Sarah Feller — Operations Manager
You have a good chance of seeing Sarah at any one of Kenmore Air’s three Seattle terminals. As the Operations Manager, she oversees all aspects of each location. And every location benefits from her guidance and leadership.
When you ask Sarah what does your job entail she smiles and says that’s a great question. She has a hand in quite a few departments including Kenmore Dispatch (the department that schedules and directs planes), Line Crew (the team responsible for fueling, cleaning, and docking aircraft), and she is responsible for inputting flight schedules and fares.
Her main job in the busy summer months is adjusting capacity. Additionally, Sarah helps coordinate the aircrafts’ 100-hour and annual inspections to ensure safety. To say her role involves wearing many hats is putting it mildly.
“Ultimately, as Operations Manager my goal is to have a smooth day. I’m here to help make that happen anyway I can,” she says.
She joined the Kenmore Air family in April of 2012 as a Customer Service Agent at Lake Union. She was initially a seasonal employee but before the summer was out, Sarah had been promoted to supervisor of the Lake Union terminal and then to manager—a position she held until 2015 when she was promoted to Operations Manager.
But, Kenmore Air wasn’t Sarah’s first experience working for an airline. She joined the aviation industry in 1999, working the ramp at Horizon Air. It was at Horizon that Sarah not only developed the skills to organize and direct travelers, but also met the woman who would one day become her wife — Christi Hendrickson. The two have been together for the last 15 years and counting.
Living in Ballard with their two border collie labs named Stella (12) and Jack (11), Christi and Sarah love to travel. They are passionate about all sporting events, including the Seattle Seahawks, Seattle Mariners, and USWNT Soccer. They love visiting new microbreweries, relaxing on their days off, and finding new places to camp in their Sprinter Van.
“We like to explore together, but we’re both really passionate about our careers,” Sarah explains. “Christi and I both have busy jobs and really enjoy making our days off together count.”
And for Sarah, one of the things she values greatly is the opportunity to boost company morale.
“My co-workers are the main reason I love working here. This is truly a small family business. We can teach people how to do things, but we can’t teach them attitude. And we’re really lucky to have people with great attitudes,” says Sarah.
To help promote community among the staff, Sarah’s started an annual staff trip to the Mariners game. She often organizes happy hour meet-ups. And during company BBQs, it’s not uncommon to spot Sarah behind the grill flipping hamburgers and hot dogs.
“I try to do things that encourage people to visit with their co-workers. Especially from a different department! It’s been one of the best ways for employees to understand the family feel of Kenmore Air.”
But of course, there’s nothing quite like a busy July day, when Kenmore’s flown more than 700 passengers. “It’s fun what we do. When we’re cranking at our peak, there are hundreds of people passing through here each day. And we get to be part of helping them all have an amazing experience. That’s incredible.”
Question: What’s your favorite destination?
Sarah: The San Juan Islands are incredible. It’s a slower pace of life and I can see myself retiring up there one day. Give me a hammock and a view of the water and I’m set!
