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Cathay Pacific Internship - Final Blog Entry

[03/23-04/23]

It's been a long time! March has already passed, and time is flying quickly! I was assigned to the SSBD again during one of my shifts in March, and I'm thrilled because the entire team exceeded our set goal of checking in more than 40 carry on bags!

We went to the airside as well, and this time the gate is at C30. I'm really thankful to Hana for bringing us to see the pushback and for supporting us and allowing us to take pictures outside the bridge. Overall, this has been again another incredible evening, and I am so grateful for all of our Cathay staff's continued support.

I was also given the opportunity to speak on the P.A paging for passengers, which I was quite nervous about at first, but it went pretty well, and I just wanted to thank Louis and Shakya for allowing me and assisting me to do it!

I also had the opportunity to carry out a full check-in process at the counters for the first time, and I'm just so glad and grateful to Hana for teaching and guiding me through the entire process!

During one of my shifts in April, I was instructed to be at the boarding gate right away to set up our totems and send our customers to the correct waiting area because our gate for that night, C30, was under construction. I am grateful to my friends and colleagues for their assistance in ensuring that the boarding procedure ran smoothly and that everyone in line was able to board.

As this is my final blog entry, I'd like to thank the entire Cathay team for guiding, teaching, and supporting me throughout this co-op journey. I'm so grateful to have been a part of the team and met all of the amazing people who have helped me, as well as my Seneca friends for all of the support we have given to each other.

[krfabro]

Cathay Pacific Internship - 12th Official Shift

[02/20/23]

I am working at the SSBD for this shift, so I turned on the main belt and called GTAA to open the bag drop at Zone 5 as usual to get ready. Together with the Bingo Sheet for the mini tags, I also prepared the batteries and dangerous goods signs.

At SSBD, Kelvin and Mia helped me assist passengers, and I'm grateful that they were there to support me and answer my questions. I was successful in persuading people to check ten carry-on bags for tonight's trip!

In addition, I believe that this was my best shift to date! Finally, tonight was the night that I had the opportunity to enter the aircraft. I'm grateful to Claire for taking us there and showing us around the plane, letting us enjoy and take pictures inside! It was such a surreal experience to see everything inside, including the cockpit, business class, premium economy class, galleys, and the place where the cabin crew could rest and sleep.

I also had the opportunity to witness the pushback tonight, and it is simply incredible! Getting a close-up look at the A350-1000 just gave me butterflies and made me realize how much I love aviation!

Overall, it was a night filled with new learnings and new experiences! We had the opportunity to learn from Claire about what to do and prepare for passengers on inbound flights. I just want to express my gratitude to all of our Cathay staff for a truly outstanding shift tonight! 🫶🏼

[krfabro]

Cathay Pacific Internship - 10th Official Shift

[02/16/23]

I finally received my yellow RAIC, making this shift a great one. I was eventually able to receive my RAIC that day at the GTAA Pass Office after a month of waiting and after completing all the paperwork.

I was given the task of working the kiosks first during this shift, so I just went about my regular routine of assisting people with check-in and printing boarding passes and luggage tags. After that, our Cathay staff asked me to go to the queue so I could persuade passengers who weren't in a rush to go on the following day's trip and explain to them all the perks and compensations of volunteering for the next flight.

Then, for the first time ever, I went to the airside. I'm extremely grateful to my friends Zella and Am.J for helping me find our boarding gate because they've already been there before.

When I arrived, Miss Fanny gave me instructions on what to do, how to perform the document checks, and how to stamp the passengers' boarding passes in accordance with their classes of service. I'm grateful to Mia, David, and Miss Fanny for their assistance and for explaining what I should do and watch out for once boarding starts. Finally, I was able to see the A350-1000 up close, and I hope that on my next shift, I will be able to get inside.

Overall, I feel like I learned a lot throughout this shift. I honestly think I like working on the airside, and I can't wait to do it again soon!

[krfabro]

Cathay Pacific Internship - 8th Official Shift

[02/10/23]

I'm back at it with my eighth shift! I was once again assigned to SSBD for this shift! I honestly miss this position because we didn't open it during my last two shifts since the baggage drop was at the counter.

I turned on the Main Belt and called GTAA to start the SSBD at Zone 5 to begin my shift tonight. After it was finished, my friend Rosie and I started setting up the batteries and dangerous good signs at the baggage drop-off. We also set up the Bingo Sheet so it would be ready in case we needed to force a bag and attach a mini tag.

Once again, I want to express my gratitude to the Cathay team for always assisting us when we have questions. Moreover, I'm thrilled that I was able to accomplish one of my SMART goals for this shift, which was to encourage passengers to check in their carry-on luggage. I managed to persuade 6 passengers to check in their carry on bags for this shift, and my friend Rosie, who worked at SSBD with me, was able to check in 5 bags, for a total of 11 carry ons!

For me, that's already a great achievement because I can still clearly recall how difficult it was to persuade even one passenger on my first shift. Now, I'm thrilled because it shows my progress and my growing comfort with doing the routine tasks.

I also assisted with the pilots' and flight attendants' luggage by getting everyone's names so I could record how many bags they had checked in on the list.

Overall, I had a good time during my shift. I want to express my gratitude to everyone, especially David, for coming to help us with SSBD and assist those passengers who choose to check in their carry-on luggage.

[krfabro]

Cathay Pacific Internship - 5th Official Shift

[02/02/23]

I'm working at the kiosks on my fifth shift, which is also my first shift in February. There were many passengers, and it was a very busy and hectic day. The A350-1000 aircraft that we often use for this particular route, CX829 was not used tonight. We have a different kind of aircraft, the A350-900, as seen in the image.

Additionally, as we didn't use the SSBD tonight, all of the passengers had to queue up through a different Bag Drop line so that our Cathay staff could help them at the counters. There were many Filipino passengers on this flight, and I'm really happy that I was able to assist them with everything they needed to do. For tonight, I mostly provided them with important information in English translation and assisted a few passengers with their Etravel forms because they would need them once they arrived in Manila.

Overall, this shift was incredibly busy, but it also left me feeling very satisfied because every passenger I helped thanked me sincerely, particularly those who I discovered were from the same hometown as me back in the Philippines. The fact that I was able to assist them makes me happy, and I wished them all a safe trip. Again, a sincere thank you to our Cathay staff, and Frances, our DAOM for tonight for always being there to provide help. Also, thanks to my co - interns for making sure that we're all doing okay and well.

[krfabro]

Cathay Pacific Internship - 4th Official Shift

[01/30/23]

I'm back at the kiosks for my fourth shift—the last one for the month of January.

On this particular day, I assisted passengers with using the kiosks to check in and assisted them in printing their boarding passes and baggage tags. The vast majority of customers that evening had Mainland China as their final destination, implying the printing of boarding passes at the counters. As a result, with the assistance of our DAOMs Winn and Boris, I was able to assist a few passengers tonight in printing their boarding passes at the counters, of which I am grateful. For tonight, I learned that you can actually use the passenger's sequence number to make printing their boarding passes simpler or quicker.

Additionally, I assisted many people with attaching their baggage tags, and I was so grateful when one of them read my name tag and said, "Thank you so much Kyle for helping us!" Even this small act of addressing me by name and expressing gratitude to me personally makes my night, and it gives me more drive to help the passengers.

Overall, this shift was once more full of learning and enjoyment, and of course, I'm grateful to Claire for always being there for us and asking how we're doing.

[krfabro]

Cathay Pacific Internship - 3rd Official Shift

[01/27/23]

I'm back with the amazing crew for my third shift!! I was assigned to the kiosks on this particular day. At this point, I'm getting used to the tasks that we had to complete. I helped passengers put on their baggage tags and navigate the kiosk machines. I'm grateful to my friends for making this shift so enjoyable, as well as to our Cathay staff for helping me to assist passengers who needed support at the actual counters.

By the end of our shift, I had another chance to put some of the Pilots' and Flight Attendants' baggage tags on. Overall, this was a very enjoyable and fun shift!

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Cathay Pacific Internship - 2nd Official Shift

[01/23/23]

My position for this day's 2nd official shift was at the SSBD. Claire showed and taught me how to turn on the Main Belt behind the counters and how to call the GTAA to open or start the Self Serve Bag Drop that day. On this shift, I felt more relaxed and at ease because I was with my intern friends as well as the wonderful Cathay staff members who continue to assist me along the way.

I am grateful to David for teaching me the ins and outs of SSBD and how to properly ask passengers to check in their carry-on for free while I was there. He taught me what questions I should ask passengers if they wanted to check their luggage, such as whether they have batteries, valuable items such as cash or a cellphone, or medications in their carry-on. Furthermore, I am grateful to Claire for teaching me how to activate a baggage at the counter. She demonstrated what I needed to do in the event that I needed to activate someone's luggage. I was able to gain more confidence in what I do at SSBD thanks to the Cathay's team's assistance, and I hope to continue learning from them.

As time passed, we switched positions, and I was able to try on the kiosks once more. Claire also taught me how to properly assist customers at the kiosks and the difference between printing a luggage tag at the kiosk and printing a baggage tag at the counter. While the kiosks were not busy, I was able to talk with other Cathay Pacific employees and got to know them better. I'm also grateful to Mia for giving us candies to eat while we waited for passengers to come and assist them at the kiosks.

Since it was the day after Lunar New Year, I also received a red envelope, or what we call "angpao" in the Philippines, from Boris, one of our DAOM, which I am grateful for. Overall, my second shift at Cathay Pacific went smoothly and quickly. I felt more at ease and had a good time on this day. I'm truly thankful to the Cathay team for always being open to answer our questions and address our concerns.

[krfabro]

Cathay Pacific Internship - First Official Shift

[01/20/23]

We had to report at 7:30 PM for my first official shift at Cathay, so I made sure to arrive at the airport on time once again. I was quite nervous on the way to the airport since I didn't know what to anticipate and it felt like I was stepping outside of my comfort zone and finally getting closer and closer to my dream. I kept going through the notes I had taken from the orientation day as the bus was taking me to the airport to make sure I still remembered all I needed to know. When I arrived at the Cathay Pacific office, there were so many other Cathay Pacific employees that I hadn't seen since the orientation and I was very shy as I greeted them. To prepare, I went straight to our change room and changed into my Cathay Pacific uniform, and I was so happy and excited because I felt like I was finally a part of the Cathay Pacific team. When I finished getting ready, I went into our office's lounge area and saw my friends who I was doing the placement with that night. After a few minutes, everyone had finished getting ready and looked very professional in their uniforms.

We all waited at the office, and then I had my first ever briefing. Frances, one of our DAOM, introduced the other team members that were present that evening with us, and I was thrilled and happy to see them. Frances then asked every one of us interns to introduce ourselves one by one, and when it was my turn, she asked me to stand up and show my uniform. I stood up, showed my uniform, and introduced myself to the rest of the team for the first time. Of course, I was still nervous at this point, but I could also feel the excitement.

As the briefing continued, we learned how many passengers will be present that night, what the restrictions are for some of the final destinations that our passengers will fly to, and other important details that everyone must remember that night. After the briefing, we went to get everything we needed for the shift, such as our Dimsum Cart, lineup signage, and so on. As we approached the floor with the check-in counters, kiosks, and baggage drop, there were already a large number of people waiting for us to set up, so I acted quickly and placed the Premium Economy and Business signs in their right positions.

As we finished setting up, I began talking to the customers in line because my first task was to assist with the Queue. I asked passengers if they were flying with Cathay Pacific and what class of service they were flying in, as well as their final destination, because some passengers are unable to use the kiosk machines depending on their destination. I also received some challenging questions for which I had no answers to, so I'm grateful to all of the other Cathay employees who were present to answer my questions and assist me with the passengers in the Queue. As time passed, my friends and I had to rotate so that we could all experience the various shift codes (Queue, Kiosk, SSBD). When I got into the kiosks, I struggled a little with how to properly put on the baggage tags for the passengers who needed assistance, but thanks to the team, they taught me how to do it again. I also got to try SSBD briefly, and in this position, I assisted customers in properly weighing their bags and scanning their boarding passes so they could check their bags in.

I also got to see all of the Pilots and Flight Attendants for the flight that night, and I was able to assist some of them with putting baggage tags on their luggage. Seeing them up close inspired me, and I can't wait to be able to work as a Flight Attendant like them in the near future.

Overall, my first shift was a roller coaster of emotions. It was an exciting and nerve-racking experience for me because it was my first day and I'm still in the process of making mistakes and learning. I'm grateful to all of the Cathay staff who assisted me that night, as well as to my friends with whom I did the internship that night, because they made the experience less stressful for me and allowed me to relax and feel more at ease.

[krfabro]

Cathay Pacific Internship - Orientation Day

[01/10/23]

This is the first time I've ever gone to the airport without having to say goodbye to a loved one. Heading to the airport by myself this time felt different because I knew I would be going there for another purpose. Due to the high likelihood that I'll get lost at Pearson, I made sure to arrive early for our 12:00 PM orientation. I'm really grateful for the signs because they made it possible for me to arrive at Terminal 3, Zone 5, where we would gather for the orientation. Since we were once classmates and I was with some of them when I had my interview with Cathay, I was relieved to recognise people I already knew who were completing the internship with me when I arrived at the meetup location.

When I arrived at the designated meeting spot, Claire and Hana picked us up and guided us to the Cathay Pacific office. We met Winn once again and a few other Cathay Pacific employees there and introduced ourselves one by one. We learned useful information during the orientation that would help us in doing our duties at the airport. I learnt about the Cathay Pacific service classes, including Business, Premium Economy, and Economy (Light, Essential, and Flex). I also learned about the Cathay flights that arrive and depart from Toronto. Additionally, I learnt about the baggage allowances that vary according on the class of the passengers as well as the various OneWorld tiers and membership colours for Cathay Pacific. I also discovered how to direct customers according to their membership and class in the lineup.

In addition, I had the opportunity to watch videos about what to expect and do at self-service kiosks and SSBDs and practise putting on baggage tags. We had opportunity to try on and fit our Cathay Pacific uniforms as time went on while learning about all the essential aspects of being a Customer Service Ambassador, which I was extremely looking forward to. Overall, I would say that our orientation was a day full of enjoyment, new experiences, and learning, and I can't wait to get to know the Cathay Pacific team and learn more from them.