Practicum Report 2

12 NOVEMBER 2010 – FRIDAY

SUBMISSION OF FINAL REQUIREMENTS

The day I knew that I and three of my classmates passed the interview, we submitted the requirements at Qantas.

Ban, my classmate was with his friends while I, Earl, and Keycelyn took a cab. We all met at the office where we found out who were the others who also passed the Qantas interview. I saw the girl from St. Paul again, then three from T1 and I think 3 or 4 others from other schools passed.

Ma’am Pat, the Qantas employee who was in-charge of us, took our requirements one by one and gave us a short briefing. We were informed that we might have our orientation on Tuesday, November 16, 2010. We were all excited.

16 NOVEMBER 2010 – TUESDAY

ROOM FOR RENT

Since my practicum site is far from our house in Marikina, I must stay in an apartment near the airport. I’ve looked several apartments in the internet already. When it was confirmed that I would be working with Qantas, which means I must already find a place to stay. My friend did find a condominium unit for us last Sunday but it was too expensive and far from NAIA Terminal 1.

Today was supposed to be our orientation at Qantas but it was moved to Thursday and since it’s a holiday, I asked Ate Joy and DM to help me find an apartment. Ate Joy suggested that we’d look in the village her niece stayed in before. We were not familiar to the place that’s why we kept on asking directions and the location of the village.

We passed through the gate and at the first street we found rooms for rent and checked one of them. I didn’t like the place. We walked through the streets, found two more but I just noted the phone numbers posted. We decided to leave the village and look for other villages but when we were about to leave, I pointed at the other street which we didn’t take. We found a house with the sign “4 rent”. I hoped it was an apartment because that was what I’m after but when we rang the doorbell, an old lady came out and welcomed us and told us that the room is worth 5,500 for two persons, and if we’ll have another roommate, we will add one thousand. Electricity and water were already included which encouraged me to pick that one. It’s all right for me and I supposed my friends would also approve of it.

The room of the house looked like a scary one as it was built since the 1980s. I thought there were ghost, lol. Not now, please. The room already had a queen-size bed, a closet, a mirror (tokador), a side table, and another thing where we can put our things, plus a veranda. It was a big room which have images/sculptures of saints on the wall that’s why I was scared. But, as what Dm said, the room is ok, it was a blessing because we found it at once before lunchtime, supposing that it was really meant for me. We paid Php1,700 for the downpayment. The term of payment is one month deposit and one month advance. After checking the room, we left, then the rain poured. Great! …We left the village, took unfamiliar routes to me until we reached my beloved Marikina.

Whew! What a long journey!

18 NOVEMBER 2010 – THURSDAY

ORIENTATION – 1500-2130

We were informed that our orientation on November 16, 2010 was moved to November 18, at 3 p.m.
Since I already know the directions going to NAIA T1 via MRT, I and my friend met at MRT Cubao station. We also met our other friend. We took the same route except for one cab ride that we took because the sun was so bright that it burned our flawless skins! hahaha.

We reached NAIA earlier before our scheduled orientation. The Qantas employee told us to get our on-duty passes which we would use for our daily duties. We waited for our other co-practicumers while they get their passes and waited at the Qantas reception area. It was already past 3 p.m. and we were still seated there waiting for the orientation to start. We overheard the staff doing/studying something; I suppose it was about Qantas advertisements. Then, after several more minutes, we were called to enter the next door and we finally met all the Qantas people.

They were doing a briefing for the arrival and departure flights. Then, the Airport Duty Manager, introduced us and made us introduce ourselves one by one, stating our name, nickname, age, school, and why we chose Qantas. After all the Q people left the office since they will be at the departure and arrival areas, we started the orientation.

The airport duty manager discussed briefly the history of Qantas, and the activities in the airport that must be done. They gave us a copy of the airport service signatures that we must comply and take note of all the time. These include greetings, how we are to welcome, address, talk to customers, etc. Then, he left us for awhile to do something while we just stayed at the pantry. After several minutes of waiting, his colleague took us on a tour at the airport. He showed us the check-in counter, then the gate 15 where the arrival and departure took place. It’s so nice to see the Qantas aircraft park, lol. We welcomed the passengers who arrived, where I was ordered to bring the stroller to the baggage belt or carousel. I was scared because I was still not familiar with T1. Good thing I found my friends who led me to the carousel. We headed straight back to Gate 15. We were all tired and hungry as we expected that this orientation day would only take us 2 to 3 hours but we were all surprised that they made us stay up until 9 p.m. I was worried of going home that late evening. We ate first at KFC before going home. After eating, I and my friend decided to take a bus going to Cubao where I would be fetched by my partner. The bus ride was so long and still there was traffic even if it was already 10/11 p.m.

It was a tiring day because it was my first time to stay up that late at the airport (very far from our place) which we didn’t expect. However, I was glad that I experienced it and will soon experience more extraordinary days at QF. I’ll just keep on praying to God as He guides me in this new chapter of my life.

20 NOVEMBER 2010 – SATURDAY

FIRST DAY – 1300-2100

I enjoyed my first day with Qantas. Well aside from the orientation day last Thursday where we were able to expose ourselves for the first time in the airline grounds, this first actual training I was really able to enjoy my experience on my first task, the counter-immigration.

I and my friend met at the MRT again. Same route except that I already took Cubao Aurora and not Cubao Tuazon. During the orientation day I accidentally took Cubao Tuazon jeepney that I almost got lost on my way to MRT. I’m actually more familiar with Manila than with Cubao, lol.

Anyway, we reached Terminal 1, got our passes and went inside the office. Our schedule for this day was 1-9 p.m. and since our briefing is at 3 p.m., we spent almost three hours doing nothing, well, most of the time chatting and laughing.

3 p.m. – The briefing began. The Qantas people were assigned to different stations. After they left, we were oriented by the Ma’am Loren regarding what we were supposed to do. She gave us general instructions and where we would be assigned. I was assigned at the counter and immigration. We went down at the check-in counter at the departure/third floor level and found our positions. The Qantas employee, Sir Sonny, in the check-in counter was kind. He welcomed me and taught me the information on the tags. At first I was confused because he was very fast and I failed to remember everything he had said. Then he made me try to stick and put one tag on the baggage. I failed to stick it properly. My first two baggage tags were a mess! LOL. He even made me stomp at the tool used to bring the baggage inside or in front of us to easily put the tags. He taught me to put one sticker on the wall, the other on the brochure to be given to the passengers, etc. I was very confused and nervous at that time. But still, because I was eager to learn, I managed to put the tags on the baggage properly. I was even surprised that I even made it quickly, except for some times when I’m not sure on which brochure to stick the sticker on (whether on the white one or gray one which is the transfer — if it’s only SYD or BNE, it must be placed on the white brochure but if it has a transfer destination, gray one) or when he goes out to discuss some travel matters with his colleagues.

I enjoyed the counter a lot. Unfortunately, we were only to experience one area per week. My duty on the counter will end soon. I hope I can stay there until March, but I can’t. However, it is also a good point because Qantas wants us to experience all the actual areas of work in the airport. I’m loving my work at the counter as well as Sir Sonny’s assistance that even if I fail sometimes and I’d say “sorry”, he’d always respond “okay lang noh”, hahaha! He even talked to me at times. My first time on the check-in counter he asked my name, from where school was I, then he told me to not hesitate to ask him anything that I wanted to know. This made me more comfortable that’s why when he’s not very busy, I’d ask him about the system or anything about the flight. This time I’m learning a lot.

After the counter, we were supposed to go to the immigration to look for passengers still not present in the gate, but because it was our first time and we have no idea what to do, we headed at the office and Ma’am Loren who did the briefing just told us that we can stay there ’cause there’s so much people at the gate already.

This has been a very great first day. I hope to learn and experience more in this job.

22 NOVEMBER 2010 – MONDAY

SECOND DAY – 1200-2000

My second day was almost the same. We did the same tasks at the airport. I was with the check-in counter again with the same Qantas employee to assist. Again, we waited for almost two hours before the briefing. Our schedule today was from 12 nn to 8 pm and the briefing was at 2 pm.

At exactly two in the afternoon the Qantas people assembled at the office. We were assigned at the same areas in the airport. After the briefing, the airport duty manager who was very kind to us led us to his office for us to watch a video which he also discussed after. The old video (which was actually still on a VHS) was about the safety and security which Qantas values and emphasizes in their service to the passengers.

The duty airport manager asked the difference of safety and security. Safety – compliance with certain rules, regulations, policies, and procedures, and security – already speaks about level of malicious intention to cause harm which results to endangering the passenger. New term I discovered was “FLAG” which says something that may cause harm. Safety is paramount to Qantas that is why they have formed four security questions to be asked to the passengers during the check-in of their baggage. I learned about the Passenger and Baggage Match, the Security Questions, and the Triple A. Another term learned was ETD which means Explosive Tracing Device which only Qantas has in the check-in counter in the airport.

I learned the telephone sales, particularly information to do and remember whenever interacting with passengers with disabilities or difficulties like those who are blind, mute, deaf, or old men and women. For example, in the check-in, the agent must talk directly to the one in the wheelchair and not to the person assisting the passenger on the wheelchair. In the video, different wheelchairs were shown, too, to know which particular one to use for the passengers.

WCHR – for passengers who can’t walk long distance BUT can ascend/descend and can walk inside the cabin
WCHS – for passengers who can’t walk long distance and can’t ascend/descend BUT can walk inside the cabin
WCHC – for passengers who can’t walk long distance, who can’t ascend/descend, and can’t walk inside the cabin

Seat allocation was also discussed where passengers who find difficulty in walking long distances must be seated near the toilet. For blind passengers, it is much better to talk to the passenger and let them take the arm of the person assisting. It is also best to describe the places around the pax, may it be stores, toilets, counters, etc.

Qantas really values not only the safety and security of the passengers, but also they do care for the condition of different passengers. In those short videos I really learned a lot. After watching, we headed down to our designated positions and started my task of putting tags to the baggage. This day was indeed a good one.

23 NOVEMBER 2010 – TUESDAY

THIRD DAY – 1300-2100

Today was a flight day but the QF20 flight was canceled. There was only the SYD-MNL flight or the arrival. So, this meant office work. We thought we would be having our early day-off this Tuesday but our supervisor made us go to work to do some legwork. Unfortunately, the “legwork” I thought was not really the one I’ve expected. They were referring to the “machine” when we got there. After several hours of waiting again, Ma’am Loren gave us boxes of cards to be folded and to be inserted in the brochures. These were Arrival/Departure cards, Bureau of Customs brochures and Customs Declaration forms, and there were actually thousands in the office. We needed to fold the cards, and insert them together with the forms at the brochure. This activity I thought was easy was actually more difficult than putting tags on baggage in the check-in counter. We started at past two in the afternoon and finished at around four-thirty. We accomplished as I could recall 1, 700 only. We were supposed to finish 17, 000! :O But no worries ’cause we still have non-flight days (Wednesday and Friday) which we could continue this back-aching task.

Although I wasn’t able to experience the airport ground task today (as per the airport duty manager we would not only experience areas of work at the arrival and departure areas) I still enjoyed today’s task as I happened to experience a different task, administration work. AND, those cards, forms, and brochures we worked upon were a very important tool in the airport, so, I think we all did a great job. (Time out: 1900)