Learning on the Fly: An Intern’s Semester at the Airport

While most of my friends spent last summer traveling and enjoying time away from class, I was deep in the trenches of LinkedIn and Handshake job postings. My name is Sidonnie Malone, and I’m a senior Advertising major with a concentration in Brand Strategy and Research. For the Spring 2025 semester, I’ve been interning at the Philadelphia International Airport as an Air Service Development Intern, but the journey started last summer, when I was on the hunt for the perfect internship.

How I Landed Here (Pun Intended) 

As most students know, the search for an internship is horrific, to say the least. But I knew it was something I needed to secure heading into my final year of undergrad to help prepare me for a full-time job after graduation.

My plan was to first figure out which industries or agencies aligned best with my interests and values. I wrote down a few things I loved, like shopping (maybe the fashion industry?), traveling (aviation!), and the kind of agency vibes I was looking for: innovative, creative, and outside-the-box. Then I applied to jobs that matched that list.

Finally, in the fall, I came across this internship on Handshake, and it immediately caught my eye. My first thought was, “What could advertising at the airport possibly look like?” A few weeks later, I was offered an interview, and shortly after that, I got the job!

Due to the lengthy, thorough hiring process that comes with becoming a city employee, I officially started the position this spring semester.

What I Do, Besides Watch Planes Take Off 

In short, Air Service Development is the team responsible for marketing PHL Airport to airlines, basically convincing them to bring their business here. Before starting this job, I had no idea what an Air Service team was or did. But now it makes complete sense; not every airline operates out of every airport, and they don’t fly every route to/from every location. Airlines do what makes strategic sense for their business, but from the airport’s perspective, the more routes, the better.

Bringing a new route to PHL takes a lot of work, and the first step in pitching the airport to potential airline partners is always research, which is where I come in. While research is the core of my role, I’ve also had the chance to jump into other projects where an intern is needed, like creating data visualizations for the airport’s annual revenue, assisting with communications, and helping out with community outreach initiatives.

Working on these projects outside of my usual responsibilities has helped me better understand the Department of Aviation’s business model and how the airport really operates behind the scenes, as well as getting a better feel of what I enjoy doing and what I don’t enjoy doing for work. 

The best part of it all is the amazing and aspirational people I’ve met along the way. There are so many different individuals here, all with unique backgrounds and skill sets, making it the perfect place for growth and unexpected opportunities.

I love PHL, and I’m beyond excited to continue learning here for the remainder of my internship.