For Javen Chua and Tracy Lim, working to ensure the success of the world’s best airport has turned into a permanent arrangement. Their Changi journey started when they were fresh faced school students given the opportunity to intern at Changi Airport Group (CAG).  

Changi Journeys sat down with Javen and Tracy to learn what attracted them to return, and how they have since stepped up to the challenge as full-timers.

Angry passengers don’t faze him

When Duty Terminal Manager Javen Chua was an intern with Changi Airport, pacifying flustered passengers and escorting arriving celebrities were all in a day’s work. Till today, he still remembered the controlled chaos when he escorted popular Korean boyband, Big Bang, smoothly past throngs of screaming fans when they arrived at Changi ahead of their concert in Singapore.

Then a final year Civil Aviation student at Republic Polytechnic, his compulsory internship programme saw him working as a Changi Youth Ambassador with CAG’s Ground Operations team. Upon receiving information that Big Bang will be coming to Singapore, his close knit team set out to prepare for the big arrival. While Javen was part of the team who escorted the boyband from the arrival gate all the way through to baggage claim, another team set-up barricades for crowd control at the arrival hall, to ensure a smooth journey for the boyband to their vehicle waiting to pick them up.

“Everyone was very excited, but we reminded ourselves to stay professional and to get the job done well,” said Javen.

During his internship, Javen found that he really enjoyed the interaction with travellers and airport stakeholders. In fact, he enjoyed it so much that he expressed interest to work at Changi after graduation. His supervisor then decided to offer him a full time position as a Duty Terminal Manager (DTM) even before his internship ended, and Javen has not looked back since.

A typical day in the life of a DTM sees Javen starting his shift by visiting all touch-points in the terminal along the passenger’s departure and arrival journey. Once everything has been checked, Javen heads to a meeting with his team of interns under his care in the Changi Youth Ambassadors programme and assigns them their duties for the day.

As a DTM, Javen appreciates that he is in a position to make changes that can positively impact a passenger’s travel experience at Changi. He also needs to think on his feet and be decisive when it comes to handling difficult situations. He shared an incident where, during a flight delay, an angry passenger shoved her teary young daughter into his arms and demanded that he take care of her. He handled the situation calmly – first by bringing the little girl back to her mum, followed by offering information on where to get medical assistance if needed.

What is Javen’s advice for interns who are eyeing full-time positions at Changi? Understand your strengths and know the areas of work that you can excel in. Another useful tip is to be brave enough to approach your supervisor to discuss ways to improve. 

Familiar faces and new challenges for aviation lover

As a self-professed “aviation geek”, it seemed only natural for Tracy, a Communications major from Nanyang Technological University (NTU), to choose CAG when she was asked to pick a company for her internship module.

Under the guidance of her mentor from the Corporate and Marketing Communications (CMC) team, she was exposed to various aspects of the team’s work, from social media, to brand perception research and digital marketing.

“The exposure helped to shape what I’m looking for in my career,” said Tracy.

The highlight of Tracy’s internship was being one of the first few people to go onboard the Airbus A350 at the 2015 Singapore Airshow during the media preview - a dream come true for the plane enthusiast.

So when Tracy saw a job opening in CMC on LinkedIn, the Communications graduate leapt at the chance to come back home to the Changi family.

“It was a division and environment that I was familiar and comfortable with,” said Tracy, who added that the positive work culture at CAG was one reason why she decided to return, despite receiving a job offer from another company.

Tracy’s current portfolio focuses on internal communications in CAG, where she creates content for the internal communications app, In.Touch, used by CAG employees. With her prior internship experience and familiarity with the airport, Tracy said these are advantages when tasked with any assignment.

Tracy, who has been with CAG for about a year now, confirms: “An internship is like your boarding pass to a job opportunity. Once you are in, it is time to do even better to help your career take flight.”