SJC Superstars Who Kept Us Moving During the Pandemic
When the order came in to shelter-in-place in March, Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) needed to find ways to keep employees and passengers safe while continuing to support customers that still needed to travel for essential reasons.
The Airport Technology Services (ATS) team had the immediate challenge of figuring out how to provide SJC team members with the technology needed to run a major international airport largely from home. ATS quickly acquired, configured and deployed the technology necessary for this new way of doing business.
Amid the chaos, the Airport’s Finance and Administration Division continued to pay bills, review and revise the Airport’s budget to meet the new reality, keep paying employees on time, while the Properties Management Team within in the Finance Division continued to support and maintain relationships between airlines and concessions at SJC.
While much of the SJC team transitioned to working remotely, most of the Airport Operations Division crew stayed on-site to maintain operations and ensure the safety of those traveling for essential business. The Operations Team also implemented measures to prepare the terminals for when non-essential travel resumes. Facilities and Engineering began deploying safety measures throughout the terminals that included more deep cleaning of all areas of the terminals; utilizing electrostatic sprayers to clean hard-to-reach areas; deployment of handcrafted hand sanitizing fixtures (Facilities built their own since they were nearly impossible to buy); and the team began building and installing plexiglass guards to protect passengers and airport employees.
Planning and Development continued to move our updated Airport Master Plan forward, and in late-April, the San Jose City Council unanimously approved the Plan. This development is instrumental as SJC’s growth continues to rebound. In support of each of these efforts, the Marketing and Communications Division has continued to engage passengers and the public at large by way of media relations and social media engagement. SJC’s presence on a range of social media platforms share messages to help curb the spread of COVID-19 by sharing health and safety updates for essential travelers.
As we enter a new era of air travel, SJC understands that it is vital for our team to continue to engage with passengers, employees and the community to instill confidence and trust. When passengers are ready to travel, SJC’s Superstars are ready and waiting to welcome them back. Each day, they have continued to show commitment to excellent teamwork and service to our community through safe, reliable access to Silicon Valley and the greater San Francisco Bay Area.