February 2026 – Paul Simpelaar (AMS)
Nominated by his Manager, Sander Opdam, Site manager who said “I would like to nominate Paul Simpelaar for stepping up as Deputy Team Leader. During his colleague’s absence, Paul demonstrated exceptional leadership and responsibility beyond his current job description. He successfully motivated the team and provided invaluable support to his colleagues, significantly benefitting our overall service delivery.”
March 2026 – Shaheer Qureshi (YVR)
Nominated by his Manager, Agness Mhene, Service Delivery Manager, and was also endorsed by Adriano Di Placido, Vice President – Canada. Agness said “We are pleased to nominate Shaheer Qureshi for the ServiceTec Quest Award. Shaheer is consistently one of our top field technicians, recognized for the quality, speed, and energy he brings to every shift. His strong technical performance and ability to work efficiently while maintaining high standards make him a dependable and respected member of our team. Shaheer also volunteered to lead a project to update the YVR team’s portal after sharing his background in web design.
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March 2026 – John Malang (YQR)
Nominated by his colleague, Jasmine Brar, IT Infrastructure Specialist, and endorsed by his Manager, Jeff Hiibner, Site Manager and Adriano Di Placido, Vice President – Canada for identifying a critical need for mounting solutions behind each TV during a recent FIDS system replacement project, where we transitioned from Raspberry Pis to mini PCs. Not only did he take the initiative, but he also designed and developed highly durable mounts that surpassed any options available on the market. His innovative approach resulted in significant cost savings for the organization while also reducing implementation time.
In addition, during an ongoing Transport Canada compliance project which required check-in counter belts to transition from manual operation to access-controlled systems, John, along with some direction from the former Manager of Technology for the RAA, developed an effective solution. To avoid confusion and eliminate the need for modifications to the airport authority’s control panels, John designed and built custom caps to securely cover the belt buttons. This solution ensured compliance whilst remaining highly cost-effective. Beyond these projects, John has been an invaluable resource in providing custom 3D-printed solutions for the airport. A recent example includes the development of new body camera clips for airport security staff. When delivery delays occurred, John stepped in and engineered custom clips and attachments using existing materials, ensuring there was no disruption to operations.
March 2026 – Louis Oliveira (YYJ)
Nominated by his Manager, Claudiu Ulinici, Site Manager, and was also endorsed by Adriano Di Placido, Vice President – Canada.
1. On March 6, 2026, at approximately 9:25 AM, we received a large shipment consisting of three pallets of CUPPS bag tag stock for 2026. Despite not being scheduled to begin his shift until 12:00 PM, Louis arrived early to assist his colleague, who was the only technician on duty at the time. Louis played a key role helping to break down the pallets and moving the stock into storage.
2. Louis found on several occasions that POS devices had been left unattended by airline agents, particularly within the gate areas. In each instance, the equipment was recovered by Louis and secured at the Security Operations Center (SOC), where the impacted airlines could then retrieve the devices from.
3. Louis was recently recognized by the Victoria Airport Authority (VAA) as a Safety and Security Champion. This acknowledgement followed two notable incidents. Firstly, he recovered a lost CATSA RAIC and ensured its safe return to the CATSA Supervisor. He then identified an unescorted individual wearing a temporary badge within the secure area and promptly reported the matter to the SOC.
4. On a different occasion, a loonie was found stuck in the coin selector on one of the coin boxes from the short-term columns, this required manual intervention to clear. The jam was resolved by Louis, using a screwdriver to successfully dislodge the coin.
5. While the hiring process for a replacement member of staff was underway, the CUPPS preventative maintenance tasks previously assigned to them were taken over by Louis and another colleague.
May 2026 – John Palaganas (YQR)
Nominated by his Manager, Jeff Hiibner, Site Manager, and was also endorsed by Adriano Di Placido, Vice President – Canada. Jeff advised “I would like to formally nominate John Palaganas for the QUEST Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the Simpleway project, his continued growth within the team, and the positive culture he helps create every day.
May 2026 – Max Crisp (SLC Service Desk)
Max was nominated by Pietro Como, Vice President US Operations who advised “I would like to nominate Max for a Quest Award. He assisted us with just 24 hours’ notice regarding the multiple issues experienced in DTW, receiving excellent feedback from the customer.”
Mike Kist, Customer Operations Manager of SITA wrote: “I wanted to take a moment out to pass along a huge THANK YOU for your dedication and professionalism during your trip to Detroit (DTW). I am aware your home base is in Orlando (MCO), and having to travel and provide support to a totally different location is a lot of responsibility. Especially since there were several lingering SBD issues that simply were not being resolved. Due to this fact, we received additional visibility from Spirit’s upper-level management team. But in the end, we all prevailed due to your actions.
And speaking of Spirit, I am confident you are aware of the unfortunate situation that Spirit and the employees have found themselves in. However, even through all of that, I received a call from the Spirit DTW Guest Services Manager today. He expressed his appreciation and gratitude for a job well done. He provided excellent feedback on your dedication, professionalism, and knowledge of the SBD product. He was extremely thankful and stated
MCO is lucky to have you.”
