Boise Airport

Connections
West Parking Garage Expansion Complete

Volume 3, Issue 1

As promised, just before the 2013 Thanksgiving holiday, the West Parking Garage opened for business.
The Ribbon Cutting took place on December 3rd.

Jan-Feb-Mar 2014

The $13 million expansion project added a total of 755 parking spaces close to the terminal. With the
opening, short-term parking was relocated to the first
level of the West Garage, with long-term designation
given to levels 2-4 and to all four levels in the Central
Garage.
There are now more than 3,000 short-and long-term
parking spaces available at BOI. In addition, the Cell
Phone Waiting Lane, closed this year during construction, is again open along the entry road for passenger
pickup.
The Economy Parking Lot on Victory Road, opened to
accommodate traffic during the years construction, is
now closed until overflow parking is needed in the
future.

Pictured at the Ribbon

Cutting are, left to right:
Airport Director Rebecca
Hupp, BOI Commission
President Paul Cunningham, Boise Chamber
CEO Bill Connors, Boise
Mayor David H. Bieter,
and McAlvain CEO Terry
McAlvain.

Interning With the Boise Airport by Amanda Pearson

Moving to Boise for three months was one of the best decisions Ive made during my college career! I am a senior at the University of
North Dakota, pursuing a Bachelors in Business Administration with a major in Aviation Management. In the spring of 2013, I applied for
an internship opportunity at the Boise Airport with hopes to gain insight on the airport industry. I moved
to Boise in September 2013 to complete the internship during the fall semester of my senior year.
I was the Boise Airports first Operations intern. They allowed me to build the internship based on my
career interests and let me choose where I worked each day. I spent the first few weeks learning about
the various divisions at the airport and working with Operations. I helped out with a few projects and
learned a lot about what it takes to run an airport. I enjoyed being treated as part of the Operations team,
as well as receiving first-hand experience working alongside them during incidents and routine inspections.

Inside this issue:

On the Airfield

Uniteds Fantasy Flight

I learned more about the airport industry every day. My favorite part about the internship was the flexibility I was given. When I wasnt working in Operations, I shadowed staff in the different divisions includ- The Directors Corner
ing Airport Administration, Airline Management, and Airfield Maintenance. They allowed me to participate in anything and everything that
Western Aircraft Award
caught my interest!
The management team at the Boise Airport helped me
to envision developing my career in airport manageAir Service Update
ment. It really changed my perspective on the different
aspects of the airport industry. I believe that internship
experiences are essential to discover what you really want to New Faces at the Airport
do, and where you want to go after graduation. You learn so
much more obtaining that first-hand experience, and the
Calendar
knowledge gained will help you advance throughout your
career.

Boise Airport

Page 2

Connections

Whats Meant by SMGCS? - by Sarah J Demory

SMGCS is an acronym that stands for Surface Movement Guidance and Control System; it is a sophisticated lighting and navigational aid instrument landing system the
Boise Airport has installed to aid aircraft in
low visibility conditions. The system consists of pavement markings, airfield lighting, navigational systems and specific operating procedures. The Boise Airport has
an FAA approved SMGCS program that is
inspected annually by the FAA's Regional
Office for All Weather Operations in Seattle; our last inspection was in November
2013. The SMGCS system is activated collaboratively by the Boise FAA Air Traffic
Control Tower and Boise Airport Operations when the visibility reduces to between 1200 feet and 600 feet RVR or runway visual range.
When visibility is reduced to SMGCS conditions, pilots must rely on their instruments and airport lighting to guide them to
the airport. The ILS (Instrument Landing
System) that Boise Airport utilizes as a part
of the SMGCS program is the instrument
landing system to runway 10 right. Called a

Photo taken by UA pilot Brian Layden

CAT III or Category Three Instrument Landing System, it is a ground-based system

that provides precision lateral and vertical
signals to aircraft approaching and landing
on the runway. It utilizes a combination of
radio signals and a high-intensity lighting
system to enable a safe landing during low
visibility conditions.
Have you ever wondered what the lighting
bridge structure at the west end of the airport is for? The lighting bridge structure is
an ALSF-2 (Approach Lighting System with

Sequenced Flashing Lights configuration 2)

which is mounted/installed in front of the
runway on its extended centerline. The
lights flash in sequence in low visibility
conditions, usually at a speed of two consecutive sequences per second, beginning
with the light most distant from the runway
and ending at the runway, guiding the pilots to the runway in the fog. These lights
are a part of the Boise Airport's SMGCS
program and work in combination with the
instrument landing system to runway 10R.
When SMGCS conditions are in effect, vehicle traffic on the airfield is significantly
limited and only those deemed essential to
aircraft operations are allowed to operate.
During SMGCS, aircraft are often escorted
by follow-me ground vehicles.
Aircraft equipped and pilots trained in this
technology are able to take off and land in
low visibility conditions. Most, though not
all, air carriers that operate in and out of
the Boise Airport have this capability, thus
improving schedule reliability.

Fantasy Flight Brings Santa to BOI

Boise Airport is fortunate to be the host
location for many wonderful events
throughout the year, but Uniteds annual
Fantasy Flight takes a special place in our
hearts. Each year, planning
begins behind the scenes at
United Airlines Boise station
to bring the North Pole and
Santas presence to children
who would otherwise go
without.
This year, United head-elf
Teresa Slagel and her partypartner Marlene Lawrence worked
with the Boise School District to
identify qualified students, ages 512 years, from low-income families.
Eighty-seven children from 13
schools were selected to come to
the Boise Airport for a visit with
Santa Claus and to enjoy a plane
ride to the North Pole.
In November, the children wrote a wish
list for Santa. Those lists went onto a tree

Boise Airport

staged in the United Airlines office for airport employees to select and fill.
"This is truly an aviation
community event,
noted Teresa.
Everything is donated - the aircraft,
the fuel, crew time,
volunteers and the
wonderful folks who
pick a child's wish
list and do more
than just fill
it."
Dozens of
community partners also
volunteer; contributing
books, backpacks, food, and
especially their time to pull
this event together and
make it an unforgettable
experience for the children.
A Boise State athlete partnered with each

child for the evening. BSU

cheer squad staffed a
holiday carnival, BSUs
Buster Bronco, Boise Police K-9 teams, Boise Fire
Fighters and the Potato
Commissions Spuddy
Buddy interacted with the
students, while Santa and
Mrs. Claus listened to the
youngsters dreams.
The United 737 aircraft
cabin was decorated by
pilots and crew, and
made ready for flight. For
many children, this was
their first airplane ride so
expectations were high.
Of the 12 United Airlines stations that host
Fantasy Flights, Boise is the smallest in
size. Previous participating school districts
include Kuna and Meridian.

Page 3

Volume 3, Issue 1

Directors Corner
It is often said that an Airport is a lot like a small city and anyone who has worked at an Airport knows this to be
true. Our Airport employees and Airport partners are working 24/7 to keep the Airport running smoothly and
that is never more evident than during the busy holiday season. People who say I hope it snows on Christmas.
clearly have never worked at an Airport or they would realize that means extra people have to work on the holiday. As it is, there are police officers and firefighters on duty, people cleaning, serving, waiting on others,
screening passengers and luggage, catering and fueling aircraft, making sure the baggage systems are working, collecting money at the parking exit plaza and in general making sure the Airport is running efficiently.
In recent weeks, weve seen diversions due to weather in other locations, extra flights due to the Bowl games,
local operations impacted by Boise winter weather in addition to the normal hectic holiday pace. Employees
are asked to come in early, stay late or work on days off. To the general public that we serve, it often goes unseen and unnoticed, because all of you make it happen so seamlessly. It takes tremendous cooperation to find enough places to park
extra aircraft or to handle hundreds of unexpected passengers who suddenly find themselves in Boise when they really wanted to be
someplace else.
It is often the kind word, the smile or other thoughtful gesture to a passenger or a coworker that makes a difficult situation a little more
pleasant or at least a little less difficult. It is the sense of teamwork and can do attitude that makes it appear to the public that it is business as usual, when the reality is everyone is doing a little bit extra and going above and beyond.
In the Airport community, having all of the extra effort go unnoticed by the public means we are doing our jobs well. On behalf of the
Boise Airport Management team, thank you for all that you do to keep the Boise Airport running smoothly, your efforts are both noticed
and appreciated!
Director Rebecca Hupp, AAE

Western Aircraft Receives OSHA Award

Air Service
Updates

In a press release statement dated November 25, 2013, Western Aircraft announced that for the
seventh year in a row it has received the OSHA Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) award, for its exemplary safety and training.
We are very pleased to be recognized for our dedication to a safe work environment, said Western Aircrafts Manager of Environmental Health and Safety Miguel Velasco. The well-being of our
employees and our customers is paramount.
Velasco added that some of the contributing factors to the overall success of Westerns safety record include their employee involvement in identifying hazards, the site-wide weekly sharing of
electronic dashboards
with safety statistics, safety awareness posters
throughout the work site
and an active safety committee.
According to the release,
SHARP recognizes employers with less than 250
employees who operate
excellent safety and
health management systems. SHARP is one of the
highest awards OSHA can
give to a small company.

Western Aircrafts Manager of Environmental Health and Safety

Miguel Velasco receiving the OSHA award.

Congratulation, Western
Aircraft!!

Alaska Air announced

new daily nonstop air
service to Salt Lake City
beginning June 16, 2014.

Southwest will begin

nonstop seasonal summer flights to ChicagoMidway on June 8, 2014.

United added two daily

nonstop flights to Los
Angeles December
2013, doubling that service!

Boise Airport

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Dates for 2014

Boise Airport

Wednesday, January 15th

3201 Airport Way

Suite 1000
Boise, Idaho 83705

Our Vision:

Phone: 208-383-3110
Fax: 208-343-9667
E-mail: boi@cityofboise.org

Thursday, May 29th

To Make Boise the Most Livable City

in the Country

Wednesday, August 13th

Thursday, October 30th

City of Boise Mayor Dave Bieter

NEW
FACES
Top row left to right: Shannon Smith, Christine Siverson, Haley Glenn, John Marlowe, Courtney
Bates, Anthony Ellering, Michael Ramirez, Sawyer Beddoes Alaska.
Bottom row: Ryan Lewis and Tommy JohnsonAlaska; Meighan WilsonBOI Accounting; Nathan Bjorner, Milka
Minegar, and James WolfeBOI Custodial; Lee TaylorBOI Maintenance. Not pictured: Kelly JenkinsEnterprise.
Promoted: Duane Trefren to BOI Maintenance Supervisor.
Retired: Rudy OrtegaBOI Maintenance and Melody TuftAlaska.

BOI Connections
David H. Bieter
Mayor of Boise
Rebecca Hupp
Airport Director
Airport Commission
Paul Cunningham, Chair
Mary Carol M.C. Niland
Russell Westerberg
Major Gen. Gary L. Sayler
Michael Pape
Meg Carlson
Bill Connors
Council Liaisons
Council Member Lauren McLean
Council Member Ben Quintana
Patti Miller
Editor

Boise Airport

Quarterly Calendar
Wednesday, January 1
New Years Day
Admin/Credentialing Closed
Thursday, January 9
Boise Airport Commission
Salmon River Room, 8:30am-10am
Wednesday, January 15
Red Cross Blood Drive
Salmon River Room, 9am-1pm
Monday, January 20
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Admin/Credentialing Closed
Thursday, February 6
Boise Airport Commission
Salmon River Room, 8:30am-10am
Monday, February 17
Presidents Day
Admin/Credentialing Closed

Thursday, March 6
Boise Airport Commission
Salmon River Room, 8:30am-10am

BOISE AIRPORT (BOI) is a municipally

owned entity operating as a selfsupporting enterprise. No City of Boise
general funds are used to operate the Airport. BOI is served by 6 airlines which offer
daily service to 17 non-stop cities.