Indy Airport Honors Those Who Give It World-Class Reputation

INDIANAPOLIS (April 18, 2018) – What does it take to be selected as the Best Airport in North America by thousands of travelers? The Indianapolis Airport Authority will tell you it takes people like Agostos Nyemah, Cathy Winterrowd and Officer Dennis Scott – each recently recognized among 26 IAA airport workers who were honored throughout 2017 for their outstanding job performance in helping the Indianapolis International Airport (IND) provide excellent customer service.

Nyemah, Winterrowd and Scott were honored recently at the IAA’s 2017 Annual Core Value Luncheon to recognize the ‘best of the best’ IAA staff who help to implement the airport’s world-class culture of customer service. Each were recognized through the year for exemplifying the organization’s values of respect, integrity, trust, and excellence – and being unsung heroes for the organization.

“The Indy airport is a small city within a city, and it takes a tremendous collective effort to not only operate the facility, but to do so in a way that earns the highest respect from the 8.5 million people that travel through it each year,” said Mario Rodriguez, IAA executive director. “Our terminal staff – both IAA employees and our business partners – are the engine that drives the outstanding customer service we are recognized for worldwide.”

Agosto Nyemah – Translating Excellent Customer Service

Nyemah, a terminal services specialist who helps the airport earn top marks for its outstanding cleanliness, was honored with the Core Value Award for going above and beyond to assist a French-speaking passenger. Nyemah speaks six languages, and when the passenger had trouble understanding how to check his bag, Nyemah put his language skills to work – stepping into translate and pay the passenger’s bag-check fee. Nyemah also spoke with gate agents to ensure the passenger boarded his flight on time.

In 2018, Nyemah was recognized by Visit Indy as a ROSE Award nominee. The Recognition of Service Excellence program honors non-managerial hospitality employees that treat every Indy visitor with the highest level of Hoosier hospitality, ensuring visitors feel special and taken care of.

Cathy Winterrowd – Flying High with Hoosier Hospitality

Winterrowd, an IAA contracts specialist, was honored with the Core Value Award as well for her work behind the scenes with Alaska Airlines as the airport welcomed its newest airline partner – and the launch of daily flights to two key West Coast destinations.

Winterrowd served as Alaska’s go-to person at IAA during the crucial planning and implementation among multiple airport departments and personnel. She coordinated all of the meetings, site visits, and conference calls for the airline’s representatives, the contractors and IAA departments – ensuring that all infrastructure and information technology elements were implemented smoothly, prior to the first flight at IND.

Alaska Airlines also praised Winterrowd for her dedication to service and hospitality.

Officer Dennis Scott – Answering the Call of Duty

Scott, an IAA police officer, was also recognized with the Core Value Award for his diligence and quick thinking in ensuring public gatherings at the airport are adequately resourced. While off duty in 2017, Scott learned via social media channels that a potentially large group of people would be arriving at the airport on a weekend afternoon. Scott researched the planned gathering, and contacted his supervisor on duty to ensure he was aware, and the IAA could adequately accommodate the group. Because of Scott’s thoughtful actions, the IAA was able to allocate public space for the gathering that respected public access, but did not impede travelers flying in or out of the airport. Scott’s quick actions also ensured a well-organized assembly that drew praise and gratitude from the group’s members.

“There are so many examples of IAA staff going above and beyond for our passengers and guests,” said Rachel Hernandez, senior director of human resources at IAA. “Our staff embody the company culture of Hoosier hospitality, and providing service that is bigger than the job title or workload.”

Last month, the Indy airport was selected by travelers to receive the Airports Council International World’s 2017 Airport Service Quality Award – naming Indianapolis the Best Airport in North America for airports serving more than 2 million passengers per year. This is the sixth year in a row that the Indy airport has been recognized with this honor, and the seventh year overall.

The Indy airport has also been recognized in recent years by J.D. Power, Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure Magazine and TripAdvisor for excellent traveler experience and customer service.