The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

airport

‘The Points Daughter’ Tells All!

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The author and Cindy Greenstein, aka The Points Mom

It’s not easy being the daughter of The Points Mom. Whether I must snap tons of photos for my mom’s Instagram or listen to my mom talk shop constantly, my job as “The Points Daughter” is somewhat difficult. At restaurants with my friends, before COVID-19, I was fearful that I would pull the wrong card out of my wallet. I always prayed that I was not the family member that must plead guilty to my mom’s text “who used the blue card for dinner”? It’s hard to hide the mistakes when the bill comes. Luckily, the extra time with quarantine has pushed me to memorize which card to use when: gold for food, blue for everything else. Needless to say, she makes us use our credit cards for everything. I don’t mind though, she pays my credit card bill!!

My mom is always looking to expand her audience, especially with teenagers. She would insist my friends follow her on Instagram (thepointsmom_) and like her Facebook page. My mom has also been spotted in her prized t-shirt donning The Points Mom logo. She often wears this shirt at big tourist attractions, but now on Zoom calls. Can someone else walk next to her please?

My mom is always looking for more content for her website. She loves stealing articles from my website, kiddingaroundtheglobe.com, for her website, www.thepointsmom.com. I think that’s plagiarism.   

People are always asking my mom for advice. She does Zoom consultations and gives lectures and her clients never hold back to shoot her texts and calls. I don’t know how anyone can listen to her talk about points for so long. However, she does seem to know what she’s talking about. I have picked up on some of her lingo like “maximizing points” so that whenever my friends ask why I use this or that card, I can truly answer as ‘The Points Daughter’.

My mom even offers advice to strangers when she sees them using the wrong card at the supermarket, or, pre COVID-19, at the airport paying for bags. She makes sure to offer advice about using “the right card.” My brothers and I make sure to run away or hide when my mom does this.

Travel is one of many things that I miss. My mom alleviates lots of the stress that comes with travel. TSA PreCheck and Clear offers us expedited security checks. My family no longer needs to yell at one another to rush out of the house, or wake up 30 minutes earlier to beat the line. Airport lounges are also the best; we get them for free. My family gets to stock up on nuts and pretzels, recharge our devices, and relax before our flight. But, I mostly like them for the free food.

Unfortunately, airplane seats are never favorable. We often arrive at the airport with “no seats,” a price you may pay for booking using miles. We frequently end up sitting far apart. In fact, we often have one person in row 5, while another is in the back row in a middle seat; this person is usually my dad. However, sitting alone taught me at a young age to fare for myself on a plane. I have even mustered up the courage to order my own snack box. I know what card to use and exactly how much I need to spend on each plane ride. My brothers and I always have to buy snacks on the plane to use up free airline credits–even if we aren’t hungry.

My mom is always doing things for “credit.” On one trip, we had to order breakfast from a hotel down the road to use up my mom’s free hotel credit. And when I go to my yearly swim meet in Florida, we stay at a Hyatt, while the rest of my team stays at the Hilton, because we get free nights with my mom’s Hyatt credit card. Luckily, over the years, my mom has convinced other swim moms to get a Hyatt credit card too.

As annoying as her know-it-all remarks are, she knows her stuff. One day, I hope I am as passionate about something as my mom is about credit card points and travel. I am inspired by her commitment in helping other families travel for free. It goes without saying, but thank you mom. Our family vacations have been great, even if you take way too many pictures. I am excited to see what you have to bring in the future and I am proud to be The Points Daughter.

Westchester County Airport: A Hidden Jewel For Air Travelers In The Region

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Westchester County Executive Robert P. Astorino; Lt Col Joseph Wooley, Civil Air Patrol; Peter Scherrer, Westchester County Airport at a rededication ceremony this past July for the Lockheed T-33 jet, known as the “T-Bird” after the WWII plane was restored for a year. Photos Courtesy of the Office of the Westchester County Executive
Westchester County Executive Robert P. Astorino; Lt Col Joseph Wooley, Civil Air Patrol; Peter Scherrer, Westchester County Airport at a rededication ceremony this past July for the Lockheed T-33 jet, known as the “T-Bird” after the WWII plane was restored for a year. Photos Courtesy of the Office of the Westchester County Executive.

It’s another busy morning at Westchester County Airport. On the runway, a JetBlue flight is about to take off to Orlando with several young Westchester families en route to Disney. Another runway has a handful of business travelers coming in on a United flight from Chicago. Meanwhile a Westchester-based CEO is boarding his corporate jet for a meeting in Rochester.   

Opened in 1945, Westchester County Airport operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and currently has six airlines offering flights, serving approximately 1.75 million passengers a year. The airport’s code, HPN, actually stands for Harrison, Purchase and North Castle, not White Plains Airport, as many people mistakenly believe, because the airport’s footprint is owned by all three towns. The airport employs 1,300 workers full-time and brings in an estimated $735 million to the region, according to a 2010 analysis.

The main terminal at Westchester County Airport.
The main terminal at Westchester County Airport.

The airport first began commercial flights in 1948 and the National Guard maintained a base at the airport from 1952 to 1983. In 2005, the airport began to offer discount flights to several key destinations for the first time.   

With residential properties surrounding the airport, the county works hard at limiting noise and other environmental hazards.

A Westchester County Airport Advisory Board meets monthly and the board discusses topics such as noise/odor complaints with meetings open to the public.  The board consists of eleven members appointed by the County Executive with representatives from the surrounding areas and aviation specialists. Residents can track flights and complain about any noise issues via www.airport.westchester.gov under the flight tracking tab. The County and Board have also been instrumental in capping terminal use to 480 passengers per hour to limit the impact on surrounding communities.

“The Westchester County Airport serves a very important purpose for the residents and businesses not only in North Castle but in the surrounding region,” notes Michael Schiliro, the Town Supervisor of North Castle. “In April, the North Castle Town Board adopted a Resolution requesting that North Castle be considered an Interested Agency for the proposed legislation modifying the Terminal Use Agreement. It is important to strike a balance between sustaining the level of service expected by the users of the airport while addressing the environmental, traffic, and noise impacts of North Castle residents. We intend to be an active participant in the process.”

“I think when people hear the words development or expansion they confuse construction with that,” notes Richard Conrad, an Advisory Board member from North Castle who is also the CEO and Owner of GP Aviation, a company that operates and sells business jets. For example, the airport recently built a separate building on the right hand side of the terminal for baggage screening to make it safer and efficient for all passengers. “The airport really is a jewel of Westchester, offering accessibility, ease of entry/egress from the airport and civilized travel with fewer crowds than other nearby airports. The county and [County Executive Rob] Astorino are huge proponents of it and are constantly looking for ways to improve the airport experience for everybody.”

Samantha Shinnick, an Armonk resident, uses the airport frequently and likes that “it’s a small airport with pretty good service (except when it snows). They run the operations smoothly based on security lines, etc.” However, she wishes there were more reasonable taxi services available and would like Uber to be allowed on-site.

There are several fixed-base operators (FBOs) at the airport such as Million Air and Signature Flight Support and these operators offer the convenience of driving right up to your plane and having staff handle your baggage. “It’s just another level of civilized travel,” comments Conrad.

In addition, Conrad notes that the airport is a “mecca for business aviation,” bringing in millions of dollars to the area.

Stacey Pfeffer lives with her husband and three young children in Chappaqua. She has written for New York Family Magazine, Kveller.com, Westchester Parents and Inside Chappaqua. She has flown to Florida several times via Westchester County Airport.