ROSALYN'S JOURNEY
WestJet Placement
Summer 2023
Hi, I am Rosalyn Mendiola, 4th semester student of Flight Services at Seneca College. I was given the opportunity to do my career placement with WestJet. As I walk my path in my chosen career, I am thrilled to learn new things every day. And I am excited about what this career has to offer.
Training Day :)
May 09, 2023
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Tuesday of May 09, 2023 is the day I chose for my training day. This is also the day of my 4th semester as a Flight Services student in the Summer Term. There are 4 of us in total for today's training including myself and Kamila, our trainee. It was 8 hours of training and we started at 1000. I got to the airport around 0945 and waited for the rest. It is better to be early than late, they say.
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As we started the day, Kamila showed us the crew room and let us settle down for a bit. She introduced us to all the WestJet Team that were there at that time, and then started our day by giving us a tour at the airport while talking about the important thing we have to learn during training.
Week 2-3 :)
As I started the shift by myself, I was so overwhelmed on my first day. It was a Sunday morning and it was so busy for 2-3 hours of my shift. As soon as I walked into my station, guests started to come to me and ask for questions.
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So far, all the shifts that I have worked have been like that. It'll be busy for 2 hours and so, and then it'll die down for a few guests until the end of my shift.
Here's some photos of the days that I have peers that I worked with. It is so nice to have someone like you work at the same time. We have different schedule and we barely see each other at the airport.
Role
This is where I'm stationed and trained. I help my guests to print out their boarding pass and bag tags at the kiosk, then put their bag tags into their check-in luggage so that they can drop it off into our SSBD. Oftentimes, when it's busy, a GSL will call me to manually drop off check-in luggages to the guests they're checking-in so that it is easier for them to take the next guest instead of going back and forth into the belt. Given the situation, most of the time I will be at the kiosk and SSBD to help guests with their journey. Other than these 3 photos attached, some of my guests will ask me directions and I will direct them the right way to the best of my knowledge. Airport is a huge area, so I haven't had the time to walk around and familiarize myself yet. So far, I have completed 7 shifts including my training day.
Update
More information about my placement journey.
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Time really went by so fast with this journey as I am already closer to the end. I am very excited to share some stories about what's going on. I may have also experience new things with this journey as well that I wanted to share.
Weekly Happenings:
Week 3-4
I am officially been working with WestJet as a student CSA for a month already. You can't really tell how long you've been at the airport unless you check on how many shifts you have worked on. I made a lot of friends with WestJet CSA. There is always a new person with me every time I come for my shift. Someone that is able to help me about whenever I have questions.
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CSA's are very nice and friendly. Some of them were able to help us out and share some things about airline industry and their experiences.
Week 5
TOUGH WEEK!!
This is the week that I had a shift when I had encounter some difficult situation with a guest. It is something I have experienced for the first time and it is quite tough.
But I have kept my cool and allowed myself to process. My GSL didn't let me down and had helped me out with the situation. I have received an apologies from the guest and everything was settled.
WestJet really do prioritize their employee and always have their back.
Everyone checked on me to make sure I am doing okay, they did also advise me to take a breathe and give myself some time.
They're the sweetest and I am really thankful to have that support.
TIME FOR A BREAK!!
RUSH
BUSIEST HOUR
Busiest hour at WestJet starts at the time of my shift from 0500/0600 to 0830/0900. Right when I start my shift, guests are everywhere. You'll be helping guests left and right, as much as the same time. Multitasking is what I do. I'll be running around trying to get to everyone. Good thing is that sometimes I have peers or CSA with me to conquer the busiest time of the day.
CALM
SLOW HOUR
Calm time or slow hours are usually at 0900 to 1100. This time of the day is the time where I can finally relax a bit and take a breathe after a busy hours. This is also the time where I can focus on one guest without worrying about the other. Short line at the main check in counter and kiosks are not all occupied is always the best.
ORANGE TAG FOR GATE CHECK IN
PAPER CRAFT FOR SLOW HOURS
MS. JEN'S SURPRISE VISIT & FINALLY A PHOTO TOGETHER!
Week 15 - Last Week of Placement
I worked for 3 days straight for 9hours to complete my 150hours of placement, aside from that I am also swamped with all the final exam and assignments that is all due the same week. I don't know how I survived but I did. That 3 days made me realized that "THIS IS IT", I am finally closer to the end. I am happy that I met other placement students before our last day.
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It wasn't an easy journey, there are so many ups & downs but I'm so thankful for the second chance that they gave me to finish this journey to graduate.
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THANK YOU WESTJET FOR THE TRUST! ♡
