April’s editor’s pick is inspired by an article in this month’s NYC base newsletter, written by Capt. Jamie Maunz, about our new JFK tower liaisons, Delta Professional Service (DPS) team members: Tom Eckert, Harry Miller, and Marty Stallings. DPS is a wholly owned subsidiary that supports Flight Operations for Delta. 

While this concept of introducing a pilot’s perspective, alongside our ACS tower colleagues, is not new to the JFK terminal 4 ramp tower, it is the first time tapping into the expertise of our DPS colleagues, who now also have access to the ops frequency, ramp frequencies, ACARS, Flight Family Communication, Bridge Desktop, and more! Deeper visibility and understanding of the ACS operation will help identify ways to improve efficiency and synchronization, especially during summer operations. 

“Being a tower liaison adds a pilot’s perspective to the already broad range of experienced ACS team members in the ramp tower,” said Marty. “In addition, seeing the operations from the ground ops perspective will allow us to better communicate JFK’s needs to the line pilot while focusing on safety and efficiency.”  

In just a few short weeks, this program has already experienced some notable wins:   

• Block time: Protected block time by delaying push back; liaison prevented the crew from getting stuck at their destination. 
• Delay coding: Implemented a system for accurate delay coding; liaison tracks and verifies delay coding in real-time.  
• Proper wave off: Identified several instances of crews not receiving the proper hand signals for taxiing; liaison tracked examples and briefed CPO leadership who disseminated the information to the ACS ramp teams.  
• Well-earned recognition: Leveraged tower communication channels to congratulate special milestones; DPS liaison sent several congratulatory messages to those flying their retirement flight, giving it a special touch. 
• Fatigue: Educated the tower about what can and cannot happen based on a fatigue call; liaison set expectations with ACS team members and together helped to resolve the situation.   

Currently, the JFK tower liaisons are scheduled to work from Tuesday to Saturday, 1400-2200, with hours possibly extending as the program evolves. We will keep you posted should this program expand beyond the JFK ramp tower.