The clock strikes midnight and MIA’s third shift begins. Meet Mark Anthony Sepulveda this Third Shift Workers Day!

As the fairy tale goes, once the clock strikes midnight, all returns to normal and the magic disappears. However, at Miami International Airport, it’s quite the opposite. MIA is a non-stop operation, welcoming passengers and cargo 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. While much of the activity takes place during the day and early hours of the night, once midnight strikes, over 300 employees begin their day on the third shift, attending to late-night passengers and preparing the airport for the busyness of the next day to come.

Today, we’re speaking to Mark Anthony Sepulveda, Terminal Maintenance Superintendent on the third shift, and learning a little about what goes on after hours at MIA.

Tell us a little about what you do at MIA.

My primary responsibility is responding to all maintenance-related work requests for Miami International Airport and its general aviation airports, assigning projects to the proper shops, and making sure all work reaches completion. This also consists of responding to any accidents that damage airport property and supervising the third-shift teams.

What’s your favorite part about your job?

My favorite part of my job is that I am responsible for everything dealing with maintenance on the third shift and that my superiors put their trust in me to make decisions.

What do you like best about working the overnight shift?

Working the third shift provides me more quality time with my family.

What’s something that people may not know about you?

That I love to restore and collect antique motorcycles.

What’s different about being at the airport at night?

The airport is a lot quieter and passive at night. It provides us the ability to get more things done with less people and less traffic from passengers and tenants.

How does it feel to be recognized for Third Shift Workers Day?

Totally unexpected! I didn’t even know that a day was dedicated to third-shift workers.