Bob Ashley Haskins and Courtline Pax Services
Have joined the forum because I worked during my university vacs (Summers of 72 and 73 and Christmas 72 and Easter 73) as a passenger services assistant at LTN and was recruited by Bob Ashley Haskins (Manager Passenger Ground Services?). Bob was an absolute gentleman and apparently told the lady who also interviewed me 'hire him..... but God knows what we're going to do with him'. I met Bob again at the Grand Spa Hotel Clifton in 1975 and he handed me an Initial Cleaning Services business card with another name on it and explained that he had changed names. I forget the name of the recruitment lady but she ran the very effective and informative Ground Staff Training Courses for recruits in a rather wet and dingy hut behind a hangar off the main apron. The course also included a full history of Autair and the design evolution of the Vickers Viking (some head scratching on that one from the raw recruits). I had the advantage of having flown in Autair G-AHOY Viking 1B some years earlier on a school trip to Holland and thanked heavens that our familiarisation flight was in a BAC 111 500 relocating from Castle Donnington. We had a written test at the end which we had to pass (but we were re-assured that no one failed). She was always knitting on shift even when things where frantic in the terminal building, much like Madam Pompadour. So for two years during my vacations I checked in drunks, TV stars, old ladies who left the tickets at home, vicars, a bishop, Villa Owners, Football Supporters and stroppy lawyers who quoted verbatim the Warsaw Convention when their flights were delayed or cancelled. And who could blame them as we often had to bus them down to the Thistle in Luton to get them out of the terminal!! Best moments? (Far too many to bore you with but Checking in Corporal Jones and family of Dad's Army and then keeping them company for 12 hours during a delay was fun. It must have passed quickly as everyone in the terminal got his autograph. Worst moment. When the line of passengers I boarded for Munich got mixed up with a Britannia fight to Ibiza. Half on each flight!! I thought it was the end of my holiday job!!! Oh. Yes. Then there was the night Captain Williams burst all those tires on the Tristar in Spain and all the 1-11's were used to ferry people back. Chaos. But...but I had the time of my life!! Which is why I hope you'll excuse the long trip down memory lane.