Hospitality
that touches customers’ hearts

I had looked up to the airline industry since I was a little girl and became interested in the ANA Group after seeing “Akaruku-genki!” (“Cheerful and Energetic!”) in its Group motto (ANA’s Way). In my research of companies where I could work as ANA ground staff, ANA Narita Airport Services seemed like it had the warmest atmosphere. The people working there seemed friendly and I felt like I could relax and be myself while working there. I also wanted the opportunity to use English in my job. 

My current duties include performing check-in procedures and gate and arrival duties for ANA’s international routes as well as providing service at the ANA Lounge reception desk and as an attendant in the Suite Lounge. I greet Diamond Service members and customers flying First Class in the Suite Lounge and take care of their needs.

The Passenger Services Department interacts directly with customers at various points and plays an important role in creating ANA’s image of hospitality. We’re expected to provide accurate and excellent customer service in the moment, regardless of how long we have been doing our job. These moments keep me on my toes, even now. One of the more difficult situations is taking care of customers whose checked luggage is overweight. Customers have two basic options in this situation: rearrange the items in their luggage or pay an extra fee. When neither of those options is feasible, we provide the customer with information about the best solution, which in some cases may be sending the luggage separately as air cargo.

For passengers from abroad, I strive to provide the same accurate and easy-to-understand information as I do in Japanese while understanding the cultural expectations of the customer. Providing the wrong information is one of the gravest errors we could make as ground staff. The precision of the information I give is part of my service quality, and I pay careful attention so that customers can relax during their travels with the information I provide. 

Getting unexpected questions and requests at the check-in counter, gate and lounge happens all the time. Even if I’m unsure or feeling flustered then, I try to never show it so that I don’t make customers nervous. 

We cannot always accommodate customers’ requests. Sometimes we have to tell them that we cannot do something. I get through these situations by conferring with my senior peers and checking what we’ve done in the past so that I can offer customers as many suggestions as possible and get them to genuinely understand the situation. Another important aspect of my job is staying aware of the time. If I encounter a situation for the first time or don’t know what to do, I first try to figure it out on my own, but if I’m unsure I check with my peers to make sure there’s no doubt left. 

Nonetheless, I can’t rely on my peers all the time. I take notes about situations I experience and keep them so that I can refer to them at any time. This way, I’m able to handle situations fully on my own whenever possible and give all the information on the spot. It’s essential to have the mindset of paying attention to what’s going on and building up your knowledge. For example, I make a point to share things I experience with my co-workers and keep up with the news to have the latest information.

One of the biggest joys of this job is being told “thank you” directly by customers. When I satisfy customers’ requests and hear these words, it makes me happy to have helped them. One of my most memorable interactions with a customer was an episode in the Lounge. Myself and the others working in the Lounge heard from the counter check-in agent that it was a customer’s birthday on the day they were departing. We wanted to do something special for them while they were in the Lounge, so we prepared a special birthday plate as a surprise. The customer was really moved by the unexpected surprise and it made me happy too. That customer had flown with ANA in the past as well, but I hope that we helped make them an even bigger fan of ANA.

While I can’t create these kinds of surprises for all customers, I perform my duties while keeping aware of things so that as many customers as possible have memorable trips with us. 

I don’t feel much distance between me and my senior peers at NRTAS, in a positive sense. They’re close by and can quickly help me when there’s a problem or I need advice, and the atmosphere also makes it easy to talk to managers without feeling barriers between us. It’s reassuring to have your boss nearby to talk to, not just for new employees but for me too in my fourth year at NRTAS. Out in the terminal too, when I was a new employee, my supervisor understood how I was feeling nervous my first time on the job and had another senior peer provide support to me. Even now with more years of experience, all my senior peers look out for me and create a welcoming atmosphere, and tell me to come right to them if I need something. It truly feels like many employees embody our motto of “Anshin, Attaka, Akaruku-genki!” (“Peace of Mind, Heartwarming, Cheerful and Energetic!”) I think NRTAS leads ANA Group companies in creating a heartwarming atmosphere. 

After three years in my job, I’m able to do more and more and also have more opportunities to not only serve customers but also to work in operations and even operation control. I want to continue providing service to customers in person and grow into a leader that drives customer service excellence customer service excellence. 

Each time I see my peers with high-level service skills and the concierge certification of “hospitality professional” in action, I’m inspired by the way they communicate with customers. Each phrase they use is on another level. I want to keep learning every day and improve my skills so that I can get to that level one day.