Korala Gamage Doraju Jayananka Perera
Joined NRTAS in 2017
My father brought me to Japan, as he worked in the trade sector and I moved here along with him. This sparked my interest in working in places that connect the world with Japan, such as airports. My interest in working at an airport grew stronger during high school, which led me to attend an airline technical college in Japan. After comparing several companies during my job hunt, I landed on NRTAS and applied for a job. What was attractive about NRTAS was its robust education and training programs as well as opportunities for career advancement. I wanted to find a place that would allow me to unleash my own potential and keep growing in addition to working. Only NRTAS seemed to have the potential to make this happen.
Lately, I’ve primarily been working as a gate controller, a position that manages boarding gates, and as a flight controller, who oversees overall passenger service operations, including seating, baggage and in-flight meals. Safety, on-time performance, comfort and convenience have been the core values guiding me in such positions. The work has also made me deeply aware of the importance of teamwork. I’ve always loved talking with people and had wanted to get a job in the Passenger Services Division. I enjoy serving customers from around 200 countries at Narita Airport. People’s different values become apparent even in short interactions, and I’m still making new discoveries daily. For instance, people from India and Vietnam prefer to sit near fellow citizens from their country and often request vegetarian meals for the in-flight meal service. Despite being in Japan, I have countless moments that make me feel like I am working with everyone in the world. These, I believe, are lessons that cannot be learned through textbooks. I can speak Sinhala (official language of Sri Lanka), English and Japanese. Language skills are certainly important when providing communication-based service, but having strong language skills does not make the interactions easy. You have to really see the person standing in front of you and accept their background with an open mind. For me, not thinking of norms and values as things that are absolute is key.
I am now in my eighth year at NRTAS and have been given the role of chief. It’s my first managerial role. My main duty as chief is to regularly hold one-on-one meetings with the members of my team. I listen to their problems and difficulties they’re having in their daily work and give them support. If I can’t handle something on my own, I ask my manager for advice and search for the best option. I approach interactions with my team members the same way I do with passengers. It’s important to gain insight into and pick up on what the underlying needs are. I need to observe how they work and also not overlook the various signs I can pick up from their facial expressions, tone of voice and offhand comments. Passengers often tell me things like “That’s what I wanted to find out,” and “Leave it to you,” and my team members also say things to me like “How did you read my mind?” with surprise. [laughs] Passenger service certainly demands the ability to communicate in the moment, but you can gradually improve the quality and speed of your immediate response by gathering information to be prepared and ready. Now that I’m in a position of leading others, taking the initiative in ways that I would never have done before has become standard practice, such as adjusting the order of assignments to better facilitate on-the-job training for junior team members. I take the lead in trying to create beneficial working conditions with the goal of seeing more smiles from my coworkers.
I experienced multiple difficulties soon after I started working at NRTAS. The reason why was because I didn’t understand the difference between just communicating something and actually getting it across. Simply relaying information to the other party was not enough. I became painfully aware of the need to gain customers’ understanding and acceptance. This was not something I was taught in school or through textbooks. But when my manager or a senior peer would see that I was having trouble providing service, they would quickly come over to help and model the right way to communicate something or the appropriate language to use. Not only that, one coworker even went so far as to create an original manual just for me. I still remember how touched I was by this. Coworkers have also given me advice on what I needed to do to advance my career and connected me with people when I asked to observe what work at the next level was like. They all took me seriously and treated my needs like they were their own. I’m truly grateful to my managers and senior peers for their support, and I want to give my full support to junior peers on their growth journey as well. NRTAS leans into developing its people, and I would encourage non-Japanese people like me to join NRTAS without hesitation. Let us deliver the world’s highest level of hospitality together.
Arrive at work
After attending the morning meeting, I check my tasks, notes from the previous shift, and information about passengers needing special services.
Counter preparations
I work as the supervisor after all preparations are completed.
Briefing
I share the necessary information with everyone on duty.
Begin check-in procedures
I announce the start of check-in procedures.
Give instructions at each counter area
I give instructions at the check-in counters until the morning’s flights have departed.
Break
Fill out the daily log and check reports
I write up a daily log to communicate matters to staff on the next shift.
Handoff to the general manager
I communicate matters to be shared with staff on the afternoon shift with the general manager.
Leave work
Boarding gates
Because I get to see off customers I have checked in and watch their flights safely take off, working as a gate agent has become my favorite job.
Departure lobby
After checking in passengers from all around the world, I too get to feel the excitement of traveling.
Observation deck
Because I can watch the aircraft take off and land at close range, the observation deck has become my favorite place in Narita. I highly recommended it for aircraft fans.
Leading ANA’s international flight operations, NRTAS is aiming for new heights.
NRTAS will create the new era.