With the number of passengers flying in and out of New York City increasing each year, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs John F. Kennedy International, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty International airports, this summer is implementing a handful of customer-care initiatives, including adding customer service representatives, valet parking and airport welcome centers. The moves are part of a larger Port Authority strategy to ameliorate the effects of passenger growth.
One of the most immediate initiatives passengers can expect this summer is a 50 percent increase in customer care representatives at the airports. Nearly 200 additional employees will aid in providing service to travelers.
"If someone is delayed, they can provide a pillow or a blanket," said Port Authority spokesman Marc LaVorgna.
In addition, at JFK there will be new valet parking and a free parking lot where people legally can use cell phones while waiting for arriving flights. "Valet parking and cell phone parking just makes sense," LaVorgna said. "Technology evolves, and the airport has to evolve with it."
Other initiatives will include new welcome centers, new seats inside Newark's Terminal B and LaGuardia's Central Terminal Building, power poles to charge electronics, new seats and floors in JFK's AirTrain and a new e-mail address dedicated specifically to customer suggestions (
[email protected]).
Customer surveys have sparked the initiation of changes at the airports, LaVorgna said. "We do surveys regularly in the terminals, asking for feedback and ideas on improving," he said.
Larger Efforts InitiatedThe initiatives should help keep customers comfortable during the airports' numerous delays, which are partly caused by increased passenger traffic and additional scheduled flights.
"We set a record last year at our three airports combined," LaVorgna said about the increase, "and growth projections for the future are huge."
The Port Authority slowly is trying to implement ways in which it might alleviate the delays.
"We have a pretty bad epidemic of delays," LaVorgna said. "The volume of traffic in the skies of New York City has definitely increased, and we'd like to see ways to encourage the use of larger planes, carrying more passengers. We want to promote a more economical use of airspace."
The Port Authority in December purchased the operating rights to Stewart International Airport in Newburgh, N.Y. (BTN, March 19), and expects the purchase to be completed by October.
"If we ramp up service there, folks will hopefully go there and relieve pressure on the other airports," LaVorgna said.
In addition, JFK recently widened its runways for the arrival of the Airbus A380
(BTN, Oct. 31, 2005), the largest passenger plane in the world.
To ensure such initiatives continue to move forward, a new task force of the Port Authority, the Federal Aviation Administration, CEOs of major airlines, business travel groups and government officials from New York and New Jersey is being formed and is scheduled to meet in the near future, LaVorgna said.
"Everyone who has a role in air travel will come to work together on the issue," he said.