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Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a baggage porter. Feel free to use our job description template to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a baggage porter.

 

Who is a Baggage Porter?

A Baggage Porter transports baggage from one point to another. They may work in airports or bus stations, handling checked baggage and carry-ons for passengers who are checking in for flights or who have checked bags with an airline for intercity travel. When not transporting baggage, they may be unloading. Air cargo handler is also a common synonym for baggage porter. Their major responsibility is to unload and load baggage, packages, and airmail containers. Without baggage porters, shipments and luggage could not properly reach their final destination.

Baggage porters, also known as bellhops, bell attendants, and guest services attendants assist guests with their bags between their rooms and the lobby. Additionally, they may be required to arrange cabs and do errands, such as picking up dry cleaning and providing directions.

In the hotel sector, baggage porters, are considered front-of-house positions. They are responsible for transporting guests’ bags to their rooms and back to the lobby at arrival and departure, respectively.

 

Baggage Porter Job Description

Below are the baggage porter job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a baggage porter job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.

• Unpacking luggage from a taxi and transporting it to a guest’s room before being dispatched to a store to retrieve a specific request.
• Assist other departments, including the concierge, mail service, and business center.
• Receiving and greeting guests at the hotel’s entryway.
• Assisting with unloading and transporting luggage from the automobile to the check-in counter.
• Directing guests to their rooms and demonstrating how to use all the room’s amenities after checking-in
• Transporting aircraft to the proper runway
• Communicating consistently with customs and airline personnel.
• Maintaining contact with flight operations and performing maintenance on aircraft.
• Maintaining effective contact with customers and airport staff.
• Communicating effectively with teammates and other runway personnel.
• Employing safety-minded conduct in all operational processes and procedures.
• Working in the baggage room, which entails lifting and loading bags onto carts repeatedly and ensuring that each bag reaches its destination.
• Returning misplaced things to the airline’s lost-and-found department or another location where the owners can retrieve them.
• Loading and unloading bags onto buses, trains, boats, and airplanes as ordered by the supervisors.
• Signing in passengers at the gate or examining identification at security checkpoints to verify that all passengers have valid tickets.
• Loading and unloading cargo from trucks and trailers to conveyor belts or warehouses or storage facilities.
• Storing baggage in lockers or on shelves in a baggage processing facility until the owner claims it.
• Monitoring the carousel and transporting unclaimed bags to the bag room.
• Loading and unloading baggage, and sorting in the bag room.
• Instructing new personnel in customs and bag room procedures.
• Sending all passenger’s luggage to the bag room
• Ensuring that In and near aviation zones, all safety measures are strictly followed.
• Implementing safety procedures and standards when handling the baggage of clients.
• Implementing airfield safety protocols to ensure people and aircraft operating in a secure environment.
• Verifying that all accommodation amenities are in great functioning order.
• Transporting and labeling the luggage of guests with tags.
• Sweeping and mopping floors in addition to vacuuming carpets.
• Maintaining a clutter-free entrance to the building at all times.
• Directing visitors to the reception area or the applicable office/room.
• Maintaining a constant vigil for suspicious-looking baggage and quickly reporting anything unexpected to security or the police.
• Supervising the movement of luggage from the check-in counters.
• Collecting and sorting items by comparing them to a flight manifest to load them into the appropriate aircraft.
• Transporting luggage to the right aircraft using a baggage truck and, if necessary, shielding it from inclement weather.
• Sorting loads based on their intended destination.
• Assuring that the luggage is loaded onto the correct carousel in the area for baggage claim.
• Keeping track of and handling damaged or wrongly received the baggage, as well as load discrepancies.
• Utilizing specialized machinery including conveyors, bar code recognition, and hoisting equipment.
• Notifying appropriate personnel of defective or damaged equipment.
• Arranging taxi services upon request.
• Performing errands for visitors and workers.
• Fixing small technical problems, such as replacing lights.
• Reporting damages, contacting technicians, and tracking repair progress.
• Maintaining a supply of cleaning materials.
• Observing safety and health regulations.
• Adhering to evacuation procedures in case of an emergency.
• Notifying maintenance of malfunctioning utilities and equipment for repair.
• Coordinating taxis or other modes of transportation for guests.
• Performing tasks for hotel visitors within the hotel.
• Providing guests with information about tourist attractions and other places of request interest.
• Maintaining the cleanliness of the hotel lobby throughout the day.
• Assisting guests with check-out and transporting their luggage after their stay.
• Transferring a guest’s luggage from their vehicle to their hotel room, making many trips if necessary to guarantee prompt delivery.
• Providing information to guests who request it, such as points of interest in the city or nearby restaurants.
• Performing simple errands for guests, such as visiting a nearby convenience store to get supplies or snacks.
• Assisting the security team by reporting any suspicious activity or providing relevant information on an investigation.
• Assisting guests with special needs in their hotel rooms and providing a pleasant, comfortable stay.
• Making arrangements for guests’ transportation, such as cabs or shuttles, so they can access citywide destinations.
• Utilizing best practices for baggage handling to minimize the possibility of harm.
• Operating equipment that transports baggage
• Recording and reporting damage incidences as required.
• Using baggage carts to transfer luggage, trunks, and packages between rooms, loading areas, cars, and transportation terminals.
• Providing directions, travel information, and other information such as available services and areas of interest to guests or travelers.
• Filling out and attaching claim checks when receiving and marking baggage.
• Handling, installing, arranging, and transporting materials and manipulating objects using the hands and arms.
• Operating, navigating, or driving motorized vehicles or equipment, such as forklifts, passenger cars, airplanes, or watercraft.
• Providing entertainment or interacting directly with the public.
• Communicating with superiors, coworkers, and subordinates through telephone, in writing, via electronic mail, or in person.
• Identifying information via classifying, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting alterations in conditions or events.
• Examining equipment, structures, or materials to determine the source of mistakes or other problems or faults.
• Providing employees, customers, or patients with personal help, medical care, emotional support, or other personal care.
• Welcoming arriving visitors and showing them to their rooms.
• Assisting tourists with disabilities and other guests with specific needs.
• Participating in the security team at airports, hotels, and other comparable places.
• Delivering messages and room service orders, and running errands for guests.
• Describing how room elements such as locks, ventilation systems, and televisions operate.
• Offering weighing and billing services to facilitate the shipment of baggage, express mail, and packages.
• Transporting guests about the property and surrounding region, or arranging for their transportation.
• Computing and finalizing service invoices, as well as keeping records.
• Collecting and returning laundry and valet service items.
• Inspecting guest rooms to verify they are appropriately stocked, well-organized, and comfortable.
• Completing insurance forms for baggage.
• Setting up conference rooms, displaying tables, racks, or shelves, as well as item displays, for the sales staff.
• Assisting passengers with bag loading and unloading at airports and on cruise ships.
• Informing building management of the maintenance team’s supply requirements.
• Performing minor maintenance and repairs.
• Keeping public spaces clean and organized.
• Assisting guests with their luggage when entering a resort or hotel and extending a warm welcome.
• Assisting guests who require housekeeping services.
• Providing guests with information such as directions.
• Stowing errant shopping carts in shopping centers.
• Ensuring that luggage is loaded onto the correct aircraft in the departure areas.
• Utilizing trucks, cargo loaders, and conveyor systems, for carrying baggage to and from aircraft holds.
• Storing goods in warehouses.

 

Qualifications

• High school diploma or General Equivalency Diploma (GED).
• Excellent understanding of the city and its environs.
• Willingness to assist with extraneous duties.
• Attention to detail.
• Polite and well-behaved.
• Capability to collaborate and communicate effectively with others.
• Able to carry greater than 55 pounds.
• Ability to stand for extended periods

 

Essential Skills

• Attention to detail

Baggage porters must be able to identify and report any damage to baggage to their supervisor. They must also be able to identify and return any important items that may have been left in checked luggage. This ability is also necessary for inspecting baggage for security purposes. 

• Communication expertise

Communication is the ability to convey one’s ideas and thoughts to another through facial expressions, spoken words, or physical movements. Communication is the reception or transmission of any type of information. To run a successful business, individuals must be able to communicate with clients and express their messages. Throughout their shifts, baggage porters operate in teams and communicate with one another. Additionally, they interact with passengers and other workers or personnel. Effective communication skills, such as active listening, can facilitate collaboration and problem-solving.

• Teamwork

Teams of baggage porters ensure the safe and effective handling of luggage. They collaborate with other baggage porters, ramp agents, and other personnel in the organization to guarantee that the luggage of passengers is loaded and unloaded from the vehicle, sorted, and delivered to the appropriate destinations. Teamwork ensures that the task is completed efficiently and safely.

• Customer Support

Customer service is the process of assisting current and potential customers by answering inquiries, resolving issues, and providing superior service. The primary objective of customer service is to foster a solid relationship with customers so they continue to return for more business. A baggage porter must go all out to see to the satisfaction of their customers or clients. This skill when utilized well breeds and fosters a good relationship between the baggage porter and their customers. It helps portray their good image and that of the facility they work with which in turn brings return customers and also propels the growth of the facility.

• Physical vigor

Stamina is the capacity to engage in prolonged physical exercise. Because they frequently lift large bags and other items throughout their shifts, baggage porters must possess a high level of physical endurance. Baggage is often very heavy loads, therefore baggage porters must possess the physical strength to be effective at this job.

• Problem-solving skills

Frequently working in teams, baggage porters must be able to collaborate with others to solve problems. In addition, they must be able to identify and resolve problems that may develop during the handling of baggage. For instance, if a conveyor belt malfunctions, a baggage porter may be required to manually shift the bags.

 

How to Become a Baggage Porter

• Education

There are no official education requirements for the position of a baggage porter, however, high school graduates are often preferred by companies. Porters must have strong oral and written communication skills as well as the ability to perform simple arithmetic calculations. The majority of businesses demand baggage porters have a high school education or equivalent. Some employers may need an Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in Logistics, Business, or a closely related discipline. 

• Experience

The majority of employers require baggage porters to have completed training. These seminars instruct candidates on how to lift and transport baggage and other goods securely. Additionally, they instruct candidates on how to use the equipment they will use on the job. A training program may last several days or weeks. On-the-job training for porters typically lasts about one month. In facilities, porters generally begin as elevator operators and work their way up. When not promoting from within, larger hotels prefer to hire experienced external applicants for porter positions, therefore people interested in entering the field should consider getting experience in smaller facilities. 

• Certifications & Licenses

The role of baggage porter does not require any certifications. However, baggage porters could receive industry-specific qualifications to expand their understanding of the handling of luggage, cargo, and other objects, as well as the operation of various types of conveyor systems.

 

Where to Work as a Baggage Porter

• Hospitality and travel industries.
• Hotels
• Airports
• Cruise ships.
• Bus terminals.
• Motels
• Train stations.
• Freight storage facilities.
• Transportation stations.

 

Baggage Porter Salary Scale

The salary scale for a baggage porter in the United States is $21,160, with a range between $17,260 and $36,630.

The average salary of a baggage porter is 817,790 NGN per year. The range of salary is between 802,880 NGN and 923,312 NGN yearly.

Hospitality and Leisure

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