This unfortunate affair seems to have re-fuelled some not-to-distant events of the past; even so, I cannot help but agree and sympathise with the sentiments of both the MP and his fellow passengers. My own experience of returning from both 'eastern' theatres has never been anything but sad. I've put up with having to leave homeplate 9 hours(!) before my flight is due to leave BZN, with no reason why; I've watched movers take the baggage of troops and literally hurl it through the air and then come crashing to the floor; I've been courteous to movers and had rude, almost alien, responses to simple questions most of the time. IMHO, the one common thread is that RAF movers can be relied upon to make your life difficult/uncomfortable, never be polite and never do anything quickly. They also wield their power for their own amusement.
I think this recent letter from The Hon Mark Lancaster should certainly raise some questions about the standard of 'service' on should expect from the Royal Air Force. It's high time someone took hold of the movers and re-trained them on how to be polite, task-orientated and proud of doing a hard job with some very old aircraft. In contrast, my experiences once on-board the RAF AT fleet have always been very pleasant. I just never look forward to the purgatory between leaving my own front door and walking up the aircraft steps.
ICBM