Meet JFK International Airport's Problem Solvers
They are using their "Resiliency Edge" skills to produce satisfied customers during challenging times in aviation.
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"Resiliency Edge" Success Stories
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An older gentleman was arriving at JFK. He had a "Seeing Impaired" ID around his neck. He encountered one of the AirTrain agents in the CTA. The agent radioed ahead to HB to advise them that this passenger would need help getting to the MTA side. Upon reaching HB, agent radioed me at Federal Circle saying the passenger needed a Jamaica train, not HB. I met the passenger at Federal Circle and he told me he needed the "A" train. At that time, his cell phone rang and he asked me to speak with his brother. I did. The brother asked me where I was and I told him we were at Federal Circle Car Rental. His brother said he was on his way. I continued assisting other passengers. When his brother called, I accompanied him downstairs to meet his brother. He was so happy, he kissed me. The passenger left happy, saying "God Bless You". I was happy too. I thought about my dad. I would want someone to do the same thing for him.
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A customer was upset because she dropped her Drivers Identification Card onto the track. I and another ATU was in the middle of reduction. Ops was notified of situation. Ops advised customer to go ahead to her departure terminal. When reduction was completed, I asked Ops if we had an open window to retrieve the ID. I got clearance to access the track. I retrieved the ID and made my way to the customer's departure terminal and was sent to security at the terminal. One of the TSA employees at the checkpoint remembered her. He took the ID and hurried to give the customer her ID. He got to her minutes before the flight departed. I am sure the customer was very happy even though I did not get to speak with her.
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A passenger was upset because he could not figure out how to get to his destination because the signage was confusing to him. I responded to him by stating we are working on improving the signage. He left happy,. saying, thank goodness you are here to help.
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A traveler was upset because he lost his bacpack and did not speak english very well. He spoke chinese and russian. I found his backpack on the AirTrain and reported it to the Operation center. They called me a few minutes later letting me know that the passenger would come to identify his bag. He came and identified that the bag was his. He also needed to go to Avenue U on the F train. I gave him my subway map and marked where he should go and what his transfer points would be. My lead tech also lent him his cell phone to contact a friend who told him exactly where to get off. The traveler left happy, saying thank you very, very much. He hugged me and I was very happy and pleased that we were able to help him even though he could not speak english.
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A passenger was upset because Track 2 trains were shuttling from terminal 4 to terminal 8. The signage at Terminal 4 track 2 was incorrect. The passenger was unable to determine how to travel to terminal 1. I explained to the passenger that service was limited on Track 2. I then said I regret the confusion caused by the signage. The passenger left saying "Thank you for your assistance" SHe also said it wasn't my fault the signage was poorly done.
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A customer was upset because she lost a wallet on the AirTrain. I checked with my manager and was told to look in the Lost & Found cage. Wallet was in cage. Manager then came and spoke with customer and returned her wallet to her. The customer left happy saying "Thank you so much for helping me. Job well done."
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A traveler was confused, didn't quite understand where they should be going, which train is on which track. They had been on the wrong train. I asked the customer to follow me and I took them to where they should be, while all the time talking with them and giving them relevant information. The customer left happy, saying "Thank you very much madam, I do appreciate your help".
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A traveler was upset becasue he lost his suitcase aboard a train. I tried to calm the passenger by sypathizing with him. I told him of many incidents where other passengers have had the same thing happen to them. I got the time and place of where he thought he might have lost the suitcase. I timed the trains and called another employee to put the word out. Sure enough, the train I predicted it was on had the suitcase on it. The traveler left happy, saying "I never believed that I would get my suitcase back" and that he was very gateful and he hoped that all the people in the world was a little more kind and helpful.
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A customer was upset because they were confused as to why there were conflicting signs leading towards the AirTrain. I asked the passenger to remain calm and explained that both paths lead to the AirTrain. One utilizes the escalator, the other, the elevator. The customer left happy, sayting "Thank you for your assistance".
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A customer was upset because they did not know how to use the machine for the AirTrain or when to get off the train for their Airline Terminal. When I find a customer with a problem, I try to the best of my ability to get them to their destination, even if I have to take them all the way. I always help the customer all the way to the "E" train when I am on my way home.
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A traveler was upset because he boarded the outer loop train and ended up in Jamaica. Meanwhile, he wanted to go to Terminal 1. I told him to remain on the traibn and it would take him to Terminal 1. The traveler smiled, thanked me and remained on board.
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A customer was upset because they lost their bags and missed their flight. I told them it would be okay. I contacted ATA and told them that a passenger had lost their luggage. They reported it to operations and the luggage was recovered. I also directed them to the airline terminal, where they caught a later flight. The customer left happy, saying "I'm glad I had helped with their problem in a quick manner.
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A traveler was upset because they couldn't understand the travel directions. I suggested to the traveler that everything would work its way out and not to be so upset. I directed traveler to destination requested. The traveler left happy, saying "Thank you very much".
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A customer opened an EZ pass account. By mistake his account was charged the next day, instead of 48 hour later. He came back to my window very upset because this created a problem for him. I listened to his complaint. He was really angry. I explained to him what happened, that it was a mistake in the system and I got him set up for a refund for the first day. This made him happy. When he got his refund he even came back to the window and brought me chocolates.
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A man was upset because his flight was cancelled and still he needed to pay for his parking when he had not had a chance to fly out. I told him that this happens but God knows why he does what he does the things he does. I told them man not to worry that tomorrow was going to be another day. He paid his fee and said thank you you're probably right but still it's no fun.
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A patron's flight was cancelled, and he lost his parking ticket, which he told me when he pulled up to my booth. We tried to fill our a lost claim form, bur he had no registration or insurance. I adapted to the situation and kept him calm. I explained to him the rules we needed to follow when someone loses their ticket. I gave explained that I needed to call the police to check his ID. I told him not to panic, that the police just needed to check. He thanked me for all my help.
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A lady called the office and said she was charged twice on her credit card. I told her I would help her and I needed her to fax me or email me her credit card statement. And I asked her to make sure to write down her phone number so I could call her after I did the research. I did the research with her license plate number and found it was true that she was charged twice. I handed the information to the Customer Service to get a refund going for the customer. Then I called her and told she was right and I apologized for the incident and said she would receive a refund check in 5 business days. The customer told me thank you so much and I said thank you for using JFK.
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A man could not find his car when he got back to the airport after a trip. He asked me if I would help him find it. We searched but upon investigation I found that his car had been towed because he had parked in a handicap space. I used Optimism from my Personal Resiliency Profile by assuring the man not to worry while we searched, I was sure he car was not stolen, which was his worry. I kept the customer calm while I used Pro Action to investigate and find that his car had been towed for being parked in the wrong place. I worked with him and assisted him and he didn't like having to pay a towing fee, but he was happy with me for helping him and for getting his car back and he thanked me.
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A patron missed his flight back to JFK and was placed on a flight that made him arrive 6 hours late. On reaching the long term lot he had left his wallet at home in New Jersey. He now had no money to pay for his parking. I was proactive and called control and asked for permission for a Balance Due. My request was approved by the "74." The patron said thank you so much, sir, may the lord bless you and keep you.
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A man couldn't find his parking ticket. He was cursing and looking for the ticket. He asked "how much do I have to pay?" I told him $30 and he became very upset. I stayed calm and I gave him the possibility where his ticket might be. Like in the glove compartment. I let him back out of the lane and go to the side of the lot where he could get out of his car and do a search. Soon he came back into my lane and he thanked me because he found the ticket and did not have to pay a lost ticket fee and I said your welcome.
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A woman was stuck in the long term lot and her car would not go into gear. She stayed in her car while waiting for AAA and I kept my eye on her. The tow truck did not come for two hours but she thanked me for hanging in with her and even wrote a letter to the company and thanked me for keeping her safe.
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The patron lost his parking ticket and not wanting to pay the lost ticket claim became very rude. I explained to him calmly that that was the procedure and explained in great detail how the whole system worked and he finally saw the reason and he even thanked me for taking all the time to explain the system to him and he paid and said now he knew he needed to make sure in the future to keep the ticket in a safe place.
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One night a pax arrived and he had a meeting the next day with the Chairman of JP Morgan. I know this because he approached me very upset to tell me that the one back he had checked had his suit in it and everything he needed for his meeting in the morning and the bag had not arrived. I calmed him down and became pro active. I found out where his bag was and found that it would be arriving by 7am in the morning. Since I was going to be at the airport still I assured him that I would get the bag and have it sent by express service to his hotel and be there by 9am. That's what I did, and he got his bag in time for his meeting the next day with the Chairman. He wrote a letter to the president of Swissport about me and mentioned my name.
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A first time visit to the US got delayed in the Immigration hall and missed his connection flight. He approached me and I engaged him. I listened to his problem and stayed calm while he was upset. I used good body language and tone of voice to keep him calm. Then I was proactive and researched what options we could come up with. I found him a flight to Atlanta, his destination in the US, but it wasn't going to leave until the next day. And so I researched some more and I found him a hotel which the airline was able to cover. Then I let him use my personal cell phone to call his family in Atlanta to let them know all about this. He was happy, and even his family in Atlanta called me the next day to thank me.
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A pax's reservation was cancelled because his travel agent did not have his passport number. When he got to the airport we had to tell him this news and he became very upset. He wanted to fly on the flight, but when we checked it was going to be a lot more expensive to make a reservation so close to departure. Again he became upset. I acted with pro action and I researched his original reservation and I found that in fact it was the travel agent's fault. I called the travel agent and together we were able to get the pax booked on the flight without a penalty. He was very happy.
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A man had a confirmed aisle seat, 23H, but at the airport the computer had him in 37H. This was an aisle seat too, but it was further back and he did not want that. He got very upset and said he wanted his original seat. But it was not available. I stayed calm and remained optimistic. I told him that I would work on it and he liked that. I got him 28H, an aisle seat closer to his original. It wasn't as far up as his original but it was closer to the front that 37H and this alternative satisfied him. He thanked me.
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A flight had a problem and was delayed. The passengers were all very upset. I was proactive and stepped in to engage the pax. I explained the situation to them, that the plane had a mechanical and that we didn't want anyone to be unsafe, so the flight needed to be delayed. They appreciated someone talking to them and explaining the situation. This calmed them down. They said thank you.
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A passenger was sent by a check in agent to repack his bag since the bag was over the weight limit. The agent who reported to me thought that if you moved items from one bag to another that could bring the heavy bag down and he would not be over the weight limit. Instead the man thought the agent didn't like him and so I was called in. I stayed optimistic and calm and let the pax "vent." That's what he wanted to do. They we repacked his bag and he was able to get within the weight limit. He left said thank you and also apologized to the agent.
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A couple was denied access to the Lounge by one of our agents who reported to me. The agent was not wrong in doing so since the man did not have a valid card for the Lounge and the agent by rule is not allowed to let him in. I was pro active and took the problem away from the agent then was pro active again and personally called up the man's credit card company to see if there was any way we could get him validated to use the Lounge. It took some time, but I was able to find a way and the man was so pleased because he had important business to attend to and he was able to do that in the Lounge.
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A man and woman checked in online but when they came to the airport there was a glitch and they had to wait on line like just like everyone else. They were very upset and they complained about having to wait on line but I stayed calm. I made eye contact and made the man feel very at ease and that calmed him. Then I was pro active and checked him in personally. He left with a smile.
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A passenger came late and could not get on because the flight was closed. He was very upset. I stayed calm and worked to find another flight to his destination. It left from a different airport, but I made the arrangements and he left very happy.
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A woman was going from JFK to Dehli with a connection in Zurich. We had an overbooked situation in Business Class and she did not have a seat that would make her comfortable. I "brainstormed" with her on options and found flight in First Class that would connect through Geneva. It might seem like a little thing to do, but she was so happy, especially since she lost hardly any time.
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A man and his wife were not seated together on a full flight. The couple demanded that they get seated together immediately. I had explained the situation that the flight was full but followed by explaining that I would try to change their seats by asking other passengers if they would change their seats. I was proactive and found someone to do the switch and the couple was very happy and said thank you.
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A couple's bags were missing since they didn't make the flight. They needed their bags for a perfume convention, but the bags wouldn't be in until the next day. I stayed optimistic and told the couple that the bags wouldn't be in until the next day. Then I was pro-active, I told them that once the bags came in I would expedite them to them personally and right away. The next day after I did this and they got their bags they called to say that they were somewhat happy, not happy about the delay, but happy about what I did.
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Our flight was delayed and the passenger had a connection and was very upset and anxious. I stayed calm and listened, then was pro-active and helped the passenger explore options until we found one that worked for him. He accepted the alternate flight and was very happy and said thank you.
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A lady trying to catch a flight to South Africa dropped her sandle between the train and the platform. I was maintaining the platform screen doors when this happened. She called me and I engaged her. She told me the problem and I was proactive. I called the OPS Center for clearance to access the tracks to retrieve the sandal. She said thank you sooooooo much. And she made her flight.
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A lady lost her pocketbook on board one of the trains and had all her money, credit cards, keys and her airline tickets. She was very upset. SF adapted by switching what she was doing at the moment to give the lady her full attention. Then she became proactive. She engaged the lady and asked her how long ago she had lost the items. This gave SF an indication of the best route she should take to solve the situation. Since it had only been a short time she called the Operations Center to put out word and for people to search the trains in the inner loop. Success was achieved and the pocketbook was found with everything in it. The lady was very very happy and said God bless you.
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It doesn't happen a lot but sometimes a child will get on a train ahead of the parents and when the train door closes the child is on the train and the parents are on the platform looking for the child while the train pulls away. They panic of course. When this happened one day, R, who is a mechanic, became proactive. He stepped up to the challenge, since he was the only one in sight who could help. He calmed the people and engaged them by telling them what he was going to do then he did it. He got on the radio and called ahead to the next station. This wasn't easy to keep them calm because the parents were crying. But his proaction worked. He got the situation resolved and got the child safe. The parents, especially the mother, thanked him and thanked him.
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A lady got on the wrong train and had been riding around for 20 minutes and was VERY upset. When she came up to RI she vented and told her that a "person just like you" had put her on the wrong train. RI adjusted to the situation and stayed positive. She apologized to the customer and in a calm voice explained how she could get to her destination as quickly as possible. The calm worked because the lady calmed down and said "i appreciate it."
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The train was not moving because there was a problem at another station. IF could see people were upset and became pro-active. She went up to customers who looked most upset and asked them what terminal they needed to get to. She reassured them that they would be OK and the train would be moving shortly. The small talk with the people worked because it calmed them down and they all told IF to have a nice day and that she was very helpful.
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MB had an issue with a subordinate, who was his customer at that moment. The subordinate didn't know why every time he posted for a position he got denied, and he got upset. MB was pro-active. He set weekly goals for the subordinate to help him develop in areas where the interviewer felt he needed work. MB worked with him as the subordinate followed the action plan they made together. The subordinate said thank you and both have hopes that one day soon the subordinate will be successful moving up because he will now be fully prepared.
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A customer did not have money to exit the system. JS listened to the customer and adjusted to his mood. He explained alternate means for paying in a calm voice. This kept the person calm and JS got it done. The customer thanked him very much for his patience.
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A timed out train stopped and was stuck for 45 minutes. I engaged her by calliing the Operations Center to tell the lady how much longer it would take, then I got the number for American Airlines so I could check on the status of her flight. The customer was overjoyed and thanked me greatly because I stayed with her all the time and gave her a play by play update on the status of her flight and she was happy that someone cared.
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Sometimes in vehicle maintenance we get called off the job suddenly. This happened and when it did a co-worker came back and couldn't find his wrench. He turned to me. I kept calm and calmed him down. Told him not to worry we would figure it out. I worked with him to retrace his steps. And together we did that and after ten or fifteen minutes we found the wrench. He was very happy and he thanked me for helpiing him.
Employee:
Researching name
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While researching the name of the courteous agent who solved this problem for a traveler, here's the story: a man was upset because he didn't know which Air Train to take to get to the "A" subway. The agent got involved and stepped up to give the man a tutorial in sign reading. She showed the man how the different colors on the signs above the door indicate different trains and how there are different tracks for the inner loop trains and outer loop trains. She was patient and took as much time as it took until the man understood. He said "thank you," and said now he wouldn't worry about getting lost again.
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