IATA/UFTAA  Courses – Careers in the Airline, Airports, Travel and Tourism  Industry

1.Why is the airline and travel industry known as a high growth sector ?
Ans: Air India ,Swiss Air, KLM, Singapore Airlines, Emirates are all names of famous airlines. Almost every country has their own Airline as well asa host of private carrers. With the open skies policy announced in India, the no of private airlines have multiplied. Once upon a time the Indian skies were dominated only by Indian Airlines and Air India. Today the name like Air Decan , Jet Airways,King fisher, Indigo, Spice jet, and Sahara have become common.  Competition has brought in attractive pricing strategies to woo the customers. Naturally the percentage of the travelers flying with in the country and abroad have increased dramatically.This growth has triggerd a demand for qualified and trained professionals for ticketing and tour operations across the world.

2.Who is IATA?
Ans: IATA is the International  Air Transport Association (IATA),representing the Air transport industry. With over 260members, it represents more than 270 airlines and stands for nearly 95% of international sheduled in air traffic. IATA has its head quarters at Montreal, Canada.

3.What is UFTAA?
Ans: UFTAA is the Universal Federation of travel agency associations. It remains the most prominent body representing the interests of travel agents world wide and enjoys consultive status with the United Nations.

4.What are IATA/UFTAA courses?
Ans: International  Air Transport Association (IATA) in Association with the Universal Federation of travel agents Association(UFTAA) offers International Travel& Tourism Diplomas. The IATA/UFTAA training program assists you in preparing yourself for a successful career as an international travel professional in this dianamic and exciting industry. The IATA/UFTAA training program is accepted globally. It basically focuses on career development and is learner friendly.

5.What are the advantages of the IATA/UFTAA  training?

1. IATA/UFTAA training.
2. Is available worldwide
3. Has worldwide recognition  and acceptance
4. Has a high standard of training and is a reliable brand
5. Is produced by a team of training specialist and industry experts
6. Has more than 30 years of experience.
7. It is managed by the IATA Aviation Training and Development institute( ATDI)
8. It is offered as classroom courses by over 200 authorized training centers (ATC)

6. What are the job opportunities available after completing the course?
Ans: On successful completion of the courses , one can work as:-

1. Counter staff in travel agency
2. Ground handling in Airports
3. Sales/ marketing
4. Tour operations
5. Price analyst
6. Tour coordinator
7. Instructor

7. What are the different levels of the IATA/UFTAA-Career path training program?
Ans:LEVEL-1    FOUNDATION (6MONTHS)
LEVEL -2  CONSULTANT(6 MONTHS)
LEVEL- 3 MANAGEMENT
LEVEL -4 SENIOR MANAGEMENT

8.What are the eligibility criteria for admission to the IATA program?
Ans: Graduates in any stream can apply .+2 students with good communication skills are also considered.

9.Is your institute an authorized center and is the course valid worldwide?
Ans: Yes. Our institute is an IATA authorized center and the course and certification is inter nationally accepted.

10.What levels does Patriot Aviation College offer?
Ans : LEVEL-1 FOUNDATION COURSE
LEVEL-2 CONSULTANT COURSE

11.when are the admissions to the exams?
Ans : The exams are held twice a year ie; in March and September .the admission months would be
a)March /April for Sept exam
b)September /October for March exam

12.Can I know more about the Foundation course?
Ans: The Foundation course will give you an under standing of the travel and tourism industry, the travel professional role in this industry, the importance of exceeding customer expectations, a foundation in air fare calculations and quoting appropriate air fares. It is designed for students who wish to build a career in the travel industry, junior travel consultants, airline personnel and tour operations, who regularly deal with the travel agents can also benefit with the course. The foundation diploma meets one of the requirements towards working in accredited agencies.
13.What are the papers of the foundation level?
Ans: The final examination consist of two papers

1. Paper -1 Air Fares and Ticketing & Electronic Booking Tools
2. Paper-2 General knowledge

General knowledge

1. The travel and Tourism industry and the travel professional
2. Geography in Travel planning -1
3. Travel formalities
4. Land Transport Rail -1
5. Water Transport –Ferry
6. Land Transport –Car and Camper
7. Tour Packages -1
8. Hotels
9. Air Transport Essentials
10. Customer Services
11. Technology in the travel industry-1

Air Fares and Ticketing

1. Air Fares and Ticketing

GDS Electronic Booking Tools

1. Global Distribution System (GDS) Training – Galileo

14.What is the Consultant Level ?
How can one benefit from this level?
Ans:The Consultant course will assist you to understand more complex operations ,as well as the consultative approach to selling Travel and Tourism. This course is designed for students who have completed the foundation course. Travel consultants with some industry experience , who wish to upgrade their professional competence ,can also apply for this course. A Consultant would be able to handle all major aspects of the travel agency business. He would be able to provide accurate advice to clients on major tourist destinations and their by construct complex fares and routings.

15.Does this level also cover the same modules?
Ans: No The subject remain the same But the modules Would be at an advanced level.
There are nine modules at the Consultant level.

16.What are my job prospectus if the complete the Foundation Level only?
Ans: There is no compulsion to complete both levels. One can get into a job after his/her first level. But an advanced level ie ; the Consultant Level will always has its own added value and ensures better career growth.

17.How long will it take to complete the entire program ?
Ans: Each level has a duration of six months , which means that to finish a consultant level, it would take a year.

18.Are the classes full time or part time ?
Ans: IATA classes only for two and half hours a day ; hence part time training is possible

19.How are the examinations conducted?
Ans: The examinations are conducted by IATA directly, valued and then the certificates are issued upon passing the examinations.  Once registered, a student can appear the examination twice , with a span of two years. The exams are based on an open book format . The minimum percentage to pass the examination is 70% in both the exams.

20.Where are the examinations held?
Ans: The exams are held in the respective centers prescribed by the IATA . Kochi is an exam center.

21.Is a degree in travel and tourism required to start a travel agency?
Ans: No. However it is advisable. Further a certain number of IATA qualified professionals are required for an agency to obtain accreditation.

22.What are the course fees?
Ans: The fees include the component of the international registration and examination fees,the tuition fees and the value addition of communication skills and soft skills.Please contact the nearest branch for the current fees.

23.Value additions
The above fees include special sessions on communication skills,soft skill training and interview training.
This makes you a well equipped professional. The nature of the work ,the international links, the extent of documentation and contracts require a better than average level of communication skills .More so , if one is considering working in the major metros or in the middle east.

IATA/FIATACourses-Career in the Air Cargo Industry

1.what is the pace of growth in the air cargo industry?
The world has become one big market place. Trade and commerce between countries has been booming and expected to grow further. Logically ,this has resulted in an exponential growth in the airline ,airports, travel and tourism industry.While passengers and ticketing have been the more popular face in the industry, Air cargo operations have begun to assume increasing significance. According to an IATA report ,the demand for air cargo facilities and services would be challenging .India is all settings to become t he Mecca for aviation companies in setting up and expanding their cargo operations . Dometic and international air traffic cargo has grown at a rate of 13% .India is positioning itself as a global hub  for cargo for services and international freight traffic .Already , aviation giants such as Indian Airlines ,Jet  Airways , Kingfisher Airlines and foreign players –FedEx, Malaysian Airlines (MAS) ,Australia based Heavy Lift Cargo Airlines etc .have expressed an interest in expanding their base in India. Emirates has already launched their fleet of freight carriers .Even low cost carriers such as Go air and Spicejet have big plan to launch a separate air cargo segment.

2.Demand for professionals in the air cargo industry
The current  growth and projected expansion requires a large number of qualified professional to handle the increasing demand of the industry . IATA/FIATA diploma is universally accepted international certification that denotes the professional in the air cargo industry . Both India and the Middle east abound with opportunities for qualified professionals in the world.

3.Who is FIATA?
FIATA is the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations and was founded in Vienna, Australia on May31,1926.