——BGS Successfully Concludes Its 2024 Spring Festival Travel Assurance Work

On March 5, 2024, the 40-day Spring Festival travel peak season support period came to a successful conclusion. As the first regular Spring Festival travel season following the transition in COVID-19 prevention and control measures, BGS conscientiously implemented all directives and requirements from higher authorities. Company leaders took the lead in command, and all departments worked closely together. In total, BGS ensured the smooth operation of 17,493 inbound and outbound flights, carried 1.264 million passenger trips, handled 1.422 million pieces of baggage, and processed 31,357 tons of cargo and mail, thereby successfully completing the 2024 Spring Festival travel service support mission.

Safety first: The seamless travel of 1.264 million people is underpinned by meticulous planning.

BGS conducted a comprehensive analysis of the key features of Spring Festival travel support, proactively planned ahead, and completed all necessary preparations for the Spring Festival travel period well in advance. It emphasized the need to align with the operational characteristics of civil aviation during winter, firmly uphold the principle of "safety first," strictly adhere to the "four bottom lines" for safety, and meticulously organize all aspects of safe production during the Spring Festival travel period.

The Central Operations Control Center has assigned dedicated personnel to liaise with airlines. Based on the distinct characteristics of domestic and international flights, these personnel are focusing particularly on identifying periods of increased flight volume and peak passenger flow, as well as information on international flight routes serving Spring Festival travel. This comprehensive approach enables optimal resource allocation. The Passenger Transport Department’s management team has implemented a dual-duty system, and mid-level managers hold daily briefings to review and summarize the previous day’s safety and service operations and to provide guidance and instructions for the day’s operational tasks. The Cargo Department has proactively organized refresher training sessions for employees, covering job-specific procedures, service enhancements, and emergency response plans, ensuring that all staff are thoroughly familiar with the operational procedures, service standards, and emergency measures required during the Spring Festival travel period. In addition, the department has conducted thorough safety inspections of all fire-fighting equipment and facilities to eliminate any potential hazards and guarantee foolproof safety. The Apron Management Department and the Aircraft Maintenance Department continue to reinforce the principle of “people may take holidays, but minds never do; people may celebrate festivals, but work remains uninterrupted.” They have established a rotating schedule for management personnel and are rigorously focusing on four key areas—resource capacity, smooth information flow, coordinated collaboration, and rapid response—to solidify the safety baseline and continuously enhance the efficiency of all support services during the Spring Festival travel period. The Comprehensive Support Department, taking into account the weather conditions typical of the Spring Festival travel period—such as low temperatures and frequent rain and snow—has intensified specialized inspections of equipment systems, including air lines, oil lines, and electrical circuits, in addition to routine maintenance and upkeep. By conducting preventive scheduled inspections, the department aims to reduce equipment failure rates and ensure the safe operation of equipment throughout the Spring Festival travel period.

Strong safeguards: The dedicated efforts behind the safe takeoffs and landings of 234 flights.

During the Spring Festival travel period, BGS activated its designated de-icing mode twice and its aircraft-position de-icing mode 21 times, providing de-icing support for a total of 234 flights. This efficient support helped ensure safe and smooth travel during the Spring Festival rush. Faced with challenging weather conditions, BGS worked as one to ensure that every passenger could arrive at and depart from the capital airport safely and smoothly.

Faced with the first snowfall of the Spring Festival travel season, the Aircraft Maintenance Department and the Apron Management Department took the snow as their command and actively rose to the challenge of complex snowy conditions. Despite multiple difficulties—including inter-regional support and assistance, a sharp increase in aircraft de-icing tasks, and operations in headwind environments—they successfully completed the year’s first de-icing operation. The entire chain of fixed-point de-icing took just 48 minutes, ensuring both safety and efficiency. In response to the special needs of passengers with disabilities, the Passenger Services Department introduced a seamless “door-to-door” service: from welcoming passengers at the aircraft door to assisting them all the way to the vehicle door. These small yet thoughtful measures taken during rainy or snowy weather provide even warmer service to passengers with special needs. Meanwhile, the Cargo Department has further strengthened its specialized support plans for time-sensitive and high-demand shipments—such as dangerous goods, special cargo, and fresh products—under challenging weather conditions. By enhancing its information-based service capabilities, the department now achieves real-time tracking and precise management of cargo throughout the entire process—from acceptance and transportation, through warehousing and loading, to departure. This has significantly boosted customer satisfaction and overall service quality.

Service First: The Genuine Care Behind 55 Letters of Gratitude

BGS actively puts into practice the philosophy of “Civil aviation serves the people.” As a frontline position in the civil aviation industry, BGS provides high-quality ground handling services to both domestic and international airline customers—a commitment that has remained unchanged for BGS employees over the past thirty years. Focusing on diverse customer segments and offering differentiated services, BGS strives to deliver a seamless, comfortable, and warm travel experience across the entire journey for passengers, while providing shippers with more efficient and timely services. Through a series of service initiatives, BGS ensures that passenger services are warm and caring, baggage handling is swift and reliable, cargo handling is robust and effective, and service oversight is rigorous and thorough. As a result, BGS has received a total of 55 letters of commendation from passengers and airlines alike.

During the Spring Festival, the Passenger Services Department arranged for staff to wear festive attire when checking in passengers, broadcast well-wishes to arriving passengers, offer special Spring Festival-themed meals to premium-class passengers traveling in both cabins, present “Fu” characters on-site to passengers reporting abnormal baggage, and hand out “Fu” cards to passengers whose luggage has been delivered home—thus enhancing the festive atmosphere. During peak flight periods, experienced supervisors or key staff members wearing sashes were assigned to answer passengers’ questions about air travel. For UM (unaccompanied minors) who need to wait for extended periods, drawing pens and children’s picture books were provided to improve their travel experience. A dynamic communication mechanism was established with major travel agencies to coordinate staggered arrival times for group travelers or set up dedicated check-in counters, thereby avoiding long queues. The Cargo Department strengthened process management in the bulk cargo and BUP receiving areas, employing strategies such as “clearing, guiding, and directing” to speed up the inspection and warehousing of goods. Faced with the challenges of large volumes, long processing times, and high demands for manpower and equipment in cargo aircraft assembly operations, a pre-assembly strategy was adopted: containers ready for departure were reviewed and securely fastened in advance, while incoming cargo was centrally stored for easy retrieval. The Apron and Maintenance Departments adhered to the principle of “not letting passengers wait even one minute longer upon arrival and not letting flights wait even one minute longer upon departure,” scientifically pre-positioning support equipment to effectively prevent service disruptions caused by apron traffic congestion or equipment failures. Continuous efforts were made to strengthen control over “three excess” baggage items, maintaining an integrated baggage handling model. Additional baggage sorting stations were added, and flight and baggage volumes were scientifically allocated to these stations, effectively resolving bottlenecks and backlogs at sorting stations. During the Spring Festival travel period, the on-time pickup rates for first and last pieces of baggage reached 98.58% and 99.62%, respectively.

Although the Spring Festival travel rush support has come to an end, BGS’s sincere service will never cease. BGS will carefully analyze and summarize its experiences from this year’s Spring Festival travel rush, continue striving for continuous improvement, pursue excellence, and endeavor to become a creator and leader in outstanding service, ensuring that aviation ground services are safer, more efficient, more convenient, and more enjoyable.