Sq 777 Akl

[clearone]

A SINGAPORE Airlines 777 is currently sitting in a hangar at Auckland International Airport after having one of its doors ripped off by a catering truck..

[Q300]

Yip door R1 I believe. Air NZ is doing the mx on it. Been there for a couple of days I think.

[mattyj]

Ahh, the ol' 1am shift on the catering truck..boys would've been sharp as a tack at that hour!!

[framer]

In cases like this who do you think pays for the repairs and the cost of the a/c being out of the air?
Air nz had a 737 damaged by a vehicle used to tow the baggage trollies in chc last week. quite badly according to the engineers.

[Launchpad McQuack]

That'd be covered by insurance wouldn't it? Then up to the Insurance Agent to recover costs from the Catering Co. either by agreement or through court?

[apache]

In Oz, all vehicles permitted to drive airside are required to have an insurance cover of $millions. and it is EXACTLY for this reason. I am not too sure exactly how many millions, but I believe that it is about 50million. I amagine that the excess and premiums are pretty high.

dunno about NZ... I would [presume it is the same the world over.

[burty]

In cases like this who do you think pays for the repairs and the cost of the a/c being out of the air?
Air nz had a 737 damaged by a vehicle used to tow the baggage trollies in chc last week. quite badly according to the engineers. Framer

The Air NZ 737 was hit by a baggage trolley in WN not CH. Still there too.

[slamer.]

Hmm... I will watch with interest what happens when a catering/baggage "something-or-rather" hits a B787 ( and before you say it.....when it finally arrives)

[distracted cockroach]

At the risk of sounding like a racist, most of the guys driving the catering trucks in Auckland don't look like university graduates.
Considering the value of the equipment they are around, things seem a mite casual.
There is an unfortunate trend towards a ramp job being one for the lower common denominator, as reflected by the pay. Important to remember it's not the same as a warehouse/storeman job...there's a bunch of extra considerations, not least safety and the risk of damaging millions of dollars worth of equipment.
I'm sure we all have horror stories of what we have seen occurring on the ramp at major airports.
Having said all that, I'm sure there are also a lot of conscientious people out there who take pride in their jobs and do it to the best of their ability....just like the rest of us.

[RampDog]

The assumption that people working in ground jobs nowadays, are dumb because to someone's highly trained := eye they look dumb, is way off the mark. I've been a ground handler (refueller, tarmac supervisor, a/c loader etc) for a decade now, having successfully run my own non aviation related business for 25 years prior. You have to know these guys and girls to realise how qualified many of these people are. Some are low time pilots trying to pay the bills while trying to advance their careers, others have uni degrees and see a blue collar job as the only way to keep their faces on the port, while trying to step up to the next rung on the ladder. Many others have had successful careers and trades elsewhere and just want a new challenge in the aviation game, even if only playing a "bit" role. Surprisingly they are scores of people who still see any aviation related job as pure "gold".

Sure, there are are number of operators who don't give a rat's a^$e about their jobs, and generally they're longer term employees who have become bitter about all the changes that have occurred in their "comfort zones". Most will still admit, that for all that, they are still better off than those who work "outside the fence" and that's why remain, all the while praying for a redundancy package:}.
In my experience the incidents and accidents that occur around a/c, have little to do with the intelligence of the operators, but more to do with factors such as rushing to get the job done, working with less than optimal manpower, fatigue and a general lack of experience due to a higher staff turnover rate than in the past. A great many are now only part timers, who have to work second jobs or longer hours at flat rates of pay, to top up their wages. A good example has been with the aircraft refuellers in a major Aussie port. Traditionally it was nearly impossible to get a start, because no one ever quit. 5 years ago a decision was made to contract the operation out (to the 100% fuel company owned subsidiary!!) with a measurable decrease in pay and conditions. Redundancies all round, and no trouble getting replacements, even at the lower rates, but the result has been a constant turnover of staff. Now they have employees with less than 12 months experience "training" new recruits, and it is only the enthusiasm and diligence of these people that carry them through their assigned tasks.
The net result of course is perceived lower operating costs for all aviation companies, but when an incident occurs those savings are potentially blown out the door!! :ugh:

[tasdevil.f27]

Just on the refuellers, LST was a once owned & run by Mobil, boys on 70 odd grand a year, now its contracted out and on 47 grand with no over time or any shift penalties. It was once a sought after job, now its just a job to pay the bills.

For a lot of us ground handling is a way into the industry. You only had to look at the people who lined up for interviews at OOL for the jetstar contract. All very keen, and many coming from succesful careers in other fields of work.

Why do some (only some) pilots seem to think the sun shines out of there :mad:

[ACMS]

shines out of there

If you are once again slinging off at my Profession then please try and spell correctly.

THEIR


:=:=

[Flight Detent]

ACMS... HEAR..HEAR ..errr, or is that HE'RE..HE'RE!

oh well, good job well done, you get my drift!

Cheers...eff dee...:confused:

[Cypher]

RampDog..

Suggest you get over to the Auckland ramp and have a look for yourself...


Yes I agree.. not every ramp monkey is a monkey... and having been one myself.. I know what your saying... but Auckland can be a bit of a zoo....

I know exactly what Distracted Cockroach means by his post... and having sat a airside drivers course with some of those rocket scientists.. its amazing incidents don't happen more often...


From what I understand, the airport company only allows two handling companies to supply services to AKL..(We're talking large airline aircraft only) dunno if thats the norm worldwide...

Even better.. come over.. and tender for one of the slots and start your own handling company... :E

[Buster Hyman]

what happens when a catering/baggage "something-or-rather" hits a B787
No probs...they've pre-ordered some Airfix glue!:ok:

[zk-npr]

Hey all

Just out of interest this wasn't wholly human error.

From what I've heard the trucks scissor lift system malfunctioned and the switch which stops it from over extending had given out- not sure of the cause or If anyone picked up on it prior to lining up with the door

Cheers