Fulfilling a holiday tradition, Santa, Mrs Claus and two of Santa's elves visited LaGuardia Airport. To everyone's delight, the spirited group was out greeting passengers and flight crews near the runway just prior to their departure toward their holiday destinations. Children as well as adults were seen waving back to return the greetings, and a few of the pilots even took photos from the cockpit to document the event!

The JFK Chamber, with these donations, support our industry and challenge other groups at airports to donate to Vaughn College, or another aviation related school, instead of to groups that have anywhere from 22 to 60% administrative overhead. 100% of the Chamber's donations goes to help students. There is no overhead.

Laptops used to conceal gun parts
A TSO at JFK Airport found multiple gun parts hidden inside several computer laptops recently. While checking a passenger’s bag using the X-ray, TSO Andres Boucugnani observed what appeared to be images of gun parts. A bag check revealed eight ammunition slides taped inside battery compartments of four laptops, along with shell casings, a rifle stock and night vision binoculars. It

was determined that the gun parts, if assembled, could not form a functioning...

After six years of writing about aviation topics, I’ve learned that when researching news, stories, you have to understand the orientation of the authors and the publication. Because it is very easy to get caught up with the “opinion de jour”. These are the views that form the way the public is programmed to think. So when I began my homework on the new punitive aviation law that will take effect January 1st, if I was to believe everything I read, a great and wonderful thing was about to happen. The New York Times began there article with this; “In a victory for air travelers, a federal judge in Albany upheld a state law that would penalize airlines that fail to provide adequate services to passengers.” So it seems that we consumers are going to be getting a break from those nasty airlines; that is, until you understand the full implications of the law. I would like us to go back to last February when the airlines, the weather and bad luck made Valentines day a nightmare instead of a warm memory. The situation was painful for many passengers, and even tragic for a few. At a hearing held at JFK Airport several weeks after that weekend, I listened to sad stories of vacations lost and dreams dashed at the testimony presided over by local politicians. One particular story was especially sad from two elderly people who wanted one last chance to fly to Florida and then cruise with their family. That vacation was totally shattered by bad weather, bad airline communications, and just plain bad luck. But what many have feared may happen, did happen. New York State has used this event, and these sad stories as leverage for a law that is going to cause more problems than it solves.

Presenting Carl with a plaque lauding Carl's accomplishments as chairman of KAAMCO Cargo is Mike Buckley of JAL Cargo. Mike also presented his wife with a well deserved and beautiful bouquet of red roses.