iluvairlines

Hi All,
My friend's son is a college student who is looking for a job this summer.
He also loves going to the airport (!!) and saw that Delta has "Ready Reserve Seasonal Employment" this summer for the Customer Service/Gate Agent position here at IAH.
I know this position is for the busy 4 month summer. Does anyone know how they train these employees and get them into the workforce so quickly? How long is the training?
Also, does anyone know if a gate agent position is higher than a check in agent position? Or would one person be doing all those tasks, and need training for all.
I'm just wondering how they train people so quickly!

Also, do flight benefits kick in immediately? Do they include first class travel privileges?

I'll be sure to pass this info on to my friend.
Thanks for all your help! :-)

FlyingNone

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I have a friend at DL who started as a Seasonal employee last year.

He had classroom training for about two weeks covering mandatory policies and procedures and safety information as well as basic computer entries for baggage handling and check-in, domestic and international check-in procedures and policies, how to help passengers checking in on the kiosk and handling of basic reservations and ticketing. Gate training would only be done (later on) if a person is offered to stay on as a permanent employee. In order to work gates you would have to be fairly proficient at the ticket counter and it is a whole different training process. Towards the end of the two weeks he said the class was assigned to the lobby (ticket counter) to assist passengers at the kiosk and also worked behind the counter (with the assistance of a "mentor"), as needed. Of course this may vary depending on local procedures at airports but he says it is probably the same systemwide. He was also issued a DL uniform.
And, yes, travel benefits (standby) are given immediately including the opportunity to travel in F-class (standby and if available). He flew non-rev on the last day of training (a Friday) to spend the weekend in LAX.

iluvairlines

Perfect, thank you!
Does the training take place at DL headquarters or in the city where one works?
Also, do you know how many hours he worked per day and how flexible they were about shifts?

So, the seasonal employees are really only used at check in?

Thanks!

FlyingNone

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For my friend the training took place locally at the airport he worked at. The hours were a 40 hour week (8.5 hours/day) for about 3-1/2 months (actually 4 months with the training time). Depending on the number of agents hired, shifts were offered generally for bid ranging either early morning (I think he worked 06:30 am to 3:00 pm) and the other shift was afternoon starting I think at 12:30 to 9:00 pm. Naturally the choice of days off were pretty much mid-week but again, this might vary depending on the needs of the operation at any given airport. What they offer in SEA or MSP or IAH might be different than DTW (sorry, I don't know for sure). Yes, where he worked, the seasonal employees were only used at check-in.

iluvairlines

Thanks for your answers, FlyingNone.
Just some more questions:
1. Do you know if the seasonal employees are provided vacation time
2. Can these jobs be strictly seasonal - he does NOT want to continue this job past the summer months?
3. How hard is the DL software that they have to learn? is it very complicated?

Thanks!

xolinlevh

In general seasonal employees (at least all my seasonal jobs) have not earned vacation time. And if its a seasonal gig then NO they cant require you to continue past the end of it. They may ask you if youd like to stay on, but once the end date passes thats that

iluvairlines

posted below

Anudoric

Application process takes ~1 month.

Initial computer-based training takes 2-3 weeks. Includes government-mandated safety & security training and customer service training.

Nonrevenue standby travel privileges start on the hire date. For me it was actually one day before I actually reported to work for the first time.

Ticket counter, gates, and baggage service are all in the same department, so he'll be trained on everything. Most seasonals only work the mundane positions like lobby host... stuff that doesn't take advanced training. Larger airports do scheduling where you bid a line based on seniority and you only work one area (either a concourse of gates, or the ticket counter, or baggage service).

Once hired, you can standby for any domestic Delta flight for free. You have to pay taxes on international flights. Based on seniority date, you're always cleared into a first class seat if available, and then a main cabin seat. First class for employees with a hire date in this century is very rare unless it's on a low-traffic/new route.

Used to be hard. With the new program it's all point-and-click. Any passenger could check himself in and process almost any transaction if he glanced at the screen. It's easier and faster than a kiosk.

There are still some uncommon things that have to be done in DLTerm that require a lot of practice to get fast at.

If you're asked to stay and you say no, then you lose travel privileges then. But if they don't ask you to stay, then you keep travel privileges for 1 year even if you don't work.

For seasonals there isn't really much flexibility. You bid based on seniority, you get what you get, and you can request days off. They'll only be approved up to 1 week in advance, and there are no permanent shift changes.

iluvairlines

Does anyone know how hard the DL check in software is to learn?

Thanks!

What do the lobby hosts do?

So you're saying the people checking bags behind the counter are at a higher position than lobby hosts?

Also, do you know what the pay starts at?

And, can the computerized training be completed in faster than 2 weeks - like at your own pace? And, everything is computerized?

For the hiring process, is there a face to face interview?

Thanks!

last question:
in terms of flight benefits, how much are the taxes on international flights?
lets say a BE was available on the flight from atlanta to dubai. how much approx would the taxes be?

thanks

Anudoric

As far as "skill" goes, lobby hosts are at the bottom. They greet as many customers as possible and send them to one of four places based on their response to a couple questions: kiosk, bag drop, Sky Priority, or Special Services.

Bag Drop agents are just barely above lobby host. They check photo ID, click a few buttons (literally) and collect payment for bag fees.

The most difficult ticket counter position is Special Services. Being a Special Service agent without ever needing assistance from a supervisor takes at least a year of consistent on-the-job training.

Pay starts at $11.64/hour and goes up to $12.36/hour after one year.

All computer training takes about 2-3 weeks. If the station only has seasonals doing training that applies to them (no gate training, for example), then it should only take less than a week.

The hiring process was just changed this month. From what I've heard, there is a personality assessment, then phone interview, then meet-and-greet area that turns into an individual interview. The personality assessment makes sure you're not a sourpuss (and it has literal questions to make sure you know how many days are in a week). The phone interview makes sure you can speak English with proper grammar and tone, and you don't sound angry or rude. The meet-and-greet is a way for leadership to see how you interact with a large group of people. Do you just stand in the corner or actually socialize? (Lobby host skills!)

Taxes for international flights depend on the international destination/stopovers. LHR is relatively very expensive (>$100) because the Brits are socialists . One-way DXB-ATL is $39.26. Keep in mind that this route is often payload optimized so the flight will often leave with seats empty and standby customers left behind.

iluvairlines

Thank you for all your info!

Sorry -- but i'm still confused, and want to give him the right info.
At a station like IAH, will he most likely just start out as a lobby host? Do all stations (even the small ones) even have those?

I think he would like to be either a bag drop agent or a gate agent. He doesn't want to go baggage service AT ALL, but he wouldn't mind being a lobby host. That's what I got after speaking with him.

Confused also about the DXB flight? What do you mean? I thought it was said that any empty seat would be given to employees?

FlyingNone

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From what my friend has told me, it appears DL hires Seasonals at various stations (some small, some large). This really depends on how busy/ popular a city might be during the Summer months. Whether or not smaller stations use lobby hosts or just use them behind the ticket counters, I don't know. It would seem that it's more yes (that they do) than no based on the needs of a particular station (I would imagine that as long as there are kiosks in a station then this would be necessary to assist passengers as they come into the terminal). I have flown DL to/from various cities in the U.S. and even in smaller cities, they do have lobby agents.

Yes, Seasonals will most likely be assigned as a lobby agent, meaning either meeting and greeting=directing passengers to the appropriate line or actually assisting at the kiosk. After check-in at the kiosk, if the passenger has bags to check, they are then directed to a "bag-drop" line with boarding pass in hand (that they obtained from the kiosk). The agent behind the counter doing the bag drop line is going to check the weights of the bags and charge excess if applicable and issue a bag tag. This agent can also assist with check-in if there was a problem (unable) at the kiosk. Sometimes its a matter of the name not being found or the passenger has missed their flight. If it gets time-consuming or the bag drop agent is unable to resolve, the passenger is then directed onto the Special Services Line where a more experienced agent can research/ rebook/ make phone calls/ resolve the problem etc.

Baggage Service would not be an option. That is an office in the Baggage Claim area and a whole different training and experience is necessary (just like the gates).

As far as the standby (DXB example), the point being made is that airline staff can list and standby for any flight. Several things - at least these two -- will determine if they get on as a standby (in any class of service):
1. Only AFTER revenue passengers get on will agents look at the (computerized) non-revenue airline employee list - and it ranks from highest to lowest seniority, retirees and then other airline employees. This is done at the gate during (at the end of) the boarding window.
2. Sometimes non-revs are not boarded (an announcement will be made) IF the flight has a weight restriction (ie., hot climates or extra cargo). This could affect all or some of the non-revs (depending on how many are trying to get on and if the flight is really full or not). I recently flew DL (internationally) and was probably the last non-rev to get on (there were 4-5 others behind me) because of a weight restriction and they did not make it. This usually doesn't happen but can't be ruled out altogether. Don't lose sleep over it, there are usually other options, choices, next flight, etc.
I would encourage your friend to try for this job. It's fun, it's short-lived so they probably won't stress too much in a 3-4 month assignment as well as the opportunity to travel anywhere on Delta.

PRWeezer

There's a guy MrWeezer used to work with 15+ years ago who is still what I would classify as a lobby host I think at his choice...person pointing you to the kiosks (at least the last time I saw him). It's not necessarily an entry-level job.

If your friend's child is interested in getting in with the airline, he needs to be willing to start at the bottom and work any job to get in. He (via his Mom? via you?) seems to have a lot of questions that can be answered either in the interview process, if they are deal breakers, or after hire, if just questions about perks (i.e. taxes to DXB specifically).

Funny, recently we were traveling w a few DL employees in/out of EGE...one had a great experience as a ski bum, I mean a seasonal employee of another airline there. Granted, he moved there from another station, but that's a long-term option for friend's child to move to more appealing stations.

I don't even know if I asked about the employee discount before I got hired for my summer job at The Gap in the mid-80s...God bless this generation who asks about nonrev perks & vacation, via a helicopter-parent's friend, before a job application has even been submitted.

Anudoric

Every station has lobby hosts. BSO is probably only staffed by non-seasonal agents since it's so easy to screw up.

Long international flights are often payload-optimized. This basically means that the flight is close to being overweight. If necessary, the flight will leave with empty seats even if customers are standing by. In rare cases, Delta seeks revenue volunteers to take a later flight. In even rarer cases, revenue customers are denied boarding because the flight would not reach its destination with the current weight of passengers and bags checked vs. fuel available onboard.

Seasonals in IAH would likely be lobby hosts, baggage drop agents, or secondary gate agents. Secondary gate agents scan customers onboard, meet arriving flights, and make announcements.

wj2005

I'm glad I came across this topic on here as it also answered some of my questions that I had.

Another question I have is if your family like Spouse and Dependent would also get flight benefits even though its only seasonal?

I am also able to get a referral before applying but I don't know if that helps at all or not?

I'm sure I will think of something else to ask but for now that is all LOL