Marta Boosts The Manston Feel Good factor!
MARTA Easton has one aim in her job - to make passengers feel good about flying from Manston Airport.
The airport’s popular Customer Services Supervisor, Marta has worked there for twenty-two years...and loves every minute of her job.
“Back in 1989, I came for an interview for a post in the duty-free shop. This was just before the terminal was opened by Fergie,” she explained.
“I was delighted to be offered the job and over the years I’ve gone from running the shop to Operations to where I am now.”
Marta, married and from Ramsgate, says looking after passengers is her number one priority.
“The best thing about my job is getting passengers onboard their aircraft safely and see them flying off on time. We work hard at providing a fast, friendly and efficient service here – because, if they’re happy, they’ll come back and fly again, which is what we want.”
Today, Marta has a daily Flybe flight to Edinburgh and a six days a week service to Manchester to oversee plus various charter flights to attractive destinations such as Naples, Verona, Croatia, Portugal and Jersey.
The airport is owned by New Zealand-based Infratil and Marta is upbeat about the airport’s prospects under them and the new Chief Executive, Charles Buchanan.
“They have a strong track record in aviation. They’re here for the long haul to grow the airport, make a go of it and create much-needed jobs locally. After the demise of Planstation and eujet, that’s vitally important for the area.”
There’s currently over 110 people employed at the airport, with Marta directly responsible for a team of six ladies - Kelly Burns, Lisa Hale, Karen McArthy, Kayleigh Abrahams, Samantha Dunn and Devon Bailey.
“They’re a great group of girls – they’re enthusiastic, dedicated and great fun to be with.”
Marta says there’s no such thing as an average day for her at the airport because every day is different. But mostly she’s in by nine in the morning, getting the passenger lists ready for the Flybe flights.
Then she’s hands-on in the terminal helping to get passengers checked in and onto the aircraft while handling any queries they might have – perhaps about parking or the times of buses. Then it’s time for some office work, doing admin, cashing up the takings from the shop, looking after the new ATM machine in the terminal and planning for the next day’s flights.
“People often say its lovely here, it’s not at all crowded and it’s a much more civilised experience than bigger airports. So we do our best to make them feel wanted and looked after.
“We put passengers first – because we always remember they pay our wages.”
Chief Executive Officer Charles Buchanan said: “Marta is a great example of the enthusiasm of the team at Manston. She wears many hats and is always concerned to meet our passengers’ needs. With people like her in the front line, we know we will succeed in growing our business and providing more flights to more places for local people.”