SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The holiday season is always a busy time for air travel and the Airport Ambassadors at Sacramento International Airport are ready to help make your travel smoother. They answer all questions, from "Where is my rental car?" to "Where is my Uber?"
Lisa Silva Macias has volunteered at the airport since May and says those are some of the most common questions. She says she likes interacting with people and the good feelings she gets from those conversations.
"I wanted to volunteer. I was going to save the world, and then I realized there's a lot of drama in that. So, I happened to see the advertisement for this and I thought, I’ll volunteer somewhere where people want to be and are happy today and I can just help them and make their day better," said Silva Macias.
People who meet volunteers notice that passion for making people’s days better, like Kristine Leenders from Vacaville.
"When I got here I was trying to look for my bag and they helped me know which carousel to go to. So very helpful, all the volunteers here," said Leenders.
Silva Macias says her favorite part about volunteering is seeing the heartwarming moments between family and friends.
"Seeing the families greet their family members when they show up. It’s just heartwarming. I spent five years in the Air Force and spent a lot of time in airports and I think that's why I love that piece — just seeing people coming home and how happy their families are to see them. That's my favorite," said Silva Macias.
Colm Marmion is the Customer Service Officer at the airport and he says the program is vital to providing extra care during busy travel seasons.
They have a team of four-legged friends and their owners as part of the BARC program and about 110 volunteers in the Airport Ambassador Program.
"We have them in hotspot areas, so we have them in the information desks in both terminals but also we have roaming volunteers so they will roam around the airport in high-traffic spots," said Marmion. "They’re there to provide great customer service whether it's ground transportation information or hotel stays — could be anything and everything."
Cindy Nichol is the Director of Airports and says the volunteers are extremely knowledgeable on all things airport and will always lend a hand when someone needs help.
"It’s super critical, not only people who might be new to the area but infrequent travelers from here," said Nichol.
To learn more about the program, click here.
Watch more on ABC10: Snowfall in the Sierra sparks chain controls on I-80 in Northern California
