AC Baggage Handlers Toss Bags 20Ft! VIDEO!
Apr 18, 2014, 8:26 pm
#31
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: YSB & YAM, Northern Ontario, Canada
Programs: Aeroplan, IHG Gold Elite, Marriott Rewards
Posts: 1,100
I don't think blaming the specific employees is useful- its probably a systemic problem.
It was a 777HD flight leaving YYZ in the late afternoon before a long weekend. This wasn't a CRJ with a handful of bags- there could have been dozens and dozens of bags to check at the last minute, so AC's policy to carry them down one by one makes zero sense. If AC is going to charge for carry ons more and more, while increasing the density of its planes, then obviously they'll need to find a better way to gate check more bags. I think asking the handlers to carry each bag down from a likely very overloaded 777HD individually is silly! You'll have pax complaining about delays instead! The agents were probably under pressure to get the 400+ pax plane out on time, a bunch of the bags were probably oversized/overweight, so the agents were probably just trying their best!
What AC could do to prevent this is not just fire some individual staff...That doesn't fix the problem. They have to fix the process that led to the incident, and create a better policy for staff to follow in any similar situation.
It was a 777HD flight leaving YYZ in the late afternoon before a long weekend. This wasn't a CRJ with a handful of bags- there could have been dozens and dozens of bags to check at the last minute, so AC's policy to carry them down one by one makes zero sense. If AC is going to charge for carry ons more and more, while increasing the density of its planes, then obviously they'll need to find a better way to gate check more bags. I think asking the handlers to carry each bag down from a likely very overloaded 777HD individually is silly! You'll have pax complaining about delays instead! The agents were probably under pressure to get the 400+ pax plane out on time, a bunch of the bags were probably oversized/overweight, so the agents were probably just trying their best!
What AC could do to prevent this is not just fire some individual staff...That doesn't fix the problem. They have to fix the process that led to the incident, and create a better policy for staff to follow in any similar situation.
Air Canada created this problem when it purchased these sardine cans.
Since going into service it has been apparent that this aircraft can not accommodate normal carry on baggage and everyone (or maybe only in Y) has been forced to gate check hard shell carry ons.
Saying it's a busy long weekend is no excuse. Mandatory gate checking has been going on for months on the 77HD - although passengers are never told about it in advance. Air Canada created the problem; not the baggage handlers and certainly not the passengers.
There needs to be a system in place to facilitate safe transfer of gate checked baggage to the hold. Mobile conveyor belts are the obvious answer.
Using the 77HD for domestic flights with their much shorter check-in times and the fact that more domestic passengers travel light with hand baggage only just exacerbates the problem.
Apr 18, 2014, 9:17 pm
#33
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Canada
Programs: *G
Posts: 2,304
Good post. It is indeed a systematic problem exacerbated by the 777HD. The gate to ground arrangement was never intended to handle any volume of gate checked bags and GTAA's failure to have chutes beside the stairs exacerbates the problem. Not that the ground crew are blameless, but rants about lazy union staff are, in this instance, far from the whole story.
I don't think blaming the specific employees is useful- its probably a systemic problem.
It was a 777HD flight leaving YYZ in the late afternoon before a long weekend. This wasn't a CRJ with a handful of bags- there could have been dozens and dozens of bags to check at the last minute, so AC's policy to carry them down one by one makes zero sense. If AC is going to charge for carry ons more and more, while increasing the density of its planes, then obviously they'll need to find a better way to gate check more bags. I think asking the handlers to carry each bag down from a likely very overloaded 777HD individually is silly! You'll have pax complaining about delays instead! The agents were probably under pressure to get the 400+ pax plane out on time, a bunch of the bags were probably oversized/overweight, so the agents were probably just trying their best!
What AC could do to prevent this is not just fire some individual staff...That doesn't fix the problem. They have to fix the process that led to the incident, and create a better policy for staff to follow in any similar situation.
It was a 777HD flight leaving YYZ in the late afternoon before a long weekend. This wasn't a CRJ with a handful of bags- there could have been dozens and dozens of bags to check at the last minute, so AC's policy to carry them down one by one makes zero sense. If AC is going to charge for carry ons more and more, while increasing the density of its planes, then obviously they'll need to find a better way to gate check more bags. I think asking the handlers to carry each bag down from a likely very overloaded 777HD individually is silly! You'll have pax complaining about delays instead! The agents were probably under pressure to get the 400+ pax plane out on time, a bunch of the bags were probably oversized/overweight, so the agents were probably just trying their best!
What AC could do to prevent this is not just fire some individual staff...That doesn't fix the problem. They have to fix the process that led to the incident, and create a better policy for staff to follow in any similar situation.
Apr 18, 2014, 9:32 pm
#34
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Ontario, CAN
Posts: 5,813
Or, they could just fire this clown and make it clear to all remaining baggage handlers at the airline that they were hired to, ummmm, handle bags. If they don't want to climb into cargo holds and run up and down stairs with passenger luggage, they ought to consider a different line of work
Apr 18, 2014, 9:48 pm
#35
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: IAH / HOU
Programs: UA GS, DL-Plat, Hilton Gold, IHG Platinum, Hyatt Somethingist, Marriott Titanium Lifetime
Posts: 2,853
At many US airports there's is a "slide" immediately adjacent to the jet bridge stairs (it looks like a giant plastic pipe that has been cut in half). This allows the ramp workers to "gently" slide the bags to the bottom of the stairs without having to drop them.
Apr 18, 2014, 10:30 pm
#36
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 226
Why can't they just instal some type of belt mechanism next to the stairs? Something with step type dividers so each pax could put their own case on the belt in it's own divide section. Kind of like an assembly line. Then a worker at the bottom could take them off one at a time and heave them into the hold! If anybody does this please deposit my share of the check into my account!
Apr 18, 2014, 10:45 pm
#37
Join Date: Mar 2014
Programs: AC SE100k, Marriott Titanium, UA Silver
Posts: 2,646
Why can't they just instal some type of belt mechanism next to the stairs? Something with step type dividers so each pax could put their own case on the belt in it's own divide section. Kind of like an assembly line. Then a worker at the bottom could take them off one at a time and heave them into the hold! If anybody does this please deposit my share of the check into my account!
Apr 19, 2014, 7:10 am
#38
Formerly known as tireman77
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 5,489
An investigation serves two purposes. Obviously, the persons involved will be reprimanded. I doubt its a fireable offence, but there is a system in place depending on previous offences, etc. The union will gladly support the investigation due to the public nature of the situation.
The second purpose to the investigation is to find ways to prevent a situation of this nature in the future.
As you can probably imagine, being a 'rampie' isn't the most glamorous job in the airline industry. Working out doors in -30 C to + 30 C lugging heavy bags all day. Probably under pressure for flight to leave on time. I am not forgiving what they did, but if anybody out there has any illusions that rampies are careful (or even care) with your luggage, forget them now. They don't. In their minds, these two simply found a faster and easier way to do their job.
The second purpose to the investigation is to find ways to prevent a situation of this nature in the future.
As you can probably imagine, being a 'rampie' isn't the most glamorous job in the airline industry. Working out doors in -30 C to + 30 C lugging heavy bags all day. Probably under pressure for flight to leave on time. I am not forgiving what they did, but if anybody out there has any illusions that rampies are careful (or even care) with your luggage, forget them now. They don't. In their minds, these two simply found a faster and easier way to do their job.
Apr 19, 2014, 8:42 am
#39
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: YYC
Programs: AC SE
Posts: 2,341
Why can't they just instal some type of belt mechanism next to the stairs? Something with step type dividers so each pax could put their own case on the belt in it's own divide section. Kind of like an assembly line. Then a worker at the bottom could take them off one at a time and heave them into the hold! If anybody does this please deposit my share of the check into my account!
Apr 19, 2014, 8:59 am
#40
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: YEG
Programs: AC: Ac*A, , Nexus: Expired
Posts: 1,489
Why can't they just instal some type of belt mechanism next to the stairs? Something with step type dividers so each pax could put their own case on the belt in it's own divide section. Kind of like an assembly line. Then a worker at the bottom could take them off one at a time and heave them into the hold! If anybody does this please deposit my share of the check into my account!
Apr 19, 2014, 9:00 am
#41
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: YEG
Programs: AC: Ac*A, , Nexus: Expired
Posts: 1,489
An investigation serves two purposes. Obviously, the persons involved will be reprimanded. I doubt its a fireable offence, but there is a system in place depending on previous offences, etc. The union will gladly support the investigation due to the public nature of the situation.
The second purpose to the investigation is to find ways to prevent a situation of this nature in the future.
As you can probably imagine, being a 'rampie' isn't the most glamorous job in the airline industry. Working out doors in -30 C to + 30 C lugging heavy bags all day. Probably under pressure for flight to leave on time. I am not forgiving what they did, but if anybody out there has any illusions that rampies are careful (or even care) with your luggage, forget them now. They don't. In their minds, these two simply found a faster and easier way to do their job.
The second purpose to the investigation is to find ways to prevent a situation of this nature in the future.
As you can probably imagine, being a 'rampie' isn't the most glamorous job in the airline industry. Working out doors in -30 C to + 30 C lugging heavy bags all day. Probably under pressure for flight to leave on time. I am not forgiving what they did, but if anybody out there has any illusions that rampies are careful (or even care) with your luggage, forget them now. They don't. In their minds, these two simply found a faster and easier way to do their job.
Apr 19, 2014, 10:11 am
#42
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: YVR
Programs: Erstwhile Accidental AC E35K
Posts: 2,912
Apr 19, 2014, 10:15 am
#43
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: YEG
Programs: AC: Ac*A, , Nexus: Expired
Posts: 1,489
Apr 19, 2014, 10:19 am
#44
Formerly known as tireman77
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 5,489
Agreed. Unions have evolved, although probably more slowly than we would like. The difference in this case is it isn't the company versus the union, but a customer seeing an incident and the general public made aware. The union is facing the general public. They will probably be more cooperative, within the prescribed punitive mesures.
Apr 19, 2014, 10:20 am
#45
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Canada
Programs: *G
Posts: 2,304
I think that the union can argue a safety issue here - the volume of bags being handled from the HD was never envisioned when the airbridge access stairs were designed. The lack of any sort of chute is an integral part of the issue. AC made a decision to buy the HD and the creation of large volumes of gate checked carry-ons is a consequence, one that AC so far seems to be choosing to ignore.