HARDY'S THE HAPPY FACE OF PRESTWICK

He was born in Germany, he’s built harbours, houses and bridges, he’s worked as a hotel receptionist, he’s a qualified travel agent, he knows all about computers, he speaks five languages and the next time you’re flying from Prestwick Airport, he’ll be the cheery guy cracking a joke at the bag-drop desk.

Yes, Prestwick's Hardy Brielbeck is certainly a man of many talents!

Hardy (50) was born in Boblingen, outside Stuttgart, near the headquarters of car giant Mercedes.

He caught the travel bug in his teens.

“I first went to Holland where I worked in harbours and greenhouses.

“I met my ex-wife there. She was Italian and she said I should come with her back to Italy, where she was a teacher, so I went with her to Leghorn in Tuscany.

“We then decided to go and live in New Zealand so we saved for three years and moved to Auckland. The weather appealed to us – it’s a nice country, very green.

“Down there I was a carpenter and made wooden houses.”

His son Leonardo was born in 1982 and the family moved back to Italy after a year.

“I then started a construction firm doing bathrooms, tiling, terracotta, all kinds of finishing work. I employed three men but the tax situation was ridiculous, so I gave that up and went to Berlin to work as a Receptionist in a four-star hotel.

“But I saw that travel agents couldn’t compete with the internet so I gave that up too.”

He went back to Italy, re-started his building company and also worked in a computer shop.

“Then a friend said he was having a great time in Scotland and that I should come over. By that time I was separated from my wife, so my new partner Ulrika and I came over. We lived first in Ayr and Prestwick.

“Now Ulrika and I have settled happily in Kilmarnock, along with our dog Lara, a lovely little doberman pinscher.”

Hardy started working in Prestwick’s check-in in 2007.

He’s one of twenty check-in agents and a normal day sees him clocking on at 4.00am in time for the busy first wave of Ryanair flights.

“Today, I’ve checked in passengers flying to Budapest, Palma, Carcassonne, London Stansted, Dublin, Pisa, Faro, Alicante, Gothenburg, Belfast, Brussels Charleroi, Barcelona Girona, Tenerife and the City of Derry.

“I love my job and the best thing is meeting so many different people. I try hard to be nice to them, to welcome all the different nationalities - and if I can, to speak in their language. It gives them a nice surprise and relaxes them.”

This isn’t a problem for Hardy, as he speaks German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch and of course English!

Because he’s handling so many people, and has to ask everyone a number of important security-related questions, conversations tend to be brief.

“Just asking the standard questions can be boring so where possible I ask the security questions in a fun way.

“For example, if there is a couple at the desk and the man lifts his bag on, I’ll say: “Is this your bag and did she pack it all herself?” I still get the answers I need, but they’re accompanied with a laugh.

“Or if a lady’s bag is under the 15kg limit, I’ll say she still has some room to bring back lots of nice shopping!

“Often passengers ask my advice on where they should go on their travels. So, for example, if they are flying to Milan Bergamo, I’ll suggest they go visit Verona, which is nearby and beautiful. So my travel agent training comes in handy sometimes!”

Hardy has never been off sick since he started three years ago and has received a number of awards and commendations from Prestwick bosses for the courteous and pleasant way he deals with the travelling public.

“It’s the same with all my check-in colleagues. We all try to be nice so that Prestwick gets the reputation for being a really friendly airport.”

Prestwick Airport’s Manager of Handling Jules Matteoni said: “Hardy is a really fantastic employee. His unique approach gets many of the travelling passengers smiling and no matter what time of the day or night it is, Hardy delivers exceptional first-class customer service.  

“The team at Prestwick are passionate about ensuring that our passengers are given a seamless travel experience with a smile, and it is great that Hardy has been recognised for providing this.” 

Our picture shows Hardy at his check-in desk.

ends                       17 June 2010