A short summer break for the Ambassablog

The Goodwill Ambassablog has been quiet for that last couple of weeks.  Consider it a brief summer break for the Ambassablog.  (Blogs, like people, need a break once in a while.) But stay tuned for fresh posts from the Ambassabloggers in the next week! In the meantime, take a look around, scroll down and visit the archives in the right-hand sidebar. You'll find a wide variety of information and perspectives on life at San Diego International Airport. 

All about EONS

One of the biggest buzzwords we’ve been hearing in recent years has been “sustainability”. As the 1990s helped everyone get a greener consciousness, business practices have moved towards a more sustainable operation model, realizing that taking care of the environment goes hand in hand with helping the bottom line.

The Airport Authority is no late-comer to this trend. In fact, I think we’re pretty pioneering in terms of extending the concept of sustainability to encompass more than just being green.

In February of this year, the Airport Authority Board adopted a Sustainability Policy based on a concept called EONS -— a recognition that what we do as an organization impacts many generations to come. Developed by a working group of the Airports Council International - North America (ACI-NA), EONS is an acronym (and businesses love those!). Each letter signifies one of the four elements of sustainability as it relates to airports and the aviation industry:

· Economic Viability

· Operational Excellence

· Natural Resource Conservation and Preservation

· Social Responsibility

I think EONS is yet another component of what makes us such a dynamic organization. It helps us all look in broader terms about what it really means to be sustainable.

Look for more posts from me on this topic, since it’s a subject near and dear to my own interests as a professional community planner for the Airport Authority!

Where are we going? Destination Lindbergh!

Through some earlier posts I have alluded to one of the newest, most exciting projects that I am working on – Destination Lindbergh: The Ultimate Build Out. The endeavor is a multi-agency initiative to plan the long-term future of the airport.

The cornerstone of the project is the daily collaboration we at the airport are having with our regional partners (namely the City of San Diego and SANDAG). San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders is Chairman of the Ad Hoc Airport Regional Policy Committee, which is guiding the project to the February, 2009, finish line.

Other regional partners represented on this important committee are the Port of San Diego, the County of San Diego, the Metropolitan Transit System, the North County Transit District and the U.S. Department of Defense. The Ad Hoc Airport Regional Policy Committee meets every three weeks on Thursdays starting at 7:15 a.m. at the Airport Authority Board Room in the Commuter Terminal. In fact, they're meeting tomorrow!

Also supporting Destination Lindbergh is a Technical Committee and a special subcommittee of the Airport Advisory Committee, which both provide valuable input to staff and the consultant team at every step of the project.

A new Destination Lindbergh website has agendas, meeting notes and presentations for each of the meetings, as well as other information about Destination Lindbergh.

In planning the long-term future of the airport, the goals Destination Lindbergh are to:

• Analyze and consider economic and environmental sustainability
• Optimize operational efficiency
• Integrate multiple modes of transportation
• Evaluate the entire airport, as well as adjacent properties

In the Airport Planning Department, one of the things we’re currently working on to support Destination Lindbergh is an updated passenger forecast for the airport. We are also starting work on various intermodal transit concepts.

As Destination Lindbergh progresses, I’ll give you updates. In the meantime, If you’d like to really delve into the process and the data, you can visit www.destinationlindbergh.com.

And the next time you are asked, “Where are we headed?” – now you know the answer: DESTINATION LINDBERGH!

A li’l bit of the Lone Star State at SDIA

Heralding from a military city on a southern coast, I’ve marveled at how much my Texas hometown (Corpus Christi) is like San Diego. And in some ways, Texas is alive and well at SDIA!

The Airport Authority’s own President/CEO, Thella F. Bowens, claims Texas as her origin, and several other Texans fill out our staff ranks. With great fanfare, the Airport Authority’s annual employee appreciation event is characterized by a Texas barbecue theme.

So what is it about Texas?

Texas is unique among the Union in having been an independent nation for a decade before it joined the U.S. – and that was an inspiration for California, too. Have you ever wondered why California’s Bear Flag contains a single red star (as shown on this Southwest Airlines plane)? It’s a tribute to Texas from Californians who likewise rebelled against rule by Mexico.

So the Airport Authority toasts that Texas spirit of independence and liberty -- something that might be regarded as inspiration to take flight! The largest airline at SDIA (handling more than a third of all our passengers) is none other than Texas-based Southwest Airlines, which loves to tout the “freedom to fly”.

So from many angles, the Texas spirit is alive and well at the Airport Authority!

Ambassa-Shot # 2 revealed

Two alert Ambassablog readers, both of them Airport Authority employees, have correctly identified Ambassa-Shot #2, pictured here. Naty in Planning & Operations and Liz in Accounting revealed it is none other than Guillermo, an enormous freestanding sculpture of gleaming stainless steel by sculptor Steve Bartlett of San Francisco. Some refer to Guillermo by his nickname, Running Man, since he communicates a sense of urgent motion - perhaps a passenger hurriedly rushing through the airport to catch a flight. You will see Guillermo at the east end of Terminal 1, to the right as you approach the terminal. He is one of many unique works of public art at San Diego International Airport. Ambassa-Shot #3 is up now, at the bottom of the Ambassablog, along with a running archive of all Ambassa-Shots.

Who let these characters in the airport?

This fun video has been produced by San Diego International Airport to run at all terminal security checkpoints. It features TSA security screeners, travelers (and, well, you'll see who else) demonstrating important Department of Homeland Security rules that passengers should keep in mind to make their trip through the airport smoother. Click here to read more about the video.

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

Seat Guru

I love window seats. Actually, my infatuation is deeper than that. Most people know me to be fairly relaxed; this all changes when I am forced into an aisle or middle seat.

I like windows because I like to see out. I like to control the shade. I like to take photos. I like to rest my head against the window if I decide to fall asleep. The reason I bring this up is that I recently got assigned a middle seat. I nearly passed out. A quick email to Scott at Travel Trust informed me that 80% of people like aisle seats and only 20% like window seats.

An excellent website that I highly recommend is Seatguru.com, it works for any airline and any aircraft type, and it will tell you the seats to avoid and ones to covet. Aside from my other alias, Pedro, you may also call me “Seat Guru”. LOL!

I was recently at an Italian restaurant and got a frantic cell call from a friend saying “Hey, what are the seats like on United to Dulles?” Seatguru came in very handy for that. In addition, most airline websites have a page that details the seat configurations for their aircraft types.

So, what will that be, window or aisle?

Happy 4th!

As a special treat for the 4th of July, the Goodwill Ambassablog presents this YouTube video showing 4th of July fireworks over San Diego from the point of view of a passenger landing at Lindbergh Field in 2006.



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