While we won’t be back to our 2019 passenger volume, we anticipate that the reopening of U.S. borders to fully vaccinated international travelers and our airline partners adding or resuming service to vacation destinations like Nassau, Kingston and Cayman Islands, will bring more guests to our terminals over the next two months.  

Many of these passengers will be traveling for the first time in almost two years and will be unfamiliar with COVID-related guidelines and changes. This is our time to show our PHL P.R.I.D.E., welcome our guests with friendly (and masked) faces and prove to them why PHL should always be their airport of choice.  

Working as a team and shining during crunch time is something we do well at PHL—our efforts to support Operation Allies Welcome (OAW) since the end of August certainly demonstrates this. This mission to help vulnerable Afghans safely resettle in the United States, has taken place in two waves. During the first wave of the mission, Dulles International Airport (IAD) and PHL were the U.S. destinations. When the mission resumed in October, PHL was the only airport receiving flights. To date, more than 25,000 evacuees have arrived at PHL.   

The success of OAW required the hard work and cooperation of many federal, state and city agencies, including the Department of Defense; US Customs and Border Protection; Transportation Security Administration; City of Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management, Police, Fire and Health Departments; local hospitals; humanitarian organizations; and airlines from around the world. Our Division of Aviation team has worked around the clock to support airside operations, facility maintenance, communications and general operations. 

Each time I walked through A-East, I was in awe of the collaboration taking place to help make the evacuees feel welcome. From providing interpreters to offering Halal food, a space for prayer and activities to keep the children occupied, so many people have worked in concert to make sure the needs of the weary travelers are being met. And despite the long days, all of those working in A-East were proud to be part of the mission.    

We were visited by elected officials and their staff members a few times during OAW and they were very complimentary about PHL, the organizations taking part in the mission and the personnel.  Even if you haven't been directly involved in the operation in A-East, you should be proud to be part of the PHL team.  

Wishing you and your family a safe and happy holiday season! 

-Chellie 

HR Updates

Welcome to our Walking Challenge Teams:

“Between a Walk and a Hard Place”

“PAU P.A.L.S. (Positive Attitudes Lift Spirits)”

“Chafing the Dream”

                                           “JC Steppers”

                                           “Wild about Walking”

There is still time to participate.

Ready!

1. Organize a team of three-to-four colleagues
2. Register your team by emailing [email protected] and include: Captain name and team name
3. Choose your preferred step-tracking app 

Set!

1. Grab your sneakers or walking shoes
2. Set your walking tracking mechanism (fit bit, smart phone, smart watch)
3. Be ready to screen shot your steps to your team captain daily/weekly

Go!

1. Walk

        1 step = 1 point

The “PHL WELL” Organizers are distributing “PHL” branded water bottles and wrist band step trackers beginning today. If you didn’t have an opportunity to get either during the Hydration Station Challenge, send an email to [email protected] to coordinate a pick-up date and time.

COUNTS & PRIZES: Team captains must email their team’s total steps to [email protected] every Friday. Steps walked over the previous weekend can be included with the Friday submissions. The team with the most steps walked each week will be announced every Monday.

Prizes will be awarded weekly to the team with the most steps. A grand prize will go to the team with the most cumulative steps walked at the end of the 30 days!

Earn bonus points (20 points weekly) for your team by having at least two team members submit a selfie of themselves walking to [email protected]:

• With a PHL branded water bottle
• Wth a PHL branded step tracker
• In a scenic area

Bonus points may also be awarded for song submissions to build our walking playlists.

Please specify your team’s name when submitting pictures or songs.

Save the Date - Employee Recognition Event & P.R.I.D.E. Nominations

Nominate an employee for a 2021 PHL/PNE P.R.I.D.E. award by November 12, 2021

PHL/PNE staff strive to provide professional excellence in every aspect of service we offer to our staff, stakeholders, and passengers. P.R.I.D.E. awards recognize employees who have exhibited one or more of our P.R.I.D.E. values over the past year. Nominees are selected in accordance with award criteria, based upon the degree of demonstrated excellence and the impact of the nominee’s actions. 

If you believe a staff member’s efforts and good works have impacted the airport communities in a meaningful and significant way, please complete this form to nominate them for a P.R.I.D.E. award.  Any full-time, permanent DOA employee in good standing may be nominated. You may not nominate yourself for an award.  Nominations must be submitted by noon on Friday, November 12, 2021. All nominations will be reviewed by the PHL/PNE Employee Engagement committee.  Return completed forms to [email protected].

SAVE THE DATE: Awards will be presented during the Virtual Employee Recognition Ceremony on December 7, 2021, at 1:00 PM

Thurs-yay – Water Cooler Conversations are back!

Join us on November 18th and December 9th for Thurs-yay Water Cooler Conversations Holiday Editions!

Look for more details in upcoming employee updates and on the break room monitors.

Rework Reminders:

VACCINATION AVAILABILITY 

• Vaccination remains one of the most effective ways for us to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace. 
• Vaccination locations are widely available throughout Philadelphia. To find a location most convenient to you, please visit the Department of Public Health’s website HERE. 
• If an employee has lost their COVID-19 vaccination card, they may request a copy of their immunization record by emailing [email protected], or by calling (215) 685-5488. 

If you have not already done so, please upload your vaccination card to OnePhilly ASAP.  Instructions are available HERE. 

COVID-19 SAFETY PROTOCOLS  

1. Masks are required to be worn by employees and contractors IN AND ON airport property through January 18, 2022 per TSA Directive.   
2. Employees must wear a mask when operating a City vehicle if there is more than one person in the vehicle.  
3. All employees must complete the daily questionnaire at https://www.phila.gov/employee-screener/#/ prior to the start of their work shift.  
4. It is still recommended that employees and the public maintain a safe distance between themselves and others. 

Per the City of Philadelphia Mask Mandate, employees who have not provided proof of vaccination are required to double mask by wearing a cloth mask over a surgical mask.  Employees who have provided proof of vaccination are required to wear a single mask in all City owned properties.  

"Philly Gives Together": Employees’ Combined Campaign Ends December 31

The City of Philadelphia Employees’ Combined Campaign is the City’s workplace giving program. The campaign gives employees and retirees the opportunity to contribute to pre-approved charities using the convenience of payroll deduction, credit card, and personal check. Simply put, through this campaign, you can positively affect your community.

America’s Charities, which inspires employees and organizations to support each other and the causes they care about, is Philly's Campaign Management Organization (CMO). The CMO administers the campaign and works with campaign captains to develop ideas and implement plans to promote the campaign. The campaign launched September 21 and ends December 31, 2021. This annual charitable giving program is purely voluntary and a personal decision, however, one of the City’s core values is to give back to local communities. The campaign is a manifestation of those values because it provides employees and retirees with an opportunity to make a collective impact. 

TO DONATE:

1. Access the online fillable pledge form on the giving portal: HERE OR
2. Submit cash, money order or personal check to Zoraida Antonetty (‘Z’), in the Executive Offices: Terminal D, 3rd floor. Money orders and/or checks must be made payable to “Combined Campaign”.

TO SIGN UP TO RECEIVE NOTIFICATION OF EMPLOYEE UPDATES DIRECTLY TO YOUR PHONE, EMAIL [email protected] WITH YOUR EMAIL AND/OR CELL PHONE NUMBER.

Employee Milestones

Welcome new employees who have started working at the airport in the month of October: 

• Sam Kurian and Shawn James- Electronic Technician 1

Congratulations to the following employees who were promoted in the month of October: 

• Carol Borner - Clerk III, Finance
• Lawrance Scharff - Airport Operations Officer
• Monica Coleman - Administrative Specialist II

New Badging Office Hours 

Beginning November 1, PHL’s Badging Office will be open Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Flight crew walk-in hours are Mondays from 10-11 a.m., Wednesdays from 1-2 p.m., and Fridays from 4-5 p.m. All other times require an  

To schedule an appointment online, visit https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=11470273.  

Political Activity Rules

With Election Day quickly approaching, it's important to know key Political Activity Rules as City workers. Find out which rules apply to you. 

City’s Office of Innovation and Technology Creates Apprenticeship Program for City Employees 

The City of Philadelphia’s Office of Innovation and Technology (OIT) has developed a two-year apprenticeship program for current City employees interested in careers in software engineering or user experience.   

The program includes a three- to four-month bootcamp in either LaunchCode or General Assembly, depending on the apprentice’s chosen track. After completing bootcamp, apprentices work full-time with OIT teams on resident-facing projects. OIT will pay for bootcamp and a $60,000 salary for apprentices during both years of the program. Preference is given to applicants who are currently making under $50,000 within their roles for the City. For more information, visit phila.gov/2021-09-09-the-oit-apprenticeship-program-career-development-for-city-employees/. The program is funded through the City’s Operations Transformation Fund. 

Information Security 

Online shopping scams are on the rise this holiday season 

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is warning consumers ahead of the holiday shopping season to stay alert while browsing and making purchases online. Online purchase scams already account for more than a third of all scam reports filed with the BBB, leading to financial losses for four out of five victims. With supply chain constraints driving product shortages, there will be no shortage of scammers looking to capitalize on this season’s low supply and high demand. As you start planning your online shopping, remember these tips to help keep yourself safe: 

• Use well-known, trusted merchants as much as possible when making purchases. 
• When shopping at a lesser-known merchant, be sure to do research before handing over your payment information. 
• Navigate directly to the merchant’s website you are trying to reach, do not use links in emails sent in emails. 
• Be wary of unrealistic deals. An unbelievable price or having a large stock of an in-demand item when other merchants have none can be signs of a scam. If something seems too good to be true, it likely is. 
• Avoid clicking on advertisements. Scammers will use legitimate advertising on other websites to draw victims to their fake websites. 
• Use credit cards rather than debit cards when making online purchases. Credit cards offer more consumer protections than debit cards and may have a better chance of recovering funds lost to scams. 
• Take your time. Scammers will try to rush victims into making purchases to minimize their ability to catch on to the scam. Take some extra time to look around the website for red flags or to perform some research. 
• Report scams to the BBB at https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker/reportscam 

For more tips on avoiding online shopping and other scams, visit the BBB website,https://cityofphiladelphiacombinedcampaign.americascharities.stratuslive.com/https://www.bbb.org/all/scamtips 

The Latest from PHL’s Online Newsroom  

At the Airport: 

2021 Holiday Travel Planning Starts Now  

For anyone planning or considering travel this year, now is the time to put together the trip checklist.  

Traveling with a Pet? PHL’s Guide to Navigating the Skies  

Check out this all-encompassing guide on common questions and helpful resources for animal owners to reference the next time they emBARK (pun intended!) on a trip with their best friend.  

People at PHL: 

PHL Impression-Makers: GAT Airline Ground Support – Spirit Airlines Guest Service Agent Michael Dunn 

PHL Teamwork Makes the Dream Work: Parkway Corporation Public Information Associate Cheryl Troy 

PHL Safe & Sound: Transportation Security Officer Alfred Rotunno 

PHL Lost & Found: A Priceless Ring is Reunited with its Owner   

PHL Chief Information Security Officer Damian Oravez Appointed to SecureWorld Mid-Atlantic Advisory Council Board   

Damian Oravez, Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) Chief Information Security Officer, was appointed as a board member to the SecureWorld Mid-Atlantic Advisory Council.