|
|
 |
Sherry Andrade, Laura D'Onofrio, Stephannie Lewis
|
| Three Stories of Respectful Customer Service
As we approach the next Quarterly Customer Service Awards, we're highlighting three past stories that focus on being respectful, one of the three PDX People values.
Sherry Andrade, United Airlines: "Sherry was approached by an elderly couple that was lost. The wife was using a walker, and they were very concerned they were going to miss their flight, which was with another airline. Sherry offered to take the wife in a wheelchair to make sure they made their flight. She took charge so quickly that they even had time to stop at the pet relief area so their pup was taken care of too. Because of Sherry, they made their flight with time to spare. For Sherry, it doesn't matter what airline you're traveling on, if you're at PDX and you need assistance, she is there to help!"
Laura D'Onofrio, TSA: "One of your employees went way above and beyond for us – her name is Laura. My medically fragile, 90-year-old father was just discharged from the hospital, and we needed to catch a flight to Salt Lake City. When an alarm went off while we were trying to go through the screening process, Laura saw the look on my face and came over to help. She got us through the checkpoint and then took over the wheelchair driving. She brought us to an all-user restroom and showed us where to get water.
When I burst into tears from all the frustration and anxiety of the day, she gave me a hug. Finally, she took us to the gate and made she we were comfortable and seated together. Laura was so kind and compassionate and turned a stressful experience into one that I will remember with fondness. Laura is an extremely excellent employee and reflects very positively on TSA."
Stephannie Lewis, Travel Oregon: A family visiting from California stopped at the Travel Oregon Welcome Center seeking trip inspiration. Seeing a child with the family, Stephannie Lewis offered up a kid’s activity booklet, but he did not seem to engage with the gesture. The mother explained that her son is a child with autism. Excited to share, Stephannie told them, "We have something just for you!" Stephannie then gave the family sunflower lanyards and a sensory kit. She explained the purpose behind the items and pointed out the new sensory room on Concourse D. The travelers were thankful and delighted to learn about these offerings.
Stephannie’s nomination from her manager sums up her excellent service: “Having thoughtful, inclusive and forward-thinking programs at PDX is so important, as is having friendly, knowledgeable and respectful employees like Stephannie bringing those programs to life for our visitors. It’s a great example of the awesome teamwork that takes place at PDX each day!"
| |
 |
Boarding bridge being reinstalled at gate C4 after a long absence during construction.
Photo by David Stanton, Port of Portland
|
| What's New with PDX Next: All-User Restrooms, Ticket Hall Elevators and October Forum
All-User Restrooms: Through the end of October, there will be partial closures of the all-user restrooms on the mezzanine level of the new main terminal. Five stalls and six sinks will be available at any given time. This will accommodate the installation of door stops, lighting adjustments and panel installations.
Ticket Hall Elevators: Work on the north elevators in the ticket hall is extended through Friday, Nov. 8. Signage will redirect travelers to the south skybridge and south ticket lobby to use those elevators. Elevators will still be available from the north tunnel, baggage claim and to the skybridge. Escalators and stairs will also be available.
Ticket Hall Noise: Now through Friday, Nov. 1, from 10:30 p.m. to 6 a.m., expect elevated noise levels in the ticket lobby and on Bag Road as crews chip concrete.
October Forum: Mark your calendar for Tuesday, Oct. 29, to get the inside scoop on Phase 2 of construction at PDX. The Port of Portland's Jen Guild along with Joe Brower of Hoffman-Skanska will share the latest construction updates and answer your questions about PDX Next in just 30 minutes. If you'd like to join this meeting, email PDX People Communications before the end of the day on Monday, Oct. 28, for the meeting link.
Looking for more PDX Next information? We're keeping you in the know on what's new on the PDX People website. Have questions or suggestions about construction? Email hello@pdxnext.com or call the construction hotline at 503.460.4339.
| |
Noah Juarez Honored with First Public Safety and Security Award of Excellence
The Port of Portland's Public Safety and Security team recently held their annual awards breakfast where they honored employees for their hard work, leadership and other notable accomplishments.
Worthy of an extra round of applause is Noah Juarez, who works in the Airport Communications Center and was awarded the very first Public Safety and Security Award of Excellence. This award was created to recognize Noah’s exceptional contributions to the Port of Portland's core values of leadership, service and inclusion. In total, Noah received five nominations representing all three values, and as one recognition stated, "Every conversation ends with, 'Who was that? Noah? OMG, I love Noah!'" Read all of Noah's accolades and see the full list of award winners.
| |
Don't Miss Your Chance to Be Heard
You likely already received your ballot in the mail and maybe you've already started your voting process. Elections aren’t just about your representatives in Washington, D.C. – you’re also choosing who will run local and state governments. These officials have a direct effect on our daily lives, our families and the communities in which we live.
Voting is a privilege that many people in the world don’t have. Don’t miss your chance to be heard.
| |
Portland Business Journal: Newly Revamped PDX is Now More Accessible
PDX’s new main terminal earned universal raves when it debuted in August. This week, the airport added another feather to its cap: The expansion of GoodMaps, a free app that can help those who are blind, vision-impaired, deaf, hard of hearing, neurodivergent or who have limited mobility better navigate the expansive space. Now that our indoor spaces are fully mapped, the app can help users find their gates, restrooms, food options, retail outlets, water fountains, charging stations and final airport destinations. For the first time, the app will also help travelers as they make their way around the departures and arrivals roadways, and later this month, the app will expand again to help those who take pedestrian routes to the Ground Transportation Plaza and Rental Car Center.
| |
TSA Adds State-Of-The Art Identity Verification Technology at PDX
The Transportation Security Administration is now using the latest generation of Credential Authentication Technology (CAT) units, known as CAT-2, at the PDX security checkpoints. These units are designed to scan a traveler’s photo identification, confirm the individual is ticketed for travel, note the type of screening – such as TSA PreCheck – that the traveler is eligible for and detect counterfeit IDs. TSA officers then visually verify the identity of the traveler using their photo identification. The new CAT-2 units are equipped with a camera that captures a real-time photo of the traveler and compares the traveler’s ID photo against the in-person photo using facial matching technology. Use of this technology has become commonplace in airports across the country to improve security, but is always optional for travelers, and any photo captured during the identity verification process is never stored or used for any other purpose.
| |
PDX Honored with 2024 Airport of the Year Award
Great news: PDX recently received the Oregon Airport Management Association 2024 Airport of the Year award for completing Phase 1 of the new main terminal. If you're not familiar, OAMA provides leadership, direction and education on aviation issues in Oregon. Andrew Martz, OAMA president, specifically called out how "the largest public works project in Oregon history addressed issues of flexibility in the space, volume of how many people come through the airport every day, and constraints around security and seismic resilience," while also "featuring skylights made of local Douglas fir, the return of the beloved original carpet and a 120-foot-long video wall that serves as a 24-hour art installation." Congrats to everyone who made this award possible!
| |
PDX in Pictures
The change in weather can cause busy days for the PDX Wildlife program, whose purpose is to reduce the risk of wildlife strikes at the airport. Red-tailed hawks – part of the raptor family – are one of the highest risk species at the airport, and a large part of reducing the risk these birds pose to aircraft safety is through active capture, banding and translocation from the airfield. Fun fact: More than 3,000 raptors have been captured and translocated since the program started in 1999!
| |
|
|
|
|
