PREVIOUS ISSUES - December 2005

Airport's Winter Weather Team is Prepared for Emergencies
By Triphenya Bailey

If there is the slightest indication that freezing rain, snow or other severe weather may reach Atlanta and affect aircraft operations at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, rest assured that members of the Airport's Go CARE Team are ready to swing into action.

The team created nearly four years ago after a significant winter weather event snarled aircraft traffic on airport runways is designed specifically to respond during severe weather events.

CARE is an acronym for Caring to Act Responsibly for Everyone. And, Atlanta's Go CARE Team is a cooperative effort involving all of the airlines serving Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the City of Atlanta Department of Aviation, the Federal Aviation Administration, and various Airport tenants.

The team formed in January 2002, following a severe ice and snowstorm that hindered aircraft operations for two to three days at the world's busiest passenger airport. The snowstorm forced hundreds of passengers to remain in Atlanta until weather conditions improved and air travel resumed.

"We have recently streamlined our deicing procedures so that passengers spend less time on the runways inside an aircraft as it waits in line to be deiced," said Atlanta's Operations Director Paul Meyer. "We prefer the passengers remain in the passenger waiting areas until their plane is ready to be deiced."

The Go CARE Team's mission is to provide an extended level of service for all passengers with special needs during extreme irregular operations, focusing on passengers' comfort, well being and safe passage through the Airport.

Karen Ellis, the manager of Customer Service for Atlanta's Department of Aviation, said the Go CARE Team has various plans in place to and implementation strategies. "All members of the Customer Service staff are potential members of the Go CARE Team," said Ellis, explaining that her staff readily assists Airport passengers with their informational and directional needs on a daily basis.

When the mercury begins hovering around freezing and winter temperatures arrive, the team of aviation representatives stands ready to adjust airfield operations to meet the severe weather conditions that Mother Nature may deliver. They even conduct annual readiness exercises to ensure that all parties involved know what their roles will be during severe weather.

According to Meyer, "We now meet each year in early November to go over the procedures that will be followed for de-icing the aircraft." Additionally, he said members of the Customer Service Go CARE team are available for any emergencies that might arise. "They help pass out blankets and personal care kits to any passengers who are stranded in the terminal," he explained.

"By going over the processes and plans ahead of time, we help to ensure that all of the parties involved will be prepared for the real thing," said Meyer.

Thanks to the preparedness exercises and lessons learned from past weather events, if severe weather occurs as you are traveling through the Atlanta Airport, you can rest assured that its CARE and SWAT teams will be in position to ease your travel experience.