(Los Angeles, CA) Today, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) is launching a first of its kind partnership with Cornell University’s online learning unit, eCornell, to provide key front-line staff at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) the training and tools necessary to create exceptional guest experiences. Cornell University’s Hotel School is a world leader in hospitality management, making the partnership with LAX a natural fit as the airport aims to adopt a hospitality mindset throughout the LAX journey. LAX is the first airport to partner with Cornell University for this training. 

“We are delighted to partner with the best of the best in the hospitality industry, and hope that our guests will see and feel a difference in the level of service at LAX,” said Barbara Yamamoto, Chief Experience Officer, LAWA. “This partnership will build upon our initiative to create experiences that are efficient, hospitable and memorable as part of an exciting cultural transformation at LAX.”

One of the four strategic goals of LAWA is to deliver facilities and guest experiences that are exceptional. This hospitality-training program is focused on doing just that. Starting today, 50 handpicked LAWA employees, all of whom work directly with the traveling public, will be embarking on six months of eCornell’s Service Excellence On-Demand Training. The classes will be a blend of in-person training and online learning hosted by Cornell University program author Elizabeth Martyn.

“We are honored that LAWA has chosen our Service Excellence solution to elevate its service culture in an industry that can greatly benefit from this kind of innovation,” said Martyn, who kicked off the training with LAWA teams today.

The ultimate goal of the partnership is to help LAWA employees develop a service mindset and apply critical thinking skills to each guest interaction. Participants will explore the tools necessary to identify problems before they start, manage constantly changing situations, and deliver a higher, more strategic level of care – even in difficult or stressful situations, which can be common in airports. The program also provides LAWA with a blended learning guide, allowing the organization to host further on-site sessions.  LAWA learners will earn a recognition of their achievement from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration.

The partnership with Cornell builds upon LAWA’s airport-wide customer service training, performance management and employee appreciation programs, one of the most strategic and comprehensive guest experience programs of its kind specifically designed to engage the entire airport community and assure service excellence. 

About Los Angeles World Airports

Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) is the City of Los Angeles department that owns and operates Los Angeles International (LAX) and Van Nuys (VNY) general aviation airports, as well as aviation-related property in Palmdale. Both play an integral role in helping to meet the Southern California regional demand for passenger, cargo and general aviation service. Both airports make a distinct contribution to the strength of the system as it provides a high level of safety, security and service for its customers, communities and stakeholders. More information can be found at flylax.com. As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and, upon request, will provide reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to its programs, services, and activities. Alternative formats in large print, braille, audio, and other forms (if possible) will be provided upon request.

About eCornell
As Cornell University’s online learning unit, eCornell delivers online professional certificate courses to individuals and organizations around the world. Courses are personally developed by Cornell faculty with expertise in a wide range of topics, including hospitality, leadership and management, marketing, human resources and data analytics.  Students learn in an interactive, small cohort format to gain skills they can immediately apply in their organizations, ultimately earning a professional certificate from Cornell University. eCornell has offered online learning courses and certificate programs for 18 years to over 130,000 students at more than 2,000 companies.

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