Programme overview
Introduction:
Passenger ground services shape how travellers judge an airline long before take-off: a slow check-in queue, a wrongly accepted bag, a missed wheelchair request or a confused gate during a delay can undo every promise made at booking. Most failures happen at the counter, the gate and the arrivals hall, where agents must follow the departure control system, baggage rules and care procedures under time pressure. This Core Concept course trains check-in, gate and arrivals agents and their supervisors to process passengers accurately, care for them during disruption and recover service on the spot. Participants build a Passenger Services Shift Handbook.
Course Objectives:
- Process passengers at check-in and the gate in the departure control system, from passenger record retrieval to boarding pass issue, seat changes and flight close
- Check travel documents and accept baggage against the airline's document, allowance and restricted items rules, refusing or escalating items that do not meet them
- Arrange assistance for passengers with reduced mobility, unaccompanied minors and passengers with medical needs from the special service request through to hand-over at arrival
- Deliver passenger care during delays, cancellations and misconnections, including rebooking, meal and hotel provision and clear announcements
- Record and trace delayed, damaged and lost baggage, explain the passenger's claim position and resolve counter complaints before they escalate
- Supervise a passenger services shift using briefings, staffing plans and service KPIs, and document the routines in a Passenger Services Shift Handbook
Target Audience:
- Check-in and ticket desk staff who process departing passengers, documents and baggage at counters, kiosks and bag drops
- Gate staff responsible for boarding, standby and upgrade handling and closing the flight on time
- Arrivals, transfer and lost-and-found desk staff who meet flights, reconnect misconnected passengers and handle baggage irregularities
- Special assistance coordinators who arrange services for passengers with reduced mobility, unaccompanied minors and medical cases
- Passenger service shift leaders and duty officers who allocate staff, handle escalations and report shift performance
Course Outline:
Day 1: The Passenger Journey, Service Roles and Ground Handling Standards
- Airport Passenger Journey Map: Booking Record, Check-In, Security, Gate, Arrival and Transfer
- Airline, Ground Handler and Airport Responsibilities at Counters, Gates and Arrivals Halls
- Airline Customer Service Standards: Queue Times, Grooming, Greeting and Tone at the Counter
- Check-In Channels Compared: Counter, Kiosk, Web, Mobile and Self Bag Drop
- Current Station Service Self-Assessment Using Passenger Feedback and Queue Observations
Day 2: Departure Control System, Travel Documents and Baggage Acceptance Rules
- Departure Control System Functions: Passenger Record Retrieval, Seating, Boarding Pass and Bag Tag Printing
- Passenger Name Record Elements, E-Ticket Status and Check-In Edits in the DCS
- Travel Document Checks at Overview: Passport Validity, Visas, Transit Rules and Entry Requirement Databases
- Checked and Cabin Baggage Acceptance: Allowances, Excess Charges, Oversize Items and Bag Tag Routing
- Dangerous Goods in Passenger Baggage Awareness: Lithium Batteries, Power Banks and Forbidden Items Screening Questions
Day 3: Boarding, Gate Management and Special Category Passengers
- Gate Opening Checklist: Pre-Boarding Briefing, Boarding Sequence and Gate Announcements
- Boarding Reconciliation, No-Show Offload, Standby Clearance and Flight Close in the DCS
- Passengers With Reduced Mobility: Special Service Requests, Wheelchair Categories and Mobility Aid Handling
- Unaccompanied Minors: Acceptance Forms, Escort Hand-Over and Arrival Release Checks
- Medical Cases and Expectant Mothers: Fitness-to-Fly Forms, Oxygen Requests and Stretcher Coordination
Day 4: Irregular Operations, Baggage Irregularities and Service Recovery at the Counter
- Irregular Operations Passenger Care: Delay Notices, Meal Vouchers, Hotel Accommodation and Rebooking Priorities
- Misconnection Handling: Transfer Desk Rerouting, Short Connection Alerts and Interline Protection
- Delayed, Damaged and Lost Baggage: Property Irregularity Report, Tracing File and Interim Expense Rules
- Baggage Tracking Under IATA Resolution 753 and Montreal Convention Baggage Liability Limits
- Counter Service Recovery Script: Listen, Apologise, Act, Follow Up and Escalation to the Duty Officer
Day 5: Counter and Gate Role-Plays and the Passenger Services Shift Handbook
- Check-In Role-Play: Overweight Bag, Missing Visa and Power Bank Refusal at the Counter
- Gate Role-Play: Overbooked Flight, Volunteer Offload and Late Wheelchair Passenger
- Arrivals Role-Play: Missing Bag Report and Misconnected Family at the Transfer Desk
- Shift Supervisor Toolkit: Pre-Shift Briefing, Staff Deployment Plan and KPI Board for Queue Time and On-Time Close
- Passenger Services Shift Handbook Drafting and Peer Review
Skills You Will Gain:
- Departure Control System Operation
- Travel Document Screening
- Baggage Acceptance Control
- Special Assistance Coordination
- Gate Boarding Control
- Disruption Passenger Care
- Baggage Irregularity Reporting
- Passenger Service Shift Leadership
Why Attend This Course:
- Return with a Passenger Services Shift Handbook of checklists, scripts and KPIs that a station team can apply on the next shift
- Handle an overweight bag, a missing visa or an overbooked gate with more confidence after rehearsing each conversation with feedback
- Reduce offloads, late flight closures and mishandled bags by applying the same acceptance and boarding checks on every flight
- Compare counter, gate and arrivals practice with airline and ground handling staff from different airports and carriers
Conclusion:
Passengers remember the counter, the gate and the arrivals hall more than any other part of their trip. The five days move from the passenger journey and service standards, through the departure control system, travel documents and baggage rules, to boarding, special category passengers, irregular operations and baggage irregularities. The final day rehearses real counter, gate and arrivals situations and produces a Passenger Services Shift Handbook that agents and shift leaders can use to deliver consistent, accurate and calm passenger service.