VANCOUVER – As a longtime “Green Coat” volunteer at Vancouver International Airport, Doug Franklin has helped countless travellers find their way around the terminal.

He remembers one ******** in particular.

“A woman walks into the airport and shouts: ‘To Toronto!”’ he recalled in an interview posted to the airport’s blog.

“And I say ‘On?’ Meaning on which *******, and she says, ‘Tario!”’

Franklin, 86, was recognized recently at a banquet for his 25 years as a Green Coat, serving for the entire duration of the volunteer program which was launched in ******** 1989.

The Green Coats, who wear bright green uniforms and are stationed throughout the terminal, answer travellers’ questions on everything from check-in locations and airport retail outlets to Vancouver tourist attractions, proactively approaching those who seem in need of help.

Asked for one piece of advice for anyone just starting out as a Green Coat, he said:

“Find out where the nearest washroom is because you’ll get asked that a lot! And also, don’t be afraid to say, ‘I don’t know.’ And then say, ‘But we’re going to find out for you.”’