The Guest Services Division’s mission is to help ensure an airport-wide positive, friendly experience to our multitudes of guests. Guest Services puts safety and efficiency paramount and strives to enhance the guest experience. This includes providing supplemental support during airport emergencies and/or incidents by providing face-to-face passenger care and communication. The Guest Services frontline team consists of more than 500 members of these programs:
- Guest Experience Members (GEMs)
- Volunteer Information Professionals (VIPs)
- Pets Unstressing Passengers (PUPs)
- LAXceeders (student volunteer program)
In addition to providing excellent customer service, Guest Services also manages the following:
- Guest Service communication – Infoline, LAX public email, and phone calls
- Guest Service training
- Guest extra care support programs
- Seasonal care programs
- Other irregular operations or special event programs
About our Programs
Guest Experience Members (GEMs)
GEMs are paid employees that generally work in the Customs and Border Protection Federal Inspection Service (FIS) areas. They are meeters and greeters who assist arriving international passengers as they are being processed in the FIS area. Their services range from assisting with translation, immigration forms and documents, to queue management for expedited processing.
Highlights:
- GEMs speak a total of 28 languages
- Annual assistance in the FIS area can be up to 6.5 million passengers served
- Generally work from 6am to 12am
Volunteer Information Professionals (VIPs)
VIPs staff information booths located at the arrival levels in airport terminals. They assist guests by providing wayfinding directions throughout the airport, and giving information about airport amenities, ground transportation needs, and local accommodations and attractions to the traveling public.
Highlights:
- Generally work 7 days a week
- VIPs have assisted 1.6 million guests in 2018
- The longest LAX Volunteer has served for 41+ years!
Pets Unstressing Passengers (PUP)
Launched in 2013, our PUP Program is the first of its kind in the nation! The program has a team of more than 100 volunteer dog handlers, with their therapy dogs. Each dog is licensed through Alliance of therapy Dogs. PUPs provide stress relief and comfort to passengers through pet interaction. Therapy dogs and handlers roam the Departures Levels in the gate areas of each terminal, visiting passengers awaiting their flight, and provide comfort, as well as airport information.
Highlights:
- LAX Program Director, Heidi Huebner, has helped start and develop more than 64 programs in Airports nationwide!
- Impressive variety of dog breeds represented in the program! From Golden Doodles to Pitbulls, to Labs and Wolfhounds!
- Our PUP Program receives national media attention all the time!
LAXceeders
The LAXceeders Program is for college-bound students who are interested in aviation careers. The program introduces them to the airport environment, develops their communication skills, and trains them on guest assistance techniques. LAXceeders roam at pre-screening and selected post-screening areas, and provide navigational and informational assistance.
Highlights:
- LAXceeders come from 13 surrounding schools
- In 2019 LAXceeders clocked in 457 hours of service to LAX
- In 2019, LAXceeder was featured as a “Cool Kid” by ABC, Channel 7 News! You can view the newsclip here!
Highlights:
- Community partnership with South Bay Workforce Investment Board
- Uniforms were designed and manufactured through a local designer and company
- Provide support from the curbside from 6am to 12am
Team of LAXceptional Learning (TLC)
During peak travel season, LAX gives extra care to its guests through LAWA employees who volunteer to provide guest assistance and pass out giveaways to enhance the travel experience.
Highlights:
- TLC volunteers work 2-hour shifts
- TLC volunteers provide more than 220 hours of assistance during the winter holidays
Airport Response Team (ART)
In partnership with the LAWA Emergency Management Division, the Airport Response Team (ART) consists of LAWA employees who will be deployed during an incident and offer supplemental support to LAWA’s overall coordinated response. ART members assist guest by providing them with information and assist airport operations throughout the incident.
Highlights:
- ART members come from over 11 LAWA Divisions!
Irregular Operations and Special Event Programs
Guest Services promotes partnerships with the community by collaborating with airlines, local organizations, concessions, and local businesses.
Highlights:
- In 2019, we collaborated with the US Travel Association’s International Pow Wow (dubbed the Olympics of the travel industry), greeted and assisted over hundreds of event attendees arriving at LAX!
- We partnered with airlines and airport concessions by providing customer appreciation and care during holidays and special events, such as Father’s Day, National Random Acts of Kindness Day and Customer Service Appreciation Week!
Contact information:
Volunteer Office
424-646-8471
vip@lawa.org
Airport Response Team
airportresponseteam@lawa.org
