This weekend we will all observe Memorial Day, the day our country recognizes and honors the men and women who gave their lives in the service to the United States. Since the start of the Revolutionary War in Lexington and Concord Massachusetts on the morning of April 15, 1775, to earlier this year in Afghanistan, more than one million men and women have made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our Nation and the freedoms which we all enjoy. This weekend I encourage all of you to take the time to reflect on the sacrifices made by all of the members of our armed forces throughout our history and the meaning of Memorial Day. We are forever grateful to the men and women who have served our nation and preserved our way of life.
I want to also take a moment to say “thank you” to all of you who wished me well while I was out of action after contracting the corona virus in March. I was able to read all of the very nice e-mails and Facebook messages (thank you to Kevin Dowling for compiling them for me) including all of the praying hands, hearts and flexing biceps to motivate me back to good health. I greatly appreciate your support and the time you took to wish me well and check in on me and my wife. I also appreciate the remedies that some of you provided to defeat the virus. I did try those that used ingredients we had at home. I was not able to try them all as a trip to the package store was out due to our need to be quarantined. Since I am back, they must have worked.
Please continue to support those of us who are still stricken by the corona virus, and say a prayer for those of our family at LGA, HPN, ISP and SWF who lost members of their families to the corona virus.
During this entire pandemic, I can’t accurately express my deep appreciation to all of you who have continued to persevere through this challenging time by continuing to come to work every day and carry-on with the TSA mission under very difficult and concerning circumstances. I am very proud of all of you and you have my profound thanks for your courage, commitment and selfless devotion to others.
It is our desire to recognize all of you who have continued forward with the TSA mission during this pandemic. As of this writing, DFSD Matt McKeon and John Kolk are finalizing our awards so that we can recognize those who have kept the TSA operations functioning throughout the pandemic. We will also be recognizing the many members of our workforce at all four airports who have distinguished themselves throughout this fiscal year. We now have the financial resources to do so, and all awards will be sent out in the near future.
Another event to look forward to in the near future is the opening of the new Terminal B. The new terminal will open in June, likely the second week of the month. Our Training staff have been doing great work in providing all of you assigned to Terminal B with the training and instruction needed for a successful opening. Thank you to all of our STIs for a job well done. Another thank you goes to Kevin Dowling and his FSU team for preparing us to be ready to move in. All of the furniture has been delivered and set up, training aids are being installed, signage is in place and many other details are being addressed to ensure a successful opening. Thanks to our Stakeholder Manager, Kristen Jonus, for helping to bring this project to a successful conclusion, as well as stepping back into Training to keep our training needs moving while Sandy was sidelined. This has been a true team effort and I am proud of all of you for going well beyond what was expected of you when the project began 5 years ago.
At SWF, the new Federal Inspection Station is still on schedule to open in June as well, probably late in the month. We are also looking forward to the re-opening of HPN, where they will have two new runways and our screening checkpoint will have been renovated with new tile flooring, and fresh paint. The passenger gate area and restrooms have also been upgraded.
We will see a new AIT and a CT unit at ISP later this year. At LGA, there will be all new equipment at the new Terminal B checkpoint. Once all 16 lanes are completed, we will begin a partnership with Vantage Airport Group to begin conducting a series of pilot programs at the higher numbered lanes, away from the primary passenger screening lanes. We will be evaluating a variety of screening techniques, innovations and test equipment, all of which will give us insight into the future of passenger screening.
As to the future, we expect to see a continued, modest rise each week in passenger volume, however, we will not return to the record breaking volumes we have seen over the past several years at our airports. The fact that there is still no vaccine for the corona virus, a substantial drop in the economy which reduces disposable income for vacations, and businesses and the government resorting to forums such as Skype, WebEx and Zoom to conduct meetings and business, are all having a negative impact on commercial aviation.
We will continue to bring into work only the number of officers needed to meet our mission needs each day so we can minimize the risk of exposure to the corona virus. Once we get the direction to bring back more people, we will notify those of you in the high risk Weather and Safety leave that conditions are deemed to be safe to return, so long as you use PPE. Whenever that determination is made, you will be given a 30-day notification.
The other question on people’s minds is the taking of temperatures. At present time we are not doing this. While there have been high level talks about such action to involve the TSA, there are currently no plans to start becoming involved in such a process.
In conclusion, thank you all again for your continued dedication, devotion and patriotism during this challenging time. Remain vigilant at all times. Even though passenger loads are low, we can’t let our guard down. We are expanding ATLAS operations and the FAMS VIPR teams are continuously at LGA as part of this effort. Continue to work together as a team and take good care of yourselves and each other. We are going to get through this unique time in world history, and be better when it is over.
With great respect to all of you,
Bob Duffy
