The term “runway” takes on a different meaning this month; Julia Lauria-Blum looks at airline uniform fashion and how it has evolved since flight attendants first started giving pre-flight safety demonstrations. Airlines are known for the iconic uniforms worn by their flight crews, and Julia walks us down the runway, detailing uniform fashion trends from each decade. When you see a flight crew walking through the terminal with impeccable uniforms and rolling luggage, you can’t resist looking at them and wondering where they have been and where they are going next.
Julia was invited to moderate a lecture at The Explorers Club that celebrated black history month with a discussion about Pioneering African American Aviators, focusing on the famed aviatrix Bessie Coleman. Julia and Gigi Coleman Brooms, Bessie Coleman’s great-niece, gave the audience a historical account of Bessie’s life and pursuit of taking to the skies in 1921 as the first African-American woman to hold an international pilot’s license.
This month’s Fast Five asks Ted Walters about his role as Director of Facilities and Technology at JFK’s Terminal 7 and managing the transition from the current Terminal 7 into the still-being-built Terminal 6, scheduled to open in 2026. It’s a big job with many moving parts, including sustainability and managing relationships with local MWBE businesses. Ted has been a fixture around the airport for many years and actively participates in the Airport Community; you may have met him at a JFK Airport Rotary function or out on the fairways at one of the airport golf outings.
Jerry Spampanato details his experience in 2010 when he found himself in the unique position of dealing with a volcano erupting in Iceland, creating an “Ash Sky” forcing flights to be canceled for most of the East Coast. Managing an airport includes being prepared when external events prevent normal operations. Checklists and standard operating procedures help to keep travelers and flights moving on to their next destination; this wasn’t normal, and he didn’t have a checklist.
Robert Waldvogel provides a detailed overview of the history of airline travel, from when Newark to San Francisco took 21 hours with seven stops to the jet age, reducing flight time with nonstop flights coast to coast.
While the winter in New York hasn’t been too bad, the appeal of the warmer weather in the Southern Hemisphere was too hard to resist for our Non-Rev Traveler’s, Jonathan and Maureen Katz. This month, they share their adventures traveling across New Zealand, where they visited several cities, rode a cable car up a mountain, took a ferry ride to get a beer, and spent seven days on a cruise along the coast. We need them to start tracking how many steps they take on these trips!
Enjoy the issue; I’ll see you around the airports.
