Ever hear of a snow ‘bomb cyclone’? Well, if you traveled by plane in January of 2018, you know what we’re talking about. The harsh winter storm that hit the northeast United States left hundreds of travelers stranded and in the dark on what to do next. The Port Authority, the joint venture that manages LaGuardia Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, and other transportation infrastructures, reacted slowly to close terminals causing mass confusion and chaos.
But there is good news for business travelers.
The Port Authority announced on Monday that JFK Airport has implemented new procedures to follow during winter storms that will mitigate impact. “The measures announced [Monday] represent another critical step to enhance performance at JFK in future winter storms,” said Port Authority Aviation Director Huntley Lawrence.
These new measures include:
- A new planning procedure for airlines that will establish a specified “storm window.” This window will be used to determine if flights will be cancelled.
- The JFK Emergency Operating Center (EOC) was established in January and operates on a 24/7 basis during all winter storms.
- JFK created an airport-wide inventory of equipment to be used during winter storms, which will be deployed as necessary to airlines, terminal operators, or ground-handling organizations.
- New baggage service obligations were implemented, which includes a baggage service office that meets international best practice standards.
- Operators are required to certify that all relevant equipment is fully fueled and checked for storm readiness.
- JFK will now provide employees access to heavy duty buses prior to, and during, winter storms, ensuring they can get to the airport on time.
- The airport will spend $3.5 million on four snow blowers and $1.4 million on four snow plows prior to the 2018-19 winter storm season.
From a logistics perspective, The Port Authority is confident that these measures will ensure smooth travels during the 2018-19 winter storm season. Lawrence said, “what happened in January cannot and will not happen again.”
