TAKING OFF with PHL

One thing everyone seems to know about Philadelphia is our passion for sports. In addition to our home teams, we are lucky to be a destination city for all types of sporting events big and small, from the NFL Draft to Little League games. One such event coming in April 2024 is drawing fans from around the world, as the smackdown comes to Philadelphia with Wrestlemania!    In this episode, Atif Saeed, CEO of the City of Philadelphia's Department of Aviation, talks with Larry Needle, Executive Director of PHL Sports at the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Leah Douglas, Director of Guest Experience at the Philadelphia Airport. 

PNE may host one of the area's best kept secrets when it comes to innovation! For over 35 years, Leonardo, an Italian helicopter company, has called PNE its U.S. home base, where over 700 employees design, build, and service helicopters that will be used around the world. Leonardo also hosts an impressive flight school, teaching domestic and international military personnel how to fly. Leonardo is changing the aviation industry with their cutting-edge work.    In this episode, Atif Saeed, CEO of the City of Philadelphia's Department of Aviation, talks with Mike Cooper, Manager of External Relations, Communications & Institutional Affairs at Leonardo.   For more information on PNE, go to www.phl.org/PNE and for more information on Leonardo, visit usa.leonardo.com

PHL airport recently piloted and debuted a new program working with the TSA, American Airlines, and Landline Motor Coach, giving passengers from smaller hubs a smoother way to get to PHL to catch connecting flights. PHL is the only airport in the country to roll out this new program, continuing in the city's history of innovation.    In this episode, Atif Saeed, CEO of the City of Philadelphia's Department of Aviation, speaks with Gerardo Spero, Federal Security Director for the TSA, about what it took to bring this innovative new service to life.    To learn more about the Landline Motor Coach program, visit https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/experience/landline.jsp. 

PHL and PNE recently received good news with updated ratings from S&P, Fitch, and Moody's - the big three national credit rating agencies. The ratings tell a story of how the airport is operating well and is a good bet for potential investors! Listen here to learn why.  To learn more about the ratings, visit phl.org.

In this episode, Atif Saeed, CEO of the city of Philadelphia's Department of Aviation speaks with Denise Bailey, Deputy Director of Aviation, Business Diversity and Accessibility.   Here at PHL and PNE, we are committed to working with and supporting small diverse businesses. From parking, to food, to facilities, there are hundreds of businesses that not only keep our airport moving, but help create a better experience for our travelers. We are proud to have diverse businesses reflect the City of Philadelphia. To learn more about our Diverse Businesses, please visit phl.org

Air Service Development is imperative to retain our existing routes, increasing frequency of flights to certain destinations and to bring new routes to our airport.  In this episode, Edgar Vesga, Director of Air-Service Development at PHL joins Atif Saeed, CEO of the City of Philadelphia, Department of Aviation to discuss PHL’s air service program and some new exciting additions at PHL. To learn more about our Air Service Development program, please visit phl.org

Here at PHL and PNE, we believe in the importance of addressing sustainability and incorporating it into our daily practices at the airport. Joining Atif Said in this episode to highlight some of our amazing programs, efforts and implementation is PHL’s Sustainability Manager, Jessica Noon. To learn more about our Sustainability Program, please visit phl.org

Joining Atif Saeed in this episode is Howard Cooper, owner and founder of Tailwinds Flight School located at PNE. With more than 25 years of experience as an educator, Howard brings a passion for teaching to the aviation industry. For those of you who don’t know, Tailwinds is a small flight school with three airplanes, a state-of-the-art flight simulator, and a group of amazing flight instructors who love to teach people to fly located at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport. To learn more about Howard and Tailwinds Flight School, please visit flytailwinds.com For everything PHL please visit PHL.org

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of Philadelphia International Airports Arts Program! Over its 25 years, the program has provided millions of visitors from around the world access to a wide variety of art forms by artists and arts institutions from the Greater Philadelphia area. In this episode, joining Atif Saeed, CEO of the city of Philadelphia’s Department of Aviation to help celebrate 25 years of the program, is the founder of the Arts Program at PHL and Director of Guest Experience - Leah Douglas. To learn more about the Exhibitions Program at PHL please visit PHL.org and be sure to follow @PHLAirportArt on Instagram.

In this episode, Atif Saeed, CEO of the city of Philadelphia’s Department of Aviation speaks with Clarence LeJeune and Mel Hannah from Marketplace PHL. Marketplace PHL is a joint venture partnership between Marketplace development and LeJeune and Associates, which is a private partner with the City of Philadelphia and runs the award-winning PHL Food & Shops program within the Philadelphia International Airport. Marketplace PHL is responsible for the leasing, development, and management of the more than 100 restaurants, bars and shops within our airport. To learn more about Marketplace PHL and the Philadelphia International Airport please visit phl.org