TICKET AGENT
Ticket agent's work in ticket offices located in downtown or suburban locations, often called "city ticket offices," to distinguish them from the airport ticket offices. Ticket agents who work behind a ticket counter make reservations, answer questions about schedules and fares, and prepare ticket forms by writing in the flight number, departure time, passenger's name, destination, and other information. Although the computer has taken over much of this ticketing work, the agent still has to instruct the computer how the ticket is to be prepared. In airport offices and some city ticket offices, too, an agent also takes the passenger's baggage, weighs it, puts baggage tags on each piece, and places them on a moving belt that takes the luggage to a baggage room.
PASSENGER AGENT
Usually the next step up the ladder for reservations and ticket agents is the position of passenger agent. Passenger agents work only at airports and perform a variety of duties that include helping ticket agents give information, preparing tickets when there is a rush of business, checking baggage, collecting tickets at the gate or departure lounge, assigning seats on a flight, keeping records of passengers boarding a plane, assisting customers who have lost baggage or find their baggage has been damaged, and using the public address system to tell passengers when and where to board as well as to page individual passengers.
During holiday periods or whenever there is bad weather and flights are delayed or canceled, the work can become hectic due to the large number of passengers who crowd the airport, many of whom may want to change their travel plans or request special favors.
One of the best ways to start your airline career is to obtain a position as a reservations or ticket agent. In this post you gain valuable experience in dealing with customers, planning trips, and selling the service, as well as learning the route structure not only of your own company but of your competitors as well. This knowledge will equip you to undertake many types of work within the company. Many airline executives began their careers on the telephone or behind the ticket counter learning the business from the bottom up.
Airlines are extremely careful about the people they consider hiring as reservations and ticket agents because these employees spend all their time working with the public, and to the customer they are the company. A neat appearance, a pleasing personality, and a good speaking voice are essential, while a high school education is a must and some college training desirable.
If you start your airline career as a reservations or ticket agent you will probably spend a training period in a classroom learning how to use the flight schedule directory, compute fares, and work with the computer. You will also be taught how to handle and talk with customers courteously and efficiently. Then you will receive two or three weeks on-the-job training as, you work with experienced employees. Finally you will be on your own but performing your duties under the watchful eye and careful direction of a knowledgeable supervisor.
Advancement is limited for most agents, but if you are ambitious you may move up to become a passenger agent, then passenger service representative, or perhaps a supervisor. Eventually you might win promotion to the position of airport or city ticket office manager and, if you have aptitude at selling, to district sales manager. Opportunities for promotion are not limited to these posts, however, but the important thing is to get your start, demonstrate what you can and want to do, and watch for any unusual openings for which you qualify.
FREIGHT AGENT
Air freight is a growing and important part of almost every airline's business. Many companies fly huge air freighters in addition to carrying freight in the cargo compartments of their passenger aircraft. As trucks draw up to an airport freight depot, freight agents are on hand to carry out a variety of jobs such as loading and unloading freight from trucks and airplanes; preparing shipping documents; providing information; storing and checking freight kept in storage; tying down freight in aircraft; preparing freight manifests; handling complaints regarding late, lost, or damaged freight; and keeping company freight records.
If this end of the business interests you and you are hired to work at the airport, you will probably start learning the business by doing manual labor and later be given responsibility for preparing shipping documents and manifests and working in the office. This is a busy part of the company and there is opportunity to gain promotion to other positions once you have proven your ability to handle bigger assignments than may be available in the air freight area.
FLIGHT ATTENDANT
A cheerful woman in a fashionable, tailored blue uniform, Geri Miller stood just inside the first class cabin to greet the passengers.
"May I see your boarding pass?" she asked each passenger as he or she approached. She quickly directed each to the first class seats or to the coach section in the rear. As soon as most of the passengers were on board she started hanging up the coats of the first class passengers, noting the seat numbers on special tags that she attached to the garments. Having completed this, she picked up a pile of evening newspapers and walked up the aisle, offering copies to passengers in the first class cabin and also verifying the name of each passenger on the seating diagram. The diagram is then hung in the galley and enables the attendants to address each passenger by her or his last name. By the time she had given out the last paper, Geri heard the passenger service attendant close the main door. A moment later the plane was being towed by a tractor and was quietly moving away from the loading gate.
She went quickly up the aisle checking each row of passengers to make certain seat belts were fastened and there were no large boxes, suitcases, or other objects in empty seats or on the floor. Safety rules require that during takeoff or landing nothing be left in the way of passengers who might have to leave the airplane suddenly in event of an emergency.
"Please fasten your seat belt," she said pleasantly to a gentleman was engrossed in reading a novel.
"That dispatch box will have to go under your seat during takeoff, Mr. Lasko," she told another passenger whose name she remembered. "And then will you please fasten your seat belt?"
Meanwhile her partner, Pat Mahler, had turned on the public address system and was welcoming the passengers. Geri then stood in the front of the cabin and held up an oxygen mask. As Pat read the required instructions regarding the use of the mask, Geri demonstrated how to use the oxygen masks should the cabin suddenly lose its pressurization.
As the attendants finished their demonstration the plane paused at the end of the runway and the flight crew prepared for the takeoff. Geri gave the galley a last minute check to make certain nothing was loose and then took her seat opposite the galley seconds before the captain released the brakes and applied full power.
As trucks draw up to an airport freight depot, freight agents are on hand to carry out a variety of jobs such as loading and unloading freight from trucks and airplanes; preparing shipping documents; providing information; storing and checking freight kept in storage; tying down freight in aircraft; preparing freight manifests; handling complaints regarding late, lost, or damaged freight; and keeping company freight records.
