Who do you ask when you need help at the airport?

If you are at Newark Liberty International Airport, you can ask Rich Heslin.

That is, if he doesn't find you first.

"If I see people with a blank look on their face or looking troubled, I stop and ask them if they need help," said Heslin, who can usually be seen wearing an electric blue blazer. "I enjoy doing it."

Heslin, 68, of Teaneck was the General Manager of Newark Airport for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, until he retired 2 years ago.

Now he's back on his old stomping grounds as a Travelers Aid volunteer.

The 165-year old non-profit organization does exactly what the name says - help travelers in need. That ranges from giving directions to assisting stranded travelers without cash or credit cards.

He's one of a diverse group of 45 Travelers Aid volunteers at Newark Airport, from a Korean student pursuing an airline career, to a retired flight attendant, fluent in several languages. All have stories about going to great lengths to answer questions from the unusual to the mundane.

A memorable moment was helping 10 Chinese students retrieve their luggage after the airline closed for the day, Heslin said. He contacted the airline through the Port Authority business office and arranged for them to get their bags. While they waited, he said they told him their story.

"I found out they were taking a cross-country trip. They flew in to the east coast and were driving to the west coast," Heslin said. "Before they left, they took pictures of me, because I was instrumental in helping them out."

Ka Young, 25, from South Korea said she interned with Travelers Aid to broaden her experience. She is pursuing an airline career. One unusual request came from a man who asked where the north side of the terminal was, she said.

"I used my (smartphone) compass app and said "this side." I showed it to him," she said. "There was a religious reason. He spread a rug out and began to pray."

Heslin had a 45-year career with the Port Authority and managing Newark Airport was his last stop. Then, he started thinking about what he'd do next.

"My wife was concerned about what I'd do when I retired. Being general manager is stressful, it's 24/7, you're always on duty," Heslin said. "Her concern was I'd go from very fast to very sedate. She encouraged me to volunteer."

Even though he ran the airport. Heslin said there was a lot he didn't know.

Stranded travelers with no cash or credit cards are their toughest cases, volunteers said. The challenge is determining if they're genuinely in need or looking for money.

"We try and help them as best we can, I'll contact a Travelers Aid supervisor. We have social workers," Heslin said.

Tracking down family members who can help a stranded passenger takes some detective work, volunteers said.

A woman traveling to Ireland became stranded after she was dropped off at Terminal C, said Dide Aydogan Travelers Aid assistant program director. She forgot her cellphone and grabbed her boyfriend's passport by mistake, she said. The traveler had no way to get back home to Atlantic City.

"We had to use Facebook to find her son and her daughter-in-law," she said. "We got in touch with them, they called an Uber and she went back home."

Needless to say, she missed her flight.

Six months after retiring as a flight attendant for United Airline, Renato Uva, 69, of Bayonne also returned to the airport as a Travelers Aid volunteer.

"I got tired of staying at home. I was used to the airport environment," he said. "I love it. We're the first people that travelers interact with. We give them a smile, a welcome and say, how can I help?"

Besides airline experience, Uva also speaks four languages. Uva used Spanish to help a man who only spoke Portuguese, who couldn't find a family member.

A family member Uva reached said they were supposed to meet at door 4. He took the man to that location in Terminal A, but no one was there. When he called back, the family member clarified they were to meet at Terminal 5.

"We don't have a Terminal 5, she was at JFK," Uva said. "We told him it would take two hours or longer for them to get here. He said, I'll wait."

Christian Havens, Travelers Aid program manager, said he looks for volunteers with outgoing personalities, who are problem solvers, he said.

"This is not for everyone. We've had some volunteers come in for one day and leave (feeling) overwhelmed," Havens said.

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

