Recently, the regions of our Federal Aviation Administration recognized some of the best airports of 2010.
You may recall that, last month, I blogged about our Secretary's Awards ceremony and the talented, hard-working DOT professionals we acknowleged. But I'm not the only one starting to look back on the last 12 months. As 2010 winds down, awards and "best-of" selections are all around us. For example, earlier today I wrote about Time Magazine selecting the B20-fueled Amtrak Heartland Flyer as one of the 50 Best Inventions Of 2010.
Now, we can applaud the FAA's best airports. It's a long list--and not all of the regions select award winners--but I think the winners deserve to be mentioned here.
Portland (Oregon) International Airport
In the Southwest region, there were five awards for Airport of the Year, one in each state of the region:
- Arkansas - Jonesboro Municipal Airport
- Louisiana - Natchitoches Regional Airport
- New Mexico - Moriarty Municipal Airport
- Oklahoma - Will Rogers World Airport (Oklahoma City)
- Texas - Midland International Airport
The Southwest region also selected Ellington Field in Houston for its Regional Airport Safety Award, the Texas DOT's Aviation Divison for its Environmental Achievement Award, and New Orleans Lakefront Airport for Excellence in Construction Safety. Special recognition went to East Texas Regional Airport for being the first in the region to "physically and fiscally" complete and close a Recovery Act project.
Charlotte International Airport
The Northwest Mountain region covers seven states. Again, one Outstanding Airport from each state was recognized:
- Wyoming - Jackson Hole Airport
- Washington - Pangborm Memorial Airport (Wenatchee)
- Utah - Cedar City Regional Airport
- Oregon - Roberts Field (Redmond)
- Montana - Poplar Municipal Airport
- Idaho - Lemhi County Airport
- Colorado - Durango / La Plata County Airport
In the Great Lakes region, two airports were recognized with Notable Contributions to Safety Awards: General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee and Muskegon County Airport in Michigan.
Great Lakes also recognized the Southwest Michigan Regional Airport with its Environmental, Financial, and Planning Award and Indianapolis International Airport with its Airport Partnership Award. This important award goes annually to the airport that has made the most notable contributions working with the FAA and other industry stakeholders.
Kalamazoo / Battle Creek Airport
And, in the New England region, the Portland International Airport in Maine also won an Airport Partnership Award.
Congratulations to all of the above award-winners and the staff at those airports. Your hard work is critical to the safety and comfort of the passengers using your airports.
I am happy to list the 22 award winning airports noted here. But let's remember that there are thousands of other high-quality airports across America providing important services safely and reliably 365 days a year.
So, thanks to the FAA regions for selecting these awardees. Thanks to the airports we've recognized for their exceptional performance this year. And thanks to all of the airports across the country for cooperating with the FAA and other aviation stakeholders, for considering your customers--the hundreds of millions of Americans who travel by plane each year--and for keeping your eye on the most important priority: safety.
Comments