AIRPORT REPORT: NEW YORK
“Why did I do it? Well, I suppose I like running airports, and was probably the only one crazy enough to do it!” And, having risen to the top via a variety of roles that have included serving as PANYNJ’s chief operating officer and the deputy aviation director, she has no hesitation in revealing that she has loved every minute of her time in the hot seat. “I suppose I came at things from a different perspective than Bill due to our different backgrounds,” says Baer. “Whereas Bill was more financial, my strengths lay in operational experience and knowledge of negotiating with the airlines I gained during my time managing our big airports. “He was a hard act to follow, don’t get me wrong, but I wanted to do things my way and use my skill-set to do achieve our goals. The fact that I knew, and understood how our airports worked and operated, ensured that I could pretty quickly navigate through what needed to be done at each airport.” In terms of what still needs to be done, Baer says that PANYNJ has been working hard on providing a “consistency” of service and facilities across New York’s airport system. “We employ best practices across the board. So, within reason and bearing in mind that our airports are all different sizes and serve different airlines and customer groups, passengers should find the same things and service standards at all our airports.”
People and history
After spending her entire adult life in New York – Baer went to college in the Big Apple before joining PANYNJ – she proudly considers herself to be a New Yorker. Indeed, she has lived and breathed everything New York for so long now it should come as no surprise to learn that she ranks “developing people” as one of the things she is most proud of achieving during her time at PANYNJ. “With the exception of bricks and mortar, probably the achievements I am most proud of involve people. Notably, staff development and what we have been able to achieve with them,” says Baer. “I was lucky enough to have a led an incredibly dedicated team of professionals.” She also hopes that one of the legacies she will leave behind is an increase in the number of women in high management positions at PANYNJ, something that wasn’t the case when she joined back in the 1980s.
Baer also notes that in spite of all the development going on at JFK, Newark and LaGuardia, she has also done her bit to ensure the preservation of old, historic parts of the airports. She cites the continued use today of LaGuadia’s old Marine Air Terminal (the art-deco designed facility that used to handle PanAm Yankee Clipper flying boats); the renovation and restoration of Newark’s first passenger terminal and ATC tower; and the renovation of the Saarinen designed TWA Flight Center at JFK as examples of “preserving a piece of aviation history”. In fact, PANYNJ is currently talking to an investor that wants to build a new hotel behind the former TWA terminal and use its old historic central portion as a lobby and area for bars and restaurants. “It’s really quite exciting,” says Baer, who insists that improving the passenger experience and raising customer service levels is a key strategy for PANYNJ. Rising score levels in its annual customer satisfaction surveys – now in its 14th year – and direct feedback from passengers certainly appear to show that visitors are happier with the service they receive now than ever before. “We really do listen to our passengers and do our best to improve things whenever we can,” enthuses Baer. “Early on in the survey, for example, passengers told us that they cared about restroom cleanliness, so we assigned attendants to make sure that they are. We were also told that our wayfinding wasn’t good enough, to we hired the company that did the signs at Amsterdam Schiphol to put things right. Now we score really well on both.” It is also compulsory for all staff with an airport ID, and not just PANYNJ employees, to undergo cust ?Y\? ?\??X?H ?Z[?[??\? \??[????[???\??Y\? ?\??X?H[?]X]]?K?S?S??[ ??? ?[??X[]?\? ???] ??\? \?Z[?[ ?[? ?]\??Y\?[ ?Y?? ?X?\??\??\?[???\? ??X?[? ???\??[??H ?X?\?] H ?Y?????H?[?[ ???????? ] ?x?&\???[???[? ?HYZ] ?X??H??]?[???&\?Z\?? ?\?\? \???[?]??\?]O?8?'? ]8?&\? ?X?HY??X?[ ]Y\?[?]8?&\?Z?H\??[??YH ?????H^H?]??\?]H?[ 8?'H]Y? ??Y\??8?'?\?K \?H\?H^\? ?[??H?YY ?YH[?H [?[??\???H ?[?\??]???H H ?\? ?]H?H [H[[? ??[??&]]?H][?H?\? ?^K??'HH?[???[ ?] [?? ] ?H\???[?? ?Z\??\???????U??RT???? ?UQ?T? T?TSP?T? ? L???B??