Airport volunteers prepare for RNC

Passengers at MSP
Passengers arrive at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport. A group of some 500 volunteers will be stationed at the airport during the Republican National Convention to help delegates and media find their way to ground transportation.
MPR photo/Tom Weber

Volunteers reported to the first day of training Thursday morning on how to greet and assist visitors traveling through the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport around the time of the Republican National Convention.

Many of the participants in today's orientation already volunteer at the airport. Others were employees of Northwest Airlines.

Jana Vaughn is executive director of the Airport Foundation MSP, which oversees the airport's volunteer program. Her group will provide about 500 roving volunteers to help delegates and media find their way.

"People are going to be coming here for the first time, a lot of these people. Our volunteers need to know logistically the airport very well, and just because someone's a badged employee doesn't mean they necessarily know all the answers, so we're making sure they know when people come in, specifically what kind of transportation they'll be taking to get out of the airport and how to get them to that," Vaughn said.

Vaughn said the airport foundation will also display large photographs of Minnesota scenes throughout the airport.

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