This was an eventful season at PHL. We are wrapping up our busiest summer since 2019. And, the good news didn’t stop with more passengers in our terminals. In July, we received notice of three FAA grants: a $24 million Airport Terminal Program grant for PHL’s Restroom Renovation Program; an almost $1.8 million Airport Improvement Program grant for PNE for taxiway rehabilitation; and a more than $1.8 million Airport Improvement Program grant for PHL’s VALE infrastructure project.  

We also are moving ahead with two long-awaited projects. Work on the 33-acre wetlands mitigation development at FDR Park is underway and construction for our SEPTA platform rehabilitation will start the second week of September.   

Looking ahead, fall will be just as busy as summer.  For example, the Division of Aviation will host its 10th annual Business Opportunity Forum (BOF) on September 30. The BOF brings small and diverse businesses from across the Philadelphia area together to learn about the dynamics of doing business at PHL, hear about anticipated opportunities, and network with leadership and prime contractors. On October 7, we will hold a ribbon cutting for the grand opening of our newest completed restroom set—featuring our first lactation suite—in the B/C food court.  And, we will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15-October 15 with a variety of cultural events.  

 These are just a few of our upcoming highlights.  Of course, I am looking forward to seeing many of you at the 5K on the runway on September 10.   

Thank you again for everything you do for the Division of Aviation every day.  

Keith 

HR Updates

2021-2022 Performance Reports now overdue 

Performance reports were due August 1. Please return signed performance evaluations to [email protected] ASAP. If you need support with completing your reports, please contact: [email protected], (p) 215-863-3464. 

DC47 REMINDER: Contract language specifies performance evaluations for DC47 employees not returned to Human Resources within 90 days of the due date cannot be processed. Late submissions will be returned.   

Safety Notice - Monkeypox 

Employees who have or suspect they have Monkeypox should contact their health care provider and call Tracey Smith at 215-937-6716 or email [email protected] for confidential reporting. 

Risk Management Monkeypox Bulletin

Monkeypox Cleaning and Disinfecting Guide

Rework Reminders 

• COVID-19 exposures and confirmed cases should still be reported to [email protected]. 
• Employees should avoid close contact, confined or closed spaces and crowded places. 
• Employees are still required to complete the online daily screener before staring each on-site shift and contact the Safety Office if they receive any work status codes other than an E1 clearance. The link to the screening tool is https://www.phila.gov/employee-screener/#/questionnaire. 
• Supervisors should receive a valid work status code for all employees on duty for each shift, taken on the date as the assigned work shift.  
• Masking while in vehicles with 2 or more occupants is still required for all employees.  
• Masking while working indoors is strongly recommended. Distancing and practicing good hand hygiene is also strongly recommended. 
• Employees with approved exemptions from the vaccine mandate must continue to double mask or wear a N95 or equivalent mask at all times while working and submit weekly COVID-19 test results. 

PPE Orders

The airport has PPE available for order from CSS.  Unit orders may be submitted via Maximo using the following item numbers:  

1. Clorox disinfectant wipes - Item number Z210298 
2. Surgical masks (optional) -Item numbers Z210277 and Z210321 
3. Cloth masks (optional) - Item number Z210294 
4. Face shields (optional for facilities staff only) - Item number Z210299 

September Training Calendar 

Are you ready to Fall into Fitness? Join us for the Step It Up Challenge and see what a difference it can make! 

Put your activity tracker on, lace up your sneakers and improve your health! The purpose of the “Step It Up” challenge is to encourage all DOA staff members to increase their movement.   

How does it work? Four easy steps:

1. Enter your team; 2. Walk; 3. Track your daily steps; and 4. Submit your totals. The goal is 45,000 steps a week, per person, for four weeks.  

Prizes will be awarded. Organize your team and assemble at our kick-off event on September 7 for more details. Email [email protected] for the link to join. The official start day for the Step It Up Challenge is September 12. 

Employees’ Combined Campaign: Philly Gives Together – Coming Soon! 

The City of Philadelphia Employees’ Combined Campaign is the City’s workplace giving program. The Campaign provides employees and retirees with 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 launches September 12, 2022.  Be on the lookout for more information to come on how to donate. 

Upcoming City Resource Group Meetings 

Email [email protected] for information on how to join!

City Resource groups are designed to ultimately make the City of Philadelphia a more inclusive place to work. All City Resource Groups must align with the three focus areas outlined in the City Resource Group Policy and Procedure Document. These focus areas include: 

1. Networking: Allowing City employees an opportunity to interact with one another 
2. Talent Development: Creating opportunities for City employees to provide talent development to members 
3. Enhance Diversity & Inclusion Strategies and Initiatives: City Resource Groups must produce at least one annual initiative or strategy that focuses on building a more diverse and inclusive City of Philadelphia workforce. 

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

Staff Promotions

Congratulations to Morris Fulcher, who was promoted to Industrial Electrician 2,and Tameka Felder, who was promoted to Senior Departmental Human Resources Associate, in August.

New Hires

Welcome all Division of Aviation employees who were hired in the month of August:

Amire Witherspoon—Painter 1

Austin Brito-Quinones—Service Representative

Daniel Trubman—Administrative Technical Trainee

Derron Ambey—Semiskilled Laborer

Marc Van Loan—Semiskilled Laborer,

Employee Parking Lot New Access System

Bartram Avenue • Cargo City

PHL is transitioning to a new employee lot parking system which will be available on or before October 1, 2022. This new system will no longer use Airport SIDA badges (including White badges) for lot access. New parking access cards (PAC) will be used for employee access, in addition to other system features such as hands-free license plate recognition (LPR) and Bluetooth technology from your smartphone through a mobile app.

Airport employees needing access to the Bartram Avenue or Cargo City Employee Parking Lots must register for an online parking account. Below is the process for registering for a parking account:

• Blue, Red and Yellow Badge Holders: select space type “Badged Employee”
• White Badge Holders (Flight Crew): select space type “Flight Crew”
• White Badge Holders: select space type “Temporary Contractor”
• Non Badge Holders: select space type “Temporary Contractor”

Please scan the QR Code to the right and provide the following registration information:

• Name
• Email Address
• Employer Address
• Mobile Phone Number
• Vehicle Information
• Photo of SIDA badge (or Company Photo ID if Temporary Contractor)
•  *Non Badge Holders must upload photo of the Employee Parking Lot Authorization form signed by your employers’ authorized signer AND photo of your Company Photo ID

For more information, scan the QR code to the below or visit: https://www.parkwaycorp.com/airport-services/employee-parking

Important Dates

For Questions Contact: Parkway Corp. Customer Care Center Terminal A East Baggage Claim

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 215-863-4054

The employee parking lot is located at 8400 Bartram Avenue (next to the Wawa; for directions, enter “PHL Employee Parking” or “8400 Bartram Avenue” into your GPS) and in the Cargo City parking lot.  First Transit shuttles operate every 15 minutes from the Bartram Avenue lot 24 hours a day and every 30 minutes from the Cargo City lot between 6 a.m. and midnight. 

PHL 5K on the Runway

There’s still time to register for PHL’s 5K ON THE RUNWAY RACE/WALK!

Come out on Saturday, September 10^th for the unique experience of racing on an airport runway and to see the people and equipment that keeps PHL moving.  

Proceeds will benefit the following local organizations and charities:

• The March of Dimes
• Eastwick Friends & Neighbors Coalition (EFNC) and
• Eastwick United CDC (EU). 

Register to race here: PHL 5K Run/Walk | PHL.org

Division of Aviation Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

The Racial Equity Advisory Committee (REAC) will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month September 15-October 15.  Watch the weekly email updates for upcoming events. 

New Access for All Guide

PHL has a new Access for All guide for people with disabilities. This guide can be shared with the public and includes information for staff and volunteers as well. This replaces any other guides that previously existed for people with disabilities. Please share with your staff!

Interim CEO Keith Brune and Deputy Director of Aviation Api Appulingam Co-Chair COMPTO Golf Outing

The Conference of Minority Transportation Officials’ (COMTO) Philadelphia chapter held its 23rd annual golf outing on August 1. Interim CEO Keith Brune and Deputy Director of Aviation-Capital Development Api Appulingam were honorary co-chairs for the event, held at Manfacturers Golf and Country Club in Fort Washington, Pa. DBE Certification Specialist Angela Smith and Staff Engineer 1 Andrea Manley volunteered their time on behalf of the DOA.

The golf outing supports COMTO’s scholarship program, providing financial support to minority students for their post-high school education endeavors.

Division of Aviation Participates in Women in Business Conference and Luncheon 

The Greater Northeast Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce (GNPCC) held its 5th Annual Women in Business Conference and Luncheon at Holy Family University on August 3. The inspirational program brought women from across the Greater Philadelphia region together to exchange ideas and join presenters to discuss the day's theme, “Embracing the Power of Success”. 

Writer Beth Allen (using a commode--of all things-- as a prop) got things moving after a quick breakfast by discussing her book Flush the Fear: A DIY Guide to Eliminating Fear, Anxiety and Negative Crap from Your Life. Allen shared her powerful message in a humorous and empowering voice. Her tone set up the series of breakout sessions that followed, which were mainly moderated by women and covered topics such as total wellness, finance, and workplace issues. 

Following lunch and the second round of sessions, the conference closing with a panel of prominent women, including PECO’s Ramona Briscoe Benson, the Connelly Foundation's Fran Burns, Parx Casino's Carrie Nork Minelli and the Division of Aviation's Deputy Director of Aviation-Capital Development Api Appulingam. 

The rapid-fire Q&A session gave panelists the opportunity to discuss personal and professional growth, work/life balance and the choices they made in their careers and how those decisions affecting them as women and professionals.  

Thanks to the GNPCC, the participants' experience was fun and informative, and reminded us that many of our experiences are shared and can navigated to our benefit.

PHL Employees Get Certified in CPR/AED

In August, 15 Division of Aviation employees from the Operations, Pavement & Grounds and Human Resources Departments received CPR/AED certification, which is valid for two years.

“CPR training is important for our employees to learn, especially for our Operations Department, since they respond to emergencies along with Engine 78 fire/ambulance and airport police,” said Safety Department Technician John Bonder. “There may be a time when they are first on the scene. Every second counts when someone is having a stroke or heart attack and needs immediate assistance. Having the ability to administer CPR or using a defibrillator to jump start someone’s heart only makes our DOA employee’s more valuable to those who pass through this airport.”

Med-Tex, a Philadelphia based company that specializes in safety training throughout the country provided the CPR/AED training along with information about blood borne pathogens.

The Safety Department's goal is to train as many DOA employees as possible. The CPR/AED training provides employees with essential skills and information they can use to save someone’s life on and off the job.

The CPR/AED training will be provided quarterly with a limited class size of 15 people. Employees interested in receiving CPR/AED certification can email John Bonder at [email protected].

PHL Partners with OBME to Raise Awareness About Black Men's Health

On August 27, the Mayor's Office of Black Male Engagement (OBME) hosted its 7th Brothas Stroll: A Health Walk for Black Men and Boys. Brothas Strolls is a neighborhood-based walk for Black males to gain access to health resources and screenings and to raise awareness about the issues of Black men's health. Nearly one in three Black men are obese. Black men are also more likely to be hospitalized for stroke as early as age 35. 

The walk was organized in partnership with Philadelphia International Airport, Tracey Gordon of the Register of Wills Office, Mayor's Commission of African Males, Department of Public health, Department of  Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disabilities Service (DBHIDS)-Engaging Males of Color, and the Mayor's Office of Youth Engagement. Assistant Director of Community Engagement Keesha Lane represented the airport and provided information on current job openings. 

What's New at PHL Food & Shops?

Ribbon cuttings were held for the following new PHL Food & Shops concessions on August 23: Desigual in Terminal A-West and Kiehl's and Beauty on the Fly in the D/E Connector.   

PHL also recently welcomed the openings of Chick-Fil-A in Terminal E, Lily Palmer and 1920 Merch Co. in the B/C Connector and the reopening of Bud & Marilyn’s at the top of Terminal C.  

Remember to register at OrderAtPHL to receive special discount codes. Use LABORDAY September 2-5 to receive $5 off your order.  

The Latest from PHL's Online Newsroom

At the Airport

Behind the Scenes at PHL Pavements & Grounds

Have you ever wondered who does the snow removal at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) and who maintains the runways and taxiways? Some of your questions can be answered by reading more HERE.

People at PHL

PHL Unsung Heroes: Parkway Corporation Ground Transportation Associate 

Daniel Ware Jr. Parkway Corporation Ground Transportation Associate Daniel Ware Jr. recently received the “Unsung Heroes” award in Philadelphia International Airport’s (PHL) Employee Recognition Program.

PHL’s Teamwork Makes the Dreamwork: Worldwide Flight Services Frontier Airlines Customer Service Manager LaKeshia Smith

Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) and Frontier Airlines Customer Service Manager LaKeshia Smith was recognized in the “Teamwork Makes the Dream Work” category of Philadelphia International Airport’s (PHL) Employee Recognition Program. This distinction acknowledges employees who create a positive experience for guests through service and delivery while collaborating with other organizations.  

Read more about all of PHL's Employee Recognition Award honorees and how to nominate deserving airport staff at phl.org/about/about-us/employee-recognition.