Live Chat at SAN

The Airport Authority is currently testing a new feature on its Web site, “Live Chat”. For four hours every morning, Colm in our Customer Service Department answers questions from the public. The chat function is designed to be very user-friendly and gives you personalized information on San Diego International Airport. All you have to do is click on the “Live Chat” box .

So, fellow Ambassablogger Ed and I decided that this was a perfect opportunity to try out a video posting for the Ambassablog. In the clip below, you'll see the two of us asking Colm some “questions," plus some fun surprises. Special thanks to Travis, the summer intern in Airport Planning from Oklahoma State University, who was instrumental in putting the video clip together.

Back to school

Ah, college! ... The best four years of my life! Speaking of which, Horizon Airlines recently unveiled a new aircraft honoring my alma mater, the University of Washington. Go Huskies!
As any college student can tell you, an internship is an integral part of your education and preparation for “The Real World”.

Here at San Diego International Airport, we're wrapping up our Summer College Intern Program. This year we welcomed 13 students representing nine schools and eight states, with a a varied set of majors and backgrounds. My intern, Travis, graduated from Oklahoma State University in May and he did a fantastic job this summer. Thanks, Travis! Each student worked in a different department at the airport, participated in weekly activities and attended airport-wide events. Here they are:

From left to right (with their university and the airport department where they interned):

• Travis – Oklahoma State University – Airport Planning
• Keith – CalState LA - Facilities Management
• Chase – Baylor University – Procurement / Small Business Development
• Jill – Purdue University – Terminal Development Program
• Wesley – Louisiana Tech University – Noise Mitigation
• Shelia – Ohio University – Aviation Security
• Andrew – Purdue University – Marketing
• Tim – Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – Aviation Security
• Hannah – San Diego State – Human Resources
• Andrew – University of North Dakota – Airport Operations
• Jennifer – UC San Diego – Public & Community Relations
• Russell - Inter-Governnmental Relations
  
• Armin – San Diego State - Facilities Development

The activities gave students a behind-the-scenes look at the airport and an opportunity to make professional contacts and new friends. The intern program is part of the Airport Authority’s Careers in Aviation initiative.

I want to thank everyone that helped put on the program -- it is a great experience for both the interns and all the staff. A huge thank-you to Carol and Michelle in Human Resources for taking care of the summer’s logistics.

If you are interested in next year’s program please see the Airport Authorty's career website. Recruitment usually begins in mid-January each year.

Until then, study hard!

Lights ... camera ... Shamu!

In early June I spent close to eleven hours at Gate 1 and 2 working on the new TSA Security Tips Video for San Diego International Airport that was unveiled on this blog July 7. The experience was a total blast, and it was rewarding being involved with a project you know will have a lasting impression on our customers.

I wanted to step back and talk about the “behind the scenes” of the filming and give some more details.

1. The pioneer in "infotainment" TSA videos is Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport, which has a video featuring “celebrity” travelers drawn from Las Vegas icons like the Blue Man Group, Carrot Top ... and even “Elvis.” You can watch the video here (after linking, click on 'Traveller T.I.P.S Videos' to the left).

2. Our regional partners in this project were incredible. These agencies were a pleasure to work with:

• Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
• San Diego Padres (The Friar)
• San Diego Zoo (Bamboo Panda)
• Lego Land California (Johnny Thunder)
• Sea World (Shamu)

3. Filming takes a ling time. I have a new sense of patience. The scene where Johnny Thunder empties the coins from his pocket and takes his shoes off -- we must have done those takes fifty times! The TSA agents featured in the video are real live people. Make sure and say “hi” if you see them around SDIA. Also, there are a number of Authority staff in the background -- who can you spot?

4. The internal people who made this project possible need to be recognized: Landside Operations; Marketing; Public, Community & Customer Relations ... plus the TSA and support from Southwest Airlines.

5. And finally: There are no small parts, only small actors (unless your name is Shamu).

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?

661 acres

Many Airport Authority employees can tell you that San Diego International Airport is just 661 acres in size. From various vantage points, you can see almost all of our airport. Through the Destination Lindbergh project, the Airport Authority has teamed up with the City of San Diego, the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) and other partner agencies to explore the long-term build out of the airport. They are asking the question: How can we optimize what we have?

What is difficult for me to understand is what 661 acres actually means. So I embarked on a mission ... 661 acres =

• 1/2 of Balboa Park
• 661 football fields (they are each one acre)
• 37 Petco Parks
• 28,793,160 square feet
• 24 Ellis Islands
• 1/5 of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
• 1/27 of Denver International Airport
• 1/4 the base of Mount Everest
• 2/3 of Central Park in New York City
• and my favorite: 49,988 times larger than my condo!

If you see me out in front of the Commuter Terminal with a tape measure, you can be sure that I am just double-checking my measurements!

On the Border (part 2)

I am writing this on Friday, May 23 from Gate 5 (Puerta 5) at Tijuana International Airport (TIJ), getting ready to board Aero México flight 190 (vuelo 190) to Mexico City (Ciudad de Mexico). Check out the photo of me in front of the AeroMexico 737-800 and some other shots I took at TIJ .

I thought this would be an ideal time to talk about the results of the Airport Authority's Cross-Border Terminal Market Demand Study. This was a study launched by the Airport Authority to analyze the amount of usage a cross-border terminal concept at the San Diego/Tijuana border might receive.

Here is a summary of findings and projections based on the results of that study:

• The number of passengers using Tijuana Internatioinal Airport (TIJ) from the United States will continue to grow significantly over the next 20 years, regardless of whether a cross-border terminal is developed.
  

• If an easy cross-border connection is not built, it is estimated that 2.1 million annual passengers (MAP) to and from the United States will use TIJ in 2020 and 3.7 MAP in 2030.

• Therefore, with an easy cross-border terminal, a TOTAL of 3.2 MAP to and from the United States would use TIJ in 2020; and in 2030 that number could rise to 6.4 MAP.

I have recently given presentations on the Cross Border Terminal Market Demand Study to the following groups:

• San Diego Chamber of Commerce
• Southern California Association of Governments
• San Diego Taxpayers Association

The entire study is now posted on the Airport Authority's Web site here (aqui). After clicking the link, be sure to scroll down to where it says, "Cross Border Terminal Market Demand Study."

And guess what? The study is being formally presented the Airport Authority Board TODAY (Cinco de Junio, 2005) at its public meeting.

Un Salud! – Ryan (aka Pedro!)

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.

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.

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.

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!

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!”

A conversation about Airport Land Use Planning - Part 2 of 2

OK, here is this second part of my interview about airport land use compatibility planning with Sandi and Ed (pictured above, with me on the right, in front of our offices at San Diego International Airport's Terminal 2). You can read the first part of my interview with these two just below this post.

RYAN: What does it mean to the general public after an Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan for a particular airport is adopted?

• SANDI: The plan will help protect people from dangers that could arise from, for example, constructing housing in unsafe areas near airports.

RYAN: If I wanted to build a 24-hour buffet restaurant near the Jacumba airstrip, what process would I go through?

• SANDI: You? It would go bankrupt -- I’ve seen how much you eat! (chuckle)
• ED: I wouldn’t do 24 hours -- there wouldn’t be enough demand in Jacumba.
• SANDI: The property owner would submit an application to the County …
• ED: ... and the County would send it over to us at the Airport Authority. (Note: Ed used to be a planner for the County.)
• SANDI: We’d see if the project was compatible with the adopted ALUCP and make a recommendation to the Airport Land Use Commission (the same group that is the Airport Authority Board).

(Note: Here's a picture of Sandi and Ed enjoying a meal at Ryan's 24-Hour Buffet restaurant in Jacumba. Just kidding -- consider it a belated April Fool's joke.)

R: We all read a lot about the Sunroad building near Montgomery Field. Can you summarize the real issue there?

• ED: What building are you talking about? (chuckle) Seriously, I remember going by that building each day as it was going up, back when I worked for the County, and thinking, “Wow, that is tall!” Now I use it to explain to everyone what my job is with the Authority: “I help prevent future Sunroad building conflicts -- hopefully!”
• SANDI: The bottom line is that the FAA was concerned about the height of the building and its impact on airport operations and public safety.

RYAN: How does the work you do interact with our Airport Noise Mitigation Department or our Quieter Home Program?

• SANDI: Sjohnna at the Quieter Home Program and Garret in Airport Noise Mitigation are nice. We like looking at Garret’s vacation photos ...
• ED: Yeah, Garret sent me a cool photo like this of the Hawaiian Airlines plane with the “Raiders” logo on it when it landed at SDIA. Raider Nation, baby! (pumps fist):

(Note: Sandi is a Denver Broncos fan.)

• SANDI: While we all deal with the community in different ways, it all comes back to doing what is best for the residents of San Diego County.
• ED: There you go again with the politician response!

RYAN: How does the work the ALUC staff does impact the long-term plans and goals of the Authority?

• SANDI: Through two goals -- protecting airport operations at San Diego International Airport and promoting air transportation at every airport in the county.

RYAN: What are two key thoughts you want to leave our Goodwill Ambassadors?

• ED: That we are located in Terminal 2, in the old British Airways lounge … and we have the best bathrooms!
  
• SANDI: Don’t say that, Landside Operations will get mad. 90% of the Authority works on what happens inside this airport; we are responsible for what happens outside the airport.
• ED: Yes, we really are the "Land Use Police" for every airport in the county.

RYAN: That wraps up my interview. And here you thought Sandi’s only job was raising money for United Way. Kidding. I hope this sparks interest in the ALUC staff and what they do. Do you have any more questions for them?

A conversation about Airport Land Use Planning - Part 1 of 2

[First of two parts.]

I am really excited about this posting, since it is being timed to coincide with the release, in draft form, of two important Airport Land Use Compatibility Planning (ALUCP) documents from the Airport Authority today.

What the heck is ALUCP, you ask? When the Airport Authority was created by the California State Legislature in 2003, it was given three specific functions under state law:

• Operate San Diego International Airport.
  
• Plan for the long-term air transportation needs of the San Diego region.
• Serve as the Airport Land Use Commission for all civilian and military airports and airfields in San Diego County.

Did you know that, of our roughly 300 Airport Authority employees, we have only two full-time staff members who work exclusively on the third function? Meet Sandi and Ed (pictured above), two colleagues of mine in the Airport Planning Department. Their responsibilities include overseeing preparation of Airport Land Use Compatibility Plans -- or ALUCP's -- which address land use around the county's aviation facilities. These facilities are which are shown on this map (click on map to see it larger):

(Note: Tijuana International Airport is located across the border in Mexico and so is not under ALUC jurisdiction.)

With the ALUCP's for Marine Corps Air Station Miramar and Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton both being released today, I decided to sit down with Sandi and Ed for a lunch-time discussion on airport land use compatibility planning. We also touched on such topics as what it's like having our offices in Terminal 2 (while most other Airport Authority employees work in the Commuter Terminal or adjacent West Wing) ... and 24-hour buffets.

RYAN: In plain terms, what is an Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan?

• SANDI: A plan that protects people on the ground and property…
• ED: …Well, it’s a document.
• SANDI: Yes, a document that protects people from excessive noise and still allows an airport to operate without major physical constraints.
• ED: It has an impact on what gets built around an airport. So, basically, it addresses land uses around an airport. And folks can click on the handy link you're gonna privide (above) to get the full scoop on what an ALUCP is.

RYAN: What criteria are used in developing plans? Is any one of the criteria more important than another?

• SANDI: There are four criteria: noise, safety, airspace protection and overflight. None is the most important, but the potential impacts on land use are the greatest with safety and noise.
  
• ED: The irony is that, in a safety zone, it isn’t safe; people shouldn’t be there.

RYAN: What role does public input play in the Airport Land Use Compatibility Planning process?

• SANDI: It is crucial. The members of the public that have participated in the ALUC Technical Advisory Group (ATAG) and its sub-committees have provided comments on the ALUCP documents. All the input in the documents reflect these comments, which represent many of the needs of the community.
• ED: You sound like a politician.
• SANDI: What is funny is that I wanted to be a speechwriter when I was growing up. Well, this process is about reaching consensus, wouldn’t you agree, Ed?
• ED: Huh? Sorry, I wasn’t listening. (chuckle)

RYAN: Ok, ok ... So, are we the only county in California going through this process?

• SANDI: No. There is a body designated as an Airport Land Use Commission (ALUC) in every county in the state. And they are all required to have Airport Land Use Compatibility Plans for every airport in their jurisdiction.
• ED: I wonder what some of the other counties are doing ...
• SANDI: All are required to follow the California Airport Land Use Planning Handbook, but we are the only county doing it through a public participation process as comprehensive as ours. Riverside and Solano counties are both looking at the process we used here in San Diego.

RYAN: Since 2004, which of the airports in San Diego County have had their ALUCP's updated?

• SANDI: Six so far -- the small airports of Agua Caliente, Fallbrook, Ocotillo, Jacumba, Borrego Valley and Ramona. We call them the "rural airports" because they are in less developed areas.

RYA: You are about to release, in draft form, two more plans for Camp Pendleton and Miramar. These will go before the Airport Land Use Commission for consideration later in 2008. Why do we do plans for the military bases in the county?

• SANDI: We are legally required to prepare plans for all airports in the county, regardless of whether they are civilian or military.
• ED: Because we are "World-Class," obviously.
• SANDI: Neither of the Navy air installations in the county -- Naval Air Station North Island and Naval Outlying Field Imperial Beach -- have plans yet, but we are working to fix that.

That's the first half of my interview with Sandi and Ed. Stay tuned for the second half tomorrow!