B. Station/ground handling management

Due to rising costs and an increasing demand for passenger service the

management and coordination of airport operations demands an even higher

degree of knowledge and skill than was previously required.

This popular and highly successful course provides Airlines and Handling

Agencies with the opportunity to have their key operations people trained to a recognized industry standard.

Content:

- International recommendations for airport operations, the rights and duties of a Station Manager, handling agreements and the provision of services for other airlines.

- How to cooperate with and get cooperation from other authorities at an airport.

- Planning, evaluating and costing station operations. Calculating the number of staff required. How to calculate the type and amount of equipment needed and make a financial case for it.

- The impact of aircraft performance, meteorology, ATC and security regulations on airport operations.

- Managing day-to-day passenger operations, cargo, catering, ramp safety, fraud prevention and baggage issues.

- Management skills.

 

UNDERSTANDING CHECK

1. Say a few words about the programs of the courses mentioned in both pans of text 2.

2. Compile an advertisement about these courses to be published shed in a local newspaper.

 

TEXT 3. INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT PASSENGER SERVICES

Passport Control. The outgoing passengers may leave the country only if they have an exit visa and a foreign passport. The incoming passengers must have an entry visa, a foreign passport and a vaccination certificate. The visas and foreign passports should be produced to the Passport officer at the Passport Control.

Customs Control. At every International Airport there is a Customs Control. A passenger may carry duty free articles provided they are for personal use. Restricted articles may be imported, but in this case they are liable to Customs duty.

At the customs Control passengers must fill in a Customs declaration and then produce it to the Customs officer, who checks the declaration and inspects the passengers' luggage. Any article that has not been declared or produced is liable to forfeiture and the person concerned is liable to prosecution.

As for the crew it is not obligatory to fill in a Customs declaration. The crew members are only asked some questions about their hand luggage which is then inspected on board the aircraft.

Some things are prohibited to be exported - weapons, narcotics, antiques and objects of art (paintings, drawings, icons, sculptures), precious metals, crude and processed natural precious stones, valuables, etc.

If you have nothing more than the duty-free allowances and no prohibited or restricted goods go straight through the GREEN CHANNEL unless asked to stop by an officer.

If you have more than the duty-free allowances listed or if you have prohibited or restricted goods go into the RED CHANNEL and declare them to an officer.

Plant Quarantine Inspection. Any load or baggage containing seeds,bulbs, cuttings, vegetables and fruit are subject to, the Plant Quarantine inspection. A passenger must have a special licence to carry plant materials. This document should be produced to the State inspector of the Plant QuarantinePoint.

Veterinary Control. Transportation of animals, birds, live fish, insects , products of animal origin is under the inspection of the Veterinary Control. A passenger should have a medical certificate for his animal (a dog, a cat) to carry it in the passenger cabin.

 

UNDERSTANDING CHECK

Render the main information of this text. Say a few words about each passage.

 

FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES

Role-play the following dialogues (11 - 20).

DIALOGUE 11

Passport Control Officer: Your passport, please. Passenger: Here you are.

P.C.O.: How long are you staying in this country?

P.: Five days. I'm here on business.

P.C.O.: Your passport and visa are in order. Have a pleasant stay, sir. P.: Thank you.

 

DIALOGUE 12

Passenger: Here are my documents.

Officer: Thank you. Will you, please, wait for some minutes while I'm inspecting your passport and visa.

(A moment later).

Officer: Your passport is OK, but the visa is elapsed. You are not entitled to leave the airport.

DIALOGUE 13

Official: Health check here. Where are you from, sir? Passenger: From...

0.: Your vaccination certificate, please.

P.: Here you are.

O.: Thank you. Everything is OK. You may proceed to Passport Control.

 

 

DIALOGUE 14

0.: Your vaccination certificate, please.

P.: Here you are.

0.: How long is it since you had your yellow fever inoculation.

P.: Let me see. Two months.

0.: Thank you. Passport Control is that way.

DIALOGUE 15

0.: Would you please proceed to the Customs, sir? The Customs procedures have already started.

P,; Sure, but where is it?

0,; The Customs Centre is to your right in Departure Lounge.

 

DIALOGUE 16

Off1eer: Any fruit to declare?

Passenger: No fruit. But I've got some flowers.

O.; Will you please follow me to the Plant Quarantine Point.

P,; All right.

(At the Quarantine Point). Inspector: Your name, please.

P,: Mrs. White.

I.; Please, show me your flowers. Mrs. W.: Here they are.

1.; Have you got a license? Mrs, W.: I'm sorry. I haven't.

I.: It is prohibited to carry flowers with bulbs. Mrs. W.: I didn't know about that.

I: They are liable to forfeiture, Mrs. White.

 

DIALOGUE 17

Officer: A dog or a bird to declare, please?

Passenger: I've got a dog.

0,: You are kindly requested to proceed to the Veterinary Control. (At the Veterinary Control).

Inspector: Medical certificate, please? P.: Here it is.

I.: It's OK.

DIALOGUE 18

Customs Official: Good afternoon, sir, is this your suitcase?

Passenger: No, the brown one is mine.

C.O.: Oh, I see. Have you anything to declare?

P.: No, I haven't. My bag only contains personal things. Shall I open it? C.O.: No, thank you, sir, that won't be necessary.

DIALOGUE 19

Customs Officer: Whose luggage is this? Open the suitcase, please. Passenger: All this luggage is mine.

C.O.: You have articles above the limit.

P,: How much duty do I have to pay?

C.O.: There is a 100% duty on this article.

P.: And what articles have no duty on them?

C.O.: Here is a duty-free quota list. P.: Thank you, sir.

 

DIALOGUE 20

C.O.: I'm sorry, but this article falls under Customs restriction.

P.: Oh, I didn't know.

C.O.: Any foreign currency on you?

P.: Here it is. Not exceeding the allowed quota.

C.O.: Thank you, miss. The inspection is over.

 

UNDERSTANDING CHECK Answer the following questions:

1. What are the passengers requested to fill in at the Customs Control?

2. What's the meaning of the question a Customs Official may ask you: «Have you anything to declare»?

3. What are the usual customs regulations?

4. What do you do if you have nothing to declare?

5. What do they check at the Passport Control?

6. What are the duties of the health check section at the Customs?

7. Is the passenger's vaccination certificate always checked? Why?

 

TEXT4. SITA SPEEDS CUSTOMS PROCEDURES FOR AIRLINE PASSENGERS

Airlines subscribing to SITA's Departure Control System (DCS) are now able to offer faster customs procedures to USA- bound passengers. This re­sults from an interface between SITA DOS and APIS, the Advance Passenger Information Systems, developed by the United States Customs Service in cooperation with the airline industry. The new functionality is now available to all SITA DOS subscribers with international flights to the USA, as well as to Australia and New Zealand.

Using APIS international USA-bound passengers' passport information is forwarded to customs officials at the destination airport, allowing for automa­ted pre-arrival background checks. Passengers may then utilize new «Blue Lanes» designed to speed the customs process. These lanes will be available only to passengers departing from carriers. using, APIS.

SITA DOS is a fully integrated departure control system, providing auto­mated passenger check-in and processing of seat assignment, bag-tag prin­ting, boarding pass issuance, aircraft load planning, weight and balance cal­culation, and automatic operational message generation. The service is. cur­rently used by 44 airlines and airport handling agencies worldwide.

 

UNDERSTANDING CHECK Translate text 4 in writing.

DIALOGUE 21

Customs Officer: Would you like to put your luggage on here? Thank you.

Where have you just come from?

Traveller: From Madrid.

C.O.: Madrid. Are you resident in Spain, or do you live in the UK?

T,: I live in Spain.

C.O Can I see your passport, please? Thank you. How long are you

"ng to the UK for?

,T.: For a week.

C.O.: On holiday, are you? Or business?

T.: Yes, on business.

C.O.: I see. OK. Well then, you understand that you've come into the

Omen Channel, which means you have nothing to declare.

T.: Yes.

C.O.: Is this all your luggage?

T.: This is all, yes.

C.O.: Nobody else is travelling with you?

T.: No, I'm travelling alone.

C.O: OK then. What type of goods have you got, cigarettes, cigars?

T.: I've got just 200 cigarettes.

C.O.: Nothing else at all in the tobacco line?

T.: No.

C.O.: Any drink at all? Spirits? Liqueurs? Wine?

T: Just this bottle of whisky.

C.O.: Was that bought in the duty-free shop, or...?

.

T.: . Yes, at Madrid airport.

C.O.: I see. Are you bringing any gifts at all for anybody in the UK?

T.: Well, the whisky is a present, but that's all.

C.O.: I see. No other small items - watches, jewellery?

Т.: No, it's just personal things.

С.0.: OK. Right, Sir. Would you let me have a look in there?... 'the calculator going back to Spain with you? ;: Yes it is. It's mine.

Do you have a camera at all?

Т.: No, not with me.

C.O.: OK, sir. Thank you very much.

 

GRAMMAR CHECK

Study the structure of all negative and interrogative sentences.

UNDERSTANDING CHECK

Learn this dialogue and reproduce it in pairs. Play the roles in turns.

 

FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES

Group in twos (threes, fours) and do these assignments:

1. Use in sentences of your own: declare, fill in a Customs Declaration; check the declaration; check the luggage; duty-free articles; exceed the allowed quota; restricted articles; fall under restrictions; liable to Customs duty; liable to forfeiture (things); liable to prosecution (people); prohibited articles; declare items subject to duty; extension of a visa; hard currency.

2. Go through passport control using the following: I am a citizen of...

Here is my entry/exit/transit visa.

The purpose of my trip is business.

I would like to get in touch with our Embassy/Consulate/mission.

3. Go through customs using the following: Which way to customs? Where is the baggage check? I need a customs declaration form. I have nothing to declare. Please help me with this form. Are cigarettes on the free list? Is there duty on these things? I don't know what I am allowed. I have nothing more to declare. Are you through with my luggage? Can I consider my luggage cleared?