The Aircraft of MDT: Airbus A319/A320

Welcome to the sixth regular installment of The Aircraft of MDT. In this series we are taking a look at some of the aircraft that you may spot flying to and from Harrisburg International Airport.

Ground crews prepare a US Airways A319 for departure.

Seating as many as 138 passengers, the Airbus A319 and A320 are the largest commercial airliners to make regularly scheduled flights to and from Harrisburg International Airport. US Airways flies the A319 between Harrisburg and Charlotte, NC, and United Airlines flies the A319 and the A320 between Harrisburg and Chicago.

The Airbus A320 family includes the A318, A319, A320, and A321. The first member of the family, the A320, was introduced in 1984 and entered service in 1988. The first variant of the A320, the A321, was introduced in 1988 and entered service in 1994. It seats a maximum of 220 passengers, compared to the A320’s 180 seat maximum. After the first two members of the family proved successful, Airbus launched the shortened A319, which entered service in 1996. The A319 is 12 feet 3 inches shorter than the A320 and seats a maximum 156 passengers, but it has a similar fuel capacity to its larger sibling, giving it the longest range in the A320 family. The baby of the family, with a maximum of 132 seats, is the A318, which began commercial operations in 2003.

An A319 in United Airlines livery.

The A320 is notable for being the first commercial airliner to feature a digital fly-by-wire control system and a full “glass cockpit.” Digital fly-by-wire systems, which first appeared in military aircraft in the 1970s, use a computer to interpret input from the pilots and aircraft sensors, and then adjust the plane’s control surfaces as necessary. A glass cockpit replaces traditional analog instrument panels with readouts on electronic displays. The cockpit innovations of the A320 mean that all members of the family have a common flight deck and so share a pilot type rating. That is, pilots certified to fly one member of the family require minimal, if any, additional training to fly any of the other members. The A320 cockpit also shares a great deal of commonality with other Airbus models, including the A330, A340, and the world’s largest airliner, the A380.

US Airways flight 949 departs for Charlotte aboard an A319

Records from 2005-2007 indicate that the A320 family is the fastest-selling family of jet airliners in the world. As of the end of last month, Airbus has delivered 4,790 aircraft in the A320 family, all but 90 of which are in active service. They also have firm orders for more than 3,100 more. At Harrisburg International Airport, aircraft in the family bring more than 7,500 passengers to and from Central Pennsylvania every month.

Airport Life: Human Resources Administrator

We like to give readers a look at the "behind-the-scenes" aspects of airport operations that aren't obvious or necessarily directly visible to passengers in the terminal every day.  So far we've taken a look at fleet maintenance, airport fire fighters and the AvFlight FBO (fixed base operator).  Today's Airport Life post features Heather Blake, the Human Resources Administrator for MDT.  Heather kindly shared a high level overview of what she does in a given day at the airport.  She's an integral part to the personnel operations at Harrisburg and a valued member of our staff.


Every job should be rewarding, being in Human Resources is no different, and in fact that is a big part of the job.  As the Human Resource Administrator at Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority (SARAA) my day is never the same, I go from completing payroll to checking on employees that are out on disability and workers compensation.  In a brief minute I can be yelling at the short term disability company and the next minute I am saying congratulations to an employee for the birth of their new child. I attended a seminar last summer; I listened to Andrew Greenberg, Esquire from The ChartwellLaw Offices.  He gave a definition of an HR professional that fit, “the job of a human resource professional is a challenging one that requires a wide range of skill sets.  It insists that at any given moment, the director assume the role of a social worker, accountant, physician, psychologist, benefits coordinator and attorney.”  When I am asked to describe my day the definition can range into any of those items listed.  


My day, as with any position, has ups and downs and highs and lows.  The difference is that my position allows me to involve myself in an employee’s everyday life.  While I may not interact with passengers or tenants very often, I do interact with employees every day.  In a sense I am attached to them, and sometimes to their families.  I become closest to them during tough times, such as extended illnesses.  We had an employee that everyone loved; he was extremely happy and had an amazing outlook on life.  When he approached me one morning on my way in and told me that he had terminal cancer, I did not say a word; I hugged him and cried with him.  I talked to him or his wife every other day until his passing, during this time I received multiple letters from him expressing how thankful he was for the help that I had given him and his wife.  Afterwards I met with his wife and she thanked me as well.  I did not call every day to check because I wanted thanks or appreciation; I cared about them very much and wanted them to know that pure and simple fact.  That is the bittersweet part of being in Human Resources, the attachment that is made with so many good people and families.  It is both the best part and worst part of HR.    


Luckily we have amazing folks that work here at the airport, I am beyond thankful every day to have them to work with, they make things much easier.  I do of course do other things than hang out and talk to employees!  I do payroll every other week and insurance benefits and all that entails.  Benefits are something that I do not expect anyone to understand, it is complicated, and sometimes I think they do that on purpose!  A lot of times employees have questions, if I do not know the answer I will call the company and get back to them fairly quickly, after all, most of the time they are very important questions.  I also handle workers compensation claims and cases, as well as disability filings and Family MedicalLeave Act (FMLA) information.  


HR should be a place that an employee feels comfortable, they should be okay talking to the HR person and not be afraid to ask questions or give new ideas.  I can only hope that I do that for SARAA, because the employees we have here deserve nothing but the best working for them.


Thanks Heather  for sharing what you do at Harrisburg International Airport! 

Travel Fit

Are you someone who travels frequently?  Living life out of your suitcase as you hop one flight to the next for that urgent sales meeting, conference or client presentation?  And most seasoned frequent flyers understand that maximizing this lifestyle can be tough and if they're not careful can lead to poor eating and fitness habits.  We're looking out for our road warrior customers have rounded up a few healthful eating tips and simple exercises that can keep you on the road to "wellville!"

While plentiful food choices may not always abound in small and medium hub airports, we think you'll find these tips universally applicable when traveling.  When ordering off the menu, visiting the grab and go kiosk, or even packing your own snacks; we recommend considering the following:

• Ordering a slice of veggie pizza instead of the pepperoni.
• Selecting a baked potato as your side in lieu of the french fries.
• Pack raisins to nosh on instead of a candy bar.
• Purchase a bottle of water, not the bottle of soda.
• Ration yourself some carrots instead of cheese puffs.
• Need some cereal?  Choose the whole-grain, no sugar option instead of the sugary variety.
• An apple will be better for you in the long run instead of the fruit pie.
• Want dairy?  How about low-fat yogurt instead of ice cream.
• Opt for the turkey sandwich instead of the fried chicken.
• Have a plain bagel with your morning cup of coffee instead of the donut.
• Pretzels can provide a salty fix instead of the potato chips.
• 1% milk has less calories per glass than whole milk.
• Have a sweet tooth?  Try graham crackers as opposed to the chocolate chip cookies.

Couple these healthy food selections with these on-the-road exercises and you may just have a bit more energy than you planned on when returning home from that week away.  The best part about these exercises?  You don't need equipment to do them!

• Take the steps instead of the elevator.  Get that blood flowing.  If you're up to it, take two steps up at a a time!
• Lunges, if you do these in the hotel room after taking the stairs, you're sure to get a great leg workout!
• Sit-ups and push-ups are a great floor exercise.  Any reasonable hotel room will have enough floor space for you to throw down a bath towel as an exercise mat after you get back from meetings, dinner or the like.
• Hold up the wall!  Lean against an empty wall in your hotel room as though your sitting in a chair with your legs bent at a ninety-degree angle.  Hold this position as long as you're able without falling.  The more you practice, the longer you should be able to hold this position. 
• If you have time to visit your hotel's fitness facilities, add it to your trip agenda!  If you schedule the time and make a point to consider it a "to do," you may be more likely to stick with the healthy routine while on the road.

Bear in mind that these fitness tips are suggestions and may not be applicable for everyone.  We hope you're able to find something useful and apply it toward your healthy travel pursuits!

What tips do you have to share?  Do you have favorite healthy food choices that you've discovered in airports and hotels during your travels?  Do tell! 

The Aircraft of MDT: Boeing 717

Welcome to the fifth regular installment of The Aircraft of MDT. In this series we are taking a look at some of the aircraft that you may spot flying to and from Harrisburg International Airport.

A Boeing 717 in AirTran livery.

When McDonnell Douglas and Boeing merged in 1997, McDonnell Douglas was developing the MD-95. The new aircraft would be a grandchild of the Douglas DC-9 by way of the MD-80. It anticipated a need to replace the earliest DC-9s, which were nearly 30 years old at the time. Although many believed that the merger would signal the end of the MD-95 project, Boeing chose to go ahead with production of the aircraft, rebranding it the 717-200.

Boeing had produced a 707 and a 727. Though it appeared to the public that  they had skipped over the 717 designation, it had been used internally; the KC-135 Stratotanker, a military cousin to the 707, had originally been referred to as Model 717. Since that name had never been widely known outside the company, however, it made the perfect name for the new aircraft.

AirTran flight 1004 departs for
Orlando (MCO) on a 717

The 117 seat 717-200 made its first flight in September of 1998 and entered commercial service the following year. Three variants on the base model—a 130 seat 717-300, an 86 seat 717-100, and a 75 seat 717-100 lite—were proposed, but never built. Production of the Boeing 717 ended in 2006 with 156 having been built. The final aircraft was delivered to AirTran Airways in May of 2006. AirTran was the launch customer for the 717 and currently operates 88 of the 133 still in service. AirTran is also the only airline that flies the 717 to and from Harrisburg International Airport. As many as 5,700 passengers a month fly between Harrisburg and Orlando on the aircraft.