Fresno, CA - On Saturday, October 5, 2019, Fresno Yosemite International Airport will host its third Wings for Autism® program sponsored by The Arc of the United States, in partnership with The Arc Fresno/Madera Counties, Alaska Airlines, HMSHost, HP, Hudson Group, SkyWest Airlines and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The Wings for Autism® program provides individuals with autism or other intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families the opportunity to prepare for air travel in a real-life airport environment.
Forty-six families from California’s Central Valley will participate with this year’s Wings for Autism® event. The Wings for Autism® full airport rehearsal at Fresno Yosemite International Airport has received such great interest from the community and surrounding region that registration reached capacity within four days of opening the online enrollment site.
“Fresno Yosemite International Airport is grateful to all of the partners for contributing their time, resources, kindness and a SkyWest Airlines regional jet so that every family has the opportunity to vacation or visit with friends and relatives," said Director of Aviation Kevin Meikle. “Now in its third year, nearly 140 families from our community and the region have benefited from the Wings for Autism® program and we look forward to introducing this year’s participants to the air travel environment in an encouraging and engaging manner.”
Families will begin to arrive on Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m. for airline check-in with Alaska Airlines. After receiving their boarding passes, the group will proceed through TSA security screening and then to the gate area where Alaska Airlines will announce a simulated flight departure to begin the aircraft boarding process.
Onboard the SkyWest Airlines regional jet, families will experience aircraft movement as the plane leaves the gate to taxi the airfield. A second full airport rehearsal will take place at 12:30 p.m. At the conclusion, participants will receive a gift bag filled with keepsakes donated by the program partners and a number of community organizations. Participants will also receive a social storybook printed by HP to personalize their Wings for Autism® experience.
Throughout the day, HMSHost will keep event volunteers recharged with snacks and Starbucks® Coffee served at the Home Team Sports restaurant.
Fairbanks International Airport Baggage Transport Conveyor Enhanced With Mod Drive™ System
Airports face a host of unique industry challenges, such as meeting efficiency regulations and seeking out the best maintenance practices to reduce costs and keep operations flowing. In today’s current economic climate, any potential cost savings can go a long way.
In 2019, Alaska’s Fairbanks International Airport (FAI) sought to modernize its equipment and operations. They were dissatisfied with the performance of the gearmotors on their baggage transport conveyors and began searching for new suppliers. Regal approached FAI with a solution that could improve equipment performance and simplify maintenance, with the added benefit of energy cost savings: the Hub City® MOD Drive™ system.
This white paper discusses the hardware deployed, the test results and the annualized expectations for ROI.