Airlines make use of a vast range of service companies, from cleaners to caterers, re-fuel to printers and designers. Most companies are independent, contracted to airlines to supply their services.
Ticketing
To buy and sell airline travel, ATOL (Air Travel Organizer's License) regulations state that the seller must be an airline, an airline ticketing agent, an ATOL holder or an agent of an ATOL holder.
To be able to work in this sector, you need to take a Fares and Ticketing Course.
Case Study
Jennie worked for South African Airlines in reservations, which sent her on a ticketing course.
'I started my career with no formal training, leaving school at 16 with some GCSEs to work at Thomas Cook. They asked me what I wanted to do and I told them 'booking clerk'. But all the other school leavers wanted to do the same, and being the most junior I had to start at the bottom as a mail clerk. In a large organization like Cook's, there are many areas for promotion. I moved to being a debtor, then an itinerary clerk, then an individual inclusive itinerary clerk checking a traveller's itinerary, making bookings for hotels, car hire, etc. I left Cook's to join the reservations team at Middle East Airlines, who trained on the spot. At that time, it was a manual system. Then I went on to South African Airways, where I was retrained on computer systems.'
When do airlines recruit?
Recruitment is almost continuous, with most airlines having large personnel departments or agencies to handle their interviewing. Look out for adverts in national newspapers or trade magazines.
Qualifications and training
You can find that the British education system lets you down. You may work incredibly hard to get good grades at school, but will they have any credibility with employers? And before you sign up for any course promising it 'fits you for a career in aviation' think and think again.
John Clare, Education Editor of the Daily Telegraph, recently wrote of AS (Advanced Subsidiary) levels: 'Those who have suffered most are able pupils at good schools whose teachers failed to understand how dumbed down the exam has been... it is now clear that all the government-backed Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) had envisaged was an extension of GCSE, embroidered with some academically vacuous "key skills".' He then quoted a school governor writing about her daughter's class: 'She and her friends deserve an unreserved apology from the Department for Education and the QCA for the distress they have been caused.'
GNVQs have been another disaster. How often do you see adverts asking for these 'qualifications'? Recently one trade association rewrote their sector's GNVQ to reflect what their members wanted. When the unit was published they were horrified to discover their work had been discarded and students were being asked (again) to gather 'evidence' for paper-based 'projects’ of no use to anyone'.
Tip!
Before you sign up for ANY course or qualification, ask employers and people working in the industry if the qualification will be of use to you. And listen to them, not to college admissions official who only wants to get you signed up so the college can claim your tuition fee from the government.
The good news is that bureaucratic paperwork almost sank VQs, but a new Air Cabin Crew Vocational Qualification, developed with the industry, is now offered at colleges around Britain. The qualification includes:
- Health and safety (including simulated evacuation from a smoke-filled cabin).
- First aid.
- Operating emergency equipment.
- Dealing with pax (passengers) during abnormal, dangerous or emergency situations (training is very realistic in a simulator).
- Preparing catering trolley and serving products.
- Dealing with payments.
- Dealing with pax complaints and incidents.
Generally, an airline starts you off with an induction program, whose length depends on the type of work you choose to do. Most airlines have a well-defined career structure and are particularly good at training. But realizing their training is very intensive, many are keen to look at students who have taken relevant preliminary training such as the new Air Cabin Crew VQ, languages, a good marketing or business studies course, etc.
Case Study
BA's 'Putting People First' scheme.
One of the most ambitious training programs was BA's 'Putting People First'. Adapted from an SAS (Scandinavian Airlines Systems) training program, this literally saved the airline. Previously it had become an uncaring giant. Frequent flyers instructed their travel agent: 'Book me on ANY flight but BA.' Luckily, the top brass saw something drastic had to be done to save BA before the airline went bankrupt and seminars 'Putting People First' were rolled out.
Looking around these seminars, you found that there wasn't a single colleague from your sector engineers were mixed with telephones, cleaners were there too, office and administrative staff, one or two pilots in fact it was as though a computer had brought together people from as many different departments as possible which was the plan. Barriers broke down, so staff were talking to each other about problems, and actually suggesting they worked together to sort them out. Staffs were motivated to work together, which meant better customer service.
Tip!
Training is one of the busiest sections in any airline. It isn't only the preliminary training for pilots, engineers and cabin crew - but airlines are constantly training staff. Pilots have to do serious retraining every few months, cabin crew need to be kept up to date with safety procedures, and airlines constantly strive to improve customer care - which means more training.
Perks
If you want a change from routine in an operations job, most airlines ask for volunteers to look after 'unaccompanied minors' - or young children travelling on their own. Generally 'aunties' or 'uncles' accompany children in their spare time; usually each staff member is in charge of 10 kids. You fly to some wonderful places, and often strike up friendships with the kids. This activity comes to a peak at the beginning and end of school holidays, and each flight to destinations where parents are stationed is packed. Arthur Reed in his book Airline tells the lovely story of community singing (not unknown on these flights), which was so much fun that passengers in first class complained. They felt left out and wanted to join in.
Under 18?
You can still prepare by taking courses that will be useful and look good on your CV:
- Air Cabin Crew.
- First aid course (run by the Red Cross or St John Ambulance).
- Four-day course in Health and Safety offered by many, local government Environmental Health Departments.
- Read a quality newspaper every day you will be asked general knowledge questions at your interview.
- If you are taking a GNVQ, make sure it includes Travel Geography.
- Help out with a local charity looking after people.
- Apply to a local airline for work experience. This is difficult to find, but it is there. You have to be 16 or over, and for safety reasons most airlines won't allow work experiences on board aircraft.
