Alaska Airlines ramp accidents force increased scrutiny

[question everything]

Alaska Airlines ramp accidents force increased scrutiny

By Rob Stapleton
Alaska Journal of Commerce
Publication Date: 01/15/06

Recent damage to Alaska Airlines aircraft by its ground handling contractor has alarmed the airline and its passengers, forcing the company to add further safety precautions.

(snip)

In recent weeks, Menzies Aviation workers at Sea-Tac and Los Angeles International airports have banged, scratched and bumped Alaska Airlines aircraft on the ground. Last month, a Menzies Aviation employee in Washington state did not report a collision with a baggage container and an MD 80 aircraft. During the flight, the aircraft lost cabin pressure due to a hole created by the incident and was forced to return to Sea-Tac airport.

Ten days later, while passengers were boarding Flight 808 at Sea-Tac, the Boeing 737-700 the aircraft was inadvertently pulled forward by a tug. This caused the plane's right engine nacelle to strike a baggage-loading machine and damaged the aircraft's forward door when it collided with the jetway... At Los Angeles International Airport Jan. 3, an Alaska Airlines jet was hit by a Menzies bag tug while being towed by a tug on the ramp. The aircraft received minor damage and was taken out of service.

Menzies, based in London, took over the $13 million annual ground-handling contract in the Lower 48 for Alaska in May 2005, after the airline switched from using its own employees.

(snip)


Rob Stapleton can be reached at [e-mail].

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[CanuckAmok]

1. Good ol' outsourcing.

Get rid of the Unions, and hire minimum wage staff to account for our personal safety. Great idea!

I look forward to the say when the gound crew and the flight crew are contractors, and the investigators who scrape what's left of us from the sides of high-rises after the crash are Manpower employees! Maybe by then, air travel will be affordable.

[Bluebear]

2. "after the airline switched from using its own employees."

Life in Bush's America.

[napi21]

3. Believe me, I don't want to see this, but just WAIT until there's

a plane crash because of all the airlines outsourcing their maintenance inspections!

My son is a maintenance tech for one of the majors, and believe me, there are LOTS of problems with the work the guys are doing in India etc.


When there's a CRASH suddenly they'll all wake up and say "Gee maybe this wasn't such a great idea, huh?