Travelers Aid - Reagan National Airport

The History of Travelers Aid at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport

The Travelers Aid Society of Washington was founded in 1912. The Travelers Aid program at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport began in 1941 as part of the new United Service Organizations, better known as the USO.

Just as the federal government opened the new National Airport on the Virginia shores of the Potomac River in 1941, the USO was there.

In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt invited Mary Ingraham, then president of the national Young Women’s Christian Association, to form a group to provide morale and recreation services to U.S. military personnel. This request brought together six civilian organizations: the YWCA, National Travelers Aid Association, Salvation Army, Young Men’s Christian Association, National Catholic Community Service, and the National Jewish Welfare Board. They were brought together under one umbrella, USO, to support U.S. troops.

In 1947, after the war was over, the Travelers Aid Society of Washington took over the USO responsibilities at National Airport.

With the opening of the new Terminals B and C in 1997, the volunteer program doubled in size and has continued to grow and thrive. Volunteers and staff were on duty through the pandemic years when travel reached a low point. In 2022 more than 150 volunteers are on duty to serve visitors to our airport.

On November 9, 2021, two new security checkpoints opened to serve Terminals B and C. On June 5, Reagan National renumbered the terminals and gates to better reflect the airport patterns. Terminal A is now Terminal 1 and Terminals B, C and D are now Terminal 2.