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PASSENGER EXPERIENCE  
May | June 2026      AirportImprovement.com
YHZ
Earlier this year, Halifax Stanfield 
International Airport (YHZ) in Nova 
Scotia rebranded its volunteer 
program with new uniforms and a new 
name: The Stanfield Wayfinders. 
“The name is an homage to our 
customer service culture here,” explains 
Melissa MacDonald, volunteer program 
coordinator, Halifax International Airport 
Authority (HIAA). “The Stanfield Way [our 
airport-wide training program] encourages 
everybody in the airport community to be 
happy, helpful, caring, courteous and kind.” 
The volunteers guide passengers to 
locations throughout the airport including 
check-in areas, gates, washrooms, ground 
transportation, and other service areas. 
They also assist guests with accessibility 
needs, offer reassurance to nervous 
travelers, provide extra support during 
airport community events, and strive 
to bring the warmth of Nova Scotian 
hospitality to life.
HIAA President and Chief Executive 
Officer Joyce Carter refers to volunteers at 
YHZ as “the heart of Halifax Stanfield.”
“I am incredibly grateful for our remarkable 
volunteer community, especially as we mark 
25 years of service this year,” Carter says.  
“While the name and uniform have evolved, 
the spirit of the program remains the same—
to provide assistance and have a meaningful 
impact on the journeys of travellers from 
around the world.”
Boosting Visibility
The new uniforms for The Stanfield 
Wayfinders are designed to be more 
comfortable for volunteers and more visible 
to people in the airport. They also convey 
Canada’s two official languages, with the 
word Volunteer in English and French, as 
well as the Mi’kmaq word, Apoqnmuet, 
meaning “helper” to ensure everyone 
coming through YHZ understands they are 
in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded 
territory of the Mi’kmaq.  
Volunteers can choose from a variety of 
shirt options, and the vests now feature a 
zipper rather than buttons, for accessibility 
purposes. A sash or tie was previously 
required; now, it’s optional.
“We added components to the uniform 
to make it clear volunteers are here 
representing Halifax Stanfield,” MacDonald 
says. “We also strategically selected brand 
colors for the uniform to make sure they 
stood out in the crowd.” 
She says the new royal- and sky-blue 
vests with light blue shirts underneath are 
working well, and volunteers report that 
more people are approaching them when 
they need assistance. 
Halifax Stanfield Rebrands Its Longtime Volunteer 
Program, Further Enhances Accessibility BY ANDREW TELLIJOHN

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