November 2023 Employee of the Month: Terminal agent rescues elderly couple with the language of customer service
While patrolling the Miami International Airport terminal two months ago, Miami-Dade Aviation Department Terminal Operations Specialist Haydee M. Cecilio found an elderly woman who seemed distraught and confused. When Haydee approached the woman, she said she could not find her connecting flight to Dallas and that she felt like she was about to collapse.
After helping the woman calm down, Haydee was able to get the woman’s daughter-in-law on the phone to translate since she did not speak the passenger’s language. Haydee then found out that the woman was traveling with her husband but that they had somehow gotten separated in the airport. With the additional information, Haydee helped the passenger locate her husband and get them both through the right TSA checkpoint. She then arranged for a golf cart to drop them directly at their gate. Despite not understanding the couple’s language, Haydee used the language of excellent customer service to get them to their flight.
Haydee is truly an angel and I am forever in her debt for her going above and beyond to make what could have been a disastrous experience for my parents one of the most memorable. I would like to give kudos to the supervisors who have hired people like Haydee and are running such a hospitable environment at MIA. Keep up the great work of helping people. Thank you to Haydee again for her great work.
In recognition of Haydee helping an elderly couple who were lost in translation, she was named MIA’s November 2023 Employee of the Month.
To request materials in accessible format, Sign Language Interpreters, CART services and/or any accommodation to participate in any Miami-Dade Aviation Department (MDAD) public meetings and events please email the ADA Office at ADAcoordinator@miami-airport.com or call the office in 305-876-7747 five days in advance to initiate your request. Persons who are deaf or hard of hearing may also call 711 (Florida Relay Service).