This means that we are now in the 30-day opt-in enrollment period and staff that choose to participate in the ERP can begin their retirements between May 29 and July 12.   

We do not know how many people will take advantage of the ERP, but based on early feedback we received, a significant number of our colleagues could be leaving in a few short weeks. When these staff members retire, they will take with them years of institutional and occupational knowledge.  

Over the coming months, we will be reevaluating staffing levels and repositioning employees to best meet the ongoing challenges of our COVID-19 recovery and the loss of seasoned staff members. In some instances, it may be necessary to fill a limited number of positions for mission critical jobs.  

Bringing new staff onboard and moving some current employees into different roles or areas of the organization does not mean we can avoid furloughs and layoffs this fall. As you know, we are still several years away from reaching our 2019 passenger volume and, in order for the airport to survive, we will need to move ahead with plans to meet current airline service levels and passenger demand.  

As ERP-eligible staff begin to opt-in or out of the program, we will have a clearer picture of how to fulfill staffing needs. Thank you for your continued patience and support.  

Stay safe. 

Chellie.   

Employee Garage Parking Program Changes

PHL’s free garage parking program for employees is changing June 1, 2021. Beginning on that date, all airport employees that take advantage of this program will be required to park in the upper levels (above Short Term) of Garage E/F. Employees that park in Garages A-D and Short Term will be charged the regular parking fee. 

The process for parking remains the same. Employees will enter Garage E/F, pull a ticket and proceed to park on the upper levels (above Short Term). Before leaving, employees must sign the garage ticket and include their SIDA badge number (employees without SIDA badges must include their company name and employee ID number). When leaving, employees must present their airport badges and ticket to the parking attendant. Tickets for Garage E/F will be printed on a different card stock than those of other garages to identify employees’ parking locations when they exit.  

HR Updates 

To sign up to receive notification of employee updates directly to your phone, email [email protected] with your email and/or cell phone number. 

Aviation Early Retirement Program 

The 2021 Aviation Window (Early Retirement) Program is now live. Employees eligible to participate should have received an information packet to their address on record. Employees with an email address on record also received digital copies. Hard copies are also available in Human Resources, Terminal E-3rd floor, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.    

The 30-day opt-in/out window is open through May 28, 2021. Employees must opt-in to receive an individualized severance agreement. Employees that opt-in then have 45 days to review the agreement to determine if they will participate. Failure to return the opt-in/out form with a selection will be noted as opted-out. 

The Division of Aviation’s HR Department will host several general information sessions and 1:1 appointments for all eligible employees, on the dates and times.  Representatives from the Board of Pensions, Nationwide (Deferred Compensation) and Benefits will be available to provide supplemental information. Employees that received a packet and are interested in attending an information session, should email [email protected] to request a link to one of the sessions or call the HR Message Center at 215-863-3947 (EZHR). 

• Tuesday, May 4, 10 a.m., 4 p.m. and 12 a.m.  
• Wednesday, May 5, 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.  
• Thursday, May 6, 10 a.m.  and 4 p.m. 
• Tuesday, May 11,  12 a.m.  
• Wednesday, May 12, 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.  
• May 17 – May 28 HR will host virtual and in-person 1:1  appointments to review documentation and answer any questions. 
• Monday -Thursday 10a.m.- 10 p.m. 
• Fridays 10 a.m. -2  p.m. 

Questions regarding eligibility and/or packet contents, should be directed to [email protected], ATTN: Early Retirement Program or the HR Message Center at 215-863-3947 (EZHR). 

NEW COURSES COMING TO PHL UNIVERSITY 

Two new classes are coming to PHL University this month:

• Available May 4: "How to Manage Passive Aggressiveness"
• Available May 18: "Managing Multiple Priorities, Projects & Deadlines" 

Coming Soon: "Sexual Harassment Training Onsite Classes facilitated by Training & Development" 

The Division of Aviation's HR Department will host physically distanced onsite training labs throughout May and June for: all supervisors, per requirement of the City’s Sexual Harassment Policy, and employees without easy access to computers 

A schedule will be distributed to supervisors who manage employees who are currently non-compliant. Employees are asked to arrive on time because compliance with the training includes being present for the allocated timeframe.

In accordance with the City’s Home Rule Charter (Article IV, 4-300), sexual harassment training for all staff is mandatory. Educating staff with the knowledge and resources necessary to identify, refrain from and report sexual harassment is vital to the City’s commitment to safe, inclusive and harassment-free workspaces.  

Aviation employees are required to complete this mandatory training by September 30th, 2021.   

Click here to read the City’s Sexual Harassment Prevention Policy. 

Financial Disclosure Deadlines Extended to June 1 

Both the Board of Ethics and the State Ethics Commission have announced that 2020 Statements of Financial Interest may be filed until June 1, 2021, without penalty. Certain City officers and employees are required to file the City Form, State Form, or both. Those that need to file should have received an email from the Board of Ethics by April 15, 2021 with further instructions (check the junk email folder if the email was not received). Email [email protected] with questions.  

PHL Announces Kate Sullivan as Deputy Director of Strategic Partnerships

The City of Philadelphia Division of Aviation, which owns and operates Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) and Northeast Philadelphia Airport (PNE), has announced the selection of Kate Sullivan for the position of Deputy Director of Strategic Partnerships.

Sullivan will provide strategy and oversight of the core business-to-business and business-to-consumer marketing functions for PHL and PNE, including Air Service Development, Marketing & Branding, and Guest Experience. She will consolidate external and passenger-facing functions to build new capacities, programs and initiatives that market the airport across its core stakeholder audiences.

"During her tenure, Kate has proven a thoughtful, committed and empowering leader,” said Jim Tyrrell, Chief Revenue Officer. "I am confident that she will continue to excel in this new capacity.”

Sullivan joined the Division of Aviation in 2019 as the Director of Marketing and Branding. Prior to joining the airport, she was the Vice President of Digital Engagement at Harte Hanks, focusing on product innovation, social media strategy and content marketing. She is a member of the Airport Council International-North America (ACI-NA) and the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE).

Reporting to the Chief Revenue Officer, Sullivan will engage airport stakeholders, city and community organizations and trade groups, while developing partnerships to promote the PHL gateway brand and the Greater Philadelphia regional brand across air travel, tourism, and hospitality.

Information Security News

2021 Cybersecurity Spring Cleaning Checklist

Spring is not just a good time for cleaning your house or apartment, it’s also a good time to clean up your technology and cyber footprint.

Throughout the year, especially around the holidays and during tax season, you extend your cyber footprint by paying bills, shopping, using social media, and many other digital activities whether for business or pleasure. Spring cleaning your space is meant to improve the air quality after having it closed up all winter, and cleaning can improve your mood and remove a year’s worth of clutter. Cleaning your technology and cyber footprint can do the same thing; it removes clutter from your life while at the same time protecting you and your loved ones.

While spring cleaning, you often make a list to ensure you don’t forget to clean the spots you don’t normally think about, like behind the sofa or on top of the fridge. To help you spring clean your technology and cyber footprint, we have developed a checklist to help you through the process. And just like spring cleaning your house, you can assign these tasks to your family.

Passwords

• Review your passwords, updating them as needed, and ensuring they are strong.
• Establish a unique password for each account.  Don’t reuse personal passwords for PHL systems.
• Remember to use Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) on accounts wherever it is available, especially on accounts that have financial information such as online banking, credit card, and retirement accounts.

Email

• Review all your email accounts.
• Organize folders of emails that you want to keep, delete and purge emails that you no longer need.
• Be sure that there is no personally identifiable information stored in your mailbox.
• Report suspicious work emails using the Phish Alert Button or forwarding to [email protected].  
• Review and update your contacts. Delete contacts that are no longer necessary or current.
• Review and update email filters to send spam and unwanted e-marketing messages directly to trash or another folder.
• Enable MFA whenever possible.
• Be on the lookout for phishing emails posing as the PHL Helpdesk, Voicemail notifications, Password notifications, or documents an unknown (or known!) contact wants to share, but you weren’t expecting.

Stale Applications

• Review your applications and remove those you no longer use.

Social Media

• Review social media accounts and associated privacy settings.
• Review any photos or videos and delete those that you no longer need or want to make viewable.
• Search yourself online to see what comes up.
• Don’t just delete a social media app that you’re no longer using, delete your entire profile.
• Be sure you are familiar with the privacy settings in your social media accounts.
• CISA Social Media Cybersecurity Tips 

Closing Accounts

• Close out old application or system accounts that you are no longer using.

Clean Desk

• Shred old and unnecessary paperwork.
• Ensure paper documents that contain personally identifiable information, financial information, or other sensitive information is properly stored and locked up.
• Don’t write down passwords or security answers on paper and leave them out.

Update Devices

• Make sure all applications, operating systems, and devices (computers, phones, tablets, smart devices, TVs, etc.) are updated, and are set to update on a regular basis.

Disposal

• Properly shred or destroy all unnecessary paper documents or files.
• Cleaning can be a very satisfying process. If cleaning is not normally your idea of a good time, we hope that you’ll find this technology and cyber spring-cleaning checklist a way to speed up the process. Have fun getting rid of some clutter, and don’t forget to have your kids clean under their beds!

PHL's New Safety Management System 

PHL has developed a Safety Management System (SMS) to better capture and manage safety risks at the airport.  The SMS is designed to manage and track the airport's response to safety concerns from reporting through resolution.  As part of this initiative, PHL SMS has launched a safety reporting portal. All airport stakeholders are encouraged to report safety concerns at https://www.phl.org/SMS/report-hazard. Reports are confidential and can be anonymous unless you choose to provide contact information. It is important to know that when we share information in SMS, we do so with the intention of learning and improving our practices, not finding fault in one another.   

Additionally, training is available through the PHL University online system (phluniversity.csod.com). Simply log in, search "SMS" in the search bar, and the available courses will be listed. A short SMS orientation course is also available in the IET training center and can be taken at any time, or during badge renewal.    

For any further questions or information regarding the SMS, contact the SMS team at [email protected], call x7233 from any airport phone or visit www.phl.org/sms to learn more.  The team looks forward to working with you to improve safety at PHL.  

Security Department Goes Above and Beyond During Pandemic 

The airport's Security and Badging Departments are in close quarters and public facing, but by wearing masks, adhering to physical distancing regulations, using gloves and hand sanitizer and staying home when not feeling well, PHL's security team kept the Badging and the IET centers open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and made sure operations did not grind to a halt. Not all airports were able to accomplish this.

The staff introduced a Plexiglas barrier for additional safety and, along with the Airport Operations Center, is working with Job Control and Operations on issues ranging from fixing doors in the facility to bringing up any door alarm or medical emergency on camera. 

“My team did an amazing job during the entire past year. We never shut our operation and the staff kept alert on everything from keeping the airport safe to getting people badged,” said Acting Airport Security Manager Jason Sankey. “I'd like everyone to show them the gratitude they deserve and treat our Security and Badging staff members  with the utmost respect when in the Centers. They will appreciate it.”  

Say Hello to Jawnbot

The robot helping to deliver food to guests for PHL Food & Shops’ OrderAtPHL.com service has a new name, thanks to members of the public. “Jawnbot” was selected through a social media vote, besting PHiL, Jeet and Betsy as the most popular of the top public submitted names.

To learn more about Jawnbot and OrderAtPHL.com, click here.

PHL Adopts Bipolar Ionization Air Cleaning Technology

In its continuing efforts to introduce measures to help mitigate the transmission and spread of COVID-19, the airport is adopting air cleaning technology known as Bipolar Ionization (BI) within the complex’s air conditioning and heating systems.

“This is an advanced air cleaning system that will help prevent the transmission of COVID-19 and proactively clean the air that is recirculated throughout the facility,” said Api Appulingam, Deputy Director of Aviation, Capital Development. “We are essentially bringing the freshness of outdoors indoors.”

Bipolar Ionizer produces millions of positive and negative charged oxygen ions. These ions travel through the duct system and into the conditioned room where they interact with the airborne particles, germs, and gaseous contaminants. Ions bond with contaminants to gain size and they transform into clusters. These clusters can now be caught by air filters installed inside the air-handlers and removed from the air flow. This technology is also used to mitigate the spread of viruses and bacteria, resulting in improved indoor air quality for commercial buildings and facilities.

In addition to the public areas of the airport, the system has been or is in the process of being installed in employee areas. Tier One locations (Communications Center, Warehouse, MSB and Terminal C lower level) are 50 percent complete. Tier Two locations (Terminal D-E offices, Maintenance Administration, Operations Landside Office, CUB Control Room, Passenger Assistance, Custodial A-B Link, C Dolly and E, Pavement and Grounds, locker rooms, bunk rooms, time clock rooms and conference rooms) should be completed by the end of May.

Summer Service Features Plenty of Destinations for Sun, Sand and Outdoor Activities

Sun, sand and outdoor recreation destinations will continue to be the top vacation spots for those that choose to travel this summer. New and returning domestic routes offered by PHL’s airline partners will give the airport’s guests more options for reaching these desired locations.

American

For American’s previously announced new routes, click here.

Returning Routes:  

•      Yeager Airport (CRW), Charleston, WV, one flight per day beginning June 3
•      Memphis International Airport (MEM), three flights per day beginning June 3
•      Patrick Henry Field (PHF), Newport News/Williamsburg, VA, three flights per day beginning June 3
•      Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), three flights per day beginning June 3
•      Charlottesville–Albemarle Airport (CHO), Charlottesville, VA, two flights per day beginning June 3
•      Nantucket Memorial Airport (ACK), Nantucket, MA, one flight per day, summer seasonal, beginning June 3
•      Martha’s Vineyard Airport (MVY), one flight per week for the summer season beginning June 26
•      Des Moines International Airport (DSM), one flight per day beginning August 17
•      LaGuardia Airport (LGA), three flights per day beginning August 17
•      Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), three flights per day beginning August 17

Frontier

New Routes:

•      Providence, RI (PVD), three times per week beginning July 12
•      Portland, ME (PWM), four times per week beginning July 13

Returning Routes:

•      Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IHA), three times per week beginning May 13
•      Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) , three times per week beginning May 14

Delta

Returning Route:

•      Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), three times per day beginning August 5

Jet Blue

Returning Route:

•      BOS, one time per day beginning May 6

United

Returning Route:

•      San Francisco International Airport (SFO), two flights per day beginning July 1

Spirit

Returning Routes:

•      DFW, one flight per day beginning July 1
•      Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW), one flight per day beginning July 1
•      Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY), four times per week beginning July 2

Southwest

Returning Routes:          

•      Dallas Love Field (DAL), six flights per week beginning June 6
•      Houston William P. Hobby Airport (HOU), six flights per week beginning June 6

Sun Country

Returning Route:

•      Minneapolis−Saint Paul International Airport (MSP), four flights per week beginning May 20

The Latest from PHL's Online Newsroom 

At the Airport:   

Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Program Begins at PHL  

PHL's recently launched Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Lanyard program is based on the sunflower scheme developed in the United Kingdom, where green lanyards with sunflowers are used in airports, rail stations, and retail stores to signal that an individual may need a little extra support.   

Looking for a Volunteer Opportunity? Join PHL’s Volunteer Program 

For the past 20 years, members of PHL's volunteer program have welcomed and assisted millions of guests that have passed through the airport’s terminals. The airport is hoping to attract new volunteers as it builds its program this year, and longtime volunteers are the backbone of that effort. 

Capital Development:  

$58.6M FY20 Grants Support Critical Improvements  

Fiscal year 2020 was a historic year for federal and state grants as well as TSA’s Other Transactional Agreements, more than doubling PHL's previous five-year averages of grants received. The $58.6 million in 2020 grants support a handful of infrastructure projects critical to the safety of passengers and operations both on the airfield and within the terminals. 

PHL Hosts Virtual Roundtable to Assist Small Businesses  

In an effort to expand the airport’s contractor base and open opportunities to more diverse firms, PHL’s Office of Business Diversity and Capital Development Group have scheduled a series of virtual roundtable networking sessions for Minority, Women, Diversity Business Enterprises (M/W/DBE). The first session was held in March. 

PHL Awarded $500,000 Grant for Baggage Tunnel Improvements 

Beneath the bright and bustling passenger terminals of PHL sits a hidden complex of roadways and tunnels, each of them traversed by baggage tug vehicles towing thousands of bags each day. 

This underground transportation network was constructed in the 1970s and connects airline tug carts to baggage claim basements and conveyors. The maintenance of these tunnels can prove costly, an issue made more difficult by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the aviation industry’s revenues. 

Sustainability:  

PHL Staff Share Benefits of Being Green for Earth Day  

Members of the Capital Development Group commemorated Earth Day by highlighting some of the resiliency and sustainability initiatives that have become part of the standard operating procedures at PHL and PNE. The Division of Aviation’s strategic plan focuses on driving sustainability efforts across all functional areas, driving home the importance of the triple bottom line: people, planet and profit.   

Shopping & Dining: 

PHL Star Program Pilot 

The Star Program is a new collaboration between the airport and Marketplace PHL that recognizes concession operators who exceed Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards.