baggage handler

customer service representative

cargo agent

passenger assistant

airport manager

GAT Airline Ground Support

What is the best part of working at the company?
well in my personal experience the only best part of working in this company is  when I went to Seattle for training  as they pay for almost everything.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
the most stressful part about working in this company is management, they harass you for everything and when you need something, or you have a question about something and you keep on asking them they tell you that you are harass them even though your not even doing that

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
the environment and culture in this company is very toxic and unprofessional everyone behaves like a highschooler even the managers they don't have any professionalism, and harassment is very normal and common here of course I'm only talking about the station where I work in. Leadership in this station is trash. there's no flexibility even though is a part time job and if you do  overtime they don't want to pay overtime they cut hours just so they don't have to  pay overtime, and support for personal needs is out of the question in this station of course, if they like you is a different story though but if they don't there's always negative repercussions, there's a lot of favoritism in this station. 
There's no growth opportunities here if they don't like you and your not their favorite they would keep postponing your training or never train you unless you ask them and even if you ask them they never  train you for what you desire to be train for, they would find any excuse even go as far as saying you're not qualified for it, and if you do  get train you only  are train  for few days and they would not train you properly.  Management in this station is trash they don't know anything about leadership if you need something from management they would take days to respond to you and to solve your issue they don't care about their employees here they just treat you like a number and HR is the same.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
A typical day at work for me is standing all day carrying bags all day while speaking with passengers all day. Depending on the position they station you in this is more like to change but are similar at the same time  if your in the Ticket Counter for example your more likely to be standing all day while lifting bags all day and of course speaking to customers all day if your in Baggage Service you be doing the same thing except you can sit down and move around between carousel and office, and you be taking calls or making calls.  If you're at the Gate you be standing up, making announcements, speaking to passengers, arranging seats tagging bags, moving jet bridge, closing the door for the aircraft sometimes doing fleet services when is understaff or they need help, those are just a few things you do at the gate. they have another position which is operation coordinator but I'm not familiar with it because I haven't been train for it.

A typical day goes like this: Front desk flight check in (we have 7 flights a day) I deal with 3 to 4 a day. Back to the gate for boarding of flights, or down to baggage first, take clams, and back to the gate for assistance in boarding, or back to the front desk.

The last four years I have worked at the San Diego International Airport for two companies. I have learned the most intricate parts of customer service in a fast paced, high stress, quick thinking market. This is not a job for everyone. You must have a thick skin, and be very assertive.

Management: My Floor Manager and Supervisors are great. Policy's are put in place for a reason. When a passenger does not like the policy, and asks to speak to a Manager/Supervisor, passengers almost always over dramatize the issue to get what they want, and will lie right your face if they think it will help their cause. The supervisors and agents are in constant communication with each other, they mostly back us up. The airlines are pretty cut and dry for what can and cant be offered for someone based on each individual issue. Our general manager is not there on the running of daily operations. He shows up a couple times a week. When we have cancellations or major delays he is called and informed, but our team works together to tackle the issue first.

Co-Workers: I enjoy my co-workers. We must all be on the same page every day to work as a team. You have to be a team player in this line of work. Of course every job has a few people that don't want to pull their weight, but I don't get involved in office drama.

The Hard Part: One thing that gets me is we don't get paid well for such a high risk job. I have been threatened many times verbally and physically. Passengers will try to start long, drawn out arguments and try (and sometimes succeed) to rebel rouse the lines into an angry mob. I have to call the police on passengers who display unacceptable behavior. That's why I say you must have a thick skin to do this job.

The Cool Part: I get to be around Aircrafts all day, call it the kid in me. Security is important to me, and working at an airport, I take it very seriously and take major pride in it. I do everything in my power to make sure the TSA is taken care of from my side of things. In constant communication with law enforcement, customs, TSA, and airport security. I have met many sports figures while doing charter work for such teams as Broncos, Radars, Giants, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, and so on.

I was a part of the Spirit Contract with GAT.  I worked for the company almost 4 years and i found myself to be a influential part of the company under that brand.  I was happy to come to work to see all my colleagues and employees and most of all the customers.  Coming to work was great because you never knew what was going to happen that day there was always a mystery.  Every day you are teaching someone something or learning something that could advance the company or that something was structured and you were not made aware, so you build and learn for the betterment of all.

As i am now no longer with the company and not by choice but by the closure of Spirit Airlines, I feel like i am free to say that our management was not the best.  Our GM only cared about the United contract and focused more of his time on that side than ours.  There were dozens of times that we needed a positive form of guidance, understanding, and leadership to solve issues we were having especially when it came to daily routines, bad employees, and overall respect between people on both contracts... one was not better than the other.   Our direct accounts manager that has been with us throughout the time i was there present but in a sense not.  When we needed someone strong to push the Spirit contacts to give us things or at least explore ideas on a trial basis.... there were no push, strength, or real attempts to move the company unlike how our former Spirit GM used to.

With that being said, it made the workplace hard and also made it tough to be able to accomplish anything like growth, advancement, or the ability to move to another contract for extra work.  The most enjoyable part of the job was my coworkers.  We all learned together, fought together, and stood strong with each other.  We were a family....  and sadly, with the closure of Spirit Airlines blindsiding us and the speculation that our managers knowing about it based on how they wrote uncompassionate emails.... we never got a chance to say goodbye, we never got a chance to tell our passengers goodbye, and worse off.... our managers communications stopped and we were left with no answers until business Monday morning where they kept working and we were all terminated.  Thrown out like we did something wrong.... no compassion, no thank you, no nothing.

I want to preface this by stating I absolutely love my career in aviation and customer service. I have done these kinds of jobs for over fifteen years, and only took this one because it was the only position in my area that was available when I moved here. 

I only stayed with GAT for a few months. The pay is minimal --and I do mean minimal-- for the amount of effort and responsibility you hold. In my case, we were expected to arrive to the office up to an hour in advance of our shift. This time was UNPAID, unless you used this mandatory time to hop on one of four computers to find something to "study" or complete one of the several recurring courses that you are expected to complete at home (also unpaid). Some employees were expected to travel between posts, effectively working two positions in one shift with no increase in compensation. 

Supervisors were not exempt from this. It was clear they are equally overworked/undercompensated, and it shows in the way they interact with their subordinates and customers. 

The GM position was open when I arrived (I did not apply for this position), and two people came and left by the time I quit. One of whom didn't even bother to give us a heads up. Just a goodbye note on a table.

Entry level staff are expected to be responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars of equipment and aeronautical technology and  thousands of lives per week, but are compensated with poverty wages and toxic work environments. Promotions are almost meaningless here. As your responsibilities are nearly doubled, yet your pay goes up by less than two dollars.  

Stay away from this company. Your back and mental health with thank you.

GAT isnt as bad as everyone makes it out to be. GAT is super lenient for being in the airline industry. You will meet so many new people and have so many experiences(good&bad) but that's what is with every customer service job. If you can work in a fast paced environment with high attention to detail this will be the best place to work. This job is honestly really fun and gives you alot of opportunities to grow and make your resume top tier! A typical day depends on which area you work. Customer serv- pretty easy you're just checking people in/dropping bags/answering common questions about flt info-ticket counter.. Gate is my personal favorite: moves fast paced/time management is KEY, and having a good personality makes it more fun. Scanning boarding passes to load the aircraft is so easy and simple if your paying attention.  Ramp is self explanatory: Loading bags/using equipment/pushing flights out on time. The job can be stressful when a delay or cancellation occur so you have to learn to fake it till you make it... Your supervisors will always have your back. Just don't bring any negative energy walking into and out of work. No matter what people are going to be upset when their plans are ruined so just put a smile on and act like you care!!! Give the guests good hospitality and you will be just fine.. Honestly here in AUS we have such a great crew were all so close and always welcoming more people to join. Just leave the drama at home!!! 

I thought that working in the airport would be a professional work environment, but working for GAT has been anything but professional. From the very beginning I’ve heard rumors of favoritism and even inappropriate favors. Many employees at this location are severely unhappy and are looking for other jobs. There is a high turn over rate for a reason. They don’t pay enough. So, employees either have someone helping them pay bills (spouse, parents, etc.), have two jobs, or they are struggling financially. There is an unbelievable amount of drama that some people in management instigate and/or perpetuate. One of GAT’s core values is: we care. They must have forgotten to write the rest of that sentence. We care…about money. They do not care about your time, your family, or your well being. You’ll hear things like, “If you don’t get a new schedule, just go by the last one that was given.” If you’re hurt on the job because they don’t properly train anyone, they will try to blame you. They do not like anyone being full time, so they will schedule you just under full time to avoid it. If you work a holiday, know that at midnight the holiday pay stops since technically the holiday is over. They pinch pennies anywhere they can. If you’re looking into the APA position, it is not only pushing wheelchairs. You will also have to act as TSA at the jetways and you’ll do more cleaning than pushing of wheelchairs. All for $8.25 an hour (do not believe the up to $10 advertisement).

Your Experience at GAT will vary greatly. Each station is managed independently with Station managers setting the atmosphere and expectations for employee performance. Speaking for the GAT - United Contract at RDU, the station manager is exceptional in terms of leadership and support of his leaders and staff. Anyone looking to advance and move up the leadership chain, simply needs to apply them selves and work. SO many ppl come onto jobs like this just for the flight benefits, only working the minimum days required and putting little effort into doing a good job.
If you’re looking for the best work experience over or under the wing, GAT is a good start for your career in Aviation. 
The Job of a Cabin Appearance Agent is pretty simple. Clean the plane, Search the plane and Service the Water and Lavs.
THE BAD - Work hours can be challenging for some. Many ppl in this industry work multiple jobs and lack energy and motivation to do a good job. 
You’re in the elements, rain, ice, snow, heat. You’re constantly in and out of planes.
Up Early and Stay up late. Schedules vary dependent on flight schedule and they change often.
Shift coverage can be challenging, dependent on your shift.
The BEST part - Flight benefits are awesome! Your can make $15/hr anywhere, but where else do you get to fly around the world for free?

The training was a month long as this was a new station opening. Alot of people had questions in regards to schedules right off the bat but management could not answer those questions. Before you could go on to take the rest of the class you had to pass your pre course work. I passed successfully as I took great notes and those who didn't struggled. Then we moved on to learning about the very basics of the reservation system and other classes such as baggage.  Not everyone passed those courses. Out of my class they assigned roles such as supervisor and station trainer. They assigned me station trainer with out even asking me. Eventually a month passed and not all of us passed the courses so that put a strain on what staff they could get to do what. Still no schedule for us above wing when it came to opening the station. The first day of the opening I worked 6 to 9 pm at night. Going on I had no idea I would be working all day. Still no schedule was published. Then at 10 pm at night they text us with the schedule for the next day with start time of 5 am. At the end of the second day still no schedule and they text us at 10 pm with the schedule for the next day we had 330 or 430 am start times till 9 pm at night and still no schedule. 

On top of no schedule the time clock stopped working so we weren't getting paid for the hours being worked. 

Do yourself a favor and stay away from thos company. 

On the other hand I worked for a union position airline and they have protections in place for if you work double shift.  

Managers are selfish and never want to work with their employees, we are overworked and underpaid and struggle to get hours unless if you are a favorite. Want to call in when feeling sick? write up. Want to call in and find your own coverage? Write up? Want to seek help from your higher ups? They won't help you unless if you cater to them specifically. On top of management being no help the drama here is like no other. Everyday there is a new rumor, everyday there is a new screenshot or message on how to "blackmail" someone. The people in the management positions shouldn't be there. They only help and vouch for those who cater to them and will dismiss the actions of the agent even if they are acting inappropriately to passengers or coworkers. On top of that they cause the most drama out of everyone there. If something doesn't go their way that's then the rumors start and when they are against you and do everything to get you in trouble and fired. Do NOT work here if you are looking for a more professional job as it will only take you back to high school but 100000 x worse. Almost impossible to work in such a toxic environment. 

This is the most ghetto, unprofessional workplace I have ever worked at in my entire life. I would not wish this job on my worst enemy. The hours sucked, obvious favoritism, and poor management.  The skycap department of GAT was fine but the customer service/ramp department needs to be revamped ASAP or this contract will NOT last in Jackson. Truthfully, it falls entirely on management. The manager was never there during any of our flights (we only had one flight a day) which is only 4 hours or less a day. There was obvious favoritism throughout the workplace which ultimately cost several people their jobs or they quit out of frustration. People were not trained correctly and all management cared about was numbers and nothing else.  The station manager stated we were all "family" but the only way you were included if you were apart of their little circle. If you aren't....well you know the rest. I highly suggest that if you are thinking about working for an airline in Jackson...DO NOT work of GAT (you will quickly regret it...like many have) Try to work at the other 4 airlines that Jackson has to offer. If GAT finally decides to get rid of their station manager and hire someone worthy (professional, organized, and knowledgable) ... this may be an ok place to work.  I would not recommend this company unless you are applying for skycap.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Baggage handler 6 salaries reported	$17.96 per hour
Customer service representative 3 salaries reported	$20.14 per hour
Cargo agent 77 salaries reported	$15.11 per hour
Passenger assistant 80 salaries reported	$12.97 per hour
Airport manager 1 salary reported	$23.00 per hour

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