Gratitude, Faith, and Keeping Travelers Fed
NY AIRPORT WORKER OF THE YEAR. Checking up on massive food deliveries for American Airlines flights earn Esteban Ramirez recognition as New York Airport Worker of the Year
Esteban Ramirez has been working at LaGuardia Airport for more than 20 years, and loves his job. He oversees food shipments for American Airlines flights. He confirms with the airport’s kitchen that “what’s arriving is what is on the schedule,” and then breaks “the package’s seal to approve meals.”
Why does he love what he does so much? It comes with a lot of responsibility, Ramirez noted, considering how many of the airport’s millions of annual travelers rely on airplane food to get them through a long journey. It’s a significant amount of product, with thousands and thousands of pounds worth of fresh meals being shipped and approved.
He also just simply enjoys what he does, besides how critical it is for airport operations. Ramirez said his promotion to the role was the best day of his career.
It’s come with a few unforeseen hiccups, however. Ramirez was briefly put on furlough two years ago when the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily shuttered the airline industry, just after he earned the promotion. This presented the possibility of significant financial hurdles for Ramirez, and created a period of uncertainty: “When they closed the airport, due to the pandemic’s effect on the economy, they let me go. For me, that was the worst day on the job.
The easing of the pandemic left Ramirez with a sense of how much support he had from colleagues, and he was quickly hired back. “I have gratitude,” he said. “I have faith. I’m also motivated by doing a good job, and it helps that I’m well-liked.”
These days, he said, “I’m grateful that my job is stable.”
Before he worked at LaGuardia, Ramirez worked factory jobs. “I used to work in the neighborhood, around here,” he said. “I decided to grab an application for LaGuardia, through a friend of mine. That was about 20 years ago.”
Despite his busy schedule, Ramirez says he always makes time for his loved ones. “I have family in the Bronx, and I have family in Brooklyn,” he explained.
The best part of being with family for Ramirez, as for many of us, is food.