Evan: Today was the Take your Kid to Work Day at the San Diego International Airport, which was fun because us kids did not have to go to school. While participating at this event, the kids separated into groups with separate leaders. We participated in an airport scavenger hunt, looking for answers all throughout the airport. I was the photographer for my group, which was a lot of fun because I learned many new things about the airport that I did not know before.

• David: Had a great day and it was so much fun. I got to take pictures. I got go up and down the escalator so many times. There was something weird to see: these waved panes of glass on the wall. When I looked more closely, I saw that there were words on them. There where lights that made shadows with the word so you could read the wording. I also got to skip school for a day. I learned a lot about the airport … and a bit about loons. It was so much fun.

• Matthew: We got separated into four groups. I got separated into a group with my brother, and we didn’t know anyone. But after we started walking around, I started getting along with everyone. I had a great time with my group and learned a lot of stuff. Another thing that I liked about today is that the lunch was cool, because we had booths and other fun stuff we could do. A personal favorite of mine was that I got to miss school for a day! Today was a great day to me, and I had a lot of fun.

• Nick and Nick: We learned not a lot, but we saw a bunch of art things … It was alright today. Not fun and not boring. But it kept us out of school today, so that was cool. The lunch was better than last year’s, and that was cool too.

• Arielle: Hi! My name is Arielle, and I had a lot of fun at Take Your Child to Work Day. There is so much history at the airport, and about planes. A scavenger hunt was held and we toured the airport. Kids of many ages where roaming the airport, learning and playing. I hope to come back to the next Take Your Child to Work Day and have another great experience.

• Jasmin: I love Take Your Child to Work Day! My favorite part was when we made the Web page. The thing I liked about it was when I got to click F5 on the keyboard and make the webpage appear. Another thing I liked about it was when we went scavenger hunting and I got to ask people for the answer. Another part I liked about going on the scavenger hunt was meeting new people and having fun, and my team leader was soooooooo AWESOME!

• Pedro: I had thee best time at the airport for take your kids to work day. We had food, things to take home, and we were allowed to make a Web site for the airport and travel in the airport. I had the best time here.

• Josh: Throughout the day we traveled through the three terminals, learning about how they operate. Then, to conclude the day, we were given the opportunity to create a Web page that will be displayed on the airport’s Web site.

• Shyla and Sydney: Take Your Kid to Work Day was lots of fun. Today I met new people that share the same hobbies as I have. Isn’t that cool!? We got to skip school and tests! Isn’t that cool again!? Anyways, another fun activity was when I went down the slide with my new friends repeatedly. I also had fun playing with the items I got from the activity stands. I enjoyed making the paper hats as well.

• Jesus and Francisco: Thursday, April 24, 2008 was Take Your Child to Work Day at the San Diego International Airport. One of the many things that we got to do was wander around the airport and photograph fascinating art work that many people bypass without noticing. One of the most memorable things we got to do was help young children build their own bird houses, which they got to take home and keep for memories. After lunch, we were taken to a conference room and taught how to create our own Web pages. Our web pages have now been added to the San Diego International Airport Web site, to show our friends and family the incredible things we experienced at the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority. During the day we all had a great time and learned many incredible facts about the city we live in and the opportunity it holds for our generation.

• Sean and Jack: Today at the airport we did a scavenger hunt at Take Your Kids to Work Day. It was a fun scavenger hunt, searching for the things we needed a picture of, and to answer the questions on the paper. We thought the best part was the free food and prizes. We had fun walking around the fair and collecting all the prizes, pizza, cookies and salads. Yeah it was yummy!

Again, as I read these comments I am once again assured that, as Goodwill Ambassadors for San Diego International Airport, we definitely met our goal to help educate the most important future resource we have … our children! I hope that everyone gets that goofy smile on their face like I do when I read the above comments from this awesome group of kids!

Bikes Ahoy!

Today is Bike to Work Day 2008, and Airport Authority employees responded in greater numbers than ever before, as evidenced by this photo montage of bikes parked at the West Wing next to the Commuter Terminal (where many Airport Authority employees work) and the former Teledyne Ryan -- or TDY -- property (where the Airport Authority's Environmental Department is located). Our thanks to Marion in the Environmental Department for providing such a cool photo. If one of the bikes above belongs to YOU, you're invited to submit a comment below and let the Ambassablog's readers know what your bike ride to and from work was like today.

Canine Comforts

From today's San Diego Union-Tribune:

For more on this story, click here.

Now BOARDing!

Driving around town the last several weeks you may have seen the Airport Authority’s billboards promoting San Diego International Airport’s economic benefit to the region. As was covered in last year’s Goodwill Ambassador Program session, the airport contributes nearly $10 billion to the local economy every year. Seeing the billboards is always like a little surprise- on Hwy 94, I-5 South, El Cajon Blvd, etc.

Once I opened my eyes I started to see the billboards everywhere. And not just the Authority’s, but from our airline partners, as well:

Alaska Airlines: The West Most Schedule. The advertising focuses on the frequent service to the Pacific Northwest (Seattle 7x daily and Portland 4x daily… By the way- Alaska also serves Los Cabos once daily from SDIA).

ExpressJet: The simple design promotes their service to Omaha and Oklahoma City (In all, ExpressJet serves 10 nonstop destinations from San Diego).

Virgin America: Promoting a new style of air travel, focusing on the passenger experience. Remember my post on the Virgin America inaugural flight from SFO to SAN? Since then, Virgin America has ramped up its classy, hip service to five daily flights between San Diego and San Francisco.

The reach of the airport goes well beyond our 661 acres. When driving around the region, just look up: you can see the impact of the Airport Authority everywhere.

A two-hour tour ...

Free behind-the-scenes tours of San Diego International Airport offered by the Airport Authority have educated and entertained nearly 1,000 visitors since they started up last November. To those in the know, they are referred to as the Terminals to Tarmac Tours. It's easy to sign up for one: just click here.

And now, thanks to one tour-taker with an excellent photographic eye, you can see some of the many highlights of the tour over at www.airliners.net. Here's just one of his shots to whet your appetite.

Children are the future (part 1 of 2)

[NOTE: Sharing your workplace for a day with the employees and leaders of tomorrow - like Gold Team members (above), from left, Jasmin, Arielle, Jack, Sean and Joshua, above, in front of Les Perhac's dramatic sculpture of loons In Search of Wilderness at Terminal 2 West - is no small task. But few tasks are more rewarding. Here is my first-hand account of the Airport Authority's Take Your Child To Work Day held Thursday, April 24, 2008. I wrote it just after everything finally wound down that day!]

WOW! What can I say ... it was my privilege to spend the day implementing the program that the Airport Authority's Careers In Aviation Team worked so hard to develop for our kids who came and spent the day at San Diego International Airport for our annual “Take Your Child To Work Day”! My day began sometime around 6:30 a.m.; it’s now 4:30 p.m. and I’m finally at my desk to write this.

I can’t begin to take you through the range of emotions I've been feeling! For those of you who can relate: It’s been kind of like an “E” ticket ride at Disneyland! By the way ... do they still have "E" ticket rides at Disneyland? I think that's something they only used to have ... he he!

For Goodwill Ambassadors of the Airport Authority, our greatest sense of achievement is when we are able to share our knowledge with others who aren’t part of the aviation industry. Today I know we reached that goal!

In a previous post - The next generation of Goodwill Ambassadors - I shared some of the intimidation I was feeling about working with the older kids. Last night, as I was at my computer typing up the list of clues for their Scavenger Hunt, I was dreading coming in today. Well, I was helped by an awesome team who I’d like to thank for sharing their talents, gifts and knowledge with the kids: both Jeffs, Alicia, Sandra, Carol, Kevin, Ryan, Michelle, Lisa, Kim, Ed, Jon, Dat and Peggy. I wouldn’t have made it through this day if it hadn’t been for all of you!

Our goal was to create a program where the kids would not only have fun, but also learn something about what it takes to make an airport work on a daily basis. So we came up with a Scavenger Hunt that really put the kids to work.

So here are just some of my favorite pictures from the photo journals the teams put together today. Like (above) Blue Team leader Lisa of Airside Operations with team members, from left, Nick, David, Tiffany, Chanel, Nick and Matthew.

And here's a priceless shot (below) of Red Team members, from left, Evan, Courtney, team Leader Jeff of Human Resources, Colleen and Brett (in front) bringing art to life with a reenactment of Gary Hughes' popular sculpture At the Gate in the lower level of Terminal 2 West.

Well, how convincing do you think they were?

You also need to check out the web page the teams built, with Jon of Marketing and Communications and Dat of Information Technology as their teachers; it is so much more than I had expected.

There will definitely be another post on what we did today, as I can’t even begin to put it all in one post! We’ll see you back here soon with more of the kids' photo journals and perspectives from both the kids and their team leaders.

¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

Enjoy these pictures (thanks Susanna!) of today’s Cinco de Mayo celebration in Terminal 2 West at San Diego International Airport. The talented dancers of Ballet Folklorico wowed the passengers. The event was part of the airport's live performing arts series, which highlights various cultural holidays throughout the year and provides live music on the second and fourth Friday of each month.

Cinco de Mayo celebrations commemorate an initial victory of Mexican forces led by General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín over French forces in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. The date is observed in the United States and other locations around the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride.

Click here for more about the fascinating history behind Cinco de Mayo, such as this airport-related (sort of) tidbit:

"In the Peñón de los Baños, a small barrio or neighborhood in Mexico City, very near the airport, the people organize a very popular representation of the Cinco de Mayo battle. This play is a tradition that the people of the Peñón have kept alive for many years. Some of the inhabitants play the French invaders and others the Mexican army."

¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

And the winner is ...

Late winter and spring are two of my favorite times of year - awards season! The Golden Globes, the Grammys and the Academy Awards. There's nothing quite like the famous 'Red Carpet' with cameras flashing and all. Like the nominees for Best Actor always say, “It was an honor just to be nominated.”

I am proud to say that I work for an organization that has also gotten its fair share of nominations this year! We were recently nominated for -- and won! -- the 2008 Veterans Employer of the Year Award by the California Employer Advisory Council!

Of our 337+ Airport Authority employees, some 62 of us are veterans. Our Human Resources department does an excellent job of recruiting vets, and Airport Authority policies are supportive of potential employees transitioning out of the Armed Forces into civilian life. Click to read more about why the Airport Authority won this award.

The San Diego Business Journal also nominated the Airport Authority as one of San Diego’s 2008 Best Places to Work (in the Large Business Category). I was at the ceremony in La Jolla, along with some of my friends and colleagues from other departments. I was really excited that we were nominated and in the same playing field as Qualcomm! Not bad for an agency that's only five years old!

According to the nomination package we submitted for that award, what makes the Airport Authority such a SANtabulous (that's a special word invented by fellow employee Dianne to describe the work we do here) place to work is our commitment to the community we serve. We strive for world-class performance, but always remember that “world class” has to start at home. It really was an honor just to be nominated.

We better all start practicing our acceptance speeches for next year!

So this is how they're made ...

Here's a special treat for a Monday. Amazing sped-up, time-lapse footage on YouTube showing a Boeing 777 aircraft being assembled and then painted in Delta colors before flying off into the wild blue yonder. Delta Airlines, located in Terminal 2 West, is one of our major partners at San Diego International Airport. It really makes you think about what goes into the construction of such a complex machine. Oh, and the video has some cool music to boot. Thanks to aviation blog Aircrew Buzz for bringing this to our attention.

Home Treat Alert! The multimedia feature below may not be accessible at work. But you can log on at home and check it out there!

Thank ya', thank ya' very much!

I love saying “thank you,” but no one said it better than The King: “Thank ya', thank ya' very much!” (And by “The King”, I mean none other than Elvis Presley.)

… By the way, I am sure that all of you know that Elvis Presley hailed from Memphis, Tennessee. Did you know that new daily nonstop service to Memphis (MEM) from San Diego started today, May 2, 2008?

Northwest Airlines is using an Airbus A319 on the route. You can read more about the new service here. And just think, if you're in the mood, now you can fly Northwest Airlines to Memphis and see Elvis' awesome home there, Graceland Mansion, pictured here.

But I digress. Let's get back to "thank you." At the Airport Authority I am always saying "thank you" because people constantly go out of their way to help me (and all of us) strive for world-class performance.

And now, through the new Employee Recognition Program [this link only available to Airport Authority employees], Airport Authority employees have three cool ways to say "thanks," "thank you" ... and "THANK YOU" to their fellow employees and fellow Goodwill Ambassadors:

• Just Plane Thanks: For someone goes out of their way to help you achieve world-class performance.


• Spirit of SAN: For someone who goes waaaaayyyyy above the call of duty ... someone who does something truly SANtabulous (as we like to say around here)!

• Employee of the Quarter: Who can you think of that exhibits Spirit of SAN qualities every day!?! … (Well, besides me, of course? ... LOL)

Application materials for all three levels of THANKS can be found on the intranet [this link only available to Airport Authority employees].

So, fellow Goodwill Ambassadors, join me (and The King) in telling your fellow SANtabulous coworkers, “Thank ya', thank ya' very much!”