Older_wiser.
I have not shared your experience.
Airline staff can become the most elusive breed in the world when the sh1t hits the fan - was it not BA that abondoned their desks and with drew staff during the Gate Goumet strike a couple of years ago? Airline Supervison staff 9i.e. supervising the ground handling company) are masters of the disappeared whenever problems arise - getting them to talk to 'their' passengers is nigh on impossible.
Quite often the problem is that the ground staff are hamstrung because their customer airline will not make a decision; therefore they have little they can do for the passenger in front of them. Good airlines empower their handling companies; sadly the majority do not.
Most of the ground staff I have come across around the world would not want to be associated with, or move to, a carrier; they prefer the variety when with a ground handling company.