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

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Ben C

Sgt Holcomb

One day Ben noticed a young girl standing by the doorway at TBIT. When he passed a while later he saw her standing in the same spot. When he passed yet again, he saw that she had tears in her eyes and he walked over to introduce himself as an airport operations employee and he asked if she was OK.

In her late teens the girl trembled as she told how upset and anxious she was. She said she was due to fly to Australia, then connect for a flight home to New Zealand, but he traveling companion, whom she had met working at a Christian summer camp that summer, had not shown to meet her at their prearranged spot.

Ben calmed her with a smile, and started to brainstorm with her on things they could do. She said she had been so excited because it was her plan to fly home early to surprise her parents, but now she feared that she might miss her flight because she was committed to wait for her friend, and she didn’t know what to do.

Ben suggested she try calling her friend and he gave her his cell phone. The girl called, but not luck. Her friend did not answer. Then Ben was proactive and suggested she try her Facebook page to see if her friend had tried contacting her that way. Again no luck.

Next Ben took her to her carrier’s counter, and with the help of an airline rep they were able to determine that the friend had already checked in and was waiting – probably just as anxiously – at the gate.

Now the young girl beamed and thanked Ben profusely. He helped get her checked in, then walked with her to the security area where she smiled as wide as she could and thanked him for taking such grand care of her and making such a wonderful impression of LA and LAX for her.

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Hyder S

Mark Logan

One August day a distressed passenger traveling to Guangzhou, China came to the TBIT Information counter for help. The passenger had arrived the night before on a domestic carrier with a connecting flight on her China carrier to her destination. Unfortunately due to weather, she arrived late at LAX and missed the connecting flight. Ticketing at her connecting carrier was closed and so she spent the night in TBIT.

Before seeking help at the Information Counter, the passenger placed several calls to both her domestic and Chinese carriers but was unable to secure any further re-booking assistance. The passenger then turned to LAWA for help.

Hyder, an Airport Ops, was assigned to walk her through the re booking processes with her airlines. After several hours of standing in line and ticket counters, placing several phone calls on the passengers behalf, the passenger secured a ticket and returned home that afternoon on a flight to China.

I would like to thank Hyder for his efforts in resolving the issue for this passenger and congratulating him on a job well done, especially the great care, patience and ongoing concern he showed.

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Manny M.

Supervisor: D’Ann McCoy-Snearl and Paul Adams

I was on my way to lunch when a couple walked out of Terminal 7 and approached me looking very confused and anxious. They asked if I could help them and I did my usual in that case, I always show the customer a big smile and an “open for business face.”

The couple said they were on their way to the east coast but with all the thunderstorms back east their flight was delayed and they didn’t want to just sit around. They wondered if I had any ideas on how they could spend their time productively.

I said, absolutely, and this relaxed them further. Then I said my suggestion would depend on how much time they had: when travelers have at least ten hours I told them I suggest going south to Redondo Beach on the trolley which departs Century Blvd every 25 minutes, or north to Venice Beach on the C Shuttle. Both places offer beach scenes, great restaurants, tourist shops and even jugglers.

They smiled and said, “Boy, we found the right guy.” I told them I was proud to know all abour our local attractions. They said, “We see that.” But they said they had only five hours not ten and wanted something to eat but something memorable to see as well. I told them if they took the “G” bus and walked one block north after they got off at Greenline Station, there was a restaurant called “The Proud Bird.” It had vintage airplanes on the lawn and they could tell all their friends back east about that.

They said, “Wow!” and said they had never expected to meet such a well-informed travel agent, but they were happy they did. They said they would go to the place with vintage planes, but what they would tell their friends about was how helpful LAX workers are.

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Lillian L.

Supervisor: Silveria Silva

Lillian L. is an Accounting Clerk II in the Accounts Payable Section. Here's her story:

A vendor was highly distressed. Hers was a small company and she had not received payment for two invoices that were overdue and she was very emotional. It just happened by chance that she got me on the phone when she called, but I could hear the distress in her tone, and I told her I would help her.

She told me she needed the money for her breast cancer treatment and she was worried she wouldn’t have the money in time and she was distraught. I asked her if she could give me time to investigate and this calmed her down.

I did my research and I found that during the processing of her invoices there had been a delay back at the division level where she had performed her services. That happens sometimes during the review process, but now instead of being on top of the pile for immediately payment, her invoices were still in the middle of the pile awaiting further review. I knew this meant she would not be getting paid, and that’s when I took it upon myself to act.

I called the division where the invoices had originated and explained the situation. I told them I didn’t care how long it took I was prepared to do whatever was needed on my end and together we finished up the review process. Then the next step was auditor’s approval. I walked to the auditors and explained the situation to them, laying out all the details of my investigation, and the auditors were able to sign off.

Then I called the lady back and I gave her the happy news that soon she would be getting her check and I hoped that would help her. Her voice was full of joy now, and that made me happy that I had been lucky enough to have a chance to help her.

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Sam N

Supervisor

Sam Nene, who works in the VNY Airport Manager's Office received a phone call from a distraught UCLA student who forgot her purse on Van Nuys Flyaway bus when she disembarked at LAX Terminal 1. The young woman was in tears as she had cash, credit cards, and California driver license in the lost purse. She was scheduled to leave on a flight to San Francisco within 1 ½ hours and she was beside herself.

Immediately, Sam swung into action and reassured the customer that he would do whatever he could to locate her lost purse. He got the customer's call back cell phone number then went to work. After contacting Van Nuys Flyaway bus dispatch operator in the Long Beach Office and the Flyaway bus driver on the radio, the purse was located before the bus reached the Terminal 7 at the end of LAX CTA.

Sam described the customer and contents to the dispatcher and bus driver and instructed the bus driver to look for the customer in Terminal 1 departure level while simultaneously contacting the customer to go on the departure level to meet with the bus driver. The customer ran to the departure level curbside and took possession of the purse by identifying items inside the purse. Within 25-30 minutes, the lost purse was located and returned to the owner at Terminal 1.

After going through the security lines and before boarding the airplane, the customer called Sam to thank him for helping her through this ordeal. Sam noted the joy in the voice of the customer and was thankful for the opportunity to serve the LAWA customer in times of crisis.

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Sam N

Flora Margheritis

Sam received a phone call from a Van Nuys Flyaway customer who needed assistance. The PAX was upset because she could not locate her carrier's departure gate/terminal at LAX. The customer attempted to contact the airlines but could not locate a live person to find out departure gate for the woman's outbound flight to Oregon.

Sam secured the customer's phone number and assured her that he would call her with accurate information asap. By contacting the airlines directly after verifying the flight information on LAWA.org website, Sam emailed the information to the customer and also provided the information over the phone. The customer thanked Sam for his prompt response and sent him thank you emails.

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Maggie Y

Eric L

Maggie Y, a graphic designer, was walking through the terminals one day when a woman approached her very upset. The woman could not speak English, but she showed with her body language and signals that she was lost and couldn’t find her way to her connecting flight.

Maggie interrupted what she was doing and adapted to the woman’s need. She smiled, which calmed the woman, and then she spoke Chinese to her, which really brightened her, since that was her language. Maggie made her feel comfortable and walked her to the shuttle bus that would take her to her appropriate carrier for her connecting flight.

The woman thanked Maggie over and over for her kindness, and said how “lucky” she was to find someone who could speak Chinese.

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Robert U

Elias C

Robert U, who works in LAWA’s parking services unit, had a customer who was upset because he wanted to make a parking purchase outside the scope of technically what was permitted.

Robert engaged him and told him not to worry, that he would stay with him until the matter was settled and immediately the customer calmed down. Then Robert took him through the procedures and showed him options on how together they could accomplish what the man wanted, helping him get his need met through an alternate route, and this settled the man down fully.

Then Robert was proactive and designed a solution that was acceptable to the man, though it wasn’t what he wanted originally, but in the end satisfied him.

“I’m totally happy now, “ the man said, and Robert told him that was the goal.

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Dee L

Diane S

Dee L, an airport guide at Van Nuys, got a call from an outraged airport neighbor who complained that there was a pothole in her road and she blamed an airport contractor for causing it.

Immediately Dee calmed her by keep her tone calm and explained that she would do everything she could to investigate the situation and find a solution. Dee assured the woman she would get back to her, then Dee called the city and found a person who could get involved and check out the situation and find the right solution.

Dee called the resident back and got her email and emailed her the name of the city’s contact person. A bit later Dee received a thank you email back from the resident explaining that that approach had worked. The resident thanked Dee for getting involved and providing leadership for the solution.

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Stella B

Frances B

Stella B, who works in Facilities planning, was walking across the airport on her way home when a woman approached her. The lady was very upset because her flight had arrived early and her cell phone had died. She had no way to contact the person coming to pick her up and she was distraught.

Though she was on her way home, Stella never hesitated to help the lady. She engaged the woman in conversation, which calmed her, and Stella offered to let the woman use her cell phone. The woman did, but no luck, she could not get through to her friend and left a message that she had arrived and left word about her location.

When Stella learned the lady was trying to get to downtown LA, Stella brainstormed with her on several ground transportation options she could take, using her knowledge of all the various service providers. But the woman said she did not want to take a bus.

The woman thanked Stella for all the trouble, especially for her kindness and concern. Rather than think of herself and her own need to get home, Stella continued to reassure the woman that she would be all right if she chose to wait for her friend. The woman said the big airport was confusing to her, and a bit scary, but just having someone like Stella she could turn to for help was all she needed. In the end she chose to wait for her friend, but she touched Stella’s hand to say thank you, and now she was calm.

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KATHRYN K

Supervisor - Yvonne M

Kathryn K, who works in Airport Development, was approached by a fellow employee who needed to get a FedEx out. The person was agitated because the deadline for FedEx pick up was coming. The person did not work in Kathryn’s area, but Kathryn recognized him as a fellow employee in the Division and offered to help. She took the package and made sure that it went out that day, then even followed up the next day to confirm that delivery had been made – and sent work to her colleague, as an example of true internal customer service.

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285

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Thomas T

Nancy C

Thomas T, an employee in Public Relations, was on his way back to his office when he noticed a woman who appeared very frazzled. He walked over to see if she needed help. She got very animated and though she could not speak English very well, Thomas was able to decipher that she had come in late on a flight and needed to make a connection. Someone had sent her to the wrong terminal and she was nearly in tears as Thomas sought to comfort her. She continued to wave her arms because she was afraid she would miss her connecting flight.

Thomas calmed her, using body language and a smile. He reassured her that he would help her. Instead of heading to his office, he guided her in the right direction and walked her to the proper terminal for her connecting flight.

He stayed with her until she was calm and confident that she was in the right line to check in for her flight, and assured that she was going to be fine and would make the flight. She tried to offer Thomas $20, but he smiled again and said, no, no, no, he was just doing his job and seeing her happy was all he needed to make him happy.

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Hugh T

Karen Tozer

A customer (bidder) was upset because he had not received a copy of a bid for a tires contract. At that time, LAWA was still maintaining list of bidders by industrial category and mailing out bids. He was very vocal on the phone with me about being a small local business owner and having been denied a business opportunity.

I used the following strengths from the my personal resiliency profile to solve the problem. I engaged him by offering to meet with him in person at our office to go over what could have happened and what could be done in the future and he accepted. My explanation to him was that we rotate buyers and the commodities they purchase and there is always a chance with a novice buyer that he/she will not use the established list of bidders for tires.

I was adaptable, optimistic and pro-active by offering him apologies for the mistake and showing him that there were other opportunities for bid, such another contract coming up for the Ontario airport and the City of Los Angeles (I researched on the computer in front of him the likely dates for these new bids) , small purchases below $1,000 done directly by the fleet office (I give him the name and telephone number of the subbuyer at fleet).

The customer left happy, saying thanks for the time I spent with him and for having a better knowledge of on-going bidding opportunities.

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Monique B

Barbara Y

Travelers from all over the world have questions when it comes to navigating the large landscape of LAX – and often they have these questions even BEFORE they arrive. That’s why LAX has an “Infoline,” and LAX is gifted to have Monique Bell as the person running the operation.

The questions into Monique’s desk run non stop, and include requests such as “I will be reaching LAX at 7:25 am from Tucson, after connecting in Tucson from JFK, and I would like to know if my JFK connection is late getting into Tucson and my Tucson flight to LAX is late too, will I have time to make my next connection in LA?”

As you can see the questions can get complex and often require Monique to be a “detective” to get at the heart of the question and the person’s need so she can get them a satisfactory answer. But always she does, and she will open up long and extended conversations over the computer and phone with her “guests,” as she consider all those who reach out to her.

Other questions involve parking, not only the best places to park to ensure the shortest walk to the terminal, but also the cost of parking. And she’ll get lost wallet, computer and iphone inquiries, as well as requests for tours and even long and involved questions about how to read the airport map, along with where’s the best place to get French food or a bagel.

But at times Monique needs to shift into a serious mode too, as was the case one day – her proudest achievement, she said – when someone contacted infoline with a threat to the airport, and she was able to loop in the police and help get police apprehend the person.

Service and security. All in a day’s work, with hundreds upon hundreds of inquiries a week – all of them satisfied customers, because of Monique’s special skills, commitment and passion for the airport and its customers.

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Cary S

Patricia E

As Patricia E., a LAWA OPS Duty Manager, explained: a very happy customer called to let us know that Cary S had gone above and beyond to help out the caller’s mother. Apparently the mom is a bit frail and given the confusing environment at LAX on a recent Friday night, she was also disoriented. Cary spent a considerable amount of time helping her mom, the caller said, and helped fine her bags, then find her, the daughter.

“It was obvious from her phone call that she had a positive experience at LAX, thanks to Cary,” said Patricia.

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LAWA OPS Staff

Oprah Winfrey Producers

John Grant and Phil Oglesby, senior producers with the Oprah Winfrey Network, wrote to commend a host of LAWA Ops employees who went to great lengths to help Oprah’s “Your Own Show” film its reality show at LAX. As Oprahs’ producers said, “Reality shows have become a major force in shooting around LA and have enormous importance to the industry which is responsible for nearly 350,000 jobs generating over 47 billion dollars to the local economy. With your help at LAX you help us keep production jobs in California. Thank you for your wonderful work!”

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Sharon R

Marlene T

I spotted a woman with an infant and a toddler sitting in baggage claim and I noticed she had been there for almost two hours. I engaged her, but she did not speak English so I looked at her luggage to get her name and I addressed her by name and asked if I could help her. She showed me her ticket and I saw that the flight she had been scheduled to connect with had departed an hour earlier. I continued to engage her and I offered to walk her and her young children up to the ticket area. There I found an airline agent and explained the situation, and the agent responded to her need also, and rebooked her on a flight to Reno leaving in another hour. I walked the woman and her babies to the Security line and made sure they got through Security and got to their gate. The look in the lady’s eye was worth a million dollars.

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86

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Myrl W

Marivi M.

A family approached me very upset because they had misplaced their hotel and Super Shuttle vouchers for Disneyland. They didn’t know whether they had left the vouchers on the plane or at the departure gate back in Vancouver, British Columbia where they had flown in from. I engaged them to calm them down and I assured them I would help them. I called to their carrier’s rep, who called the arrival gate where their plane was still parked, but there were no vouchers there. And so we kept trying. I called another agent for that airline and that agent called to Vancouver, and sure enough the gate agent in Canada had them in hand. We explained to the family that the packet would be put on the next plane from Vancouver and soon they would have their tickets to Disneyland. They told me they were very impressed that I knew exactly what to do, and they thanked me.

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Marge M and Marilyn R

Marlene T and Rhea W

Two ladies were very upset because their flight to Fiji got cancelled. They were headed to a remote area near Fiji to see their missionary children and their grandkids. The ladies approached Marge and Marilyn for assistance, and the two worked together to explore how to get them rebooked. The carrier they were on had only two flights a week and that meant the ladies would have to wait four days until the next flight, and would miss seeing their missionary children. Marge and Marilyn continued to think proactively and they came up with a way that got them on an alternate carrier, a flight that got the ladies out and on their way that evening. Two weeks later Marilyn was working in Terminal 6 when one of the ladies spotted her and told her how wonderful their trip had been. They got a chance to see their missionary children and grandchildren and none of that would have been possible without the help and creative efforts of Marge and Marilyn.

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lLynda C.

Linda P-C

A mother and daughter were late arriving in LA and they missed their cruise that they had come to catch. It was a $5000 cruise and when they called they were told that in fact the ship had left and there was nothing that could be done. I engaged them to show that I cared, and together we came up with the idea that they might call their cruise insurance person, and they did. That person suggested that they might want to fly to the first port of call for the ship and hope they could get on there. He said he would investigate to see if that could work. They were upset and anxious, but they were very happy that I stayed with them and comforted them and tried to help. I found them a hotel they could stay at overnight while the insurance man investigated, and as I sent them on a shuttle bus to the hotel we did not have a resolution, but we had hope!

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John S

Marivi M.

This is a short story, but it had a big impact. A woman was frantic because she didn’t have change to make an important phone call. I adapted to her situation and I was also proactive because I suggested she use my cell phone. She did and got through to the person she needed to contact quickly and she was very grateful.

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Geraldine G

Sabrina A

I was working at the information counter at the departure level when two very upset passengers approached me and asked for help with a serious situation. They had just arrived from back east. It was a father and daughter. They came to meet the man’s wife and deliver some very sad news. The news was that there had been a death in the family and they needed a quiet, private place to deliver the news. Immediately I engaged them and told them there was a small, private room that I thought they could use, and I offered to check on it. I got approval and got a key and I took them there. They were so relieved, I could see it in their faces. I was just happy that I could bring comfort to them at such a painful time.

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Verena K.

Sabrina A

Four travelers from Germany approached me asking if I could page a member of their party they could not find. The person had been with them, but got separated. I conducted a page, but still the person did not respond. The four, who did not speak English, were getting progressively more upset, and so I was proactive and called police. This produced the answer because the police reported that a man by that name had slipped and fallen outside and had been taken to a local hospital. I was able to translate for the people, then I helped them get a rental car so they could hurry off and meet their person at the hospital. They were still very upset, but relieved and grateful for all the help I gave them. They told me that.

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John S

Marivi M.

This is a report by Marivi M: suddenly John S was seen running toward the middle aisle at Terminal 3. He was followed by Supervisor Rhea W. At first it was hard to detect what they were running toward, until it became evident that a man was lying on the pavement. He had fallen and he had some bleeding on his head. Immediately, John called for assistance as Rhea calmed the man and assured him he would be OK. The two of them worked to keep him comfortable, while also working to divert cars so the man would not be hit. Soon help arrived, but I want to commend John and Rhea for doing what one human should always do for another!

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lLynda C.

Linda P-C

Lynda was working in Terminal 7 when a young woman with a baby approached her. The woman said she was waiting for her sister and brother-in-law to come pick them up. They had gone to the parking garage to get their car, but the woman had no way to communicate with her sister to let her know she was at Terminal 7. Lynda let her use her cell phone and the woman called the sister. That worked, because before long the sister and brother in law pulled up in an SUV. They had an elderly woman in the front seat who did not speak English, and the brother in law explained that she was lost and trying to get to a destination in the city where they were going, three hours away. Since the family was heading in that direction, and to be kind, the brother in law had told the elderly woman that the family would give her a ride. And so off everybody went. Then about a half hour later, Lynda was passing by Travelers’ Aid when she heard a woman say with great alarm, “No mother, no mother!” As Lynda listened, she put two and two together and realized that the elderly woman in the front seat of the SUV had been this woman’s mother. The elderly woman had arrived from Mexico, the daughter said, but obviously she was totally confused and thought she was supposed to make her own way to her destination. So again Lynda was proactive and she called the last number on her cell phone – which rang now in the SUV as it sped away. She explained the situation to the family in the car. They understood completely and brought the elderly woman back for a reunion with her daughter – and everything ended well. Thanks of course to Lynda and her proaction!

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Lilibeth W

Sabrina A

A family from India was standing in a long line waiting to be processed. The mother looked exhausted and her two young children were crying. They didn’t speak English and looked confused. That’s when I stepped up and engaged them. A recent immigrant myself, I empathized with them. Communicating was not easy but the universal language of a smile, along with some snacks for the kids, worked wonders. I let them know that everything would be fine, and I spoke to an Immigration officer who could see their plight also, and he helped expedite their passage. The woman had tears in her eyes when she thanked me, tears of joy. All of this strengthens my personal resiliency to solve problems.

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Edith A.

Sabrina A

It was a hectic day – there wasn’t room for one more soul in the FIS! Suddenly a woman trembling reached out for me and said, “Help me!” She told me that she was a US citizen, and her husband was a German citizen. The line for the non US citizens was very long, but she said she had just had an operation and she was too weak to wait on the line. She needed her husband to stay with her. She pointed to the bandages from the operation which I could see between the buttons on her blouse. I called the CBP supervisor, and he got her processed right then and there. Then he took the husband to be processed, and we found a place where the woman could sit while waiting for her husband. “Thank you, baby,” she said.

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Verena K.

Chris G.

I came across a cell phone that had been left at the Currency Exchange booth. I was proactive and called the last number on it, but the person spoke French. I told them to wait, and I was able to find someone to translate. Through this process I learned that the owner of the phone was staying at a hotel in Beverly Hills. I called the hotel and they connected me to the man’s room. I left a detailed message, with my personal cell phone number, and before long he called me back and we made arrangements for him to get the phone. He said, “Merci beaucoup!!!!!!!”

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Lilibeth W

Sabrina A

A traveler could not show an address for the person he was visiting and thus he could not get through the inspection process. I could see how upset he was after he got turned back. I was proactive and I investigated and found that the person he would be staying with was out in the terminal waiting for him. I got the phone number for that person from him, and called. That solved two things, first it calmed the person out in the lobby, to know that his friend was OK, and secondly, I got a proper address to put on the traveler’s document to get him cleared to go. The traveler thanked me profusely, and that gave me a good sense of accomplishment.

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Robert E.

Turken Y

“I can’t find my dog!” was the first thing the man said. He had flown in from New Zealand but because his carrier could not take the dog he had booked passage for the animal on another carrier. It was 1pm, and the broker who booked the dog’s passage confirmed that the dog had arrived at 6am. The man went to the dog’s carrier, but the agent couldn’t find any record. Now he was getting nervous, since he had to make a connecting flight at 5pm – and still he couldn’t find his dog. I calmed him by being proactive telling him I would investigate. I called an airline security agent, and together we came up with the idea of contacting the CARGO office for the dog’s carrier. This worked! They had the dog over in their cargo lot. But that presented another problem – the cargo office was on Empire Blvd and the man was at Bradley terminal. Again, I was proactive and I found a cab that was big enough to carry a dog crate. Off the man went to retrieve the dog. When he returned, with the dog in tow, the man thanked me – and the dog gave me a “thank you” bark!

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Letecia M

Sabrina A

An elderly woman was wandering around the Customs hall when I approached her and asked if I could help. When she saw me she started to cry, but they were tears of relief, that someone would show interest in her. She was lost she said and didn’t know how to do the inspection process. I told her not to worry, and I worked with her to complete all her forms properly and I helped her get though the process without and problems. She was so happy. She hugged me and told me I was a sweet person.

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65

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Letecia M

Sabrina A

We were experiencing a very busy day, when a service man came up to me very anxious. He said he had only an hour to catch his flight to Dallas so he could visit his family, who had not seen in a year. If he missed his flight, he would not be able to get on another, he said. I could see the nervousness in his eyes and I was proactive. I went to a Customs supervisor to explain the soldier’s predicament, and the Customs agent found a line that he could put the soldier in. This worked, and the soldier got through and got going. He looked back and the big smile he gave me said it all.

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Jessica L

Sabrina A

After being in line a long time a traveler was told he was missing a form and that he would need to make the line again. This made him very angry and his reaction was to yell at the first person in a uniform he came to – me! I remained calm and in a gentle voice I explained why he needed the extra form and I offered to help him get it done. This calmed him down, that someone was on his side, and he told me he was upset because he had a connecting flight to make. I told him not to worry, we would get it done, and we did. Soon he was on his way, in a much happier mood, and he said, “Thanks, Doll!”

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Ping Ping H

Sabrina A

Two elderly ladies in their seventies were taking the first flight of their lives and they were nervous and upset by all the processes to get through F.I.S. inspections. I greeted them with a friendly smile to show them my interest. I engaged them with my body language and explained the inspection process step by step, going very slowly, so they could fully understand. I have a saying I say to myself when I’m working: “Be kind, gentle, patient.” When the ladies were through Customs they were all smiles themselves and they told me, “Keep that smile.”

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62

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Ping Ping H

Sabrina A

At the baggage secondary a mother and her son drew a lot of attention since they were both crying. I engaged them and learned that they were upset with the Customs process since they couldn’t express what they wanted to say. I speak Chinese and the minute the woman saw that she stopped crying and brightened up. I translated for her, then translated back what the Customs official was trying to explain, and before long we had everything worked out and the mother and son were no longer upset. In fact, just the opposite. The mother told me how grateful she was as they passed along their way.

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61

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Shumei L

Sabrina A

A lady was upset because she kept saying she needed a “light outlet.” I engaged her so she could see someone taking an interest and as I explored what she wanted I learned that she had asthma and was having trouble breathing. She told me she needed to hook up her breathing machine. By “light outlet” she meant “electrical socket,” and I found her one. Then I helped her set up her machine and this calmed her down and told me, “I love you!”

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60

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Khandsuren B

Sabrina A

A woman had never flown so far, across the ocean, and she was exhausted, both because she had been in the air so long plus she had her 14 month old grandson with her. I could see how exasperated she looked and I engaged her and the minute I began speaking her language she brightened up and tears of joy appeared on her face. I was able to help her complete her documents, which had confused her, and then I helped with translation for her with the Customs and Agriculture officials. More tears of joy! She told me she would never forget me.

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59

PilotGroup

Nancy C

Sabrina A

A woman from Australia wanted to go back to Sydney to join her husband, but she was waiting to get a Visa issue resolved and it was taking time. She was upset because she had no money and no food and had spent the night in the airport. I approached her to learn about her problem and she calmed down telling me all this. Then I came up with the idea of bringing her to Travelers Aide and when I walked her there, they were able to get her something to eat and suddenly for the first time a big smile came on her face.

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58

PilotGroup

Nancy C

Sabrina A

A flight from Mexico was delayed from 8:30 to 14:30 and the meeters and greeters waiting got very anxious. I could see that and I was proactive and I went up to people to keep them apprised of the latest developments with the flight. This might seem like a small thing but it was a big thing to them, that someone would engage them, and many thanked me.

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57

PilotGroup

Christina A

Sabrina A

A woman looking for the rest room lost her way and got lost in the airport. I approached her to learn why she was crying and she said she was lost and needed to get back into the gate area to catch her flight, which was leaving soon. I engaged her, to show her my concern, and this calmed her. Then I was proactive and learned more details about where she had wandered from and where she needed to go, and we got her back on the right track, and she made her flight with a few minutes to spare. I was happy I could make that happen.

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56

PilotGroup

Christina A

Sabrina A

A woman was upset because her documents were not filled out properly and she could not clear Customs as a result. I engaged her so she could see that someone was taking an interest. Still I explained that she needed to provide full information, including an address for someone she would be visiting in the US. I was proactive and I helped her go through her records and find the address in LA where she would be staying, then I was patient and worked with her to complete the document. She stopped crying and left thanking me for getting her through.

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55

PilotGroup

Verena K.

Chris G.

A medical team driver told me he needed to pick up a sick traveler who was scheduled to arrive from Thailand. The driver was anxious because he couldn’t find the proper official in F.I.S. to talk to. I called my supervisor, Chris, and we called the F.I.S. desk to arrange for a rep from the traveler’s carrier to come up and meet the medical team driver. I could see the driver was nervous since this was a sick traveler involved, and he wanted to ensure maximum care. I engaged him so he could see I was doing everything I could to speed up the process and in fact my efforts worked, because soon the airline rep and the F.I.S. all came together to get the traveler and the medical team united. I was delighted to see everyone get their needs met.

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54

PilotGroup

Nina P

Turken Y

A woman was dropped off at the wrong terminal. She had a lot of bags and a baby in a stroller. She was about to cry when I approached her. I learned that she needed to get to Terminal 4 and I offered to walk her there. This calmed her down, especially the way I was able to help with the baby and the luggage. When we got to Terminal 4 she gave me a big hug!

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53

PilotGroup

Nina P

Turken Y

A woman arrived from Sydney six hours late and missed her connecting flight. She was very upset at the long line waiting to book a hotel and I engaged her. I told her I could help her. I told her I knew how to find a hotel that could provide a “delayed passenger” rate. This calmed her. I gave her a number, then waited while she called several hotels and she found a $55 rate. She told me I made her day.

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52

PilotGroup

Anna H

Marivi M-F

A man was confused because he didn’t know if he was supposed to go to the US Airways gates, or if he was on United. He couldn’t determine his carrier and he said he had been given some conflicting instructions. I overheard him explaining all this to a shuttle driver, and I stepped in and engaged him before he could get on the bus and possibly head off to the wrong terminal. I did a quick read of his ticket and I determined that in fact he was on United, and going to US Airways would take him to the wrong place. I sent him in the right direction, and he thanked me over and over for coming to his aid and saving him from a big mistake and lost time.

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51

PilotGroup

Verena K.

Chris G.

A woman arrived at LA from oversees, but she had the wrong form when she approached the Customs/Immigration line. She was from Australia and she was sent back to get the correct form, which made her anxious. I could see her getting upset, and I engaged her to see if I could help. We got her the correct form, but when she got to the head of the line again, the inspector could not accept the form because it had a rental property’s address on it, not a proper street address in California. Again, I continued to engage her to let her know I was with her, and then I was proactive. Together she and I looked through her paperwork and found a telephone number. I used my cell phone to call the number and I got the valid street address for her destination, which allowed her to be processed into the country. It took a long time, but her thank you made it all worthwhile!

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50

PilotGroup

Anna H

Marivi M-F

A couple flying out of LA could not find the counter for their airline and because all the counters in the terminal were closed they suspected they were at the wrong terminal. I could see the confusion on their faces and I engaged them and approached them. They told me they had an evening flight, and when I checked their tickets I confirmed this and explained to them that’s why the counters were all closed, because they were so early. Clearly I saved them from getting more upset and anxious and they told me, “Thank you,” and said without me they would have been wandering around terminal to terminal.

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49

PilotGroup

Yesinia T.

Chris G.

A passenger arriving from overseas had been in the Customs line, but when it was his turn to be served he had the wrong forms. The passenger was sent to the Information Desk. He was supposed to have a connection to San Francisco to go international again and he was very upset that he would miss his connection. I apologized and offered to fill out his forms to make up time that way. Then I got permission to move him to the front of the line so he wouldn’t have to wait any longer. I calmed him down also by explaining to him that United flew to San Francisco every hour. If he did not make his flight, I had talked to the airline, explaining the situation, and they were engaging, too, and said they would book him on the next flight because he had an international flight. The passenger said thank you and knew it wasn’t my fault, but he was grateful I took charge, was proactive for him.

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48

PilotGroup

Marie A.

Chris G.

A lady was upset because her relative was stuck in Customs and she was afraid her family member would not get the medications she needed. The family, including the one who needed the medicine, was delayed in Customs and the upset woman who approached me could not contact them. She was completely in the dark and upset because she did not even know if her family member had actually landed at LAX. I was engaging and apologized for the delay. Then I checked and found out the reason for the delay and explained that everyone from the flight was OK and that the delays were because of computer difficulties. I took ownership of the problem, however, and was proactive and I found the family back in the Customs hall and personally got the medicine to the family member who needed it. Then, concerned with all the other people who did not know the reason for the delay, I got permission to make an announcement to everyone waiting that the computers were down but the problem was being addressed. People hate to be left in the dark, and I was proactive to fix that.

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47

PilotGroup

Chris G.

Paul H. and Viji P.

A young Vietnamese woman couldn’t find her meeting family when she arrived and she wandered around the Customs area frightened and upset. She did not speak English, but I calmed her with sign language and this worked. That gave me time to send our Vietnamese speaking VSR to talk to her. Our VSR told me that the young woman was supposed to arrive on American Airlines but came on a different carrier, and this was probably why her meeting family was not at Bradley. We took a guess that maybe the family was at American’s terminal and I got permission for the VSR to walk the young woman over to that terminal. Sure enough, that was the solution! The VSR witnessed a very tearful and emotional reunion and the meeting family said thank you a hundred times.

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46

PilotGroup

Karen S

Marlene T

A woman fell down in the terminal, and I hurried to help her. She was upset and anxious because she was rushing to catch a flight and worried now that she would miss her flight. I worked with her daughter to call First Aid to attend to her, then I worked with her daughter and a rep from their airline to make sure we could get her to her plane on time, while making sure she wasn’t injured from her fall. I was able to be an effective go between, and we made it all happen. The mother was cleared by First Aid to go, and we got her to her plane on time.

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45

PilotGroup

Yvonne L.

Marivi M.

An elderly lady was upset after she came out of the restroom at T 6 gate area and could not find her husband. I could see her crying and looking desperate and I was engaging and approached her. That calmed her, and she told me she could not find her husband. I asked her to retrace her steps and as she did she realized she had gone in the door at one end, but had come out the doors on the other side. We went back to the doors she had entered by and sure enough there was her husband waiting patiently. A small thing, but a huge thing to her – and she thanked me!

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44

PilotGroup

Lynda C.

Linda P-C

A passenger approached me in the Bradley arrivals area and was very upset because she had left her computer in the Customs area and could not figure out a way to get word back there and get her computer. Obviously she was nervous and getting increasingly upset as time kept going by. I was proactive and went to an airline rep for the airline the lady had flown in on, and found a rep. The rep worked with the passenger to get a solution and the lady turned to me and told me I was the most helpful person she had met all day!

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43

PilotGroup

Mariana V.

CHris G.

A passenger had a problem because they had left their carry on luggage in the Customs hall and they could not get back to retrieve it. I engaged the person and told them I would call back to the “FIS” area. I could not reach anyone, but I did not give up. I called my supervisor, Chris, and he was proactive and offered to go back to the area personally. It was the end of my shift and I needed to check out, but as luck would have it as I was walking by the customs area, I saw the bag the passenger had described to me. I showed it to a customs official. The official inspected it and cleared it, and that cleared the way for me to return the bag to the passenger, who was so very grateful.

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42

PilotGroup

Carlos H.

Chris G.

An elderly passenger fell down on the electric stairway at the north end of the Bradley terminal. I learned this when a call came in from a co-worker and I rushed to help. An airline agent was there comforting the woman and I joined in to offer comfort while we waited for medical personnel to arrive. She was nervous and shaking, but our being there calmed her. The airline agent had to rush to her assignment to meet a flight, but I stayed with the woman and helped calm her further. When first air arrived she relaxed even more. I was able to translate for the Customs official who wrote a report, and soon she was helped away to a medical center where she could get her wounded knee and shoulder fully attended to. As she left she thanked me for all my help.

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41

PilotGroup

Kuren S

Marlene T

A man was impatient because he had come to meet his mother arriving on an international flight and it was already three hours that he waited when he approached me. I engaged him and that calmed him down, that someone would pay attention and take an interest in his problem, and then he gave me the specifics. I went to a Customs official to see what I could learn and he told me that there were several passengers still in the hall waiting to be processed off that flight. I relayed that information to the man, then I checked again and I learned that in fact his mother was one of those remaining. Eventually she did come out and the man was very relieved and very happy with me and the full attention I had given him.

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40

PilotGroup

Mariana V.

Chris G.

A flight attendant told my supervisor, Chris, and me that a passenger on her flight did not speak English and was disoriented. I was proactive and stepped in and offered to help the man fill out his documents. But there was a problem, since he did not have a US address to show where he was going. Again I was proactive and I paged his family in the waiting area. Soon info came back with an address, and I used that address to help him complete his arrival documents. Then I took him to an inspection station, where he was asked to step into Secondary One. I got a call from a colleague, Verena, asking if it was possible to give the man’s family waiting outside an update on the man’s status. By this point, the man had been sent to Secondary for futher investigation. By this point I was able shed light on his condition with officials. I told officials he did not speak English and he was hard of hearing. The Customs official investigated further, and the judgment was made that the man was OK to clear. I continued helping him by helping him get his luggage and I escorted him out to the waiting area – to be united with his anxious family.

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39

PilotGroup

Cynthis D.

Osamu K.

It was a very busy night for us at the info desk at arrivals – with the holidays upon us. There were people with missed connections, missing luggage and some were lost. At 9:45pm a man asked me if a flight, number 259, had arrived yet from Mexico. I checked and found that it had come in more than three hours earlier, at 6:35. He got very upset because his elderly mother was on that flight and he had been looking around for three hours to try to find her. His mother was Mexican, he said, but she was a permanent resident. He had her green card, he told me, and he asked me to help him. I put two and two together and realized that if he had the green card that meant his mother did not have it, and that could be the reason she might still be back in the Inspection area. I was proactive and called a co-worker in that area, gave her the woman’s name off the green card and asked her to check. Sure enough, that was the reason for the delay. I told the man the good news – that his mother had been detained extra long because she didn’t have the green card, but they were just about finished processing her, and she would be out very soon. He was so happy, he shook my hand and said thank you, thank you, over and over.

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38

PilotGroup

Karen S

Marlene T

A family of six, with a mother, father, three school age boys and an infant girl, had a seven hour layover. They wanted to walk around the airport, but seven hours would be too long for the mother and father to carry the baby. They asked me if I knew of a store at the airport that sold strollers. The airport doesn’t have a store like that, I told them, but I had an idea. I was proactive and called over to lost and found. Sure enough, they had a stroller and I asked if we could borrow it for a few hours. I made arrangements and the mother and father were very happy as the father said, “Now our little baby can be comfortable and doesn’t have to squirm around!”

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37

PilotGroup

Karen S

Marlene T

A mother and her daughter, age 6, were at the Departure level and very confused and anxious. They were trying to find the right shuttle to take to Anaheim. The mother got frustrated and this made the little girl even more anxious. I calmed them down just by approaching them and smiling and finding out what their need was and the little girl said they needed to get to Disneyland and their hotel. The mother calmed down immediately as I described a bus with Snow White on it, and showed them where to wait, and just then it came. The little girl was so happy and the mother was very relieved.

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36

PilotGroup

Cynthis D.

Osamu K.

I was working at the info desk arrival level, and as always the arrivals hall was crowded with many anxious people waiting for friends and family to come out of the Inspection area. By 8pm many customers had come up to us asking for a status update on one particular flight from Germany. Original scheduled arrival time was 7:05. Then it was updated to 7:49. Then 8:20 and so until the next one said 8:55. By this point many people hurried up to say, “What’s wrong with the flight? Is the monitor correct? What’s happening!” I tried to calm everyone down and assured them I was monitoring the flight, which I was. With every update I called the AirportCenter office to see if I could get any information. I even did Flight Track. I remained engaged and kept on it. Finally I was able to get word from AirportCenter that the flight had landed. It was now 8:57 and I got on the PA and made an announcement that the flight was confirmed on the ground. Many of the people who had been anxious came and thanked me for my constant attention to their need. Others in the arrivals hall clapped and yelled out, “Thank you!”

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35

PilotGroup

Lynda C.

Linda P-C

It’s not that the large group of passengers who flooded the baggage claim area at American Airlines terminal was upset, it was more a case of making things work before anyone could get upset by the large crowd arriving all at one time. I could see these were families from the Snowball Express, a large group, including children, who had been flown to Dallas by American Airlines and given events and hotels and meals. All the children had lost parents in Iraq and Afghanistan. I wanted to make sure they got the best treatment possible and make sure that no problems arose. I used my resiliency strengths to PREVENT anyone from getting upset, and it worked. I was able to help, and I along with others got everyone the information and rides they needed in smooth, coordinated fashion. The children didn’t have to say thank you, their smiles said it all.

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34

PilotGroup

Andrew C

Midori M

An elderly Vietnamese woman had to get from Bradley to T 1, but every time I told her the direction to go, she would head off about 25 steps, then turn around and come back to me – confused! I continued to engage her and be patient and comforting. I encouraged her telling her that everything would be OK, but to no avail. Another 25 steps out, another 25 steps back! I took a proactive step and walked her to the curb. Gently, I showed her exactly what to do to catch the shuttle, but again she got fearful. Then suddenly she put a phone in my face and said, “Here.” To my surprise I discovered it was her son from North Carolina and he said his mother was very upset and was afraid to take the shuttle. I told him not to worry, and I got permission to ride with her. When we got to Terminal 1, we found that her flight was about to leave and I worked with the airline agent to check her in and the agent was thoughtful and suggested we get her a wheelchair. Again, the woman extended her phone to me and this time the son wanted me to take money for helping his mother. I said no, this is what we do, and he said he would call my supervisor to express his thanks – which I found out later he did and that made me feel good. But want made me feel best was when the lady sat down in the wheelchair she looked at me with a tear in her eye, I admit there was one in my eye too.

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33

PilotGroup

lLata B

Marlene T

A traveler on a buddy pass checked his luggage in Phoenix for an international connection out of Bradley at LAX. But he was denied boarding because of his attire. He had sloppy jeans and a t shirt. He needed slacks and he needed them fast. He came to me and I was proactive. I used the Calm, Information, Options lesson in class and suggested some options – such as one of the shops at the airport. But the shops were closed and so I thought of another option. I suggested USO. But they didn’t have any pants. Then I got an idea: I took him back to our office where we had some used men’s uniforms and was able to secure a pair of trousers that fit and were a big improvement over his old jeans. He was very happy, and it worked – he was able to fly out!

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32

PilotGroup

Nancy C

Sabrina A

A man was so upset because he had left his passport and his briefcase at his hotel in Westwood. He was shouting because he had a flight to Germany to make and he was afraid someone would walk off with his briefcase back at the hotel. I engaged him and calmed him and told him I would do what I could. I asked him the name of the hotel and he said the W. I asked if he had a receipt and he was impatient but I was calm and explained that info on the receipt would help me get the problem resolved more quickly. He found a receipt and I called them hotel and read the info off the receipt and that did help. They said they located the briefcase and the man, standing in the background called out that he would pay for a taxi driver to bring it to the airport. I made those arrangements with the hotel and sure enough and soon enough the taxi arrived. The man got his briefcase and passport and had just enough time to make his flight. He ran to the gate. A good ending! I felt good!

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31

PilotGroup

Ann R.

Marlene T

A woman’s flight was cancelled and she spent 24 hours at LAX that she did not want to spend. When she came to me she kept saying over and over,“All I want is to go home!!!!!” I used my engagement strength and sympathized, then I used my proactive strength. When she told me the name of her carrier that clicked with me because I had just heard a rep from that carrier gather a group to go for rebooking. I showed my traveler where to go to follow that group, and she hurried up and did. Later she came and told me it worked and now she had a confirmed reservation to get home. She was so happy she said “God bless you,” and hugged me!

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30

PilotGroup

Sandra W

Midori M

We got hit with a busy crowd at arrivals. The PAX kept coming and coming! I had hundreds pass in front of me for drections and when it came time for my break I still had a heavy flow coming. So I gave up my break. Then when the flow stopped and I could take a break I realized I had lost my voice. But all the thank you’s I got made it worth it. Plus a woman, a psychiatric nurse, went up to my supervisor and told her how patient and kind I was. That made me feel great.

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29

PilotGroup

Joyce C

H W H

A couple had never been to the US and they had little ability with English. They did not know where to go and seemed terribly lost. I used my engagement strength and asked if I could see their ticket and other travel info. This gave me all the info I needed to direct them properly and I did. They didn’t say thank you because they didn’t know the language but their smiles said it all!

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28

PilotGroup

Michael G

Turken Y

A woman could not speak English well and she was worried what would happen to her when she got into a taxi and could not communicate. I used my engagement quality and approached her once I saw her coming to me with her concern. She was also upset because her travel agency had made a mistake and had failed to book her a hotel or transport. Again I calmed her down, using my second language capability, and we called her travel agency in LA and they booked the hotel and the transport, so she could give the driver specific instructions and would not have to worry about language issues. She thanked me greatly.

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27

PilotGroup

Sharon R

Marlene T

Two elderly ladies were upset because they could not find signage to their gate and they were confused when they approached me. I engaged them and calmed them down by showing them how I would focus on them and listen to them and I did. I listened to them complain and then I directed them to the gate they needed, and they also asked me a good place to eat. I suggested Gladstones and to show how happy they were with me for my helpfulness they came and found me after they ate lunch and they thanked me for being so kind to them.

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26

PilotGroup

Joyce C

H W H

A man checking in for his flight to Korea became very upset with himself when he realized he had left his passport on the Big Blue Santa Monica bus. I told him not to worry, I would call the bus company, and I did. They were very helpful. They put me on hold while they got in touch with the driver who had just left LAX and he said he found the passport. Then they arranged for a driver to return to the airport to return the passport. The man was ecstatic and I was pleased I could play the proactive role of a go between.

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25

PilotGroup

Julia G.

Marivi M.

A lady was upset because she could not find her mom. Her mom was coming in from Peru and it was an hour and a half after the plane was scheduled to land. I engaged her and calmed her down, then took control of the situation by informing my co-worker that I would be taking the woman to the Departure level to find a rep from her mom’s carrier. I did that, handed her off, and the woman said thank you. What made me happy most of all was 30 minutes later I saw the woman and her mother together very happy hugging.

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24

PilotGroup

Jeanne C.

Marivi M.

A man was confused because he was flying to London but he didn’t know where to go to get to the Continental counter. I knew from my experience that Continental does not fly to London, so I was proactive and investigated and took him to the British Airways counter first where they told us he needed to get to United for his flight. I was determined to get him the right information and so I was committed to take him to as many places as necessary to get that done. He said, “Thank you!”

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23

PilotGroup

Mariana V.

Antonio M.

A few passengers were upset because the airline made their reservation for their connecting flight for the wrong day. They lost a day because they had just arrived from France. When they arrived, they discovered that because of the booking error their connecting flight to New Zealand had departed the day before. I used my resiliency strengths and was proactive. I took control of the situation and made their case to the carrier because I could see we had a language issue. Their carrier was engaging too and saw the error and paid for a hotel room and put them on the next available flight with another airline to Hawaii. They thanked me.

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22

PilotGroup

Carlos H.

Chris G.

A family arriving from overseas was upset because they had been told that someone would be waiting to meet them at Customs at LAX to help them with their newborn baby. The baby was sick and they had been told that someone would place them at the head of the line to speed things for them. But there was no one. I could see the problem and I engaged them to calm them down and I told them I would see this through. I was proactive and talked to a supervisor from Customs and together we came up with a plan to place the family in the Crew Line. That worked and got them through the line quickly and the wife thanked me for being so helpful.

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20

PilotGroup

Lous H.

Rhea W.

A traveler was given the wrong information and went to the wrong terminal before approaching me. He was mad. I used my optimism strength, my belief that most passengers are nice people, to strengthen myself. I made eye contact, smiled, kept a calm voice like I learned in resiliency class. I showed the man the right directions to the terminal he needed. He was still angry and questioned why he should trust me. I upped my optimism and engagement. Then calmly I showed him the correct info on his documents. That worked. “Thank you,” he said. “They need people like you at the airport.”

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19

PilotGroup

Gladys J.

Marivi M.

A couple was confused, I could see it on their faces. They wanted to go to Palm Springs but they were lost and confused on how to get a rental car. They wanted to go quickly, and I explained they had two options, a taxi, which would cost more, or the shuttle. It might take a bit longer, but it would be free. They were so happy to be “saved” by someone who took an interest in them, and they tried to give me money, but I said, “No, this is my job to help you.”

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18

PilotGroup

Meraj Q

Marivi M.

A passenger approached me very upset because he had the wrong flight because of code sharing. I engaged him to calm him down and told him I would do my best to help. I took him to the right carrier for his flight overseas, but his flight had left. I did not desert him. I stayed with him while the carrier worked to rebook him and that calmed him. He wasn’t a hundred percent calm, but he was toward me and thanked me for being so helpful.

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17

PilotGroup

Adel S.

Chris G.

A man was standing in line at Customs and it wasn’t moving. This made him very upset, which I could see, and I was proactive and investigated and found out the reason. I told him the system was down. He didn’t like this, and started to get more upset, but I was proactive again and used humor after he said, “Damn, I’ll be here forever.” I said, “It’s only 15 minutes,” and said it with a smile, which made him laugh and he said, “Yeah, you’re right!”

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16

PilotGroup

Jeanne C.

Marivi M.

A man had a damaged suitcase and was getting no relief. He approached me and told me he had arrived a day earlier and had been trying to make contact with his carrier, but was getting nowhere. He was very upset. I was resilient and engaged him and calmed him. Then I told him I would make some calls, and in fact, I did find a rep. I walked him to the location where the rep told me to meet her, and the rep took it from there and promised to get the suitcase repaired. The man was fully calmed down now and he thanked me and the rep.

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14

PilotGroup

Verena K.

Chris G.

A couple came into LAX on a domestic carrier, but because it was late getting in, they were running tight on their connection to France. As it turned out, by the time they got to Bradley terminal from T-7, their flight had departed. They were so upset, I could see it, and I engaged them and told them I would see what I could do. I called around and found a carrier that luckily had two open seats to France and was about to leave – but there was time for them to catch the flight. The German couple thanked me and said it was it was obvious from my helpfulness that I liked my job, which I do!

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13

PilotGroup

Ethel P.

Chris G.

A man was upset because his wife had been detained in secondary. He had no reason why and it had been three hours already. I used my engagement skills to calm him down by listening to him, then I assured him I would find out an answer. I called my co-worker in the Customs area and asked her to see if she could get an answer from an officer. She did and I was able to report to the man that his wife would be out in another 20 minutes. The man thanked me over and over.

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10

PilotGroup

Anh N.

Chris G.

A passenger could not pass immigration without an address to show where she intended to stay while in the US. In actuality she did not have a clue where to stay. I adapted to the situation and asked if she had a relative’s phone number. She did not. Now I could see I really needed to adapt and be proactive, too. Rather than leave her, I called the airline agent to help her out and the airline did. I felt good that I could be the middle person to get the solution resolved and the woman said thank you.

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9

PilotGroup

Shahnam. S.

Chris G.

A passenger was upset claiming that he was a US citizen and should be in the US line, but he was standing behind foreign travelers which he thought was wrong and would take him extra time to get through Customs. I was engaging and calmed him down by waiting for him to finish venting. Then I explained that sometimes when there are empty quads and not many passengers, we put visitors up front and this is done by the CBP officer’s request. That calmed him down, because he saw the point and he saw that my goal was to help him get through the line as quickly as possible and in a soft voice he said, “Thank you for explaining.”

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8

PilotGroup

Gabriella G.

Chris G.

A traveler was given the wrong Customs forms and had waited in line only to be sent back by a CBP Officer. I could see how upset the man was. I was optimistic and engaging because I went ahead and approached the passenger and told him I would help. I found the proper forms then personally helped him fill out his documents and I also helped him find a hotel where he could stay. After I finished, I put him back in front of the line so he wouldn’t have to wait again. He was very pleased and appreciated what I had done for him to relieve his anxieties.

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7

PilotGroup

David M.

Theresa O.

Two elderly travelers in a wheelchair did not have an address they were going to and, therefore, could not go through Customs without an address. I was proactive and got them to pull out the telephone number of the relative they were going to visit. Through use of sign language, they provided a number and I went to the phone book and found an address from the white pages. The travelers left happy, relieved and grateful.

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6

PilotGroup

Robert F. Ewald

LAX Ambassador

December 11, 2009
LAX Resiliency Edge submission
This is a story about the relationship between the dozen or so agencies and groups vying to give information to the patrons of LAX, not just about PilotGroup. It also demonstrates how, absolutely and unavoidably, complete and accurate information is the foundation of all and any information programs.

I was working Terminal One, the Southwest and US Air terminal. It was about 2:30 in the afternoon. A large part of the public side of the terminal was closed off for renovation of the floors, including the area where the Travelers Aid desk is usually located and the access to the Southwest flight information boards.
A grandfather (we grandfathers tend to pay attention to each other) was pushing a stroller at a rapid rate around the open areas of the terminal. He wasn’t endangering anybody; he was apparently trying to keep the child engaged and not focused on herself. Eventually he stopped by a seated couple, apparently the parents, to catch his breath. As this had been going on for a considerable time, I walked over and asked if I could help them. The response was: “No, thank you, we are waiting for a flight. It’s just that it seems to be delayed.” Not being pushy or intrusive, I walked on.
But after another long wait, I decided it was time to find out what the problem was. I had noted the couple going to the US Air flight information board several times, so I asked if the flight they were awaiting was further delayed. The response was:
“We’re not too sure. Perhaps you could explain. We are waiting for an au pair girl coming from Austria. The au pair agency gave us a US Air flight number which doesn’t appear on the board. We were told that the reason is probably that the flight from Vienna probably went to London, that a connection probably went to New York, and that we are probably waiting for a flight from there but we don’t know which flight it is. We’ve been waiting two hours and are beginning to get worried that she may have missed the flight or that we have missed the flight. The agency said she would arrive here in Los Angeles at about 1:30. It’s night time in Vienna and they don’t answer our calls.”
The US Air flight information board wipes off all flights once they have given up their passengers so I had to consult my own print-out of arriving flights. US Air does most of the transferring of incoming international flights at Charlotte, but the record didn’t support either a New York or a Charlotte flight at the time they were told the au pair would arrive. Knowing that about two-thirds of the flights listed as US Air are actually code-share with United Airlines, I called them on my cell phone. They had a flight from New York scheduled to arrive at exactly the time the couple had been told to expect their au pair. I suggested the husband go to Terminal Seven to see if the missing passenger was there. Twenty minutes later he called that she was patiently waiting at the Terminal Seven baggage area. Mother, Grandfather, and soon-to-be governed child went rushing to meet their new au pair with many thanks and a little puzzlement about how such a screw up could have occurred.
I did not try to explain code-sharing. Now I have new terms to categorize what I did. I was proactive, stayed calm in the face of anxiety, gave alternative courses of action, and had assembled the necessary information in a usable form.

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5

PilotGroup

Laura T.

Coordinator

A couple missed their connecting flight and they were very upset when they came to me. I told them we needed to find an agent for their airline, and I told them I would help. We found an agent, but the bad news was there were no more flights that day. I continued to remain engaged with them and their problem and stayed with them until they rebooked a flight for the next day, then I worked with them to find a hotel that fit their means where they could stay overnight.

This kind of attention made them very happy and they thanked me over and over and over.

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4

PilotGroup

Romulo R.

Coordinator

A passenger was upset because the person who was supposed to come to the airport to pick her up did not show. I calmed her down and brainstormed with her on a few options. I asked if the person coming had a cell phone and she said maybe but she did not have the phone number.

I continued to engage her and I asked if possibly there was a third person, a relative maybe, who might know both of them. She suggested someone and we tried to get that person on the phone, and we were able to. That person did in fact know the phone number for the person coming to the airport and called her and I was able to get everyone connected and on their way.

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3

PilotGroup

Ann R.

Coordinator

The airline the passenger and his wife needed to Australia was not listed on the board and they got very upset thinking they were in the wrong terminal and had missed their family member. I engaged them and assured them that they were in the correct terminal, it was just a case that the monitor had not been updated yet.

This information calmed them, along with my assurance, and they were assured further and very happy when I took them to the visitor information booth where they had a listing of the flight and they could see that everything was all right.

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2

PilotGroup

Ineke W.

Coordinator

A traveler had been waiting three days for his luggage and he was having no luck with his airline. He had rented an expensive RV and it was costing him money to wait and he was very upset.

I calmed him by telling him what I would do, I told him I would call the airline, and see if I could get through. This did not work, but I continued to engage him and I told him I would try ticketing. But that was closed. I then was pro active and I took the passenger to the airline office and I explained the situation and in the end he got his luggage. He was so happy, he gave me a big hug!

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1

PilotGroup

John O.

Coordinator

A couple got the wrong info about what terminal they were supposed to be in to catch their flight to Germany. They thought they needed Luftansa, but I checked their tickets and I saw they really needed to be on United.

I calmed them down and walked them out of the Bradley terminal and showed them how to get the shuttle to Terminal 7. They were still upset, thinking I might be wrong, but I continued to engage them and assured them I was right and they caught the shuttle and they said thank you.

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0

PilotGroup

RESILIENCY EDGE "Pilot" Program

Incentive Program

Welcome to our LAX 'Pilot Incentive" program.

On this page you will read examples of N.I.C.E stories - examples of great customer service showing how participants in "Resiliency Edge" pilot training have applied "tools" they learned in class to "neurtalize irritations customers experience," solve problems that arise and reduce stress for travelers.

We offer a special thank you to employees from LAWA's Ambassador and Visitor Information Guide programs - and their supervisors - for playing a lead role to launch this pilot and enhance the image of LAX.

Between December and February participants are encouraged to share their N.I.C.E stories on this page. All who enter stories will be considered for the pilot incentive. In February, a committee of airport officials will review the stories and select six finalists for awards at a pilot award event.

So continue to follow news on this page for updates- including an announcement of the awards as well as the award event date in February - and thank you for giving your great efforts to satisfy our airport customers.

And don't forget to tell your story here each time you help a customer get through LAX safely, swiftly and courteously.

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