Day#18 ‘Tis The Season 🎁 🎄The bitter sweet goodbye

November 29, 2019 

What a journey! Today I am writing my final blog as a Guest Service Ambassador. My last day was truly bitter sweet. I have built some really close relationships especially with the WestJet employees. I love Seneca College for giving me the opportunity to grow and work with such a huge company! I wouldn’t change these past two months for the world. 

 I want to thank and give all the glory to Donna, Lauren and Christopher at WestJet for making this internship available for Seneca students who are passionate about aviation. And of course a huge shout out to Ava who has also worked hard to make our placements successful. WestJet is such a dynamic and welcoming workplace. I never felt that I wasn’t welcome. I am also very glad that I got to make more friends at Seneca while doing this placement. They have made this experience way more enjoyable than imagined. 

All I can say is that I am a little saddened that it is over. I became so comfortable coming to work every weekend and helping people. Furthermore, this experience has reassured me that I want to work in this industry 100%. For that reason I will never forget it and be forever grateful. 

Before leaving the airport today, I took a long hard look at the check-in counters and kiosks and reflected on how much I learned through this experience. Words can even describe how much knowledge and confidence I gained at WestJet. I also said my final goodbyes to the employees that were working today. Unfortunately not all of them were there today and for that reason it is bitter sweet. However, I am not worried, next time I fly with WestJet, I will definitely say hello to everyone. 

My final words for this blog will be short and sweet. To anyone who doesn’t know which airline to choose for their placement, the answer is WestJet. I would highly recommended choosing WestJet to all students in my program. You won’t regret it!

That’s all for now, 

Bon voyage!

Day#16 “Great things are never done by one person. They’re done by a team”

November 23, 2019 

The kiosks were not working today and it caused check-in to be slower than usual. IT decided to have the WestJet kiosks rebooted during a really busy time! How My team and I notified guests that the kiosks were not working and directed them towards the check-in counters. This caused the counters to be filled passengers. It was hectic. I bad for the employees at the counters because it was a lot of pressure for them to help everybody. The system was down for about 30 mins. Nonetheless, the employees were amazing! They helped everyone at the counters super fast, I was very impressed. They showed a great deal of team work and acted like professionals along the way. 

Earlier in the shift, two laddies approached me and asked me to help check them in for their flight. They complimented me on the perfume I was wearing. I told them it was the famous perfume called “Thank you, Next”. They said they would try it. They were really funny and made my day! 

In addition, near the kiosks today, I noticed a unattended bag. This was the first time I had witnessed a bag being let alone and so I asked around to see who’s bag it was. No one claimed it was there’s. I told Leslie that there was a bag left in the middle of the kiosks and she told me that she would arrange to make an announcement for the bag. I was cautious of the bag and didn’t touch it. I put my safety first. I had no idea what was in that bag and we are not supposed to touch it as employees. The announcement was made but no one came. Then security came with a dog and they inspected the bag. Unfortunately, I got busy with other guests and I forgot to ask her what happened. Hopefully someone claimed it. 

I got another gift from a passenger as a Guest Service Ambassador today. I spoke to this friendly man named Adam. He chatted with me for a bit and shared that he was a musician. I enjoyed talking to him and when he was heading to security, he gave me a gift! I got a small colored battery that you can put inside your drinks to make them bright. I gladly took the gift but I was a little hesitant at first because I was concerned for my safety. It ended up being harmless, I was just being dramatic. 

Towards the end of the night, a guest asked me double check if his mother wouldn’t be troubled through security. At first I didn’t know what he meant by “troubled”. I clarified with him and he told me that security always thinks she is someone else due to the picture on her passport. I made the situation aware to my colleagues and they waited until she passed security to confirm she would make her flight. Sure enough, she made it this time and I let him know that he didn’t have to worry about his mother anymore. He was relieved and I was glad I was able to help. 

This concludes my second last blog! I can’t believe that I only have one more blog left to write. So far this experience has been an amazing I can’t wait to write my final blog! 

Day#14 You will never regret being kind

November 2, 2019

Recap of my day: made an friend with a teenager and encountered my first angry drunk passenger

A young girl named Rachel was traveling to the USA with her family when she lost her passport during the kiosk check-in process. I was notified of the lost passport by my co-workers. Leslie who is currently as WestJet employee went out of her way to look around the terminal 3 departures level to find the passport and other areas of the airport as well. I and the other Seneca students also looked around to see of they could find it. Unfortunately, for a few hours nothing was found so the mother and daughter stayed behind at the Sheridan hotel while the remaining members flew to their vacation destination, Florida.

Later than night the daughter and mother approached me and told me the great news that someone had found their passport! They were extremely thrilled and I was very happy that I witnessed their passport returning. When I saw the mother she greeted me and thanked me for being so kind. She not only rewarded me with a Tim Horton's gift card, but also gave Leslie and Heather (OL Manager) one as well that night. She had told me that when she flew with WestJet in the past the employees were not so nice and that I made up for that! Wow, I gained back costumers for WestJet! 

When the mother and daughter were waiting to re-book their flights for the morning, I stayed with them and continued to build rapport with them until they were assisted. I ended up talking to the girl who lost her passport and I found out that her name was Rachel and that she was 16 years old. We got talking and she asked me to follow her on Instagram and Snapchat. Was honored to make a friend. I even encouraged her to be a flight attendant. I will message her tomorrow and ask her if she finally met up with the rest of her family.

The other part of my night ended up with me dealing with a drunk angry passengers who didn’t want to follow security procedures.

 A couple was flying in from the USA and passed customs with their luggage. They were sent back from security because they didn’t check-in their bags. They were very drunk and began yelling and blaming WestJet (who they were flying with) for having to go to security. Myself and a Welcome Team Member noticed the scene they were making when I was near security directing a passenger where they needed to go. I approached the old man (the one who started the problem) and told him he needed to drop his luggage at the baggage drop off area before he went to security. He got very heated and continued to ramble on about how ridiculous it was that he had to go to security again. I told him that it was Transport Canada’s procedure and that he had to follow it or he wouldn’t be able to make his flight. Nonetheless, he refused to listen. That’s when I spoke to Heather (OL) and told her of the situation. As I was speaking to her, the man threw his luggage onto the belt and began swearing in Heather’s face. I watched as she tried to diffused the situation and did what she could. The man wanted to know our names and write us up because we didn’t agree with him! Nonetheless, Heather finally got them to drop their bags and the Welcome Team Member (David) escorted them to security.

Wow two completely different scenarios that happened right after each other and both ended differently. Am I surprised? No, because it’s the airport and there’s all kinds of different people. The most important thing though, is that no one was in danger or got hurt.

Day#12 The benefits of knowing another language

October 27th, 2019

Many of my co-workers speak two or three languages and I have always been so hard on myself for not knowing more than two. But today, I was able to use my languages skills and help a charming polish old lady make her flight.

It was evening time around 21:15 pm and the airport was absolutely dead. The Seneca students had left and I was the last one (as per usual). I was speaking to another employee when I hear my name being called throughout the airport. I turn around and see Sean, a former employee ask me to help a passenger who speaks Polish. He knew I spoke Polish and I made my way to the passenger. It was the cutest old lady and her name was Danuta, a very popular Polish name. I greeted her in my language and asked how she was doing. She was lost and didn’t know where she needed to go. I looked at her boarding pass and her flight was with LOT airlines (Polish airline). Boarding time was almost over and I told my colleagues that she needed to go to terminal 1 immediately or she would miss her flight. She was all alone in the airport and just came form Calgary with WestJet to visit her son. I was surprised to see that my co-workers wanted to wait for the LOT employees to come but they were not answering. The plane was almost done boarding and nobody wanted to take this poor lady all the way to terminal 1. Luckily, Sean agreed to take her and I come along for her support. If I was able to push the wheelchair myself I would but, I’m just a student and not an employee. We made our way quickly to terminal 1 from terminal 3 on the link train and made our way to the Polish LOT airline counters. I spoke to them in Polish and said that Danuta had to be brought onto the plane as soon as possible. After being very convincing, they agreed to take her and I said my final goodbye to her. She was worried that her bag was not going to be at her final destination but I reassured her that it would be. I said my goodbyes and we both agreed to pray for each other. I wished her the best of luck and have her a hug. She was really happy and grateful for me because I made her feel at ease.

I made my way back to terminal 3 with Sean and felt content. Wow, I was able help somebody who spoke the same language as me. It feels really rewarding. I was supposed to finish at 10:30 but because I helped this lady I didn’t finish until 11 pm. To be honest though, I didn’t mind, I did the right thing and I cared from the heart.

Day #9 Just an ordinary day at the airport

October 19th, 2019

Yesterday I had my final shift for October and it was very educational shift! I learned how to force a bag at the kiosk baggage drop off and I was exposed to using the conveyor belt that is normally used for bags that are going on connecting flights. I find that most people don’t follow the instructions when they have to drop their bags and I have to tell them what to do a few times. Nevertheless, I don’t mind because on my first flight, I had no idea what to do either. It was scary!

Furthermore, as a baggage drop off assistant, it is my duty to make sure that  guests bags go through the belt and that guests follow weight restrictions. So far I have witnessed many bags being overweight and unfortunately I have to tell people that they must pay the fee or remove some items. Most people don’t pay the fee and scramble through their things in the middle of the baggage drop off area. Yesterday, I witnessed a family removing items for their bags for more than 25 minutes! I understood that they were moving and needed all of their things, however it definitely affected the flow of the drop off for other passengers.

Later in the shift, a welcome teach member in the airport (usually people who are in blue vests) came up to me and told me that a wheelchair guest needed to be pushed from the outside of the airport doors and brought inside into the check-in area. I took the initiative and called over a WestJet employee to come outside with me and help the passenger. We ended up finding out that the guest wasn’t even flying with WestJet but with Air Transat. I didn’t know that WestJet employees are not able to push wheelchairs for guests from different airlines. Thus, I learned that they can only do it for passengers who are flying with WestJet. We told the welcome team member that we couldn’t push it for the elderly man but that they should call over an employee from Air Transat to assist them. I learned that it is actually dangerous to push a passenger if your not working for their airline. It anything did ever happen to them, the WestJet employee would be in lots of trouble! It was interesting and I am glad that I got to experience the situation first hand.

I also got to learn what passengers need when flying with duty free. Many guests were coming back from security angry that they couldn’t bring their duty free onto the plane. I explained to them that it needed to have a visible receipt and placed in a plastic sealable bag from the country they came from. They weren’t too happy when they quickly found out that they had to check-in another bag. I had a women who was extremely angry because one of the WestJet employees told her that her duty free bag was perfectly fine and she had nothing to worry about. Needless to say, it was not accepted by security but she was able to get a free checked luggage because it was our fault that our employees had told her the wrong information.

Wow yesterday was a great day to be at work! I am so thrilled that I was able to witness different situations and learn how to respond to them in case they happen again.

Day# 7 “Sorry, I can’t help you, I only work for WestJet”

October 12th, 2019

“Sorry, I can’t help you, I only work for WestJet” is THE quote of the day. Sometimes when I tell passengers this they get offended. I try to explain to them that I don’t know the other airlines policies and that I am not allowed to help them in any way. I try to direct them to follow the instructions on the kiosks but then they GET MAD. I feel bad for not being able to help them but I usually direct them towards where their airline counters are in terminal 3. Most people understand but today I had a man who got extremely mad that I couldn’t help him.

Let me explain... I was walking around the kiosks (what I normally do in order to see if anyone needs help) when an a cranky old man asked for my help. I rushed over thinking it was a WestJet guest, when it was a passenger that was flying with British Airways. He looked very confused and frustrated and I honestly didn’t want to tell him that I couldn’t help him. However, I was told at training that we are not supposed to assist passengers who are not flying with our airline. He was like “But you work here, help me”. He was basically forcing me to help him but the kiosk was not recognizing his passport and there was nothing I could of done. I showed him how to put the passport in the kiosks (I felt it was the least I could do). Then he lied and said that British Airways employees told him to come to WestJet kiosks. I checked to see if his flight was code share and it was not. I think he just didn’t want to look for help. I tried my best to at least be kind but he was STILL unhappy. Maybe I would have helped him a little bit more but personally, I don’t even know how to use BA’s kiosks because I never flew with them before. I didn’t want to press anything that could of affected his flight. Plus, I work with WesJet and I have to represent the company I work for. It makes sense but people are stressed and anxious and don’t understand.

In fact, it is a common thing I tell passengers. Most of the time people come through the airport doors and will ask me where their airlines are located. The first couple of days I had NO idea where the other airlines were located and some of them I never even knew existed. To be honest, I am still getting to know where some of them are! Hopefully I will know by the end of my placement.

Another common thing I face as a Guest Service Ambassador is helping guests who don’t speak the same language as me! There are many international airlines in the airport and many of the passengers flying with them speak a language that I don’t understand. I either direct them where they need to go (if flying with another airline) or if their flying with WestJet I find an employee who speaks their language. Spanish, French and Punjabi languages are most commonly the ones I see being spoken in the airport. I must say I wish I could speak more languages! It gives you such a great advantage and it makes your service look better. Nonetheless, I HAVE met some Polish speaking passengers. Most of the go to Calgary (no idea why). it’s always a pleasure to meet and greet them in my language. We as Polish people are always happy to see other Polish people and it makes us feel proud of who we are.

Well another blog down! Time is going by too fast. Don’t know when the next time I will blog but hopefully it will be soon!

Day #5 You never know who you will meet

October 6th, 2019

One thing I love about WestJet is that they start each day with a safety moment. If anybody wants to share a moment that reminds us of our safety is to brought to everyone’s attention. For example, it could simply be to watch both ways when crossing the street or to be careful when getting into an Uber. The only thing that saddens me is that this only happens in the morning shifts and not during the nights. I mostly work nights and would love for there to be safety moments in the night time as well so we can all feel like one team. Furthermore, Sometimes I regret taking evenings shifts because I want to participate in it too! Nonetheless, I love WestJet’s culture. Co-workers are allowed to talk and make fun of each other and most importantly have fun as well! Not many airlines are like this and that’s why they are unique.

Yesterday I met the most amazing and strongest older lady. In fact, she reminded me of my mom in some ways. She had shared her story with me and it was so very touching. Her name was Anne and she was wearing colorful clothing which I loved and her hair color matched her outfit. (which I thought was sweet). She was in a wheelchair and had asked me if she could have some assistance when I met her. I told her that I was a Seneca student doing an internship with WestJet and that I wasn’t allowed to do it but that I could get someone else to. Anyway, we go on talking and she told me that she just came out of surgery and that it was a miracle she was alive. I was a little concerned when see told me that so I asked her what happened and basically she said that a few weeks ago she almost died! Apparently she fell on the floor in her bedroom and without her family being there she wouldn’t have been alive today. I looked at her and was amazed by how strong and positive this women was. She was truly an inspiration to me and I for some reason I felt very connected to her that I almost cried. Most people complain on a daily basis about the little things in life but for some reason this women was so grateful that she was even flying! It was truly an honor to have met her. Anne you made my day! I took her all the way to security and said a final goodbye to her with another WestJet employee. I wished her well and thanked her for flying with WestJet that day.

My personal goal at WestJet is to build rapport with guests and I really believed after meeting Anne, I did. I was connected with her and it was truly freshening. She gave me a reason to keep living and she made me smile. Furthermore, this just goes to show you never know you you may meet today, tomorrow or in 10 years when working in the aviation industry. I am blessed to have met her during my placement. Thank you Seneca College!

Day #3 The importance of the scarf

October 4th, 219

It’s only been 5 days since I started my job as a GSA and it’s amazing! I mostly have been working mornings and let me just tell you, if your not a morning person like me, you will NEED coffee. Not only has the sun not come up yet when I start, but the airport is packed! Although, to be honest I secretly love it because it gets me going seeing people travel and being happy!

Now onto the juicy stuff. It still feels crazy that I am working at WESTJET. A huge Canadian company that started in1966 and now has more than 14,000 employees. And it really makes a difference when I wear the scarf. Guests (what WestJet calls passengers) really do look up to me for help because I am easily identified in the airport and I look the part (thanks to Seneca College for helping me with my grooming standards). Not going to lie it does add a little bit of pressure when you are expected to know everything in the eyes of the people traveling. But I know that I just started and I can’t possibly know everything.

Overall my shift went well, except I did encounter my first angry passengers. A couple traveling to Vancouver today was too late to check in for their flight. The cut off time for anyone to check in is 45 minutes (domestic) but they were already pass the cut off time. At first, I didn’t realize the reason why the kiosk was denying their check in, but then when I looked back to my turn sheet (sheet that lets me know when all the flights are boarding and the cut off time) I realized it was too late and they would need to book another flight. The guests were already anxious and when I told them the news they began to force me to take them to the front of  the line at the counters. I told them that I wasn’t able to do so because others had been waiting for a really long time as well.

They started yelling and saying that they need to get on that flight because it was their family who was sick. I understood how they felt but I couldn’t change their flight because they needed another GSA’s at the counter arrange something for them. Don’t get me wrong I would of taken them to the front counter however, I noticed many other guests were waiting a long time as well and I wanted the service to be fair. As a result, that only made them more angrier. I tried to diffuse the situation as much as I could and apologize for what they were going through. I thanked them anyways for picking WestJet and told them that I hoped they would see their loved ones.

Unfortunately, most likely in the future I will have to tell guests that they are too late to check-in as well. Maybe after experiencing the same situation a few times, I will get better at handling the situation and make guests still feel cared for. I understand their sense of urgency to get on the plane and this is why I always remind guests that it’s always better to come to the airport early than a few hours been when its close to boarding time.

Well that is all for the blog today! I am so excited to share more with you because I know I will have lots more to say. Thanks for tuning in and I will be back to writing soon.

Day #2 What a day!

October 1, 2019

Today was my second training day! Had an early shift and wow did I learn a lot. We started the day with a little tour of the airport near the arrivals area. I got to see where the domestic and the international arrivals areas are located. Prior to being a GSA, I was not familiar with this particular part of the airport. We also go to see where the wheelchair assistance area is located. Although, we are not qualified to handle them as students, it is educational nonetheless to know where to direct guests in case they need help.

Today we got to learn about spur tags and some very important information regarding the policies WestJet has with their airline. For example, I learned that WestJet needs to apply either priority, fragile, heavy or standby tags to luggage. Each one has their own individual colors to help baggage handlers identify them when loading them on/off the aircraft. Priority tags are applied to luggage tags that say “priority” on them. These are marked yellow. This means that guests bags get taken care of first. Next is the fragile tags. This essential means that any luggage with a red spur tag has delicate or sensitive items in the bag.  Handlers need to know of this so that they can be aware that the contents in the bag may break or become loose and that they need to be extra careful with them. Heavy tags are also applied with the bag tags and are orange to signify that they are heavier than usual and must be handled with caution. Usually tags like these are given to guests who’s luggage exceeds the weight requirement 50 pounds (23kg). Standby tags are green and applied to luggage tags to inform handlers that there bags can’t be boarded yet in case they don’t make the flight. In addition, large orange door delivery tags are placed on child equipment (usually strollers) to mark them as gate checked. Lastly, I learned that to check-in an extra bag is $50 and to have 3 or 4 extra bags costs over $100 with taxes. However, employees have told me that WestJet might be changing these polices very soon! Hopefully I will be updated of the changes as soon as they happen.  

Unfortunately, I still have to learn how to apply plastic bags on child equipment if the guest wants to check it in at the oversized. I have not watched any of my fellow Seneca students do it and perhaps I will ask one of the WestJet employees soon!

I really think I made progress today. My first two shifts I would usually guess if a passenger asked me a question and I didn’t know the answer, but today I stopped doing that and asked the WestJet employees for extra help. They are very helpful, supportive and respect my eagerness to learn. At this point in time, I’m really happy that I choose WestJet to complete my field placement and it’s only been the second shift!

Day#1 New Beginnings

September 30th, 2019 

Wow, what a day! Today was my first official training day as a Guest Service Ambassador at WestJet for my Seneca placement! I was really anxious to see which Seneca students would be at the training and I was surprised to see so many unfamiliar faces. But, I am not worried since I will be working with them for the remaining of the semester and thus, will make friends very quickly and joyfully.

The day went smoothly and as planned. Donna and Lauren were extremely welcoming and I even got my very own WestJet scarf, which makes me feel just as apart of the team as the employees! To be honest, I felt a little overwhelmed and nervous once they gave us a run down of our positions and the expectations that they had for us! It was quite a bit of information but I know that it was all necessary for us to know and hence the reason why I paid very close attention. The presentation that they showed us was very detailed and touching which made it all worth a while being there. With all the training videos I recently watched and the information that they gave us today I know that I have to do my best, starting from this point forward. I want to make WestJet proud that they choose me as an Ambassador and I want to challenge myself to learn new things at this moment. That was only the first part of the day and it was no surprise that as a student I felt all the emotions one could feel in about 3 hours.

The second part of the day, was more hands on. Myself and other Seneca students made their way to to the airport very eagerly. It was interesting to see the behind the scenes of what makes WestJet such a great company. We were introduced to a few employees and I must say that everyone is very friendly and always smiling to one another. In addition, we also got a quick tour of the airport and finally got training on how to use the kiosks as well as how to stick on baggage tags on luggage. When it came time to do it ourselves, I definitely felt the pressure. A guest asked me to help them place a tag on their luggage and I panicked. I tried to figure it out, but I was really nervous and kindly asked another Seneca student to help me. Wow, do I have a lot to learn! I know I can’t be perfect at this point in time and that’s why I didn’t take it personally. All that matters is that I know how to do it now and it was because of that experience. I strongly believe that I will grow to look back and laugh because it was super easy.

I guess this concludes my very first blog as a Guest Service Ambassador at WestJet. Although this journey scares me, I know that just as a flower must wilt, fall, root and rise in order to bloom, I must do the same.