I did it for a living for 36 years. It's not as glamorous as it looks.😁

My brother-in-law did it for about 5 years at KSFO as a "Ramprat" for Western Airlines.

Did it for a short 2 years loved doing it it was hard work sometimes!  loved being able to be around such beautiful aircraft looks like a fun game wish they had in add-one like this for mfs2020 really surprised they haven't made one yet.

Edited June 12, 20223 yr by Silverbird

Cant get anyone decent to do a hard days work in the UK (on 8.25 an hour) for swissport or DHL , ask easyJet and TUI....

 

 

Edited June 12, 20223 yr by fluffyflops

Swissport are currently paying their staff vastly more than that to get people to do overtime (50 quid an hour sometimes). Some guys who are hammering the o/t at Swissport in Manchester are clearing six grand a month apparently because of that. Menzies are less generous, but even with them it is still presently double time for all o/t at the moment.

Edited June 12, 20223 yr by Chock

Corporations decided a long time ago that it was cheaper to pay ridiculous amounts of overtime than hire people at a decent wage with benefits.

3 hours ago, Chock said:

Swissport are currently paying their staff vastly more than that to get people to do overtime (50 quid an hour sometimes). Some guys who are hammering the o/t at Swissport in Manchester are clearing six grand a month apparently because of that. Menzies are less generous, but even with them it is still presently double time for all o/t at the moment.

Wow.  I didn't realise it was that bad in Manchester.  Make hay while the sunshine.  I don't blame them.  Earn it while you can.  That OT is worth doing then. 

3 hours ago, mwilk said:

Corporations decided a long time ago that it was cheaper to pay ridiculous amounts of overtime than hire people at a decent wage with benefits.

Agreed. Alot but not all.  I'm a ground based duty manager for a legacy carrier, and we are reluctant to pay OT for ground based staff, but then we are not as short staffed as the ground handlers. 

Edited June 12, 20223 yr by fluffyflops

£8.25 per hour for such an important job??  That is ridiculous.

6 hours ago, Christopher Low said:

£8.25 per hour for such an important job??  That is ridiculous.

Yup. Welcome to aviation. I'm sure passengers would be thrilled to know their aeroplane is loaded, fuelled, de-iced, checked and then pushed out and has its engine start ups overseen by the lowest bidders who pay less than you get for stacking shelves at Aldi. 😉

Edited June 13, 20223 yr by Chock

On 6/13/2022 at 1:16 PM, Chock said:

Yup. Welcome to aviation. I'm sure passengers would be thrilled to know their aeroplane is loaded, fuelled, de-iced, checked and then pushed out and has its engine start ups overseen by the lowest bidders who pay less than you get for stacking shelves at Aldi. 😉

You have to remember Alan, before covid easyjet's profits were through the roof,  450 million a year.  Every December the staff reaped the rewards and got that lovely 4 figure christmas bonus.

I remember when I was at easyJet being told by the then head of Flight Ops,  "we are so finanically stable we could fly for 3 years with no pax, and still have money in the bank"  and to their credit they were correct, they could of.   But part of that "sucess and nice bonuses" we all got, was down to the above cutting corners or "being lean" as they used to call it, and heaven forbid if you ever questioned their idelogy.  With that mindset, I couldnt wait to leave. 

Unfortuneley for them, a number of factors obviously covid, furlough, too much VR and Brexit to name a few has turned the tables on them.  You reap what you sow.  In my opinion Shapps is right to fine them 

Edited June 22, 20223 yr by fluffyflops