Ground handling personalisation in the UK

[aex]

Hi, just came from JFK with Alitalia and was surprised to see Alitalia staff doing the check-in. As a former check in agent I told them that I was surprised to see Alitalia staff at JFK (considering that in Milan ground handling including check in is done by SEA Handling with SEA Handling uniform and boarding passes) for just like 4 flights a day and they said that they weren't from Alitalia but from Swissport USA. However, Alitalia and Swissport USA see this as a type of partnership as Swissport USA recruit Italo-Americans mostly (that's why the staff speak some sort of Italian) and have a full supervision and co-operation from Alitalia and are entirely dedicated to Alitalia.

Can you think of any examples like this in the UK?

[Hollymead]

Swissport check-in staff at Stansted wear Ryanair uniform ...and some speak some sort of English.

[Cr4zy]

Aviance at LHR do IB passenger services. They wear IB uniform and most of them are Spanish or speak fluent Spanish. They don't get IB perks and concessions, though!

[groundhand]

You have 3 main areas here, all dependent on the Service Level Agreement:
1. Agenct's staff in airline uniforms - all over the place, an example at just about every airport;
2. Agent recruiting langauge speakers - depends on the Service Level Agreement - if it's required, it can be done - but at a cost. probably why Alitalia have been bust more times than most people can count!
3. Agent dedicate staff to a single customer airline - it does happen but again, it reduces efficiency so most carriers will allow a % of dedication mixed with a more flexible approach.

Anywhere where the airline has dedicated agent staff AND provides it's own full supervision will be an inefficient and costly operation - but hey, we are talking Alitalia and efficiency and controlling costs are not something that they are very good at.

As more and more on-line and kiosk check-in becomes common the less it is likely to see airline employed people front of house at an airport.

[Goldilocks95]

im servisair at brs....but wear ezy uniform and only deal with ezy flights and pax. dont recieve any perks etc from ezy.

[older_wiser]

What perks could you possibly expect from a budget carrier !
If it were flights you were after would'nt it be cheaper to get a confirmed seat ?

btw - Qatar at Lhr are another example, Servisair staff in Qatar uniforms.
Personally if i worked on a contract like this - i wouldn't want to wear their uniform.
All the hassle for what ?

I also think it is very likely that GH Staff who were Airline Uniforms usually tend to think of themselves as working for the airline - that is until the contract changes hands !

[Dropline]

Easyjet staff get some perks, including a good staff travel scheme on their own flights. Unfortunately, unlike many other carriers, they choose not to offer anything to the staff who work for their handling agents.

Ground handling staff don't get a choice in the uniform they wear - if a particular contract includes wearing the airline uniform, then thats what you have to wear. And, no, the majority don't tend to think they work for the carrier in question! When passengers are complaining or things are going wrong, staff are very quick to flash their airport id and point out they do NOT actually work for the airline!!!

With regards to dedicated uniformed staff - when a contract changes hands, TUPE usually applies and staff will have the option of a transfer to the new handling agent!

[aex]

groundhand (http://www.pprune.org/forums/member.php?u=167697) although I fully agree with you that Alitalia is anything but efficient at controlling costs (although most of the problems that it has now are caused directly or indirectly by politics) ground handling is the exception. I would actually say that other airlines have been throwing money away in the ground handling sector. I mean look at BA, they had their own staff in both Milan Linate and Milan Malpensa (SEA Handling handled the ramp with a BA supervisor), after a few years they realised that it just costed too much and so some of their staff transferred to Globeground Italia. However, Globeground Italia did not take them all as they were far too many. SEA Handling went on providing ramp services while Globeground Italia did the check in and BA did ramp supervision. Then BA transferred everything (apart ramp supervision) to ATA Handling. Now obviously BA are outsourcing their staff everywhere, but they are doing this far too late. What's the point of having your staff for 1 or 2 flights a day?

[groundhand]

aex

Valid points.

BA were one of the first legacy carriers to totally outsource non-hub operations, they did it first in the UK around 1983 and then others followed. However, they only did where they were satisified with the standards and then a change of policy saw the programme grind to halt. Around 2005 BA then moved to permit ground handling companies to self certify their own training; another words, the customer airline accepts that the training given by their handling company is suitable and sufficient and does not impose their own training structure. Not many other legacy carriers do this.

Part of the problem with Italy and other parts of Europe (e.g. Spain, Portugal) has been protectionism by their Governments in not allowing EU owned ground handling businesses licences at airports - a lot would not grant a licence unless the majority shareholder of the company was a national company - which went directly against all the EU legislation. This meant JV's with local companies, many of which were just not prepared to surrender the operational management to the 'minority partner'; nor prepared to invest the pro-rata monies needed and as such, were just not viable. I've worked with such business plans and know of some of the issues. TUPE is also a BIG negative if you are taking over handling from a very inefficient operation as you are saddled with the costs from day one and then have to manage them out; in some EU countries this is nigh on impossible.

The expansion of LCC's and increase in labour costs have driven the market which is why the big 3 global handling companies have expanded; although Servisair (who owned GlobeGround Italia for a time before selling it on the ATA) seem to be receding at the moment whilst Menzies and Swissport continue to grow.

I think a lot of passengers (and possible airline staff) would be truly surprised to know just how many of those uniformed 'airline' staff are actually employed by a ground handling company.

My personal view is that airlines, particularly the newer LCC's are good at managing their flight operations and maximising thier yield; where they have tried to 'do the ground' the majority have come unstuck and have not achieved the costs they believed they could; legacy carriers are tied up with 1960's labour agreements and need massive changes for today's avaiation environment. So the independent ground handling companies will continue to grow and take market share; the challenge will be how to continue a revenue stream as more and more airlines use on-line check-in and go to 'per checked bag' charges.

But then, aviation has always been a challenge....

GH

[older_wiser]

TUPE - yes that old favourite, there are 2 sides if not more to the pros and cons of that particular arrangement, and please bear in mind that the choice is often transfer to the new company or leave, it also leaves the new compnay with the logistical problem of different contracts etc etc, with regard to how staff think whilst wearing a particular uniform, it depends on the circumstances, if it is a tough situation, then like you say they will point to the pass and run a mile, but if they want to boast, brag, impress call it what you may then believe me they will say they work for.......... the airline.

[groundhand]

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.

[aex]

Unless a personalisation is done well I don't see a point in doing it. For example why do low cost airlines ask some handling agents here and there (usually in bases) to wear the uniform? When I worked for SEA Handling in Milan Linate (one of Alitalia's mini hubs) it was great as I had a SEA Handling uniform and so when I went to check in another airline I would just stand up without needing to change...