Meet Los Angeles International Airport's N.I.C.E.™ Problem Solvers

300

CSR

Carol H.

Marie O'Kelly Green

It was one of those busy summer days!

Traffic started early and continued to build – then suddenly, power went down in T-2 and passenger anxieties spiraled upward as lines grew longer and travelers snaked outside the terminal. Carol Harding, a Customer Service Agent, rose to the occasion, as she is well known to do. She was proactive and interjected herself into situations with travelers using their faces and stressed expressions as her guide.

She engaged travelers before they could express frustrations and her arms looked like a windmill as she pirouetted on the terminal floor directing anxious travelers to airport employees and airline reps she believed could help them. “Thank you, thank you,” they called over their shoulders as she waved, “happy to do it,” then she turned to the next group needing help.

Throughout the incident she continued to work non stop, then just as things began to calm down a call came from her supervisor: “Carol, can you come quick, they need you over in T 1 to help with congestion.”

Pirouetting again, this time in the direction of T 1, Carol was off to provide her high level of quality service to the next group of LAX customers in need, as she is well-known to do.

---

264

CSR

Joyce W

Turkan Y

A woman’s flight was cancelled and she approached me very upset. She was elderly and crying. She said everyone on the cancelled flight had been told they needed to get a hotel for the night and they were all directed to the Red shuttle bus area, but she was confused, and the tears started all over again.

I used my comforting skills and I told her not to worry that I would help her, and I used my cell phone to explore several hotel options to get her one close by and inexpensive, and this calmed her down, once she saw me working on her behalf.

I found a hotel that was acceptable to her and I took her to the Red shuttle area and because she was elderly – she told me she was about to turn 80 – I waited with her and continued to chat with her to make her feel welcome at our airport.

Then I helped her onto the bus and made sure the driver knew where to take her, and I made sure she understood where to return to the next morning, and by now she was smiling, and very pleased. She said thank you, but just helping her and seeing her relax was all the thanks that I needed.

---

261

CSR

Irene Y

Richardo V

While working Terminal 2 Arrivals, two passengers from a Toronto flight approached me. They where husband and wife and where in a frantic mood. I asked what the problem was and they told me that their 7 year old granddaughter was missing. I remained calm and asked them where they had last seen their granddaughter and they told me they last saw her in the departures level in Terminal 2.

I asked them to wait there and I went upstairs to look for the granddaughter. I noticed a little girl wondering around the terminal by herself and approached her. I asked if she was lost and she replied by telling me that she could not find her grand parents. I then answered by telling her not to worry that I had found them and went back down with the little girl.

When I gave the little girl back to the grandmother she told me that now her husband was missing. She said he was so worried about the granddaughter that he went to the departure level to look for her. It almost felt like dejavous and I went back upstairs without giving it a second thought and located the grandfather.

Finally after much searching the whole family was reunited. The couple could not thank me enough. They hugged me and shook my hand. They told they didn't know what they would have done if I wasn't there.

---

258

CSR

Navin B

Linda P-C

Navin was working the arrivals desk. A 20 year old female passenger approached him saying her credit card would not work. She had forgotten to activate her card for America. She could not take a shuttle to her hotel in Fullerton, because she had no cash. Navin allowed the young woman to use his cell to call Germany and activate her card. The woman had been crying and stopped and was so appreciative. She was now able to begin her vacation in the US.

---

257

CSR

Jan L

Jose R

I saw that an elevator was out in TBIT and I called Maintenance. When I passed a while later I saw that it was still not working and I asked my supervisors permission if I could go across to one of the Maintenance offices and see if the order was being worked on.

I got permission and as I was walking I came across a famly with many suitcases and a stroller. They looked a bit lost and so I was proactive and engaged them. I asked them where they were heading and they told me the carrier and I could see they were going in the wrong direction – so I corrected them and pointed them in the right direction.

Then I proceeded on with my internal service issue to get the elevator repair moving.

---

252

CSR

Jan L

Jose R

A man was highly agitated because he feared he would miss his international flight. He told me the airline he was on and I took him to that carrier, but as we walked I had a proactive thought to ask to see his ticket. He showed it to me and I saw that in fact he was on a different carrier to the Asian city he was trying to get to. Now time was really short, and I went with him to the correct carrier and waited with him, so I could ask the airline rep for an “express pass.” With that in his hand I showed him where he needed to go and assured him he would be OK. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” he said over and over.

---

251

CSR

Jan L

Jose R

A 75-year-old woman started to cry. She told me she had arrived from Tonga at 8am that morning and it was now 3:30pm and her friend had not come to see her. She told me she had lost $5 in the pay phone trying to call her friend. That’s when she started to cry. I told her I would call her friend and I used my cell phone. I got no answer and left a message for her friend with my number and the location where this woman was.

I told the woman I would check back later, and that’s when she told me the full story about how she was trying to fly to Salt Lake City to see her daughter and her friend was supposed to come see her while she waited for the evening connection to go see her daughter. Now I saw the source of the tears, that she was missing her friend, and had really wanted to see her. Language was an issue, but I helped her do her check in for her evening flight, and that calmed her, since that process had been confusing her also.

Even though she didn’t get to see her friend, I got her on the flight to Salt Lake safely and she told me how thankful she was for all my personal concern. I told her that was my job. Then after she left and caught her flight, I got a call back from her friend. I told her the woman was safe, and though the friend was sorry she had not connected, she was happy to know that there was someone at the airport who had cared for her friend.

---

247

CSR

Anna H

Marlene T

A young man was concerned because his flight was cancelled and his baggage had been put on an earlier flight. He was 14, traveling alone and was nervous about what to do.

I engaged him and suggested he check directly with an agent from his airline, then come back to let me know what happened so I could monitor with him. He came back a half hour later and he was supposed to have a four hour layover in Los Angeles and was a little intimidated.

But the agent had found an earlier flight and rebooked him. He had a big smile on his face and was thrilled. As I directed him to his gate he told me how grateful he was that I had taken an interest in him.

---

236

CSR

Jabir S

Linda P-C

The passenger had arrived from Mexico at the TBIT terminal. She was in the exit line in the customs area, and was very anxious because her flight connection was very tight. She informed me that her flight was departing at 10:15pm and it was 9:30 now. I asked her for the flight number and airline. I proceeded to coordinator’s desk and checked the computer. Her flight was departing out of terminal 2. It was also 30minutes late. I went back to the line and informed her that she might still make the flight.

I then called Jabir and asked him to meet the passenger at the arrivals area in TBIT. He agreed to meet her and walk her to terminal 2, then get her to the airline ticket counter. He was waiting for her when she exited the customs area. He helped her push her cart during their rush to terminal 2. Once there he located the ticket counter and explained the problem to the agent. The agent told Jabir not to worry, that he would assist her through security and to her plane. He assured Jabir that she would make her flight.

The passenger was overwhelmed by the efficiency and the kindness of LAX staff. Jabir said she could hardly contain herself as she said a hurried “thank you, thank you” and a warm good bye.

---

235

CSR

Julia G.

Marlene T

A woman from Birmingham, Alabama had to remain in Los Angeles for two days while the airline worked to rebook her to get her home after she had made a mistake with her travel plans. She was upset because her money was running low and she didn’t know if she’d have enough to pay for two nights accommodations.

My co-worker and I found another young woman who was in a similar predicament trying to get home to Birmingham, and we introduced the two travelers. They were grateful, because that gave them a chance, they said, to pool their resources. Not only that but they said they were happy because they each got a chance to make a new friend!

---

234

CSR

Sharon R

Marlene T

A family came down into baggage claim at T 4 anxious and upset because the family that was supposed to meet them had not come. One member called on his cell phone and the party that was supposed to meet them said they were at the airport, but they kept saying, ”We’re not allowed to go inside.”

Finally I figured out that the other family was waiting for them at Tom Bradley building. For whatever reason the family that had come to meet them refused to come over to Terminal 4 for fear of getting lost. I got permission from my supervisor to walk the arriving family over to Tom Bradley, where I created a successful “reunion.”

They were all extremely grateful and kept thanking me over and over.

---

233

CSR

Sharon R

Marlene T

I was working Terminal 1 when two young Japanese girls approached me, very upset. One of the girls had left her ATM card on the Westwood Fly Away Bus. I called the dispatcher for the Bus. He asked the time of day the girls left the Westwood station. The dispatcher called back and told us the bus was still at the departure level and would return to the terminal. I waited with the girls for the bus to come back around and the girls went on board and found the ATM card. They were very very happy and thanked me for my help.

---

231

CSR

Paul B and Susan S

Midori M

Paul, working Terminal 1, called me to ask if he could escort an elderly man with a walker to Tom Bradley Terminal. The elderly man was from Bakersfield and Travelers’ Aid had arranged passage to take him home by bus.

Paul suggested the man spend his time waiting for the bus at Tom Bradley as there were comfortable chairs and a food court. Later in the evening I found out that Paul had called Susan, who was assigned to Bradley to be on the look out for the man and help him if need be.

When I got Bradley I had Susan point him out to me; and when I talked to the man I found him to be very happy with the service LAWA’s CSRs provided. Susan had bought him coffee, Paul had supplied him with some snacks.

---

230

CSR

Sharon R

Marlene T

A couple’s flight to LAX from Paris was delayed 3 ½ hours. They spoke no English came out of the customs area looking ‘lost and worried.’ I could see that and approached them and tried to find out what I could do to help them. They retrieved their cell phone and the text in English said ‘their plane was late and they thought they missed their connection to Honolulu. I asked the security person at the exit if they could speak to a rep from their airline. She said instead they should go to Delta, because Delta had a code share agreement with their airline. I started to walk them to the shuttle bus, but then I was proactive and decided to take a look at their paperwork. They were actually flying another airline to Hawaii and the flight had departed at 3:37 pm and it was now 6:05 pm. I took them upstairs to the carrier’s counter and explained the situation and the agents rebooked them on a later flight. The couple was extremely grateful and thanked me for taking such special care of them.

---

229

CSR

Andy C

Linda P-C

One evening at Terminal 4, I was approached by a passenger who spoke very little English, only Laotian. She kept trying to let me know that she was being picked up and something about her bag (luggage). I could not understand who was picking her up or what happened to her bag. Her cell phone battery was low, so I showed where to plug in the charger. We waited and then she called a family member. He spoke a little more English, but was still hard to understand. The long and short of it was the woman’s bag was already in Fresno, and her family members were waiting for her in Fresno. The long and short of it is she had gotten off at LAX and gone to the curb, while instead she should have gone to catch her connecting flight to Fresno. I took her to the carrier and explained the situation and they got her a hotel room for the night, since there wouldn’t be another flight until the morning. I got her to a hotel and told the hotel to make sure she was back at the airport by 7am to catch her flight. She did sign language to me to show how grateful she was!

---

228

CSR

Sharon R

Marlene T

A gentleman approached me at Terminal 3 and was panicked about his baggage. He was standing under the green sign when the Flyaway bus arrived. The driver took his bag and placed it into the bus’ baggage area. When the passenger inquired whether the bus was going to Union Station, the driver said Van Nuys. The gentleman was going to Union Station, but the bus driver took off. The bus was en route to Van Nuys approximately four minutes, when I called dispatch for the Flyaway transportation and explained what happened. The dispatcher contacted the bus driver who was then located at Terminal 7 about to leave the airport. The dispatcher told us to wait under the green sign at Terminal 3 and the driver would be back in 5 minutes.
The driver returned with the passenger’s luggage and he was extremely happy the situation was resolved immediately. He and his wife both thanked me. It saved them a lot of time and trouble.

---

227

CSR

Martha G

Midori M

One day just before 1630 and the start of our staff briefing, CSR Michael came into the office and told me the woman who had accompanied him to our office wanted to speak to me. The traveler, a State Farm Ins. Agent from Fort Collins, Colorado wanted to tell me that Michael had been very helpful to her.

She had come back to the airport from her hotel hoping to find someone who would gave her options on how to get to the places she wanted to visit around Los Angeles. She was going to have some extra time and she was anxious to see LA.

She was delighted to have “discovered” Michael, she said, and he provided “everything and more.” She was obviously impressed enough to take the time and walk the distance from T2 to our office (eastern most end of T3) to speak to a supervisor. The traveler said she had a business of her own and knew how important customer service is to an organization; that it spoke highly of LAX to have personnel like Michael.

---

226

CSR

Joyce W

Turkan Y

A customer was upset because he had forgotten his I Pad on the airplane and spoke hardly any English. I used one or more of the strengths from my Personal Resiliency to solve the problem: I went to the airline with him and explained what had happened. The agent made a radio call to check if the I Pad was found, it turned out it was found and the agent told the customer to wait 15-20 minutes to get it back from the airplane. The customer left happy saying: thank you for getting involved and helping me.

---

225

CSR

Cynthia D.

Linda P-C

Cynthia was working the Information desk at the departures level of TBIT. A passenger approached her at the desk and said she had just come into terminal 7 and had dropped her Blackberry on the airplane. Cynthia called the airline for the passenger, so they could check their lost and found room. But the airline did not answer the phone. Cynthia tried to call several times. Each time there was no answer. The passenger’s flight was ready to depart for New Zealand in another hour and a half.

Cynthia gave the passenger instructions on how to get back to terminal 7. The passenger said she was afraid to walk by herself. Cynthia was at the desk by herself and could not leave. She called the FIS area and explained that there was a passenger who needed assistance in getting to terminal 7.

Turkan and I arrived on the departures level and met the passenger. We told her that it was a safe walk back to terminal 7. She would have none of it. So we walked her back to terminal 7. When we arrived at the baggage office they could not get hold of the cleaning crew. So they had the passenger fill out a form and told her to give them a call when she returns from her trip.

On the fast walk back to TBIT I let the passenger use my cell phone to call her sister. She was to contact her sister on her trip and now would not be able to. Her sister informed her that the cleaning crew had called her over an hour ago to say they had found the phone. Her sister had informed the crew which airline and the destination of her sister would be. The airline said that they would get the phone to the departure gate for the passenger.

The passenger was so happy that all three of us got involved. She said she felt safe and protected by all our help. She also said that the trip would now be a happy one.

---

224

CSR

Sharon R

Marlene T

A flight from Paris was 3 ½ hours late getting into LA. A couple who spoke no English came out of the Customs area looking ‘lost and worried.' I could see apprehension on their faces and I approached them to find out what I could do to help. Through hand signals they showed me how they were concerned that they would miss their connection to Honolulu.

I sought to calm them and started to walk them to the shuttle bus to help them to Delta, which is where they thought they needed to catch their connection, but just to be sure I decided to look at their paperwork. Good thing because I discovered they were actually flying on United Airlines to Hawaii and the flight had departed at 3:37 pm and it was now 6:05 pm.

I communicated that they had missed their flight, but I reassured them that they had me on their side, and I took them back to their original carrier, which was able to rebook them on the next flight to Hawaii. They were extremely grateful and thanked me for all I did for them in a new, strange city.

---

223

CSR

Cynthia D.

OSamu K.

I was on my way to lunch when I saw a couple very animated, like they were confused and upset. I walked over to see if I could help them and very quickly I could see that they were deaf. The woman signaled to me about “a car leaving.” I wrote down on a piece of paper, “What can I do to help you?” and the couple wrote down on a piece of paper explaining their problem, which was this: they needed to make a car rental reservation for a car to Arizona but they had not been able to achieve that at the TTY phone in the courtesy booth.

I signaled to them to relax, that they now had me on their side, and I called Hertz. That’s the logo they showed me and I began the coordination effort to get them a reservation. This was not easy, though, since the couple and I had to communicate back and forth with scribbling on paper, then I relayed their desires to the Hertz agent.

Finally we got it all done, then I walked them to the Car Rental Shuttle. The lady was especially happy. She wrote me a note on a piece of paper that said, “Thank God we met you.” That was so much better than lunch!

---

222

CSR

Robert E.

Turkan Y

A student approached me. He did not speak any English at all, but signaled to me that he was coming from an Arabian country to spend a month with a US family. That piece of information was not easy to ascertain, but in the end that’s what he was able to communicate to me, that and the fact that the family who was supposed to meet him did not come. He had the paperwork from the agency sponsoring him and I called them. I got a recording, so I read further down on the paper to find the name of the sponsoring family. I called them and they said that the agency had told them the young man was supposed to take transportation to their home in Carson. I got permission from my supervisor to take the young man to Travelers’ Aid in Bradley terminal, but just as I arrived, my cell phone rang and it was the family calling me. They had spoken to the agency and had received permission for the boy to take a taxi and they would pay for it. I communicated this to the boy, who understood ultimately my reason for taking him to a taxi. He got in and smiled, but before he did he said something to me in Arabic that along with his big smile indicated that he was very grateful for all my help.

---

221

CSR

Robert E.

Turkan Y

A traveler from Reno was having a huge problem. His wife had gone to China and was due back in a week. He flew from Reno to LAX because he wanted to talk to her carrier in person to clear up some issues with her reservation. But the carrier’s counter was closed and had no way to make contact before he had to fly back to Reno.

I was proactive and went to his carrier’s office and personally found a willing rep to come out of the office onto the floor and meet with the man. He was so appreciative. He got his business done, then shaked my hand repeatedly, thanking me over and over again for saving him a wasted trip from Reno.

---

220

CSR

Cynthia D.

Midori M

A young woman traveling with 4-year-old boy just arrived from New York at T4. I saw both of them were kneeling down on the floor against the wall, not far from the carousel where people passed back and forth. The mom looked apprehensive. She was wiping the boy' bloody nose with a napkin. She kept looking around for someone while trying to calm the confused crying boy.

I stepped up and asked the lady, “Can I help you? I work for the airport.” The mom told me that her son’s nose had bleeding since they landed. She didn’t know what to do, and her family hadn’t arrived yet to pick them up. I asked her if she wanted a paramedic, but she declined. I offered to her help with cold compress in the restroom, and she refused that too. Still the boy’s nose was still bleeding heavily, and I was worried. I couldn’t possibly let them just go like that, so I called my supervisor, Midori, and explained what was going on. Midori suggested I call First Aid, and I did. Then I explained to the mom that the airport had a First Aid Nurse who was going to come to make sure her son was OK.

She liked that idea and while we waited for the nurse, I told the mom and son to move to a better location away from crowd where they could sit. I gave them plenty of paper towels. Then 5 minutes later 3 First Aid Attendants came with Midori right behind. They got the boy’s bleeding to stop, and for the first time the mother smiled. She smiled with relief , and as the boy started walking around again as if nothing had happened, I smiled with relief too!

---

219

CSR

Anna G

Chris G.

One day recently I observe Anna spending a great deal of time with a passenger and as her supervisor I inquired if something was wrong. I learned that the passenger, a seaman who had limited ability with English, had been waiting in FIS area for two hours because Customs was unable to process him into the country – since he could not provide a U S address where he’d be staying.

Anna was proactive and took charge. She called the arrival information desk to confirm the situation then called a phone number the passenger had in his possession, but to no avail. Anna then proceeded to look at an itinerary information sheet the passenger possessed and was able to identify the name of the company that he had come to the country to work for. Again being proactive she googled it and came up with the address the passenger so desperately needed to get admitted to the U S.

Customs was satisfied and the passenger said thank you for all the help, because without Anna he could’ve been at the airport all night!

---

218

CSR

Cynthia G.

Theresa O.

I was at the information desk at arrivals level when a distressed young lady approach Cynthia Gonzales and asked for advice. The traveler had lost her passport with twenty minutes time before boarding time. Cynthia, quickly contacted Airport Police, and worked with police to find the passport. The traveler showed tremendous gratitude for Cynthia’s quick action in locating the passport. If Cynthia had not taken quick action, she said, she would have missed her flight.

---

217

CSR

Landry Y

LLinda P-C

At 9:00pm a passenger came to the arrivals information desk very upset. He was told that the Santa Barbara Air Bus had a pick up at LAX at 8:30pm. He had been waiting for over half an hour and no bus came by. I checked the schedule and informed him that the bus left at 8:00pm. He said that earlier he had been given information - the wrong information obviously, and so now he was very unhappy.

He explained that he went to get something to eat because he thought he had the time. If he had know the correct time he never would have eaten.
I informed him that the next bus would leave at 10:00pm. I also directed him to the correct bus sign. I also apologized for the previous misinformation.

The customer left happy with me if not with the situation. Hes thanked me for understanding his need.

---

216

CSR

Suzanne L, through Anna H

Marlene T

While I was working with Suzanne at the TBIT Arrivals Information Desk a passenger who had arrived from Sydney was very agitated because she did not see the limo driver she had made a reservation to meet her. She asked if we had seen the driver and we replied we had not seen him.

Suzanne was engaging and proactive and Googled the number and found an 800 number which she gave to the passenger. The passenger became indignant when she discovered the limo service was based in Chicago. The passenger then asked Suzanne if she was reading the number correctly to her. Suzanne repeated the number very kindly. Again Suzanne was proactive and Googled further and found a local number for the service. She proceeded to give the passenger the local number but it was a non working number and now this made the passenger very angry.

I never met a passenger so rude and demeaning. Through all this, Suzanne maintained a calm, professional demeanor. I was very proud of her as she proved to be a real professional. She continued to be creative and helpful and finally the lady found the number for the limo company in her cell phone.

---

215

CSR

Sandra W

Jose R

This is a story about a missing Handbag and a CSR who wouldn’t give up till she found the owner!

Customer service rep Sandra found a large ladies black handbag in the the ladies room in Terminal 6. She checked the purse and found a drivers license in the wallet, with the owner’s name. She proceeded to each gate area in T 6 and had the lady paged. The lady was paged at three different locations and finally at Gate 65, the passenger heard her name and claimed her hand bag. The ticket agent and Sandra verified the handbag indeed belonged to this lady.

The lady was overjoyed. She didn’t know her bag was missing until she heard her name being paged at the gate. Sandra received ‘thanks’ from the gate agent and also lots of ‘hugs’ and ‘kudos’ from the passenger.

---

214

CSR

Sue V

Marlene T

An elderly lady fell while going up on the escalator. She was in a hurry to catch her flight and had tried to go faster than the escalator, and in the process banged her knee, which was bleeding and she was very agitated.
I approached the lady and asked her if I could help. At first she refused. I insisted she have a wheelchair.

I went to the airline ticket kiosk at Terminal 6 and asked for a wheelchair and some bandages. I insisted I was trying to lend a hand to one of their customers, and the agent looked for some band aids but could not find any. Then he called for a supervisor. In the meantime I tried to calm the elderly lady and assured her she would not miss her flight to Miami. The wheelchair arrived with a supervisor equipped with a First Aid Kit.

The traveler was very happy and hugged me. She said she was really pleased that I took the time to help her. She said she was so afraid she would miss her flight to Miami and that is why she was so agitated. She waved good bye and thanked me again. It was a very rewarding experience to see her smiling and happy – with her bandage in place!

---

213

CSR

Nancy C

Chris G.

A traveler arriving at TBIT looked very worried and upset, and so I approached her to see if she needed any help. She had two small boys with her, but one son had wandered out ahead and was missing. She couldn’t find him and as seconds ticked on she got increasingly worried. I calmed her and used my engagement strength to go up ahead and see if I could find a worried little boy. Sure thing, I did, and I asked him if he was looking for his mother. He said, yes, and I knew I had the boy I was looking for. I reunited him with his mother and the mother calmed down instantly and thanked me over and over!

---

212

CSR

Alicija W

Chris G.

While working on the arrival information desk Alicija was approached by a very upset and frantic passenger asking if anyone had turned in a laptop he had just lost. He mentioned that he had very important and confidential data in it.

Alicja contacted lost and found, but no luck. She felt really bad and helpless that she couldn’t do more for the passenger but did not give up. She asked the passenger his name and contact number in case someone turned in the laptop. The passenger explained that he did not have a local phone number so he left his European number. The man left the airport probably thinking he would never see his laptop again. But to Alicja’s surprise, 40 minutes later, a policeman approached Alicja holding a laptop he had found outside the terminal. After Alicja gave the policeman all the information, the laptop was taken to the police station.

Since Alicja was unable to make an international call from work, she waited until her shift ended and she called the man from home with the good news and gave him all the information he needed to recover his laptop. The passenger could not believe her tireless efforts and he thanked her over and over.

---

211

CSR

Martha M

Chris G.

While working at the Arrival information desk, Martha was approached by a passenger who had been delayed in the Customs processing area and did not have anyone to pick him up. Martha asked if he had a phone number to call his family but he could not find one. The passenger left and Martha went down stairs to clock out, but as Martha exited the building the same passenger approached her. He said he had found a number to call his family, but asked her for help in getting a telephone calling card since the place that sold them was closed.

Martha put the passenger in the “Needs Box” by giving him the money to cover the call and helped him dial it so he could communicate with his family and get his needs met. Thanks to Martha he was able to reach his family and as it turned out the family had the wrong arrival date but the family said they’d be on the way. The passenger was happy and very thankful for Martha's help.

---

210

CSR

Airport Guide I

Lee, Ming Wen

One day, when I was in the Exit Point, the Inspector Supervisor came to me asked” Do you speak Mandarin?” I said” yes”, he said” this lady who can’t speak English, she was staying here for so many hours that looks for her luggage, normally, she tell us no luggage with her, after that she looks for her luggage, we got confuse on her, can you asked her and make sure how many luggage she has.” The final was: she had two luggage and her daughter wait for her outside, even airline agent all leave already, she did not know where can get her luggage, I was back to information desk to tell coordinator which I need to escort one lady to departure, then I guide this lady to departure on China Eastern Airline counter and tell all situation to them, also the one guide was her son in law who wait for her for a long time too and her daughter still wait for her in the arrival area, after that the airline agent went to get luggage to her, her son in law and her were so happy, they give me highly appreciated. Because her daughter and son in law though that is big trouble to them” The mom was disappear”

---

209

CSR

Yonis M and Richardo V

LLinda P-C

A young European woman approached the info desk. She was upset and crying. She had flown in from St. Louis and her traveling companion was scheduled to come in on another flight. She could not find her companion or the greeter who was to meet them, so she was doubly upset.

Yonis and Ricardo were proactive and took step one to connect her with her companion. They took the info about her friend’s airline and looked up the flight on the computer. Just their willingness to help, along with their calm tone, prompted the woman to stop crying.

They gave her the arrival time and the location for her friend, Terminal 4 and she went off, eager to wait for her friend to arrive. Then they did extra for her – they called over to the carrier and the carrier rep said she would look for the young woman on their end and help unite the young woman with her friend.

---

208

CSR

Robert E.

Turkan Y

A lady asked for help in halting English. She had a reservation at the Holiday Inn Express and didn’t know how to get there. I asked if she meant the Inn at LAX, and she said yes. I dialed the number on the hotel board, but did not get an answer. So I used my cell phone. The agent there, however, said they did not have a reservation for a woman by that name. The clerk said she should come over, though, and they would resolve the issue, so I moved the woman and her 12 pieces of luggage to the hotel pick up area.

That’s when she told me she had the name of the hotel wrong, and she gave me the name of another hotel. I called that one on my cell, and sure enough they had the reservation. I waited for her to catch the shuttle to that hotel, to make sure she got to her destination safely.

I felt proud that I was able to use my “resiliency” strengths from training, including "engagement" – calling with my personal cell phone – "proactive" – making sure she got to the right destination. And patience - staying calm and polite through the wrong process to make sure she got the best possible service to meet her needs.

---

207

CSR

Janice A

Midori M

I had a traveler who did not speak English and had 2 large pieces of luggage trying to get from T6 to China Airline. He wanted a cart but had only a twenty dollar bill.

To solve the problem, I asked several people in the area if they could make change, but no luck. I finally noticed a person in the lobby leaning on a cart that he was not using. I used my optimism, told the person the situation and asked if he wouldn’t mind giving the cart to the traveler. The person said, “Of course.”

The traveler left happy with the cart, waving excitedly as he went. He tried to thank me by offering me money and a smile. I rejected the money, of course, but accepted the smile!

---

206

CSR

Angie H

Midori M

I had customers who were upset because they had been dropped off at the wrong terminal (T2), by the shuttle driver. To solve their problem, I took them to the upper level of the Bradley Building and showed them how to get to their carrier in T4. I apologized for the driver and told them sometimes the drivers are new and don’t have complete knowledge of the airport. The customers left happy saying, thank you, we hope we find someone like you in T4 with your patience and kindness!

---

205

CSR

Katalin T

Osamu K.

It might seem like a little thing but it was very frustrating for the lady who was struggling to free her purse from a cart. The string from her jacket got tangled with her purse and both got stuck in a luggage cart. I saw the lady having trouble get the whole thing untangled, and I stepped in and engaged her. She let me have a hand at it and I was able to get her free. She spoke very softly, but with thankful eyes, “Thank you,” she said, and I felt good.

---

204

CSR

LAWA's CSR "Team"

Sabrina A

We had 2,497 passengers between 10:10 and 10:50 with the following flights: AS 243, CX 884, NH 6, QF 11, TN 8, JL 62, OZ 202, AM 646, AA 170, KE 17. Number of CBP officers processing the passengers: 32, Number of Quads open 8.
Number of CSR's on duty at the FIS at 10:00 6. Number of CSR's at the primary 4
Due to the volume of passengers and lack of room at the primary, I turned both escalators (SE7, NE7) off to prevent any unfortunate accident. C & M was notified at 11:00 and escalators went back up.
CSR's did an outstanding job handling the huge volume of passenger traffic and worked very hard to meet everyone’s need. I am so proud of each of them.

---

203

CSR

Paul B

Midori M

This story does not fit the format of the Gold Form, however, it shows how appreciated our Ambassadors are. During my rounds, I entered T5, ambassdor Paul Brauner’s assigned terminal. We talked a few moments, commenting on various issues related to the terminal. Just then, a man came by and as he passed, he thanked Paul for his help. I jokingly asked how much Paul had paid him to say that in front of a supervisor. The gentleman said he had been helped by Paul, had watched Paul work as he waited for his friend. He said, “Paul was a good man, you (LAX) are lucky to have him, he’s a great asset.”

I said it was nice to hear and thanked him for letting me know. He then gave me his card: Mr. Isaac Banks, deputy of Arts and Culture for the City of Los Angeles.

---

202

CSR

Chris G.

Coordinator

It was late at night and we had several flights arriving at the same time. This created unusually long lines outside the stanchions. For some reason U.S. citizens were being placed behind some long visitor lines. Because I considered it to be an erroneous decision and the U.S. citizens started complaining, I went to the watch commander and explained the situation. He was proactive and requested a meeting with his supervisor. Both inspectors expressed agreement with me that the U S citizens should be processed separately from the visitors, in their own lines. I felt good for being proactive and bringing this to the attention of the proper authorities to get the situation remedied and save the U S citizens from having a very unpleasant LAX Airport passenger processing experience.

---

201

CSR