Hi Folks
It's very interesting reading some of the postings about crews lending a hand. I work in aviation(Ground), I live in Scandinavia now and previous to that i worked in Edinburgh Airport for the large Blue handling agent for 4 years.
Through my time as a dispatcher I have seen some stupid mucks up's, mainly due to the lack of training by the company. The loadsheet is a important document, it requires in-depth knowledge and Airlines/Handling agents SHOULD take more time in educating staff on all aspects. Some of my colleges didn't know where the fuel figures were never mind something as simple as passenger figures. The attitude of "until then just keep delivering the paperwork" is probably correct, maybe a little unfair to those of us who know what we are doing???
The way I see it dispatchers come from all walks of life's, there are those who see it as just a job and the others who enjoy and take some pride and interest in what they do. As a dispatcher I have been faced with the scenario of telling the captain his flight will be late due to baggage delays or manpower delays. Most would mump and moan but there were those who got out of there seat and said "What can I do to help" It was those moments that made me feel like this job was one big team effort. I applaud the crews who had patience and were willing to listen to the problems we dealing with.
On a brighter note, maybe off topic.
I have been working in Scandinavia for the same company. It is a true privilege to work here, I am proud to work for the company again, the way the company is run here is far superior to anything I witnessed in the UK, the people here are far more professional and education is a serious part of our jobs. The level of service is very high quality and we get continued praise from our customers and their airline crews. Maybe the Scandinavians have this dispatching thing down to a tea? IE Better than the British.. I think so..