Practicum Report 4

01 DECEMBER 2010 – WEDNESDAY

NINTH DAY - 1000-1800

Today’s my off so there’s no pressure at work. Sir Migs was the only one in the office when we got there. It was my first time to talk to him and he was very nice to us. He shared a lot of things to us, the party of Sir Axel yesterday because he was already leaving (I, Earl, Keycelyn, Dana, and Mark weren’t able to join), the Qantas agents, etc. Ma’am Pat and Sir Larry arrived at the office, too. Sir Larry asked us if we wanted to do the customs brochure and forms again and we all approved since there was no work to do anyway.

We inserted customs forms to the Bureau of Customs brochure again and we all did it quickly. After the task, we had our snack at the restaurant and went back to the office. We wanted to go home already because we were allowed to go home even if it wasn’t 1800 yet but still 1800 will be written in our time cards. But, Sir Larry, before leaving, told us that we’d just wait for Ma’am Pat to go home, too, and even joked that there were ghosts in the office, lol. So, we waited for Ma’am Pat, did some chit chats, and went home.

I was glad that there are no pressures during non-flight days. And, I’m also glad that I was able to talk to the Qantas agents already and I hope that we’d be closer to them.

02 DECEMBER 2010 – THURSDAY

TENTH DAY - 1400-2200

Today, Sir Larry gathered all Qantas agents and practicumers to discuss the Station Emergency Response Plan (SERP). The SERP is a guideline and step-by-step procedure on what to do in case of a crisis involving Qantas. Some of the things discussed were the following:
The Qantas office will be the Station Control Center (SCC) in time of a crisis and all QF agents will assemble at the SCC for the briefing. Terms to remember are the Forward Command Post (FCP), Passenger Reception Area (PRA – which is Gate 1 where all passengers involved in the crisis will stay), and Crew Reception Area (CRA – for QF crew). The First Person Aware (FPA) is the one to receive information regarding the crisis. The details of the crisis must be completed within the first ten minutes of becoming aware to an incident. The steps in case of a crisis are Confirm (if the incident is true or not), Collect (the details of the information), Notify (the airport manager, duty manager, and other QF agents), and Action.

After the discussion was the briefing by Ma’am Nancy. I was still assigned at BCO and Gate. After briefing we had our snack, and then proceeded to the departure. The task at the BCO was not the difficult this time but the queue was longer because some of the practicumers were already checking-in. So, it was not that quick unlike when QF agents do the check-in.

Our gate assignment that night was a lot of fun because I got to talk to Sir Cyrus, Sir Sonny, and Ma’am Rachel who were very kind and kept on talking to us. The passengers were all so kind to us, too. I was glad to see an Australian girl saying tagalog words she learned like “wala, meron, mahal kita”, etc. There was even this Australian man, I think in his late twenties, who surprisingly approached us and said “Ako’y maglalakbay sa Australia, gusto niyo bang sumama?” hahaha. He was speaking slowly and in a deep tagalog grammar. And the last passenger I was glad to meet was an old Australian man singing and dancing “Boom Tarat Tarat” in Bicol version.

I had a lot of fun in the gate as I got to meet funny and friendly passengers.

04 DECEMBER 2010 – SATURDAY

ELEVENTH DAY - 1300-2100

This day would be definitely one of my most tiring days in Qantas. It was my last day of duty at the BCO and Gate. Everything was going well at the BCO, well except for some passengers who had some excess baggage which really gave me a headache. Everything was alright until it was already arrival time of QF19 flight that all my co-practicumers in the BCO area left me to go to the gate already. I was left with Liza and few more passengers arrived at the area to have their baggage weighed. We had some more problems with, usually, the Koreans, who had excess baggage. Liza had to go to the gate also for the arrival and I was left alone to talk to the incoming passengers. It was really a tough time because most passengers who came late were Koreans who usually had excess baggage. It was really difficult to talk to them because honestly, I’m not really an expert in speaking in English to people especially if it was “on the spot” and at the same time it was difficult for them to understand English. However, I enjoy times when I get to deal with foreign people because I was able to practice my English skills. I know that in this way I will be able to excel in my communication skills, knowing that I was a quiet girl who’s more comfortable in delivering my thoughts in English through writing (that I can edit my thoughts, haha) Anyway, being a baggage control officer plus dealing with passengers with excess baggage was not an easy task. I always remembered the warning of QF agents regarding Koreans who usually had excess baggage. I also pity those passengers who exceed the limit of 23 or 30 kilos and had options of either repacking, leaving, or paying the excess. Anyhow, this is the real life. This is my job. No matter how hard the task was for me in terms of dealing with hard-headed passengers (in English, LOL), or how merciful I was for those hard-headed who might pay for the excess, still I have to do my job.

This ain’t an easy job, though. I always pray to God that He’d prolong my long patience MORE. I keep myself calm at such moments. I started loving my new life of interacting with different people. I enjoy even if at times it’s difficult already. And, I smile.

06 DECEMBER 2010 – MONDAY

TWELFTH DAY - 1200-2000

Today was my first assignment at the Arrival. Same things happened during this flight day except for my new work area this week. After the briefing, I, Mac, and Earl photocopied documents needed for the arrival. We were assisted by Sir Jeff (Aviacor employee from Saudia airline). He was very nice to us and oftentimes he joked around, even the last week we were with him was a lot of funny moments. Among all the agents whom we work with, Sir Jeff is definitely one of them who is easy to approach and who’d be easy to get along with.

We finished photocopying the documents and headed down to the departure. Sir Jeff ordered me to give a copy of the crew form to the immigration but since I’m not yet familiar with the area, he just took it again and told me to help at the counter first with Earl since the QF19 flight was at 1735 and it was still 1530 that time. I and Earl helped at the counter first while Sir Jeff and Mac went to the immigration. After assisting Ma’am Rovynne at the counter, I and Earl went to the gate already. We did the task of tearing the boarding pass first and then at the time of the arrival, we were positioned at the exit doors to welcome the passengers. I was tasked by Sir Migs to hold the paper with the name of the passenger and look for that passenger. It means that she has a lost luggage and I would assist her to report to Sir Migs or whoever is assigned at the LL (lost luggage). After several passengers have exited the gate, a woman noticed her name on the paper I was holding and I immediately approached her. I directed her toward the immigration until Sir Migs. Then, after the task, I and Earl went with Sir Jeff at the AOD (Aircraft Operations Division/Department). We had some documents signed and then left and went back to the office.

The task at the arrival was not very difficult but it requires a lot of legwork. As I stay and work at the airport, I keep on learning a lot of new things and I’m happy that I always accomplish every task successfully, with the help of God.

07 DECEMBER 2010 – TUESDAY

THIRTEENTH DAY - 1300-2100

It was my second day for arrival deployment. Mac was not around so I and Earl were just the two who assisted Sir Jeff for the arrival. We photocopied the arrival documents while Sir Jeff grabbed a snack first.

Earl was ordered to make a transaction at the bank so I was left alone with Sir Jeff to do the arrival documents. We went to arrival first (second floor), proceeded to the crew lane and left one copy of arrival document, then headed to the other side which is the immigration. Sir Jeff had some arrival documents signed there. Next, we went to quarantine, left documents again to the doctor, and then left another one to the guard at the departure level. We helped at the counter for awhile and headed down to the gate.

Sir Jeff invited us to grab a bite at the stores near gates 3 to 6. He bought Ma’am Candy siomai while I and Earl who didn’t have money that time got Goldilocks and Sir Jeff paid for it for the meantime. We got back to the gate to prepare for the arrival.

Sir Migs asked for my help to look for five passengers to advise them to approach him to the baggage belt. I’ve found them with the help of Dana who took one paper with three names while I lead the passengers to the baggage belt. Sir Jeff was supposed to tour me and Earl at the ramp but Sir Migs borrowed one vest (which was a regulation that it must be worn at all times at the ramp) so I was left with Sir Migs and Sir Jj at the baggage belt.

After arrival, I went back to the office. I was sort of ashamed because I was the only practicumer inside and I even noticed Ma’am Pat call Sir Sonny and made some gestures which I thought she was talking about me but Sir Sonny just ignored whatever she said. I was uncomfortable at the office that time. Anyway, the practicumers arrived at the office, followed by Sir Jeff and Earl who invited me to go down at the ramp. I was hesitant for a moment because it was airborne already but Sir Jeff has to accomplish some documents for the arrival, so I and Earl went with him. He toured us at the ramp where we were able to see the aircrafts up close. He took a photo of us near the Hawaiian airlines aircraft and shared some of his knowledge with us regarding the airport facts.

I really learned and enjoyed a lot especially my experience of going down to the ramp. Thanks to Sir Jeff.

09 DECEMBER 2010 – THURSDAY

FOURTEENTH DAY - 1400-2200

Sir Larry started the day by letting us watch a video presentation of British Airways. It was entitled Why? (which I supposed was the title of the music played on the video) which showed bad experiences of a passenger before, during, and after his flight. The video showed usual bad customer service that passengers encounter when traveling.

The following were the improper incidents that made the passenger hate the airline and in relation to the bad incidents on the video were ways and important facts Sir Larry discussed to us.

• The improper greeting of the agent to the passenger – Being the faces of the airline, the agents must always put a smile on their faces to welcome the passengers.
• Improper queuing during the check-in which resulted to irritated passengers – Always traffic all things to be fair with every passenger.
• Something went wrong with the booking of the passenger
• Bad baggage tagging
• At the lounge: Food was not refilled – Always anticipate about the things that might lack instead of just waiting for the customer to complain
• During the boarding: The passenger’s hand-carry was oversized that’s why it was taken to another flight – “Always be conscious to make a difference”, according to Sir Larry. Just imagine if the passport was on the hand-carry which was boarded with another flight just because it was oversized.
• During the flight: The passenger experienced faulty IFE (In-Flight Entertainment) system – According to Sir Larry, if such case happens, the passenger may be upgraded to Business or First Class so that he/she may still enjoy the flight. But what if it was a full flight? Agents/cabin crew may find a staff traveling on the same flight and they may exchange seats. However, if there’s no staff, compensation may be an option, too, which may be in the form of vouchers/coupons that can be redeemed at Duty Free or other stores, so that the passenger can still enjoy the service. They call this service recovery which is a way to keep the passengers loyal despite the unwanted incident in a flight.
• The passenger cannot sleep because the cabin crews were very noisy.
• There was no tissue paper in the toilet.
• Arrival: Lost luggage of the passenger.

These were the bad incidents that the passenger encountered. Sir Larry shared to us that as people of the industry, we must take responsibility of how we present ourselves. He took Singapore airlines as an example of how passionate they were as we can see it in the way they move and present themselves with a lot of grace. This was regarding the bad incident of the passenger who can’t sleep during the flight because the cabin crews were noisy.

All these negative things can be avoided by the airline. As Sir Larry has said, customers has a choice. It is easy to encourage passengers to buy the product but it is difficult to make them loyal. So, for the airline to gain the loyalty of the passenger, it is a must to provide customers with the best service.

I was very inspired as Sir Larry continuously shared with us his words of wisdom. He even gave us tips on how to aim for our goals. He told us to be abreast of what’s happening in the industry. We must always be aware because the industry is very volatile. The systems that we are using are just instruments and it is up to us on how we would be able to be flexible and multi-task to be successful in the industry. This on-the-job training experience is already a glimpse of how we would be making choices regarding our future careers. He even told us to make career blocks or ways which can help us to further build our career. For example, in school as we graduate, we would have credentials while during our OJT, we carry the name of Qantas as our career block. These are somehow bonus points already as we apply for other jobs. Airlines of today also wanted new graduates because they want these people to grow with the airline.

Some words of inspiration I’ve noted from Sir Larry were the following: (not the exact words)
“Life is a continuous learning process. Take an investment on that. Be passionate.”
“Follow your dreams. If you fall, do something about it. If you want something, go for it.”
“Put God ahead of what you do. Nothing will go wrong in a man who has God in his life.”
Physical, Academic, Social, and Personal standing are important factors that help in building our career.
“Associate ourselves with something good which will eventually result to a success. Take pride and dignity on what you do.”
“Aim for the bigger buck. There’s no way on going down, but up.”

This may be my longest practicum report but I’m glad to note all these inspiring lessons from Sir Larry. I hope that I would be able to apply these as I aim for my goals. The experience of this training would be one of my best experiences plus the inspiring words from our good supervisor.

10 DECEMBER 2010 – FRIDAY

FIFTEENTH DAY - 1000-1800

This was just an ordinary non-flight day as we did nothing in the office. We spent almost the whole day sharing stories and laughing. To kill the boredom, one agent from Aviacor taught us how to input information regarding lost luggage. We found partners and a computer to input the information. He dictated to us the data to be typed. The following were the terms to be remembered:

TN – tag number
NM – name
IN – initials of passenger
PT – passenger title
PS – status (business, economy, frequent flyer)
PA – permanent address
TA – temporary address
TP – temporary phone number
DV – until when will the passenger be staying at the hotel
CP – mobile number
PN – phone number
EA – email address
RT – routing (ex. SYDMNL)
FD – flight/flight date
CT – color type
BI – brand info
CL – combination lock number
CN – contents
FI – forwarding info
NW – weight of the lost luggage
AG – agent
KT – kit
LD – local delivery
BL – bag last check-in
DB – destination of bag
TK – ticket
PR – locator
BR – baggage routing
SI – supplementary info
BW – weight

After inputting the information, we got to print our data, in Spanish language. We did nothing again that afternoon. By 1630, Ma’am Candy played the “When Love Begins” movie and we just watched. Unfortunately, the cd wouldn’t function properly. We just waited until 1800 then we all went home.

13 DECEMBER 2010 – MONDAY

SIXTEENTH DAY - 1200-2000

I was back in the counter this week for my deployment. Sir Billy (from Saudi Arabian Airlines) was the agent I assisted with baggage tagging. Among the practicumers, I and Keycelyn were the two who wasn’t able to try checking-in passengers yet. So, this was now the time that I must learn to do it. I wanted to try the check-in but I was very nervous. Sir Billy asked me several times to try it already but I refused because I wasn’t ready yet. The whole time that I was in the counter I just watched how Sir Billy swipe the passport or enter the surname, confirm the name of the passenger, check the date of birth and document code, type the number of baggage over its weight, print the boarding pass and bag tag, and give the passport, ticket, boarding pass, and claim stub to the passenger. At my first time in the counter with Sir Sonny, it seemed so difficult maybe because a lot of passengers had problems that time, but as I noted the process this time, it wasn’t difficult after all. Sir Billy told me that I must try it already which I immediately approved as I realized that if I would still refuse, the experience of checking-in passengers would be my loss.

I was able to check-in only four passengers because the next in queue were a group which might be difficult for me. One thing I’ve realized in this experience, if the passenger has no problem, checking-in would be easy but if the passenger would ask questions regarding their rebook, or would change seat or would ask for upgrade to business class, etc., checking-in seems very difficult. However, we weren’t required to master all of these. The basic process of checking-in is important and solving the other problems of the passenger would already be a bonus point, that which may be learned when we would be working in the airline already.

In the middle of our task, I and Jhae were told by Ma’am Nancy to go to the office because Sir Larry needed us. He let us type the names of some staffs of the Civil Aeronautics Board, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines and MIAA. They were about to receive gifts from Qantas so we have to prepare them. After, we headed to the immigration to continue our task.

14 DECEMBER 2010 – TUESDAY

SEVENTEENTH DAY - 1300-2100

The flight is not full so there was no pressure. However, most passengers we’ve checked-in had some clarifications regarding their rebooking, seats, excess baggage, etc. So, no matter how few the passengers were, it still didn’t matter because most of them encountered problems. In addition, we had a delayed flight due to some engineering issues. I supposed we were delayed for twenty minutes.

I was worried this day because I was able to check-in few passengers and one of them (who had his first time to fly) I was able to give the wrong boarding pass. He asked for a seat change so I changed it. Ma’am Nancy even told me 52K which I also chose. Then, after the seat change, as I could recall, the boarding pass was printed but the bag tag wasn’t. So, I called Sir Jeff and told him that the bag tag was not printed. He typed in the system then two boarding passes printed AGAIN but I cleared that bag tags were the ones I meant. Then, he fixed it and then bag tags already came out. We thought the two boarding passes which were printed late were wrong but then as I was planning to keep those with me rather than tearing it, I remembered that the passenger had a connecting flight going to Queenstown. Immediately, I told them that maybe the other one of the two boarding passes was his boarding pass for Queenstown. I was really worried about it. It would be my fault if the passenger wouldn’t get it. Sir Jeff ran to the immigration to look for the passenger and give the other boarding pass.

I went to the immigration to look for QF passengers and I met Mac and Jhae, holding a boarding pass with her. I thought about it and later on found out that the boarding pass was still the passenger’s, with the 52K seat. I was alarmed because it would be my fault. I realized maybe, I failed to give the wrong boarding pass. I wasn’t still sure as how things were wronged but maybe, I gave him the original boarding pass and the other two which was printed were the two that I must’ve gave him. I felt so stupid that time. I was afraid that I might be scolded or it would be announced in front of the group. I just prayed that everything would be alright. And it did as the passenger was able to board the flight, except for the delayed flight, not because of my mistake, but because of some engineering issues. However, this incident really scared me a lot and I thought and promised to myself that I want to learn and master checking-in passengers, with no mistake.

This day sir Jj made me, Mac, and Jhae happy as he printed us some bag tags with our own names on it, lol. Then, I was also able to get a Business class tag and a swing tag for my souvenir. At the gate, I, Earl, and Keycelyn also talked to Ma’am Virgie, the woman who checks the handcarry of passengers. We asked her for some Qantas pens because we saw Jhae and Mac with pens and envied them, lol. Ma’am Virgie was very nice to us and she even gave us a toothbrush and toothpaste from the aircraft, I think. She told us that she’d give us some more Qantas stuff when we’d had the chance. J So, my worries about the boarding pass turned into gladness with the news of Qantas souvenirs.