Practicum Report 3

24 NOVEMBER 2010 – WEDNESDAY

ENROLLED

Today was my day off so yesterday night I went home and this morning, I was able to enroll.

Thanks to God for his provision. We sought educational assistance from the city mayor’s office last week. He asked us to go back this Wednesday but this morning he wasn’t at the office yet so I was worried I wouldn’t be able to enroll. But since the deadline of enrollment was on Friday, I already used my day off at school to plan enrolling (even if there was really no money yet that time) because I was afraid that I might not be able to make it this semester. I’m avoiding having problems this semester because I am a graduating student already. Because we weren’t able to seek assistance from the city mayor YET, my mother just made a way to provide for my enrolment (through God’s help). Then, I went to the school and thank God I was already enrolled.
From school, I went home and received my mother’s message that we would go to the city mayor’s office because he was already at his office. So, we went to the mayor’s office at about 4 in the afternoon. We waited for almost an hour before we were accommodated. Then, we were allowed to talk to him already. I thank God because He used him to give us something that might help in my education. I was really blessed to have people around us whom God uses to help me and my family.

From the mayor’s office, we went to the dentist for my check-up because my tooth was aching for weeks already. Then, we went straight home to rest because I have work the next day.

25 NOVEMBER 2010 – THURSDAY

FOURTH DAY – 1400-2200

Same things happened this day as I was still assigned in the check-in counter. Our schedule today was from 1400 to 2200 and our briefing was still on 1600, so we just waited until the briefing began.

We went to the check-in counters. My friend already took the place/counter where Sir Sonny, my first Qantas employee to assist, was seated. So I just went to the counter next to my friends. Ma’am Jade, finally arrived at the counter and started checking-in baggage. I was very quiet the whole time because she didn’t talk to me, only when she needed something, like when she asked me to get brochures, or when she asked me how many hours we must take for our practicum, and when she told me to sit down when there were no passengers yet.

I’ve been doing the task of putting tags on the baggage for almost two days already. This was already my third time doing it and I assume I was able to do it quickly. Ma’am Jade was also the one to put the business tags, swing tags, and priority tags that’s why it was easier for me unlike with Sir Sonny where I was the one to think about which tags to put. Well, I liked it also because I was able to practice the task and I was able to know everything about the tags.

Swing tags are for domestic flights with flights from QF 400 and above. Business tags which are colored pink are for business class. Priority tags are for frequent flyers or Qantas club. Heavy tags/Fragile stickers are for baggage with heavy contents or with weight exceeding the normal weight.

Today, I also learned tallying. My co-practicumer Dana taught me because Sir Jj asked her to do it. Sir Jj first asked me if I wanted to tally but I refused because I wasn’t ready yet. Ma’am Jade was also teasing him that he was just lazy that’s why I refused to do it. Dana wanted to try tallying so she did it and when there were no passengers already, I went to her and she taught me. Press the passenger number and find the name, shift F6, enter, F9, then check the POI. If it is outside the country Philippines, O must be placed on the tally sheet and if it is inside the Philippines, P must be written.

I was glad that I experienced tallying even though only for a short while. After that, we went to the immigration to look for passengers still not boarded. We stayed in the immigration for several minutes, announcing the final call for Qantas airways passengers. After all the passengers have boarded, it was time for airborne. Then, we proceeded to the Gate, and then went back to the office.

It was a tiring day and I was glad I learned new today.

26 NOVEMBER 2010 – FRIDAY

FIFTH DAY – 1000-1800

Today was a non-flight day, meaning, it was office work. We came early at the office, timed-in, ate lunch, went back to the office and waited for tasks to be given to us. We waited almost two hours but the brochures and flyers and departure cards which we were about to fold and arrange was not in the office. So, Ma’am Pat and Ma’am Candy just let us do whatever we wanted to do. My co-practicumers played a game using the cards while I just watched and laughed at them. When they noticed they were already making noise in the office, they already stopped while Ma’am Pat approached us and just talked to us and gave us some information about Qantas. She asked us about the real name of Qantas, which was Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Ltd. She also reminded us about the BCO, or baggage counter officer, where the proper weight of baggage must be noted. (For hand-carry: 7 kilos, economy: 23 kilos, for 2 passengers: 46 kilos, if with an infant: 10 kilos, for heavy tags: 25-32 kilos which must be written on the tag and placed on the baggage so on and so forth.) Ma’am Pat also gave us a briefing sheet where all the flight details were written. She also discussed to us the different tags to be put on the baggage (swing tags, priority tags, etc.) which I already learned from the first task I’ve done. She also told us that passengers who are deaf, mute, blind, and in a wheelchair, must not be seated near emergency exits on the aircraft. For excess baggage, 35 Australian dollars must be paid. YP means young passengers ages 13 to 18. UM means unaccompanied minor ages 6 to 12. Even the car seat that must be fit in the aircraft was shared to us by Ma’am Pat.

I’ve learned so much today even if we didn’t do administration works. I even learned how to use the fax machine which was taught by Sir Cyrus. After adding enough knowledge about airport operations, Sir Cyrus played a movie (Despicable Me) and we just watched it since there was no more work to do. Then, after watching, we already went home.

27 NOVEMBER 2010 – SATURDAY

SIXTH DAY - 1300-2100

This was a very tiring day as we had a delayed departure flight. It was supposed to be at 1935 but it was delayed for several minutes due to the long queue in the immigration. It was my last day at the check-in counter and at the immigration. After doing my task at the counter, I and my friend Earl went to the immigration to look for QF passengers still not boarded in the gate. We noticed the long queue in the immigration and several Qantas passengers still on that queue, as well as Sir Dustin helping the other passenger already, meaning we have to look for the remaining passengers and help them pass through the immigration quickly and go to the gate. We only got few minutes from the departure time and yet we were missing out 21 passengers (who were still on the immigration).

As passengers passed through the immigration, we helped them run to Gate 2. My friend Earl even helped one Australian with his baggage and ran to the gate. This Australian was the last passenger to check-in at our counter awhile ago and I and Sir Dustin were shocked because he approached us catching his breath, explaining that his baggage were stuck on the cab. He left for an early check-in, unfortunately he was caught with the traffic in EDSA and then his baggage was stuck on the cab. I really pity him that moment. Anyway, when I got back to the immigration, Ma’am Loren told us that we must run the Koreans to the gate already.

Unfortunately, these two Korean girls were still planning to buy something but we told them that they cannot buy because it’s already boarding time. So, I directed them to the gate. I was telling them that we were really sorry we can’t let them buy but the other girl surprised me when she ran to the store and found the one she’s planning to buy, the Mild Seven cigarette. Even the cashiers were surprised that they thought they were kids quarreling. I followed them at once to tell them that they must hurry up.

Unfortunately, Koreans were very hard-headed and they kept insisting they wanted to buy. Qantas agents warned us that we must be careful of Koreans because they are wise, especially with regards to their baggage, that sometimes, some of the agents were fooled. Mac and I were worried because our boss might get angry on us. After they bought their cigarettes, we rushed the rest of the passengers to Gate 2.

My last day on the counter and immigration was fun and exciting but it was exhausting at the same time due to the problem encountered.

29 NOVEMBER 2010 – MONDAY

SEVENTH DAY - 1200-2000

It was a holiday but we weren’t informed if we have to report or not, so we just went to the airport since it was also a flight day. My mother, partner, our driver and her wife and two kids went with me to the room I’m renting near the airport because I bought new stuff for my room. I waited for Keycelyn (my roommate and classmate) and her partner in our room and we all went to the airport using our vehicle.

We were deployed this week. I was assigned at the gate with Mac, Earl, and Keycelyn. Before we place ourselves at the gate, we were first positioned at/as BCO (Baggage Control Officer) with Sir Axel and Sir Dustin. They taught us what to write on the ticket (weight of the baggage). 23 kilos is allowed for economy, 10 kilos for infant, 7 kilos for carry-on, 40 kilos for seaman, 30 kilos for staff, 27 + 10 for silver and gold frequent flyers and 27 + 15 for platinum frequent flyers.

At first we were confused on how to do BCO, but we managed to do it quickly later on. We were also able to talk to Sir Axel and Sir Dustin who were both kind to us. When there were few passengers on the BCO, we headed straight to Gate 2 already. Our task was to ask for the passenger’s passport, boarding pass, confirm if all documents match with the person, then tear the small portion of the boarding pass, and give it back to the passenger together with the passport. Then, the seat number on the boarding pass will be ticked on the paper with all the list of the seat numbers to know who the passengers able to board the gate were and who the missing passengers were.

I enjoyed our new task but it took a lot of effort in the BCO area and gate. We have to weigh all the baggage on the BCO area, do a little mathematics, while in the gate we have to make sure every passenger gets to board at once, with all the documents matching each person. It seems that the BCO area and gate were more tiring that in the check-in counter. My tooth also ached that time that’s why the task was really hard for me. But I’m glad to learn new things today.

30 NOVEMBER 2010 – TUESDAY

EIGHTH DAY - 1300-2100

When I arrived at the airport, we had our lunch first at the restaurant. The issue about the arrival cards were brought up while we were eating. The arrival cards yesterday lacked in number and the command of getting or preparing a new set was not properly delegated to the practicumers stationed in the arrival area. I was worried we might get scolded by the agents. After having our lunch, we went back to the office and that was the time Ma’am Loren talked to all of us (practicumers). She just requested us to have some initiative of helping out in other tasks. Like, for example, the incident during the arrival in which the arrival cards lacked, she told us that if such cases happened again, she’s requesting us to help out especially if our tasks are not heavy, yet. Some of us in the gate may help first in the arrival to lessen the load. We all agreed and that’s what we all did today.

It was my second day at the BCO area and gate. At BCO, I was able to encounter different passengers who in a way tested my patience. First, there were two passengers who had excess baggage. I and Mac reported it to Sir Lance (an employee of Aviacor too but from a different airline) but he said that it was alright, so I just wrote 2/49 in their ticket (which means 2 baggage over 49 kilos, with excess of 3 kilos). Then, minutes later, Sir Jap sent back the ticket to us when the passengers were already checking-in on the counter. That meant we had a mistake on the BCO but I just thought that we must not be blamed because we reported it to Sir Lance who was the one to guide us because he’s the employee there (and whom I thought was not really focused on the task unlike the other Qantas agents. I’m not sure). I was worried again that Sir Jap might get angry, and I was disappointed on myself I made a mistake which was actually not really my fault.

Another incident was the old foreign passenger who was about to weigh his baggage and proceed to the counters but insisted and told us that he must finish his beer first. It was hard for me talking to the old man and it was later that I knew he was already drunk, according to Sir Lance. After some time, I noticed him proceed to the counter already, and minutes later, he came out and I approached him to ask where’d he go, but he suddenly held my hand and I already didn’t understand his words. I just took my hands off and smiled at him. Another one was a man who had excess baggage too and repacked his things and when I and Keycelyn approached him again, Keycelyn told something about the carry-on that mustn’t include liquids, and he just continued repacking and even told my friend “I know that…you think I’m stupid?”, which insulted the two of us because we were just trying to help and explain things and it was really difficult for us to understand the words they were saying. The last incident which made us panic was the group of boy scouts who traveled to the Philippines several days ago and left for Sydney today. They were a huge number and Keycelyn approached Sir Lance at once to inform that it was a group travel but he insisted that each passenger’s baggage must be weighed individually. We were confused that moment but everything went out fine in the end when it was consulted to the counter already. It was alright to weigh each baggage individually but all must be summed up.

After all these confusing interactions with different passengers, I thank the Lord for He guided me and made everything alright.