PDXaminer - May 2005
Mexicana Airlines Lands Jose Jimenez as New Station Manager
Scanning Jose Jimenez’s resume leads to only one conclusion – his passion for aviation has been a life-long love.
Jimenez, Mexicana Airlines’ new station manager, landed at Portland International Airport in early February, having already served more than 10 years with the airline. Jimenez joined Mexicana as a station sales representative in San Jose, Calif. before moving to Los Angeles, where he worked as an assistant purchasing manager, passenger service manager, and then a sales account executive.
“I have been working for Mexicana since I graduated high school,” said Jimenez. “Now as Portland’s station manager, I’m discovering new challenges that require adaptability and an excellent grasp of time management.”
Jimenez’s arrival in Portland marks his first visit to the Pacific Northwest.
Special Olympics Athletes, Gold Medalists Fly High on United Airlines
Giving flight to the dreams of five Special Olympics athletes and their coaches, United Airlines staff recently hosted a special send-off celebration before the athletes departed from Portland International Airport (PDX) to compete in the 2005 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Nagano, Japan.
Joined by representatives of “Clipped Wings,” the United Airlines stewardess alumnae and flight attendants organization, employees and retirees of United Airlines presented Troy Blanton, Meagan Paxton, Bill Ripley, Kristel Wieglenda and Steve Zorn with gifts and encouragement before departing on Flight 280. From PDX, the group traveled to Los Angeles, where they caught a charter flight to Nagano. The Oregon-based athletes competed in alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, and snowboarding; most won gold medals.
“We appreciate the outstanding service and support that United Airlines employees and retirees, Clipped Wings, and the Port of Portland provided to our team,” said Mark Hanken, vice president of sports, Special Olympics of Oregon.
This year’s World Winter Games represented the eighth such event in Special Olympics’ 36-year history.
Horizon Air Recognized for "Shared Value of 'Heart'" During Difficult Times
Horizon Air officials honored its Portland employees at an annual awards ceremony at the Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel in February. The Portland Passenger Service group won Horizon’s coveted “Shared Value of ‘Heart’” award for their professionalism and compassion during last year’s ticket counter merge with Alaska Airlines, which resulted in an 18 percent reduction in staff.
As part of the reduction, Horizon eliminated 21 positions at the Portland station; however, the airline accommodated all employees wishing to remain in Portland. Several employees requested a transfer to another station, while others were provided severance packages. Norma Seeley, Horizon’s Portland International Airport station manager, accepted the “Shared Value of ‘Heart’” award on behalf of her staff.
Meanwhile Todd Eichwald, Horizon’s ground services manager, and his staff received a “Baggage Achievement” award for significantly improving baggage handling by working closely with the airline’s code share partners, including Alaska, Northwest Airlines and Menzies Aviation Group.
Lufthansa Ticket Winner Bounds into Summer, Hops a Plane to Europe
For Val Saiki of Salem, celebrating the season’s sunny weather may mean biking through Italy’s wine country or watching flying displays at the 46th International Paris Air Show, thanks to Lufthansa and the Port of Portland.
Lufthansa Portland Station Manager Juergen Starks drew Saiki’s name April 11 from approximately 38,000 entries to win two round-trip tickets from Portland to any European destination served by Lufthansa. Entries were collected inside the Portland International Airport (PDX) terminal, as well as online at PDX’s Web site, www.flypdx.com. The giveaway coincided with the end of “PDX in Bloom,” which ran from March 7 through April 10.
Port officials and representatives from Lufthansa held the drawing prior to the departure of Lufthansa’s Flight 469, offering nonstop service to Frankfurt, Germany. Lufthansa began operations at PDX in the spring of 2003.
Customer Service Standouts
As part of an ongoing effort to recognize and maintain high customer service standards for the concessions programs at Portland International Airport (PDX), a select few retail and food and beverage associates are honored as “Associates of the Month.”
PDX thanks the following associates for their outstanding customer service efforts:
March 2005
Susan Zawacky – Sandoval’s
Samantha Berry – Brookstone
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