Robert C. Lieber, First Deputy Mayor of New York City recently addressed the JFK Chamber of Commerce last month and was well versed on the challenges facing the aviation community at JFK and at LaGuardia. Lieber answered a number of questions on items ranging from the waste treatment center behind the Ramada Plaza Hotel to the possibility of the City Administration allowing less than 12,500 lb. cargo vehicles on the Belt Parkway. He took under advisement the feasibility of an adjacent truck route next to the existing Belt Parkway from JFK to the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. In the remarks, Lieber was vocal in his support of Nexgen which will help JFK/LGA among others to have a better on time performance and be part of the economic engine for the creation of jobs. The JFK Chamber also supports Nexgen and wishes the Washington Administration will

On May 12th a $300.00 Airport Community Watch award was given to Dollar R-Car employee, Martin Tew. Mr. Tew was observant and concerned enough to witness a vehicle strike a light pole at 94th St entrance to LaGuardia Airport and then leave the scene of the accident. After viewing the accident, about 20 minutes later he observed that same vehicle exiting Parking Lot & reported it to Port Authority Police Department. PAPD approached vehicle & noticed the strong smell of alcohol. The defendant also had slurred speech & couldn’t stand straight. Mr. Tew assisted in the investigation & apprehension of the driver.

Kudos goes to American Airlines JFK Station employees who have won American Airline’s prestigious Customer cup award.

Four decades ago, on May 15, 1969, Finnair’s brand-new DC-8 aircraft touched down at New York’s JFK Airport after leaving Helsinki some 1

3 hours earlier. Thousands of Finns had gathered at the new Helsinki-Vantaa Airport to wish the fi rst passengers to America “Hyvää matkaa!” (bon voyage in Finnish). With its four engines, the DC-8 airplane, named after the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, had the ability to carry 124 economy and 16 fi rst class passengers. The fl ight made two stops en-route, in Copenhagen (Denmark) and in Amsterdam (The Netherlands), before landing in New York. Exactly forty years later, on Friday, May 15, 2009, Finnair celebrated its 40th anniversary of uninterrupted air transportation services between the USA and Finland when its Airbus A330-300 aircraft, recently introduced on this route, landed at JFK. This new, fuel-effi cient aircraft holds a total of 271 passengers (229 in economy and 42 in business), and its direct, non-stop fl ight takes just 8 hours, 40 minutes from Finland (8 hours, 10 minutes from New York). This summer, Finnair offers a total of 10 weekly fl ights between New York and Helsinki. The airline now boasts a global network including 50 destinations in Europe, Russia, the Balkans and Asia, and 700 more through its cooperation with one world alliance partners.