Being ExpressJet

Kathy Hardie’s  Airport Customer Service (ACS) training proved invaluable when she used the skills she learned as an agent in Wilmington, N.C., to help safely evacuate her daughter and her classmates when their school bus caught on fire.

“I was chaperoning a field trip for my daughter’s class, and fifteen minutes into our bus ride we noticed smoke, then a loud explosion out of the rear of the bus. We quickly pulled over onto the side of the road. I was the first person off and saw that there was fire on the pine needles underneath the bus,” Kathy recalls. “Immediately, I yelled back to the bus driver that we had a fire and that the kids needed to get off quickly.”

Kathy’s training kicked in automatically. She began a quick, but calm, evacuation of all the students and the other chaperones. In a coordinated effort between Kathy, the bus driver and the teacher, all passengers were evacuated from the bus before it began to fill with smoke and then catch fire.

“I knew I had to get the kids away from the bus to a safe distance. My ACS training taught me to assess the threat, calm the passengers, and direct an immediate evacuation.”

The emergency training our front-line people receive is a valuable asset and can be life-saving, as in Kathy’s case. Kathy credits her supervisors and instructors for providing the training so she knew what to do in an emergency situation. She says that teamwork and quick thinking saved her daughter’s life and lives of the 43 people onboard that bus.

“The evacuation was a team effort and that’s something I’ve been taught in my training at ExpressJet. Here at ILM, we work together as a great team to support each other and our passengers.”

The training at her station and the constant recurrent training taught Kathy what to do in an emergency – to stay composed, immediately start the evacuation, work quickly with others, and calm people enough to get them safely out of a dangerous situation.

“Working in aviation, especially on the ramp, teaches us valuable skills we can translate to our lives. All that training helped me in this emergency situation.”

The bus 15 minutes after everyone had evacuated.

Human Resources Administrator Kristie Miles spends her springs mingling with the family of Braves team members and welcoming fans to Turner Field.

In 2010, Kristie decided that with two teenagers, she wanted a little extra income. She thought about what type of job would have the most benefits with it and decided to accept a position at Turner Field checking tickets and welcoming fans to Braves Country.

“I wanted to do something fun that also brought in some extra money,” said Kristie. “I get the best of both world – I get to watch my Braves play and make a little extra while doing it!”

Kristie works in guest relations at the Braves’ home field which gives her the opportunity to watch the game, meet new people and have fun cheering along with the fans. She says she wasn’t much of a baseball fan when she began, but now you can catch her “chopping” the Braves to victory every home game. Her favorite players are catcher Brian McCann, closing pitcher Craig Kimbrel and outfielder Jason Heyward who is from her hometown of McDonough, Ga.

“One of the coolest experiences is meeting the players’ families,” she said. “Not every fan can say they know McCann’s mom and Heyward’s dad!”

Kristie loves talking with the fans and sharing her insider tips, especially when it’s their first time attending a game. She advises to come early and watch batting practice and all the pre-game activities. Sunday, bring the kids out for “Kids Run the Bases” and the new Taco Mac Family Zone, and don’t forget every Friday there are fireworks after the game!

She always recommends that fans take the VIP tour to really get to know Turner Field. On the tour, you get to see the broadcast booth, walk in the dugout, tour the locker rooms and more. One of the best perks of the job, she says, is knowing the best places to eat:

“When you are there, come to the Club level to get a steak crepe or delicious made-to-order pasta from the Pasta Bar. If you are craving more traditional ballpark foods, try the Georgia Dog from Taste of Majors or McCann’s Burgers located in the Plaza.”

Our blog has been on a hiatus as we’ve been concentrating on finalizing our merger and combining our companies. Here’s what we’ve been working on since we’ve been gone:

• Our new company officially reached Single Operating Certificate status from the SOC on Nov. 18, 2011
• Our people collected and donated more than 700 gifts for Toys for Tots in December 2011
• On Dec. 31, 2011, our new name became ExpressJet Airlines
• We launched The ExpressJet Employee Scholarship program companywide on Feb. 15, 2012
• On Feb. 16, 2012 dozens of ExpressJet volunteers gathered in our hangar to celebrate with the 12 families of critically ill children we helped send to Disney World for the adventure of a lifetime in coordination with Bert’s Big Adventure
• Between our Feb. 26, 2012 Atlanta event and our Feb. 29, 2012 Houston event, 18 of our employees and their family members cut their long locks to donate to Locks of Love for children in need
• ExpressJet people worked hard to support our partner, United Airlines, as they transitioned their harmonized passenger reservation system on March 3, 2012.
• March 21-23, 2012 ten of our people, nominated and voted on as the best-of-the-best in our company, raced mini indy cars in the annual SkyWest Airlines Mini Indy event to raise money for United Way Dixie
• On March 31, 2012 we launched our new ExpressJet Facebook timeline page – check it out at www.facebook.com/expressjet
• In April 2012, we added ERJ135 aircraft to our fleet.

We’ve had a busy few months! Keep an eye out for new blog posts about ExpressJet and our amazing people.

Secret Santa Pilot is our mystery benefactor who has made large, anonymous donations to Toys for Tots on behalf of our company for (at least) the past four years.

“When I first saw Secret Santa Pilot dropping off a large quantity of presents a few years ago, I stopped him to ask how I could send him a thank-you note. He just responded ‘no, that’s okay’ and walked away, hand-in-hand with his wife,” said Sharon Robinson from our Rewards and Recognition team.

All we know about Secret Santa Pilot is that he is a pilot based in Atlanta, he’s generous, and he’s a family man. When he dropped off his annual presents this year, he brought about six people with him, including several children. He has always been spotted with his “Mrs. Claus” when making his annual donations. She accompanies him as they quietly make wishes come true for dozens of needy children each year. This year, they donated nearly 70 new toys to support the Toys for Tots charity.

Already this year, ExpressJet people have filled twelve Toys for Tots boxes and collected several hundred dollars in cash donations that we will use to purchase more toys. By the time our drive ends tomorrow, we estimate that we’ll have collected more than 500 gifts to help make this holiday season special for deserving children.

Although Secret Santa Pilot wishes to remain anonymous, we want to thank him for his kindness during the holiday season. His actions remind us that it doesn’t take much to change the lives of those around you. So, Secret Santa Pilot, we hope that you read this and know how proud we are that you represent our airline.