Airport gate agents deal with a lot of stressed out passengers. Source: Getty Images
SPENDING a day dealing with hundreds of airline passengers and piles of oversized carry-on bags isn’t most people’s idea of fun. In fact, it sounds like hell to us.
But George Hobica, founder of travel advice website Airfarewatchdog.com and a frequent flyer, jumped at the chance to learn what takes place on the other side of the counter. He volunteered to spend a day working at the boarding gate for Delta Airlines at the world’s busiest airport, Atlanta Hartsfield in the US, which served an incredible 96.2 million passengers last year.
This is what he learnt during the “eye-opening” experience.
Lower fares mean that airlines try to get by with fewer gate staff, which adds a lot of pressure. Workers at the boarding gate are tasked with driving the jetway, opening the door, arranging for wheelchairs and taking care of unaccompanied minors, directing passengers to connecting gates, clearing stand-bys, checking the new crew, boarding new passengers, gate checking bags, closing the door, and pulling the jetway — all within about an hour per flight.
My day began at 6am. My role: scan boarding passes. While it sounds simple, that bar code is hard to scan properly especially when rushing. An insistent clock ticks away as departure time creeps up. Get the flight out late, and management holds you accountable.
Passengers wait for their flight. Source: Getty Images
With the last passenger boarded and final carry-on bag gate checked (overhead space fills up fast), we were ready to close the door. But wait … there was one more passenger on board than seats. I hadn’t scanned one boarding pass properly. Now, we were in trouble. Five minutes to go, one gate-checked bag to offload, and the seconds were ticking fast. With one minute to spare, we closed the door.
You can be as efficient as possible, but one mistake causes the house of cards to crumble.
Here are some things you should know about boarding gate workers:
1. Hollywood loves to portray workers at the boarding gate as people who tap away endlessly into a computer with a blank stare. Yet, there is a reason for all that endless tapping.
Most airlines use archaic codes to perform even simple tasks. Changing seats requires entering a series of seemingly random symbols. Lesson learned: if you want to change seats try to ask a staff member when they’re not busy.
2. Crowding the boarding door area 20 minutes before boarding begins or standing in the way when one’s boarding zone has not been called only inhibits efficient boarding for the workers and passengers.
People get anxious about finding space for cabin bags. However, the crowding delays boarding and leads gate agents to become more anxious as the clocks tick down. This may lead to more bags being checked in at the gate in order not to delay the flight.
Passengers should remain seated or clearly out of the way of the jetway door to allow a constant flow of boarding passengers. In the end, it helps everyone. Many airlines are placing kiosks in boarding areas so that people can reprint boarding passes or change seats without seeing a gate agent. Use these machines when possible to free up gate agent time to handle more complicated passenger requests.
3. Flights are very full these days.
In the winter, don’t place large jackets in an overhead bin upon boarding. It makes the bins look full, which adds to the stress of cabin crew and staff at the gate who have to check bags. Instead, wait until boarding is almost complete; then place (or stuff) jackets over existing bags.
Placing bags in a plane overhead bin is like playing Tetris, and most people aren't very good at it! :-/ #frustrated pic.twitter.com/am6HutKt83
— THE Jose Gonzalez ® (@GonzalezJoseThe) October 10, 2014 4. The later in the day you travel, the less friendly the skies get.
The morning folks were cheerful and responsive to my greetings. Later, people became more stressed and angry as delays began to rack up. If you can, travel in the morning since the evening takes the brunt of the day’s irregular operations.
5. People were happy to check in their bags at the gate if I asked them nicely.
I turned it into a positive reminding them they wouldn’t have to lug their bag through the airport. They can head straight to baggage claim worry-free. Offer your bag to the worker if you’re willing to collect it at baggage claim.
It's amazing how much stuff you can store in an overhead locker on a plane. Even plants! pic.twitter.com/C5jTbFmdVb
— Benidorm Talk (@BenidormTalk) December 2, 2014 When an airline member is staring at a screen when no one is there, they are not checking email. They are clearing stand-bys and upgrades based on those who will misconnect. Your seat request card is being cleared slowly. Don’t approach the counter every 10 minutes. The gate agent wants to get the flight out on time and will insure you have your confirmed seat soon.
They’re not ignoring you, they are actually really busy. Source: Getty Images
6. When an employee seems short on information during a delay, they’re not being coy.
They are awaiting more information from operations. Airlines work with numerous departments to secure a new aircraft, change baggage, adjust catering, secure a new gate, handle inbound connecting passengers, and locate a new gate for the next arriving flight. When operations called my gate during a mechanical delay with an update, my head was swirling. Passengers thought we were twiddling our thumbs, but a half-dozen people were working hard behind the scenes to get them on their way. The staff member at the gate is just the messenger.
Passengers at Atlanta Hartsfield airport. Picture: James Emery Source: Flickr
I learnt a lot about humanity that Sunday: how rude people can be to complete strangers; how lazy people can be without utilising information around them; how hilarious people can be with their assumptions and “know-it-all” attitudes.
More than one person handed me their boarding pass with their teeth because their hands were full. Others jabbered into mobile phones without even acknowledging me. One even yelled at me to pick up his child’s toy!
There were nice people too. Those that thanked me, wished me a nice day, and even said I had a nice smile! In my one-day experience, I encountered two medical emergencies, one soiled seat, one mechanical delay, four upset customers (who arrived off a delayed flight and proclaimed “I will never fly this airline again,” a phrase those who work at the gate know all too well), and two unfriendly flight attendants who accosted the agent for not opening the door fast enough.
The employees are busy, but even a simple smile can make their day. Remember they are working under pressure, and one gate delay could lead to punishment.
Still, the people I worked with love their job and genuinely exhibit that towards customers. Help them do their job efficiently, and, in the end you’re doing the entire plane a favour by helping everyone depart on time.
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét