Phoenix, AZ – If you have visited Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in the past several years, you have no doubt either seen or met a Navigator. This volunteer group is now more than 500 strong, and celebrating its fifth anniversary at Sky Harbor. Navigator volunteers, wearing purple shirts and jackets and “Ask Me” buttons, stand throughout Sky Harbor’s three terminals, offering assistance, answering questions and giving directions to the airport’s 40 million annual passengers.

More than 500 Navigators currently serve Sky Harbor, making this one of the largest and most successful airport volunteer programs in the United States. Since November of 2000, this group has volunteered more than 258,000 hours, the equivalent of 124 full time employees, at a value of more than $5 million to the City of Phoenix.

As the busy holiday travel season approaches, Navigator volunteers are even more crucial. They, combined with Information Counter personnel at Sky Harbor, can answer questions in more than a dozen languages. The most common questions are “where’s my gate?” “are there restaurants beyond security?” and of course “where is the restroom?” These volunteers go through 16 hours of classroom training, plus four weeks of mentoring by a veteran Navigator before going out independently into the terminals. “Customer Service is a top priority at Sky Harbor,” said Phoenix Aviation Director, David Krietor. “Navigator volunteers help us provide the personalized customer service that airport visitors need and appreciate.”

In the past five years, travelers from around the world have written to Sky Harbor thanking the “Navigators” for helping them, or a friend or relative find their way through the airport. Anyone who would like to volunteer to be a Navigator should visit www.phxskyharbor.com or call 602-273-3354 for more information. The next training class is scheduled for early 2006.