TSA Officer Comes To Rescue After Mix-Up Lands Family In Wrong Portland

A TSA officer went the extra mile to help a family of three who landed in Portland, Oregon instead of their intended destination in Portland, Maine, according to CNN Travel.

A travel agency booked the family to the wrong airport last year, and they didn't realize the mistake until they landed, according to the Transportation Security Administration. As a result, the family was over 3,000 miles away from where they're supposed to be.

That's when TSA Officer Martin Rios was called in to help the Spanish-speaking family, translating for them. He learned they arrived at Portland International Airport the night before and spent the night in the terminal.

"They were at the checkpoint. They were trying to see if they could get someone to help them," Rios told reporters. "We were able to figure out that they were in the wrong Portland... They were pretty surprised, too."

Not only did Rios reportedly help the family get the correct tickets to Portland International Jetport (PWM) in Maine, but he used his own money to help them buy the tickets.

"(Rios) is a go getter and the fact that he chose to support these passengers in their time of need was no surprise to both his team and our leadership," Senior TSA Manager Jeremy Alanis said in the statement. "Martin is, and has been since day one, a shining example of what it means to be a team player. (He's) the kind of officer and person any airport in the country would be proud to have as a member of their team."

CNN said the TSA officer was awarded PDX's Make the Connection Quarterly Award for his customer service. He said he hopes the family got to where they needed to go.

"However much I helped them with, it might not have seemed like a lot to me, but it was a difference for them," Rios told WMTW.

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