In this episode, we're celebrating International Podcast Day with a LIVE recording in Concourse B at Washington Dulles Airport! We talked to employees across the spectrum at Dulles including a Ramp Tower Controller and a Mobile Lounge Operator and Trainer with 27 years of experience!! We kicked things off with Airport Manager and VP, Richard Golinowski. Don't miss this episode!
Interested in a career at the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority? See what we have available here: https://www.mwaa.com/careers
Have questions for us? We'd love to hear from you! Send us an email at info@thecapitalrunway.com
For more information, please visit our website at https://thecapitalrunway.com.
Staff:
Tanisha Lewis, VP of DISI
Jaimini Erskine, VP of Marketing & Concessions
Charles Wilson, Co-host/Co-producer
Amanda Ohbayashi, Co-host/Co-producer/Social media producer
Ryan Burdick, Editor/Co-producer
Bong Lee, Graphics
Brian McCoy, Digital Strategy/Co-producer
Sagia Depty, Marketing Lead/Co-producer
[music]
Amanda: I'm Amanda.
[00:00:05] I'm Charles.
[00:00:06] Amanda: This is the Capital Runway Podcast. Today actually is International Podcast Day. Ryan, Charles, and I are out at Dulles, and we have a really great lineup for you guys. We're going to talk to a bunch of different employees from around the airport. Hey, Charles. Hey, Ryan.
[00:00:28] Charles: Hey, Amanda. How are you? Ryan, how are you?
[00:00:30] Ryan: Fantastic. For all our listeners out there, I'm Ryan Burdick. I'm the technical producer of the Capital Runway Podcast. I'm the audio engineer and do all the audio editing for each episode. Today's a little different, though, because it's International Podcast Day. We are here live at Dulles Airport, and we have our first guest for the live podcast today, which is Richard Golinowski, the Airport Manager here. How are you today, Richard?
[00:00:57] Richard Golinowski: Doing great, Ryan. Thank you. How are you?
[00:00:59] Ryan: Fantastic. Richard, tell us a little bit about what you do here at Dulles.
[00:01:04] Richard: Sure, Ryan. I'm the Vice President and Airport Manager of Dulles International Airport. My job, twofold. Making sure that we are always projecting the positive side of Dulles Airport. The second part is making sure that the Dulles team has what they need to get their job done.
[00:01:22] Amanda: You have a long history, both at EMWA and DCA. What made you want to make the move over here to Dulles?
[00:01:30] Richard: That's a good question. I've been here for 30 years. I started in 1995, and when I started at National Airport, they were just starting to build what we called then the new terminal. It was really exciting because the steel was actually coming out of the ground. I knew here that Dulles Airport was going to undergo a similar transformation, and I really wanted to be part of that. I thought I could apply everything I learned at DCA and bring it out here and try and help the team out here get ready for the new construction and be part of the new construction, and make sure that what happens here at Dulles really is impactful to the region and to the aviation system moving forward.
[00:02:08] Ryan: That is so exciting, Richard. Can you tell us a bit, because I'm pretty sure that there's a name for this project that we'll start to see, especially on the passenger side at the airport.
[00:02:16] Richard: Right now, it looks like it's going to be Dulles Next, tying in with United Next and NextGen for FAA. It's really an exciting name, and I think it gets people thinking about what's going to happen in the future. The construction project here at Dulles Airport doesn't happen over the course of one or two or three years. It's a 15-year minimum, and then another 15-year cycle after that. This is a really long process, but it's really going to make the airport, Dulles Airport, the highlight of the region from a travel point of view. I think a lot of people are looking forward to this, and they really want to make sure that Dulles Airport is the highlight of their travel whenever they come through this area.
[00:03:00] Amanda: Of all of these projects that we have upcoming, what are you looking forward to most maybe in the immediate future for Dulles or what we have planned? What is something that really gets you excited?
[00:03:15] Richard: Obviously, the first project is Tier 2 Concourse East, which is seven new wide-body gates or 14 narrow-body gates. That's the beginning of the transformation of Dulles Airport. It's really exciting. United is really involved with us. The other airlines are really involved with us. It's exciting because it's the first time we've actually changed anything at Dulles in a long time. Long term, ultimately, it's going to be the replacement of the C/D Concourse. For anybody who's flown United over the years, C/D can be challenging at times and not the best customer experience. Once we get rid of C/D Concourse and we build all the new concourses, it's really going to be a phenomenal customer experience from start to finish.
[00:03:56] Ryan: Yes, I can only imagine how good the experience is going to be, especially because I can picture there's going to probably be new lounges, new concessions, and of course, new routes coming to all those new gates.
[00:04:06] Amanda: You heard it here first, new C/D Concourse coming to Dulles. Do you have a favorite spot in the airport?
[00:04:13] Richard: I do. There are actually two. The first one is- believe it or not, when we first built the train system, the existing train system, all the soil that was taken out of that excavation, it was piled up on the south end of the airport. You can go out there and it's like sitting on top of a mountain looking down over the airport. It's a really neat experience. Then the second place that I really enjoy is going to the historic tower in the main terminal. You go up there, it's not used right now, very few people get up there, but you really get a good perspective of where Dulles came from and where we're going in the future. You get to enjoy the movement that happens on the airfield constantly, 24 hours a day, and you're all alone just watching it. It's really exciting to watch, and it's really neat being part of this whole experience at Dulles Airport.
[00:04:59] Ryan: I love the historic tower as well. You mentioned that movement and all the planes moving around. Where are you flying to next?
[00:05:06] Richard: Good question. I have grandkids down in Austin, Texas, and we're actually leaving in a couple weeks to go down to Austin for another weekend.
[00:05:13] Amanda: Great. Well, that's all we have. Do you have any final parting thoughts for us before you leave?
[00:05:20] Richard: Thanks, Amanda. One thing. I just hope people are patient with the construction that's going to be happening over the next decade, couple of decades. At the end, it's really going to be a good experience. The entire Dulles team is committed to improving the customer experience for everybody, whether you're just flying through on a connection or you're an O&D customer from this area. We really want to improve that experience and make sure that Dulles is a good experience from start to finish.
[00:05:46] Amanda: Awesome. Thanks so much.
[00:05:47] Richard: Thank you.
[00:05:48] Amanda: Next we have Alan McDonald who is joining us, and he is the Deputy Manager of Airport Engineering. Welcome.
[00:05:58] Alan McDonald: Thank you. Glad to be here.
[00:06:00] Amanda: Why don't you tell us a little bit about your role and what you do here at Dulles.
[00:06:05] Alan: As Deputy Manager of Airport Engineering Facility Services here at Dulles, primarily I oversee the airport's engineering division. I have the privilege of managing some of the engineers, CAD technicians, and the airport inspectors. That's what I do here.
[00:06:28] Charles: All right. Great. What is Dulles Next, and are we going to get a new C&D Concourse?
[00:06:34] Alan: Yes. Dulles Next- I think to understand Dulles Next, you have to know about the Use and Lease Agreement, which is basically an agreement that was just approved by the Board of Directors at EMWA. In a nutshell, the Use and Lease Agreement is a contract between the airport's authority and the airlines and other entities that use the airport's facilities, and this agreement is for the next 15 years. It outlines how much the airlines pay for using things like the gates, the terminals, and the runways. Excitingly for Dulles, it includes $7 billion of capital construction program for Dulles Airport. Over $4 billion of that is just new facilities at Dulles.
That includes the first section of the new Tier 2 East Concourse, which is a new 14-gate concourse with about 435 square feet of space, and it's currently under construction and is supposed to open in 2026. Then we also have the build-out of two additional sections of the Tier 2 Concourse, which includes a new Federal Inspection Services building, which is basically a customs processing facility for passengers whose final destination is not Dulles Airport. They're transfer passengers. Also included is the first part of a new concourse, an additional concourse called Tier 3. Which will include the build-out of a new AeroTrain station. It also includes a new main terminal connector, which will connect the main terminal and Concourse A and B, which will also house the new International Arrivals building, a new FIS, and a baggage facility.
Also at the main terminal itself, there's going to be some security screening and baggage handling expansions at the main terminal. That's all coming. Then, of course, Concourse D will eventually be demolished as part of this 15-year agreement. The other $3 billion is a mixture of investment in our roads, our parking facilities, and our airfield facilities and utility systems. There's a lot coming in the next 15 years, and I think the joke is usually, a lot of the people in these high-level meetings, they won't be around to see it, but I'm on the younger end, so I might actually be here at the end of the 15 years. Hopefully, I'll get to see some of that.
[00:09:03] Amanda: That's awesome. It's a 15-year project, so we're in for the long haul here. What is coming up in maybe the most recent or the upcoming five years? Do we have any estimate on that or no?
[00:09:18] Alan: We do have the Tier 2 East Concourse, which is currently under construction and slated to open in 2026. That's the most immediate project.
[00:09:28] Amanda: I know people will definitely be excited for a new AeroTrain station and connector. I know that that's a big thing on social. We get all the dimes, so they'll definitely be excited. Do you have a favorite spot in the airport?
[00:09:43] Alan: Besides the PenFed Immersion Experience Tunnel, one of my favorite spots in the airport is actually the IAB, the International Arrivals Building. If your final destination when you travel internationally is Dulles Airport, you basically come on a mobile lounge and you get dropped off at the IAB. When you go down some escalators and you get this wall of windows, and the terminal, and the air traffic control tower, and it's really just a nice view.
[00:10:17] Charles: Where are you flying to next?
[00:10:19] Alan: My brother Lives in Denver area, and he and his wife are having a baby. Probably that would.
[00:10:27] Charles: Boy or girl?
[00:10:27] Alan: It's a boy. Yes.
[00:10:30] Charles: All right. Do you want to leave our guests with any parting words?
[00:10:34] Alan: Just EMWA's a great place to work and we're always hiring, especially in engineering. We're looking for the best and the brightest to come work with us. There's really a lot of opportunity here.
[00:10:46] Charles: Great. Thanks for joining us.
[00:10:48] Alan: Thanks for having me
[00:10:50] Amanda: We have just found Mr. Rob Yingling. He is the Director of Communications for us here at the Authority, and welcome. Welcome to the podcast, Rob.
[00:11:02] Robert Yingling: Happy podcast day.
[00:11:04] Amanda: Why don't you start and tell us a little bit about what you do what your role is here for the Airports Authority or at Dulles specifically.
[00:11:11] Robert: Most of my work is behind the scenes. It's something called the Office of Communications, and we track and monitor all the different wonderful things that the Airports Authority is involved in, and then we selectively choose which of those we want to publicize both to the public and to the media. We're just one of the ways you hear about the great things going on at Reagan National and Dulles International.
[00:11:34] Amanda: What's your favorite part of the job?
[00:11:36] Robert: Working in communications, it's really great when you can see the results of your work, and in the transportation industry generally but airport specifically, there's almost no better place to witness that firsthand. When we're working on a campaign or specific messaging that affects passengers, I like going to the airport where the passengers are, which is where we are today.
[00:11:57] Charles: What accomplishment are you most proud of in your role?
[00:12:01] Robert: I'm most proud of being witness to efforts to take a lot of teamwork. Whether it's- and that includes the behind the scenes messaging and event preparation to the actual event itself, because we have so many people working here in different disciplines that are just great at pulling those events off and delivering reliably, coming to the table with creative ideas, and then really just putting their heart into it. We see that over and over again. That's what I get the most joy out of in this job.
[00:12:36] Amanda: What are some highlights from 2024 so far for the airport?
[00:12:41] Robert: There's been so many things interesting that's happened. We actually counted them up that we've been a part of, and it's over 90 different either events or initiatives, and it's only September and now it's about to be October. That number is only going to increase. It's probably going to be over a hundred. Dulles unveiled a Lego exhibit, which was just really cool and we got a lot of great coverage of that. I like to see people's face when they see it for the first time. Then we just completed an event at Dulles that was completely discussed in Spanish, which was an additional challenge for everybody, especially the English-only speaking people, but it was just great to see the engagement we got from folks that attended and the media coverage that resulted from that. There's going to be many more good things to come, especially now that the airport's going to be investing in construction projects at both airports. While it's been a very eventful year, I think there's still a lot of great things still coming up.
[00:13:44] Amanda: One question we like to ask all of our guests, and that is where are you flying to next?
[00:13:49] Robert: I'm planning on a ski vacation in Colorado. Just getting the bookings underway. Very much looking forward to that because the last couple winters here out east have been a dud, but there's so many great places you can fly to from Reagan National and Dulles that I'm really enjoying the options that are in front of us.
[00:14:10] Amanda: Awesome. Thanks so much for joining us.
[00:14:14] Robert: It's a pleasure to be here.
[00:14:16] Amanda: Next we have Kaylee Warren who is a Ramp Tower Controller here at Dulles. Welcome.
[00:14:24] Kaylee Warren: Hi, thank you.
[00:14:25] Amanda: Why don't you start by telling us a little bit about your role and what you do here at Dulles.
[00:14:32] Kaylee: All right. As a Ramp Tower Controller, pretty much the best way to describe it would be the difference between the FAA and the ramp tower. There is a section of the airport everyone know you get into your plane and you feel the plane back up and you move out. What my job is to do is to tell the planes when to back up and when to move out, and we coordinate with all the personnel on the ground and with the FAA tower and to make sure the planes are going in the directions, and we get them moving on the right direction for the runway, things like that. Another piece of our job is to get what we call the mobile lounges. Around here we have the mobile lounge docks, the passengers get on the docks, brings them to their- which terminal they're going to. Our piece is to get those going in the most efficient schedule possible.
[00:15:26] Charles: I'm curious, what's the best part about your job? What do you love most about it?
[00:15:31] Kaylee: Oh, that's really hard, honestly. I did go to college for air traffic control, so I actually just graduated in May.
[00:15:37] Amanda: Congratulations.
[00:15:38] Kaylee: Thank you. Yes. One of my favorite parts about it, honestly, is the FAA and the ramp tower work really hand-in-hand. After spending all those years studying the FAA, learning about how to do the job, it's quite amazing to be in a job right out of college where I'm able to do air traffic control on such a high level, being able to work with the FAA as closely as I do, and that we have a lot of responsibility, more than I actually initially thought. It's really cool to be able to talk to pilots every day, work actual traffic patterns, and having them taxiing around, and doing the air traffic control job that I anticipated to do with the FAA. Yes, it's honestly so unique they do things here especially with the mobile lounges you're working a lot of different stuff and day in and day out. That's my favorite part is it's how complicated it can be it keeps you interested.
[00:16:34] Amanda: How did you come to find the job as a ramp tower- considering you went to school to be an FAA controller. How'd you end up here at Dulles as a Ramp Tower Controller?
[00:16:45] Kaylee: It was a long process. There's not very many open in the US. I personally eventually down the line and thinking about moving to the FAA, but after experiencing the ramp tower here and how involved it really is, it's fulfilling in itself. Personally, I'm just like happy to settle here for a while, and if I get the need eventually to move on, I will. That's one of those expected things when you come into a ramp tower, it's usually a retiring place or a place where you go if you eventually want to be in the FAA. It's a thought, possibly in the future, but for now I'm happy.
[00:17:26] Charles: I'm curious, when you tell your college friends about what you do now, what is their response?
[00:17:32] Kaylee: Funny enough, actually, yesterday someone messaged me and they're like, oh, what are you doing over there by Dulles? I'm like, oh, I'm a Ramp Tower Controller. They're like, no way. That's crazy. You're actually working traffic? You've been out of college for three months. I'm like, yes, I get to talk to planes. It's pretty cool. A lot of people out of school, that's what they want to do. They want to get out and immediately start doing what they went to school for. I can say even people who don't entirely know the aviation field or don't know what a ramp tower control position is they're still like, oh my gosh, you actually get to do it. That's been really nice.
I can say my first week, it's telling people like, oh my gosh, you will not believe what just happened. I can I can talk to planes. I can I can do all these things. One really cool thing I can actually say that I get to brag about to all my friends is one thing we have to do here is the A380 has to do their- with the operations truck has to follow the 380 out. My first week, they let me get in the operations truck and follow the 380 on takeoff. I was the giddy little new kid like, oh my gosh, guys. Guess what? That was really cool. I posted that and all my friends were jealous. They're like, we want to come. Can we come to Dulles now? That was pretty cool.
[00:18:46] Amanda: Yes, I've gotten to make that ride a few times, and it's always fun and I'm always like, this is the best job ever.
[00:18:53] Charles: We ask all of our guests, where are you flying to next?
[00:18:57] Kaylee: Funny enough, I'm actually flying to Nevada next weekend. Yes, I'm going out there for just for the weekend, but it's quite nice. It's fun being able to fly out of an airport where you work the traffic. Last time I flew, I was talking one of my co-workers and they're like, oh yes, we can see you down there. I was like, Hey, be safe. Take care of me. Yes, I've been actually traveling a lot more recently, being that I know the way. I'm like, it's not scary anymore.
[00:19:25] Amanda: Well, thanks so much for joining us, Kaylee. We hope you have a great day.
[00:19:27] Kaylee: Thank you so much. Thank you so much for your time and listening to what I have to say.
[00:19:32] Charles: All right. Next up, we have Mr. Ken Smith. He's the Mobile Lounge Leader and Operator. Welcome to the podcast.
[00:19:38] Ken Smith: Thank you.
[00:19:39] Charles: All right. If we can just start with a basic question, if you could just tell us a little bit about your role and what you do here at Dulles Airport.
[00:19:47] Ken: Actually, my role here now is not only as an operator, but mainly now since I've been here forever, is to train. I train all the new people how to operate the mobile lounges. I take them around the airport, give them a tour, let them see exactly how our airport functions, how the different teams that we have as part of the airports that makes up what all that we do, customer service, how important that is. My role now is basically just to train, demonstrate my 27 years of experience that I have here.
[00:20:18] Amanda: Driving a mobile lounge, you must see a lot of things. Do you have any really fun sightings or things that you've seen in your time here?
[00:20:26] Ken: Of course, a lot of fun things. I could just go on and on about the fun things here at the mobile lounge. Driving mobile lounges has been a lot of fun. I'll tell you just one thing about how I got the job. I applied to be a mobile lounge operator. Now to tell you, I had no idea what a mobile lounge was. I've never been in one, never seen one. One of my co-workers from my previous job said, well, they connect to the airplanes. I said, oh, okay, I can do that. Actually, I thought they were talking about a jet bridge, because a jet bridge connects to an airplane. That let you know how much I knew about it. Once I got here, I fell in love with it. I'm a people person. 22 years in the military taught me that.
I love different customs, I thrive on people always telling about their food, how they do things in their country, their religion, background. That's something that's really important to me. Once I fell here in an international airport, I love it. I love meeting people, finding out things about them. It's a beautiful thing. I hate that I'm going to retire next year, but I have to move on. I have a lot of good experiences. Then the people, oh my goodness, I have met so many politicians.
I've taken pictures with a lot of politicians, Supreme Court justices, President's children, Obama's children, Trump's children, royalty, Prince Harry, all those. I had them all. I met them all. It's just fun, actors, actresses. I have so many photos. I ask them, do you mind if I take a selfie with you? They say, no, come on. It's nothing but enjoyment. Nothing but enjoyment.
[00:22:24] Charles: People have mixed feelings about our mobile lounges. What would you say to someone who wonders why we still use them?
[00:22:32] Ken: First of all, Dulles Airport is very unique and was designed with the mobile lounges in mind. Because of that, at the beginning, people love mobile lounges, but then they travel to other airports, they have the underground system, so Dulles is behind times. However, when they come here, they'll have mixed feelings like you say. They'll say, well, why are these things still here? Then you get other people to come, man, I love these lounges. I hope they never leave. The thing about it, trains can go down. Trains can break down. These mobile lounges now, don't get me wrong, we have our issues too, but they're always there for you, They give you a unique experience that you won't get at any other airport. Make it as smooth as possible. I tell all new people, give them a Cadillac ride.
[00:23:23] Amanda: You've talked a little bit about this already, but what really is your favorite part of the job?
[00:23:28] Ken: My favorite part of this job is just meeting people. That's the bottom line. Just meeting people, period.
[00:23:37] Charles: We ask our guests the same question all the time, where are you flying to next?
[00:23:44] Ken: Okay. My next destination from here, where I'll probably be flying to, will be retirement. I've been here 27 years. When I retire next year, it'll be 28 years. I said, I have nothing but enjoyable things. I'll be using Dulles Airport to travel to Europe, which I enjoy. That's where I spent the majority of my military time. It's time to move on, and I'll pass the torch on to someone else's new, and just hope that they'll do the same thing and enjoy this airport the same way I did.
[00:24:18] Amanda: We're certainly going to miss you once you retire, but it is well-deserved and well-earned. Thank you so much for joining us. Do you have any final thoughts you want to leave with our audience?
[00:24:29] Ken: I just want to thank everyone for inviting me to be part of this podcast, because it's not very often that we get to express how we feel about being in the mobile lounge, how we feel about the airport, and about the people that travel through this airport facility. I really appreciate that. I hope you share it with a lot of other people that really hasn't been on the mobile lounges. They haven't had that true experience. Thank you.
[00:24:56] Amanda: That was a super interesting group of people from Dulles. I had no idea what any of them did beforehand, and now I feel like I have learned so much. What about you, Charles?
[00:25:08] Charles: The best part about those conversations is you can tell each of them love what they do. You feel the enthusiasm. I actually want to do some of the things that they do. They got fun jobs, and they love it. I know our passengers really appreciate it as well.
[00:25:27] Ryan: Yes, and it's so fun to be in the live airport environment, because you really do see it come alive. Especially since we started with Richard and where we end with Ken, you could just probably hear all the announcements going on, and it is full at Bracket Room across from us, and Vino Volo is popping. I hope that everyone has safe travels today on International Podcast Day.
[00:25:47] Amanda: Yes. Everyone, thanks for listening. If you have any questions for us, you can send us an email at info at TheCapitalRunway.com. We'll catch you next time. Thanks.
[00:26:00] Charles: That's a wrap.
[00:26:04] [END OF AUDIO]