3 Alaska Air mishaps blamed on ground crew

[question everything]

MENAFN.COM

3 Alaska Air mishaps blamed on ground crew

Date: Friday, January 06, 2006

SEATTLE, Jan. 6 (UPI) -- Employees of the company handling Alaska Airlines' outsourced ground operations have made errors damaging jets three times in the past two weeks.

Two of the incidents involving Menzies Aviation workers occurred at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, the Seattle Times reported, including one that caused a plane to lose cabin pressure at 26,000 feet. The other was at Los Angeles International Airport.

The airline fired 472 union baggage handlers and ramp workers in May and hired Menzies to take care of ground operations at Sea-Tac. At the time, executives said the change would save $13.7 million a year.

In the most recent incident, Thursday, an employee operating a tug that moves aircraft to and from gates went into reverse by mistake, pushing the plane several feet. The accident damaged a door hinge and engine cowling.

Last month, an employee did not report a collision with a plane, saying later he had "grazed" it. In fact, the plane had a foot-long, 6-inch wide rip in the fuselage. The plane was able to return to Sea-Tac safely. An airline spokeswoman said that the accident in Los Angeles caused "minor" damage.

http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story.asp?StoryId=Cq735ueidDxmTywXHC2THywLYBwLZAgfW#top

[drdtroit]

1. Note to oneself:

NEVER fly on Alaska Air.
:patriot:

[rsmith6621]

2. SeaTac Airport is Ready To.......

Give Menzies a 60 day eviction letter on Monday or Tuesday to move their operation out of the airport........I guess AS is going to have to suck up and call back its old RAMPERS.........

This is a good example of the price of greed....it catches up with you in time.

[JohnyCanuck]

3. Let me guess.

After a near melt down of the reactor core was narrowly averted Mr. Burns, finally fed up with his incompetence and his habit of eating doughnuts on the job which left the controls all sticky, gave his long time Nuclear Safety Officer, Homer Simpson, the sack. However, Homer has apparently landed on his feet picking up a new job at Menzies Aviation driving aircraft tugs.

Last month, an employee did not report a collision with a plane, saying later he had "grazed" it. In fact, the plane had a foot-long, 6-inch wide rip in the fuselage.

[bahrbearian]

8. He never puntured the skin. the gash

" the plane had a foot-long, 6-inch wide rip in the fuselage." was made after the plane reached 26,000 ft. I'm not defending Menzies Aviation , I never liked it when they let the ramp employees go and hired Menzies, but he never put a "foot-long, 6-inch wide rip in the fuselage." the pilots and ramp crews do a walk around , just before planes leave the jet way, they would have seen a gash that size.

[Steve A Play]

4. "the change would save $13.7 million a year"

How much does one crash cost?

Steven P.

[question everything]

6. Pinto all over again, and the rolling SUVs

All those "risk" calculations. Yes, how much would it cost to lose 100 people..

Welcome to DU :toast: :bounce:

[DianeG5385]

5. Just so you know..My cousin took early retirement last year

from AK Airlines and guess what he was in charge of prior to this outsourcing...Ground Crew.

[Missy Vixen]

7. I have a hard time flying when things are going well

It's going to be very, very hard for me to get on an Alaska flight for quite some time. In the meantime, DH flies almost every week, and the past two weeks he's been on Alaska. Can I tell everyone here that it scares the living hell out of me?

Evidently, Alaska didn't learn from the terrible crash a few years back caused by an insufficiently greased jackscrew in the tail of the plane. A crash will cost them a hell of a lot more than $13.7 million, especially after all of these incidents.

Julie

[flyarm]

9. yes julie you are correct..i retired as flt crew from one of the major

airlines...in the past couple years.,.i took early retirement..

this is why northwest went on strike to fight NW wanting to replace alot of the ground people with outsourced non union employees

delta wants to do the same...

to all those who love to bash unions..i ask this...

do you feel safe now???

yes the non union people are making your lives worth exactly what you are willing to do about it as Americans..nothing!!

and now Northwest and Delta are about to do the same...now do we still hate union workers?? you know,,the workers that were well trained and could walk off the job if your safety was being put in jeopardy..and would refuse to release the plane for takeoff...by the corporate airline??

ahhh yes.,.its the cheap flights you want...too bad some will never get to their destination..because of outsourcing to cheap labor..and unqualified people!!

from a recently retired flt crew member..

fly

[BlueCollar]

10. I'm still working for one of the major carriers

The outsourcing of ramp work to non-union outfits isn't nearly as troubling as the outsourcing of maintenance to overseas facilities. It may only be a matter of time until we see flight-crew and pilots outsourced to contractors...

rent-a-pilot/flight-attendant anyone?

[question everything]

11. I think that there is a difference, or should be a difference

between having a unionized and non unionized workforce, and between outsourcing.

I think that both SW and JB are non unionized. But if the people are employees of the carriers, with some sort of unwritten rules about the obligation and semi loyalty between employer and employees, then "mishaps" should not happen that often.

But when the carriers outsource maintenance and support, when the people doing the work are employed by an agency - there is less sense of responsibility, I think.

I am not bashing unions. I will be the first to point the contributions that unions made that many take for granted these days: paid holidays and vacations, 40-hour work week, etc. I am just trying to draw some conclusions from what's out there..

Would love to read the comments of those of you who know..

[flyarm]

12. personally..i will not fly on any non union carriers..ever!!

the only people protected to keep a plane safe are unionized workers..they can walk away and be protected by their union..others can not...i don't care what anyone tells you...period!!

fly