Happy Birthday to Me!
New Airport Insider missed its first birthday, can you believe it? We published the first post on 4 October 2013 but forgot to celebrate our 1 year of existence. Today, 30 airport articles later, we want to share with you a bit of the journey with a few words from each of the team members.
Dan Parsons
Dan Parsons
"On first hearing of the New Airport Insider concept, I was excited. Not only about the opportunity to write for a global industry audience but for the chance to read about the experiences of my colleagues.
New Airport Insider was the destination I had been looking for - an insider's perspective on the airport industry. The material already up on the site and in the pipeline represents the views and approaches of those in the fold.
Whether the material provides a bird's eye view of an area's development or a frontline view of birds on an airport, New Airport Insider helps airport insiders widen and deepen their understanding of their field." Dan
Kris de Bolle
Kris de Bolle
"I wouldn’t call it a passion, but I have always loved writing. Be it a book review on Google Books, or even a dull meeting report; always in a good mood when I can write about something.
Imagine the excitement when about a year and a half ago, I was contacted by Ms Jinan Alrawi to check if I would be interested to start a series of articles for a brand new blog concept by airport pro’s for airport pro’s, on what definitely ís a passion of mine: Airport Collaborative Decision Making.
Writing blog articles quickly proved to be a different ball game than writing meeting reports and book reviews. Lots of ‘meta stuff’ to take into account: keywords, lay-out, subtitles, pictures, credits… and deadlines! For God’s sake, what was I thinking!
And indeed, the learning curve was steep, but I loved (well, about) every minute of the ride up until now. And we’re not running on empty yet: the initial idea of writing 3 short articles on A-CDM, has evolved in an ongoing series of 7 blog posts with evergreen content on airport data sharing in Europe, enjoyed now by over 180 hi-end subscribers. And know what the funny thing is? That I started off by panicking about how will I ever manage to write three 750 word articles about A-CDM…
So I invite you to take that leap of faith, join the New Airport Insider Team, write about YOUR passion and share it with the world of airport professionals!" Kris
Guillaume Dupont
Guillaume Dupont
"The New Airport Insider adventure started for me in late 2013 when I joined this tiny community after being contacted by Jinan Alrawi, the founder. The idea is to create an online magazine for airport professionals. And that is a good idea. There are many sites focusing on airlines, manufacturers, or other aspects of the aviation industry but very few cover airports. Over the past year, I wrote 5 articles, along Dan Parson and Kris de Bolle, the two main writers. And as I like to understand both causes and consequences, my articles always feature an overview of the market and the airlines’ landscape, which happen to be highly appreciated by our readers.
Of course it is really motivating to know that experts, people interested in aviation or curious spirits will read our analysis and learn, criticize, compare, or share. And this from all over the World. At New Airport Insider, we look at countries from all over the World. Our team is made of five different nationalities, and our readers way more than that. The main reason why I love aviation is because it a world of innovation, of extreme competition and without boundaries. And still, each country has its culture, its way to deal with things, and its economic realities. In my articles, I try to explain this essential background.
As the curious writer that I am, working with New Airport Insider has allowed me to learn a lot about how fast aviation is changing, everywhere. This is probably the best source of motivation for me.
Since October 2013 we strive to produce quality content for airport professionals. I think New Airport Insider shows unique points of views and analysis, and I hope our readers all appreciate that. Although it is not easy to grow, I wish that during our second year of existence, other writers will want to join our group. We will also start to collaborate with companies which might want us to focus on an area where they are particularly active. As you can see, started from scratch one year ago, we still have ambitious plans to boost New Airport Insider. Want to be a part of it? You can contact us!" Guillaume
Also, Greg Principato is joining New Airport Insider to help us grow. Many of you may know him as he is the former President of ACI-NA. We are very excited to have Greg on board. He will also write for New Airport Insider.
Greg Principato
Greg Principato
"Although I have worked on aviation policy issues in one form or another for my entire 35 year career, I became especially immersed in aviation policy when I was tabbed to serve as executive director of a presidential aviation commission in 1993. Though much has changed in aviation over those years, one thing remains clear: aviation discussions and debates rarely change much. The issues don't seem to change, nor do the solutions. People in aviation have become comfortable with their traditional ways of thinking.
In 2005, I was named President of Airports Council International - North America (ACI-NA). I had never worked at an airport before, and now I was sort of a "new airport insider" if you will. What I had observed as an outsider involved in aviation policy was confirmed by my new view as an insider. Once I had been there long enough to have gained some credibility, I began to actively and vocally push for new thinking and new ways of doing things. It was a hard slog.
Making it even harder is the fact that many aviation publications and forums for debate do not stimulate new thinking. We much prefer stories about how wonderful we already are, rather than the new future we ought to work to build.
That is why I am excited about the birth of New Airport Insider. If ever there was an industry in need of fresh thinking, it is aviation. And if ever there was an industry in need of a fresh new forum for that thinking it is aviation. New Airport Insider fills an important void. I congratulate it on its first anniversary and look forward to contributing to its mission in the coming years." Greg
Jinan Alrawi
Jinan Alrawi
"One day I "met" airports, then thought how can we create a community for airport professionals to meet, to share knowledge, expertise and to collaborate. The answer was easy: the Internet and technology. Use these to bring a community together online. This is how it started more than a year ago.
It has been a bigger challenge than I realized to launch, to build and to grow New Airport Insider. But along this short path, I've learned more than I could have ever imagined and this at a fast pace.
Looking forward, we are growing the team, the topics we cover and we will bring you content in more formats. Also, we are merging DC Design Tech with New Airport Insider to form only one entity: New Airport Insider. Further, we will have a new logo but most importantly we will migrate to a more powerful platform in the coming months to optimize your experience.
Lastly, I want to say big thank you to the team and to you our readers for subscribing to New Airport Insider." Jinan
Image credit: Vitor Azevedo
