STL Ambassadors of the Year Helped Family Recovering from Tragedy

A tragedy provided the opportunity for two American Airlines employees at St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) to go above and beyond for one family, making their journey home a reminder of care and compassion. By doing so, Norma King and Greg Rivera were announced as the 2018 Catch Us Giving Ambassadors of the Year at St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL).

Norma King and Greg Rivera assisted a mother traveling to Detroit after a recent family tragedy left her caring for her late daughter’s dog, Vixie. The mother arrived at STL without the proper documentation designating Vixie as an emotional support animal, a process her late daughter began but was not able to finish before her death.

After hearing her story, Norma and Greg quickly worked together to allow Vixie to travel home with her.

“My daughter had adopted Vixie in 2015… and was the absolute love of her life” wrote the mother in her Catch Us Giving nomination. “Norma and Greg made me incredibly grateful and reminded me of the intrinsic goodness in every person. Please make sure they know they made a real difference for me.”

STL Airport Director Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge surprised Norma and Greg at the Airport’s Catch Us Giving Annual Reception today. The event celebrated all the winners and nominees in the Catch Us Giving customer service program for 2018. 

“Every day presents a new opportunity to interact with our passengers, customers, guests, and visitors in a way that promotes STL and our region,” said Airport Director Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge. “Our travelers who received such great customer service will share that experience about St. Louis hospitality with many others, both locally and wherever they travel.”

The Catch Us Giving program received over 1,200 nominations in 2018. More than 500 employees from more than 30 companies were nominated. From these nominations, 28 quarterly winners from ABM, American Airlines, ATS, Customs & Border Protection, Delta Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Hudson & Associates, HMSHost, Hudson News, Southwest Airlines, SuperPark, TSA, United Airlines, and Whelan Security were chosen. A committee representing tenants, airlines, concessions and other service providers choose quarterly winners and the Ambassador of the Year. Customers nominated employees for their hospitality, service, and efforts to go above and beyond to make a difference for travelers and visitors at the Airport.

The Catch Us Giving customer service recognition program was developed exclusively for St. Louis Lambert International Airport and its facility partners. The program encourages the public to “catch” Airport employees giving great customer service and nominate them for customer service awards.  

The Catch Us Giving program receives tremendous support from the local business community. The event was sponsored this year by US Bank, the Regional Business Council, G2 Secure Staff, FunJet Vacations, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Air Choice One, OHM Group, Hudson Group, and ABM/Super Park. 

Now in its 9^th year, the mission of the Catch Us Giving program is to unify the Airport Authority, tenants, contractors, airline employees and other partners in giving great customer service to STL’s millions of travelers and visitors.