In the BBC's Airport the Aeroflot PSA needed to be a strong character to cope with Russian passengers who thought the plane would wait for them whilst they finished their shopping. Would you have remained good tempered, got your point across and managed to get 'your' plane off on time?
Employers
Employers fall into two groups. First, airlines that employs their own staff to check in their passengers. Second, ground handlers provide check-in services on behalf of airlines probably because these airlines don't have enough flights to justify employing their own staff full-time.
The job
Duties include:
- Check-in;
- Seat allocation;
- Baggage: weigh and tag;
- Checking travel documents;
- Accompanying passengers to and from the aircraft;
- Dealing with lost or damaged property;
- Assistance for disabled and special-needs passengers;
- Looking after unaccompanied children;
- Assistance in the case of delays.
Of course passengers, especially those arriving late will stop to buy duty free, thereby holding up the plane. It is the PSA's job to get them to the gate before the captain loses his or her slot. Surprisingly, even after checking in around 400 passengers for one flight, you have a rough idea of which passengers are on board, and a quick run through the departure lounge usually turns up the missing passenger - browsing around the shops and totally oblivious of the trouble they have caused. But if you can't find the absentee, their luggage has to be unloaded; when the passenger turns up you keep your temper as you tell them why their luggage won't be on the aircraft.
Some PSAs work on the ticket desk, selling tickets, issuing prepaid or pre-booked tickets, and re-issuing tickets for passengers whose flight details are amended at their request or through delays or cancellations. In emergencies, ticket-desk staff may also arrange taxis, accommodation, ticket refunds, and deal with finding misrouted baggage never lost!
Group check-ins is another facet of the job. It may be a football team flying off for a match, incentive conference winners being given VIP treatment, a tour group, etc. Many airlines have dedicated group check-in desks, or even arrange check-ins 'off' airport, for example in hotels. Much of the work is done beforehand, allocating seats, supplying boarding cards and arranging for the bulk transfer of luggage if security allows this.
Warning!
CSAs/PSAs bear the brunt of passengers' anger if their flight is delayed or cancelled. This is certain to escalate, due to increased congestion in the air. Be prepared for 'passenger rage' and try and inform people as soon as you know what is happening.
Although the job is almost the same if you are working directly for an airline, or for a ground handler, obviously you have more flexibility when something goes wrong if you are working directly for the airline.
Warning!
Until airlines universally agree to charge 'no show' passengers (passengers who book on a flight but don't bother to turn up), there will always be overbooking to compensate for the numbers of expected 'no shows'. If they all turn up, guess whose job it is to tell the passenger checking in 'Sorry - the flight is overbooked and there is no seat for you'? Get it in one.
Surprisingly, the vast majority of passengers accept overbooking fairly well luckily there are few cases of PSAs being physically abused but verbal abuse is par for the course. Well, how would you feel if told there isn't a seat? Some staff will retort 'I don't have to take abuse', and no, you don't. But, if you can't take it, you are not going to last long in the job. Your wages come out of passengers' ticket fees - polite and rude so get in there, be as polite, cool, calm and helpful as possible, and you will be surprised how many passengers come up afterwards to apologize for their rudeness.
Tip!
There is often part-time work, especially during peak months.
Once you have done your apprenticeship on charters and overbooked flights, you may be offered a job checking in business, premium, first-class, passengers, etc. They aren't any politer than economy or tourist-class passengers, but at least they are fewer and there is more space. Most of them are seasoned travelers, so won't be wasting time but want to get on. Before the World Trade Center outrage, some airlines operated check-ins at the curbside or away from busy areas. Once security measures have been addressed, business and first-class clients will expect their return.
Case Study
The PSA in Airline
Sadly, the recent Airline doc-soap sometimes gave a bad impression of a PSA's work. Viewers were left with the impression that 'you get what you pay for' - true, but the airline business can suddenly become extremely competitive, and then customer loyalty can mean the difference between staying in business and closing. The old-fashioned words 'I'm sorry' don't commit you or your company, but can at least go some way towards turning a lemon into lemonade.
One Airline scene stood out. A flight arrived late, meaning a wheel-chair passenger missed his connecting flight (by the same airline). Of course, conditions of carriage mean that often an airline is not obliged to do anything if this happens, especially on a low-cost airline (one reason why costs are kept low). However, most people would consider someone in a wheel-chair to be a special case. Eventually the airline did, but not until after time had elapsed and the poor passenger was left hanging around to find out his fate.
