Gold Coast Airport: Meet the people on tourism’s frontline
WHETHER they’re dealing with drones or simply helping a young family with too many bags there’s enthusiasm in the air working on the tourism frontline at Gold Coast Airport.
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MEL Harmon stands at the front doors to welcome guests as they find their way to her husband who is ready to take them to their destination.
But this isn’t a small family business — it’s Australia’s fifth busiest international airport.
As one of 35 volunteer ambassadors Mel’s job is to greet people and assist them in any way possible as they make their way through the airport and maybe even end up on a plane piloted by her husband Craig who flies for Qantas.
It’s a role that comes easily to a former Qantas ground crew member who saw it all during her decade on the job.
“I met Bill Clinton when he was president,” Mel says.
“I was working in Sydney at the time at the check in counter and all of a sudden people from all over the terminal started clapping and calling his name.
“He was just like a celebrity.”
Mel and Craig decided to move to the Gold Coast shortly after adopting their children from Colombia as infants.
They waited so long for Daniela, 13, and Julian, 8, to come into their lives Mel has devoted herself to being a full time mum.
But with the kids at school she was keen to take up a volunteer position.
“When I heard about the ambassadors I thought with my airline background it would be a good fit for me,” Mel says.
“I’m a bit of an aviation enthusiast. I love the buzz of the aircraft and all the people coming and going.”
Alex Cross was studying physiotherapy at university when she decided to become a flight attendant to earn some extra money.
With the degree long forgotten 13 years later, Alex found herself without a job after Ansett folded.
“We decided to move the family from Sydney to the Gold Coast for a seachange,” Alex says.
“When I started here in 2003 in a lot of ways we were the ones putting things in place.
“I remember saying to the terminal manager at the time, ‘We should probably get a first aid kit for the terminal’.”
Now her days are filled with anything from discussions with Commonwealth Games organisers to dealing with disgruntled passengers or working out how to keep things running smoothly amid the airport’s major redevelopment.
“I don’t think I’d ever want to work anywhere else,” Alex says.
“It’s one of those industries that just gets in your blood.”
When Geoff Arnold started at the airport as an electrician in 1984 there were only four flights leaving Coolangatta a day.
Four daughters and five grandchildren later and Geoff has seen the airport welcome international flights, initially into an air conditioned tent which served as a terminal, and the number of passengers passing through each year has grown more than ten — fold, now topping 6.4 million.
“We used to have these combined Christmas parties back in the 80s when we only had 100 people working here and that included the blokes who did the car hire,” Geoff says.
“They’d let us take the kids on tours through the control tower. They’d never allow anything like this now because of security, but when my daughter Katie was five-years-old they let her say the all clear to land a plane.”
Although he’s risen through the ranks the old school way, Geoff prides himself on being at the cutting edge of aviation technology.
His team is currently involved in making the airport more sustainable by replacing the old halogen runway lights with clean and green LEDs and he is eager to see the Instrument Landing System put in place.
“I’ve loved seeing this place develop,” Geoff says.
“I was pleased the ILS was finally approved — it really is an essential system for us here on the Gold Coast.”
If you’re a rogue drone or an ibis, manager of operations and standards Matt Bender has got bad news for you.
“Looking at how to deal with drones is getting pretty interesting. There are a number of technological counter measures available across the globe,” Matt says.
“They can disable them — that technology is already available internationally.
“We monitor the ibis populations in the area off the airport. There is a contractor who can help us minimise the population if they look like they’re going to impact on airspace.”
Fans who were hoping to catch a glimpse of Taylor Swift when she accompanied her then beau Tom Hiddleston to the Gold Coast for the filming of Thor last year have reason to have Bad Blood with Matt.
He organised for the power couple to have a swift exit after landing at Coolangatta avoiding fans and the media.
“I’m surprised how many big names political and entertainment wise we get through here,” Matt says.
“It’s my job to make sure when people are getting in and out of the aircraft like that it’s done safely.
“No I don’t get to meet them — they don’t let me get that close.”
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