Peabody TSA Agent Honored for Coming to Aid of Man in Distress at Airport

[The following was submitted by the Massachusetts Port Authority.]

The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) has awarded Peabody resident Michael Barros with the Authority’s “Logan Stars” award. The award honors non-Massport employees at Boston Logan International Airport whose actions epitomize the highest level of customer service.

Barros is a Behavior Detection Officer with the TSA and was recognized by Massport for providing exceptional customer service during a medical emergency.

Barros and his partner were patrolling the terminals when they came across an individual in need of medical care as a result of a fall from an escalator. Barros and his partner disabled the escalator and gave comfort to the passenger until Massport Fire-Rescue arrived to provide medical assistance. The officers’ alertness and quick actions averted what could have become a much more serious situation.

“Boston Logan is a front door to Massachusetts and providing excellent customer service to the millions of passengers who use the airport reflects well on the entire state,’’ said Gov. Patrick, who attended the awards ceremony. “I am proud to honor Michael for his outstanding service to the citizens and visitors of the Commonwealth.”

“Massport applies an effective team approach to ensuring the highest level of security and service at Logan Airport,” said Lieutenant Governor Murray. “We thank Michael for his leadership and dedication in supporting customers who rely on Logan Airport throughout the year.”

"Excellent customer service is fundamental to a successful transportation system, and I am pleased to see Massport honor workers like Michael who work as partners in making the travel experience a positive one," said Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Secretary & CEO Richard A. Davey. Massport sponsors the award twice each year to give the nearly 18,000 members of the Logan Airport community an opportunity to honor their peers for superior individual achievement.

“The care and well being of our passengers is paramount and the Logan Stars award showcases instances where an individual provides superior service to the traveling public and provides an opportunity for Massport, as the airport operator, to thank individuals like Michael for a job well done,” said Massport CEO and Executive Director Thomas P. Glynn. 

The award recognizes the contributions of Logan employees in one or more categories:

• Providing exceptional customer service.
• Engaging in an act of heroism.
• Improving safety or security.
• Increasing operational efficiency or excellence in a way that benefits the Logan community.
• And creating innovations or new work processes that benefit the Logan community as a whole.

“Logan Stars honors those individuals who have been singled out for the work they do that makes all of us proud to work at Logan Airport,” said Massport’s Director of Aviation Edward C. Freni. “It’s because of  people like Michael that we enjoy a national reputation as a safe, secure, cutting-edge and customer-focused airport that really cares about the people who use us every day.”

Barros resides in Peabody and has been with the Transportation Security Administration for the past two years. 

Boston Logan, 15 minutes from the intersection of Route 128 and I-90 and five minutes from downtown Boston, serves as the gateway to the New England region and offers nonstop service to 72 domestic and 31 international destinations and in 2011 handled 28.9 million passengers. Boston Logan is the Air Line Pilot Association’s Airport of the Year for 2008 because of its commitment to safety.

Over the past decade, the airport spent $4.5 billion on a modernization program that includes new terminals, public transportation access, parking facilities, roadways and airport concessions, and has been transformed into a world-class 21st Century facility. The airport generates $7 billion in total economic impact each year.