I was the SO2 PRO on the Falklands Airbridge in 93. I was also given a bag containing £20,000 to be delivered to FIAW!! We got delayed for two days in Ascension. I found the staff at Ascension to be very helpful and they did their best with the crappy resources they had. What was a pain, however, was the never ending stream of whinging Pax who all thought they were more important than the rest. We had some Falkland Island Government types on board who were trying to tell the staff that they were 'Air Rank' equivalent. It turned out they were nowhere near and so ended up sharing rooms like the rest of us. The Army, of course, lectured us all about how they would do it better.
Due to the delay, I actually had a fair amount of work to do and I found having the PRO as the single POC worked well (although I got my ear bashed from Dawn til Dusk).
The PRO job should not be seen as just a task. You can actually have a positive effect. I also learnt that talking to the Movers/Crew and associated staff in a polite, professional manner helped. They were all trying to do their best. It was some (most!) of the Pax who needed a good shoeing.
My reward? Extra seats all the way down and first one to be served din dins.
