GEORGE NEWS - Thomas Duane Hodgson shared some details and insights about his 9 years as a Comair ground employee at George Airport with George Herald. 

His years of aviation comprised of Customer Service, Customer Experience, Ramp Control and Airline Emergency Response Specialist. Thomas loved the interaction with passengers, as customer experience is his passion.

Unbelievable

Passengers arrive at the airport to fly, but don’t have a clue which airline they are flying with. And sometimes have the date wrong. Or have booked the wrong way around. Not nice!

Something funny

An overseas passenger said to me, at the counter, that he wanted to “wet me whistle”. I thought the passenger needed the bathroom so gave directions there. He came back and made it clear - he wanted a drink.

Janine Cheesman, one of the sweetest, most kindhearted colleagues in the awesome Kulula green team. The writing says it all - especially now.

A smile

I had passengers "Burger". So I asked if all the passengers were under Burger. The response I got was: “Two Burgers and one Fries.” Literally their surnames.

Comair’s BA and green Kulula planes were well travelled across South African skies, both domestically and regionally, including to Mauritius.

Covid-19

Comair closed twice due to Covid for extensive periods, and went into Business Rescue. While we used to smile with a twinkle in our eye (and still do), sometimes you saw a tear in a colleague's eye. 

I was a Shop Steward for almost three years and tried to be a shoulder for those who needed someone who understands, who would not judge, and just listen.

Masking up

While the sanitising is excellent and the perspex barrier does create a barrier of respect for space, the masks are a challenge. Passengers cannot always hear us and vice versa. So there is a lot of repetition. It also takes away a major part of front line customer service - the smile. 

That friendly vital part of healthy human relations and makes things more serious. Passengers who are hearing impaired, cannot lip read.

A conveyor belt is used to help load the bags into the hold.

Mask humour

A passenger asked where she must “throw her ID” when she was actually asked to “show her ID”. Another passenger had her fingers over her ID photo she was holding up. The check-in agent asked that she move her fingers to show her photo. 

The passenger heard wrong and asked where she must move to stand for a photo to be taken.

Valuables

Most things passengers travel with, they deem as highly valuable and sentimental. Passengers often do not want to part with pocket knives in their hand luggage. I’ve had a passenger that paid excess because of taking bulk Pro-Nutro that she couldn’t source overseas.

Fuel is loaded into the aircraft's wings. This improves the overall structural efficiency by counter-balancing the wing's lift and the fuselage's weight. It reduces aircraft fuel system complexity, and improves passenger safety by locating fuel away from the passenger compartment.

Check-in moments

A colleague asked a passenger if they have “infiltrators” instead of bicycle “inflators”.

Another colleague answered a passenger about us having an interline agreement with Virgin Active, instead of Virgin Atlantic.

A colleague said “landelayo” (which means "next") to a passenger but we heard “lovely lion”. As the background noise was loud, we asked afterwards what the lovely lion moment was all about.

Check mate

A group of guys pushing an intoxicated friend on an airport trolley wanted to check him in as baggage. The guy had a fragile sticker stuck to his head.

The shape of the Boeing 737 800 wing tips are up. As with soaring birds, such as eagles that have strong feathers, they have the ability for wingtips to flip up. This is to reduce drag and give the birds more lift.

The unexpected

Each passenger is unique. A passenger once asked a colleague of mine to make her lemon tea at check in.

The rich and famous

I've met many SA performers including Bobbie Van Jaarsveld, Brendan Pyper, Carike Keuzenkamp, Arno Jordaan, Elvis Blue, Joe Vorster, and Kurt Darren. Beauty queens and kings include Rolene Strauss, Monique Best, Danica Barnard, Armand Du Plessis and Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters who was with her husband Tim Tebow. 

The actors I recall are Shaleen Surtie-Richards, Alvin Bruinders and Jerry Mofeking. I've met numerous politicians including Helen Zille, Mmusi Maimane, Gwede Mantashe and Patricia de Lille. 

George Airport is the gateway to a golfing mecca, so huge golfing names are on my list, including Gary Player.

Sunset at George Airport.

Surprise

Before I started at Kulula I never realised we would get attached to our own aircraft. Each aircraft has its own registration at the nose wheel with a specific story attached to each one. It's not just 800s and 400s that fly to George. It's more personal than that - we have our favorites.

Funny announcement

A check in agent was looking for a passenger with the surname “Twentyman Jones” to return to check in but the person at information called out over the intercom and said “Seventy canned bones, please report to the Kulula check in counter.”

Sad moment

A wheelchair passenger was left at the airport to fly alone but her mind was gone. She didn’t know why she was at the airport or where she was going. It wasn’t wise for anyone to expect her to fly alone. We felt so compassionate towards her. 

Staff waited till she was collected again. It was a difficult situation. We couldn't make someone fly who didn't want to.

Passenger mix

See passengers as individuals. Some are travelling for business and some are on vacation. Not all passengers find travelling an exciting experience. Some passengers find travelling very stressful. Airports are emotional places. Hellos and goodbyes. It takes a special person to deal with the front-line successfully.

The wind sock at George Airport.

Fun with the big cheese

Some passengers asked what happened to the playful, fun Kulula of yesteryear. Airlines are governed by the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority). So Kulula can only be as much fun as what the parameters of safety allow. Also Kulula and BA fall under the umbrella of Comair. 

We have certain standards to maintain, which BA Mainline follows. The uniform, for example, of Kulula became more formal over the years. Some things are serious like security questions and also emergency procedure evacuation demonstrations on-board. 

That’s not to say a crew can’t say “Welcome to Malawi” instead of to Mauritius, upon landing. There’s always the right moment to squeeze in some humour.

Grounded

When we say “have a pleasant flight”, passengers often reply with “you too”. But as ground staff we aren’t going anywhere.

Krotoa Coffee in Mossel Bay made Thomas a very cool “memory sepia cuppachino” holding a miniature BA plane.

Take off

Planes land and take off against the wind. The reason when landing is because it allows pilots to land in a shorter distance. And the reason when taking off is because it reduces the required ground speed.

Characters

There are many interesting people. One passenger, who was a wheelchair passenger, told a colleague while seated in the wheelchair that if she dropped her, she would hit her with her walking stick.Inside a baggage hold.

Zzzzz

George Airport is tiny but there are still passengers who are in the building who miss their flight. I have woken a passenger up before as he fell asleep in the boarding area. One young guy almost missed his flight while listening to music, and he still had a USA connecting flight.

Cheers!

We had a passenger who got to boarding and was so intoxicated that he couldn’t even walk. We couldn’t make out what he was saying. There was no remedy. Alcohol can cause a passenger's mood to change once airborne and it's not an easy decision to accept an intoxicated passenger.

In this case the passenger was in no way fit to fly.

What passengers don't know

If a bag is heavier than 32 kg, it can only go as cargo (an IATA rule). I also think that a lot of passengers don’t know that many airlines use handling agents who are employed by external companies. 

Also that there are graves on the air side of the George Airport. When we had a lot of delays, we were advised to throw chicken bones for the ancestors.

Good advice

Check in online and arrive before check in closes, with enough time for unforeseen hiccups.

Convenience

Flying has evolved. I think “Customer convenience” is the most important in the present tense. Whether the convenience be a mixture of Customer Service Experience; Pricing; On- Time Departure records; Flight Departure times; Strategic Partnerships (if they can get discounts); Queues; Baggage offloading and a lot more. Passengers choose what is most convenient for them.ACSA Feather Awards are all that remain on the cupboards and walls in an empty Kulula office, once a bustling vibrant space at the George Airport.

The end

I will miss the travel industry. My love for travelling has taken me to Bermuda, USA and Australia. So many memories.

But, we just have to make the best of whatever circumstance we find ourselves in. Maybe there’s a storm, but don’t give up... there could be a rainbow of hope just waiting out there for you.

READ MORE: Tula Kulula... all jokes aside

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