Originally Posted by
inOban
Am I right in assuming that most of these jobs are at or near minimum wage? And have been filled in the past by East European migrants? If BHX is like here, fewer are coming because the fall in the value of the £ after the referendum, and the more rapid growth of the eurozone economies v the UK, has meant that they can earn better money elsewhere.
My experience, which is now a few years old is that the jobs are at or near the minimum wage at most airports as the airlines screw the handling costs down so everyone can enjoy cheap flights. The shift patterns are rubbish as well; very early starts, late finishes and split shifts during the day when people have an unpaid break of a few hours during the day, but often it's not worth going home.
You can earn just about as much working at any big retail operation and the shift patterns are better, so there often is a big turn over of staff at the airport and often little incentive to do more than the minimum. In amongst this of course, there are people who try their best.
The race to the bottom continues and what is happening today will be seen as the norm tomorrow. Flying used to be a generally pleasant experience for older generations who are now becoming increasingly fed up with the hassle. Younger generations don't know any better and see these delays and hassle as part and parcel of travelling by air today.