Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) proudly connects Philadelphia with the world. The GLOBO phone system is a tool PHL offers to enhance the travel experience of its guests who don’t speak English as their first language, providing an easy way to connect highly qualified, industry-specialized interpreters to travelers in seconds. It is one of the tools that the Department of Aviation has access to through its collaboration with the Language Access Program within the City of Philadelphia's Office of Immigrant Affairs.
Guests can access GLOBO in all PHL terminals at information desks, where members of the Navigator and Volunteer Navigator teams the system to instantly connect travelers with a live agent via phone for customized translation services.
Recently, a PHL volunteer noticed a passenger who seemed to be disoriented near an information desk. The volunteer, TSA agents, and a Philadelphia Police Officer quickly realized the traveler only spoke Russian. The volunteer assisted the traveler by calling GLOBO. The GLOBO agent was able to translate that the woman had been separated from her husband, who was carrying all of her travel documentation.”
The GLOBO agent was able to get the passenger’s husband's full name and travel information, from which the PHL team could determine the couple’s gate. The Police Officer located him at the gate and reunited him with his wife at the information desk. “GLOBO not only ensures that passengers get the information they need but helps our Airport team connect to passengers in a meaningful way,” said Denise Bailey, the Airport’s Vice President of Business Diversity and Accessibility.
In addition to GLOBO, the PHL Airport Operations Center is a multilingual unit with bilingual operators available to assist travelers in languages such as Spanish, French, Arabic, Haitian Creole, and Bambara. “For all other languages, the Airport’s AOC utilizes GLOBO for over-the-phone interpretation. Last year, our bilingual staff helped 731 guests, utilizing GLOBO 866 times,” said Bailey.
