01 July 2013
Since 1995 anyone needing a bit of help while navigating Auckland Airport has been able to turn to the Bluecoats, trained volunteers stationed around the international and domestic terminals. Now, in response to the increasing numbers of Chinese visitors, 14 of these Bluecoats can also offer assistance in Mandarin.
When she noticed how many more Chinese visitors the airport was getting, Auckland Airport’s customer care and terminal services manager, Julie Berry, approached the airlines about potential volunteers who could speak Mandarin. A month later and it became an official strategy.
The new volunteers are still in training and will be mainly there to assist the airlines and their customers with their flights and it’s now intended that the Bluecoats in general will also start moving around the airport more.
“We’d love to see more volunteers with Mandarin skills,” Julie adds. “If anyone wants to put their hand up we’d be more than happy to hear from them.”
If you’re interested, you can email Julie at [email protected] or Bella Onekawa at [email protected]