BAConnect & Flybe
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hi all
i know this is a crew thread, but would like your views/opinions.
how do you think it has gone from a ground services/handling agent point of view? obvously you were used to be BA handling, now Aviance/swissport/flight support etc etc
from you boys and girls in the air has it got better or worse in the last 2/3 months, if worse why and what cud ground crew do to make it better?
Dont want reference to how it used to be with BA (no offence), just how its been since.
i know this is a crew thread, but would like your views/opinions.
how do you think it has gone from a ground services/handling agent point of view? obvously you were used to be BA handling, now Aviance/swissport/flight support etc etc
from you boys and girls in the air has it got better or worse in the last 2/3 months, if worse why and what cud ground crew do to make it better?
Dont want reference to how it used to be with BA (no offence), just how its been since.
Join Date: Mar 2005
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ask if we're actually ready for the passengers!!!!!!!!!!
Im sick of every turnaround,dispatch get on and they say "passengers are all here,i'll send them down now". how about NO!!!!!! we actually want a break on these stupid 10 hour days with 25 minute turnarounds everywhere.
or some places where dispatch just send them,and they dont even come and tell us how many we've got,any specials etc.you're tidying up because you've just had a busy flight,the cleaners (if theyve turned up) are faffing around and next thing you know,theres a bus full of passengers outside.
also,having been delayed for a positioning flight myself,ive seen things from the other side as to how the passengers are treated when theyre in the departure lounge.absolutely diabolical.the only information we were told was "operational reasons" and "more information at..." and most of the time,more information didnt come at the time stated.after 2 and a half hours,the groundstaff decided to give us a voucher for...yes a whole £3.50.now they need to be a bit realistic here.we're in an airport,paying airport prices for a sandwich and a bottle of pop,NOT tesco prices.once they'd started giving out the vouchers, they announced that the flight would be departing within the next hour,and the ground staff moaned that people were still coming for their vouchers even tho the flight would be going soon.what sort of attitude was that?!?! im sure if she was in the same situation, she'd still be queueing up for her voucher!!!!
another time,positioning again,they called the flight,bundled us onto a bus and it was one of these days when it was a bit sunny & warm.everyone was onboard,it was busy and hot.and we waited,and waited and waited.we sat on the bus for 45 minutes,with NO information.the groundstaff didnt give a to55,they didnt even have the courtesy to come on and apologise for the delay.just left us waiting there.
before handling changed at outstations,the groundstaff would meet the aircraft,come on board,liaise with ALL of the crew for a time to bring the passengers,they would actually know how many passengers we had (as opposed to "errrrm no i dont know") but now,they just seem so....unprepared.
im sorry if this is harsh, but you asked. ive heard passengers say they wont use flybe again because of the way they've been treated on the ground - surely that says enough.
Im sick of every turnaround,dispatch get on and they say "passengers are all here,i'll send them down now". how about NO!!!!!! we actually want a break on these stupid 10 hour days with 25 minute turnarounds everywhere.
or some places where dispatch just send them,and they dont even come and tell us how many we've got,any specials etc.you're tidying up because you've just had a busy flight,the cleaners (if theyve turned up) are faffing around and next thing you know,theres a bus full of passengers outside.
also,having been delayed for a positioning flight myself,ive seen things from the other side as to how the passengers are treated when theyre in the departure lounge.absolutely diabolical.the only information we were told was "operational reasons" and "more information at..." and most of the time,more information didnt come at the time stated.after 2 and a half hours,the groundstaff decided to give us a voucher for...yes a whole £3.50.now they need to be a bit realistic here.we're in an airport,paying airport prices for a sandwich and a bottle of pop,NOT tesco prices.once they'd started giving out the vouchers, they announced that the flight would be departing within the next hour,and the ground staff moaned that people were still coming for their vouchers even tho the flight would be going soon.what sort of attitude was that?!?! im sure if she was in the same situation, she'd still be queueing up for her voucher!!!!
another time,positioning again,they called the flight,bundled us onto a bus and it was one of these days when it was a bit sunny & warm.everyone was onboard,it was busy and hot.and we waited,and waited and waited.we sat on the bus for 45 minutes,with NO information.the groundstaff didnt give a to55,they didnt even have the courtesy to come on and apologise for the delay.just left us waiting there.
before handling changed at outstations,the groundstaff would meet the aircraft,come on board,liaise with ALL of the crew for a time to bring the passengers,they would actually know how many passengers we had (as opposed to "errrrm no i dont know") but now,they just seem so....unprepared.
im sorry if this is harsh, but you asked. ive heard passengers say they wont use flybe again because of the way they've been treated on the ground - surely that says enough.
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"another time,positioning again,they called the flight,bundled us onto a bus and it was one of these days when it was a bit sunny & warm.everyone was onboard,it was busy and hot.and we waited,and waited and waited.we sat on the bus for 45 minutes,with NO information."
Perhaps they were busy waiting for the crew who should have been ready to board to take the unscheduled break they decided to have because they were soooo tired.
Perhaps they were busy waiting for the crew who should have been ready to board to take the unscheduled break they decided to have because they were soooo tired.
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tig, i actually agree with a lot off what you say. From a ground staff point off view our biggest gripe is sometimes we have a serious lack of info from EXT to tell the pax, which just makes the situation worse.
I dont know what station you had the delay at, and i am never going to say that we are perfect, but at least most off my collegues do actually give a toss and do care about the pax,keeps coming back to the lack of info, sometimes we just dont know whats going on and cant get a answer from anyone, and £3.50 for a delay, thats crap at any airport! (we dont decide how much to give, Flybe ops instruct us on that one)
Saying all that, i cud never do what you boys and girls in the air do, give me 400 pax delayed on the ground for 24 hours anytime!!
Hats off to you all
I dont know what station you had the delay at, and i am never going to say that we are perfect, but at least most off my collegues do actually give a toss and do care about the pax,keeps coming back to the lack of info, sometimes we just dont know whats going on and cant get a answer from anyone, and £3.50 for a delay, thats crap at any airport! (we dont decide how much to give, Flybe ops instruct us on that one)
Saying all that, i cud never do what you boys and girls in the air do, give me 400 pax delayed on the ground for 24 hours anytime!!
Hats off to you all
Join Date: Mar 2007
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Reply to MC
I dont know where or who you work for but I take offense to that statement.
Most of the time we are playing 'catch-up' so any breaks, unscheduled or otherwise are forgotten to ensure we get home at a reasonable time!!! There are many reasons for delays, some genuine some not but I have never been delayed because of crew not being on the aircraft or by them taking a break.
MC your sarcasm is unecessary.
A few weeks ago at MAN after being called in off sby I stood on the tarmac for 20mins waiting for an inbound aircraft, I was joined by a couple of pax, who, having got tired of waiting for information about their flight decided to GO AND LOOK FOR IT!! They were wandering allover and took some persuading to go back inside - there was no-one on the gate and when I did manage to contact someone they were unconcerned by the potential risks of the situation from both a safety and security concern - that cannot be blamed on lack of information!
I too when positioning have been on the receiving end of rude, misinformed check in staff with a very uncaring attitude to fare paying pax. It took me 7 hours to reach SOU and along with those pax we were given neither explanation or vouchers..............
I could go on, my theory is that Flybe does not encourage it's staff to go out of ther way to provide good customer service and like tigeriffic I have heard a lot of people comment they will never fly with them again!!
What a shame - it could have been ok it they hadn't tried to make so many changes all at the same time.
Most of the time we are playing 'catch-up' so any breaks, unscheduled or otherwise are forgotten to ensure we get home at a reasonable time!!! There are many reasons for delays, some genuine some not but I have never been delayed because of crew not being on the aircraft or by them taking a break.
MC your sarcasm is unecessary.
A few weeks ago at MAN after being called in off sby I stood on the tarmac for 20mins waiting for an inbound aircraft, I was joined by a couple of pax, who, having got tired of waiting for information about their flight decided to GO AND LOOK FOR IT!! They were wandering allover and took some persuading to go back inside - there was no-one on the gate and when I did manage to contact someone they were unconcerned by the potential risks of the situation from both a safety and security concern - that cannot be blamed on lack of information!
I too when positioning have been on the receiving end of rude, misinformed check in staff with a very uncaring attitude to fare paying pax. It took me 7 hours to reach SOU and along with those pax we were given neither explanation or vouchers..............
I could go on, my theory is that Flybe does not encourage it's staff to go out of ther way to provide good customer service and like tigeriffic I have heard a lot of people comment they will never fly with them again!!
What a shame - it could have been ok it they hadn't tried to make so many changes all at the same time.
Last edited by dollydaydream; 11th Aug 2007 at 14:39. Reason: !st paragraphs fao maude charlie
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Dolly,
I think you'll find we work for exactly the same people, and I'm more than familiar with the alleged state of affairs with regard to turnarounds, and it's quite frankly a gross distortion of reality. Most of our flights run early, or on time, only a small percentage are delayed, and the majority of those delayed only a few minutes. I'm frankly sick to death with all the whining from crews - flight and cabin - and especially from the likes of tiggeriffic who expects to have it both ways. As a crew member, she wants to be able to take unscheduled breaks because she thinks she's being worked too hard and doesn't want pax at the aircraft until she's ready, yet as a pax, she expects to be able to board the aircraft when it suits her and boarding delays are unacceptable.
The vast majority of people in the company enjoy the job and just get on with it. If you don't, well nobody is holding a gun to your head to make you stay. You know where the door is and you're free to leave at any time.
I think you'll find we work for exactly the same people, and I'm more than familiar with the alleged state of affairs with regard to turnarounds, and it's quite frankly a gross distortion of reality. Most of our flights run early, or on time, only a small percentage are delayed, and the majority of those delayed only a few minutes. I'm frankly sick to death with all the whining from crews - flight and cabin - and especially from the likes of tiggeriffic who expects to have it both ways. As a crew member, she wants to be able to take unscheduled breaks because she thinks she's being worked too hard and doesn't want pax at the aircraft until she's ready, yet as a pax, she expects to be able to board the aircraft when it suits her and boarding delays are unacceptable.
The vast majority of people in the company enjoy the job and just get on with it. If you don't, well nobody is holding a gun to your head to make you stay. You know where the door is and you're free to leave at any time.
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MC
You seem to be contradicting yourself a bit there maude!! I was objecting to your sarcasm previously not your opinion! We are all entitled to those.
Frankly, what I am sick to death of is being told where the door is!! It seems it is only the ex-ba connect crews who are not allowed to moan about anything - justified or not, There seem to be a lot of longstanding flybe crew who moan about the exact same things (obviously because things need changing) - but that seems to be ok.
I do not feel that Flybe rescued me, I think it was niave to assume that connect was formed as anything other than a company to sell and Flybe were the 'chosen' ones. I do know where the door is and when it suits me I will use it - for the time being it suits me to stay where I am. I don't particularly like it, I am sick of being got at by various people because I am ex-connect, I don't think I am any different and certainly no better than anyone who has worked for Flybe for some time, I do my job professionally, efficiently and make the best of it as do the vast majority of people I fly with.
My main complaints about Flybe are that it is so hard to contact anyone about anything, they seem to have bitten off more than they can chew without thinking things through, they don't have an infrastructure of likeminded people throughout the company i.e. from high up down to air and ground crews and superficially the uniform is uncomfortable, impractical and I can't my bloody scarf to stay in place!!!
But thank you MC for once again telling me about that door - it's nice to know we are on the same wavelength!!
Frankly, what I am sick to death of is being told where the door is!! It seems it is only the ex-ba connect crews who are not allowed to moan about anything - justified or not, There seem to be a lot of longstanding flybe crew who moan about the exact same things (obviously because things need changing) - but that seems to be ok.
I do not feel that Flybe rescued me, I think it was niave to assume that connect was formed as anything other than a company to sell and Flybe were the 'chosen' ones. I do know where the door is and when it suits me I will use it - for the time being it suits me to stay where I am. I don't particularly like it, I am sick of being got at by various people because I am ex-connect, I don't think I am any different and certainly no better than anyone who has worked for Flybe for some time, I do my job professionally, efficiently and make the best of it as do the vast majority of people I fly with.
My main complaints about Flybe are that it is so hard to contact anyone about anything, they seem to have bitten off more than they can chew without thinking things through, they don't have an infrastructure of likeminded people throughout the company i.e. from high up down to air and ground crews and superficially the uniform is uncomfortable, impractical and I can't my bloody scarf to stay in place!!!
But thank you MC for once again telling me about that door - it's nice to know we are on the same wavelength!!
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Maude Charlee
NO,i dont want an unscheduled break,youve got me completely wrong there.
Im on about situations where we are early/on time,or got a longer turnaround FOR a scheduled break, and the ground staff are there hounding you to go,when actually you've still got a few minutes to spare before its time for boarding at minus 20.they just dont leave us alone - im sure they have breaks throughout the day, so why should our short breaks be disturbed?we dont get time during the flight to eat anymore because the flights are busier,so the only time we get is on the ground.
The boarding delay was acceptable and i know that delays are inevitable.it was the lack of information that was COMPLETELY unacceptable.if they had just come onto the bus and said "the crew arent ready yet" then i wouldnt have minded.its the fact that the groundstaff didnt give a toss that was the issue.It was only once we got onboard that we were told the aircraft had suffered a technical fault at the last minute which needed to be rectified before we could go because there were no spare aircraft.
I have found in delays that passengers tend to be more patient and tolerable of delays when they are kept informed than when they are left in the dark,and i think the groundstaff need to bear this in mind.
And yes,i know where the door is too. Im just trying to find the key to unlock it.
Im on about situations where we are early/on time,or got a longer turnaround FOR a scheduled break, and the ground staff are there hounding you to go,when actually you've still got a few minutes to spare before its time for boarding at minus 20.they just dont leave us alone - im sure they have breaks throughout the day, so why should our short breaks be disturbed?we dont get time during the flight to eat anymore because the flights are busier,so the only time we get is on the ground.
The boarding delay was acceptable and i know that delays are inevitable.it was the lack of information that was COMPLETELY unacceptable.if they had just come onto the bus and said "the crew arent ready yet" then i wouldnt have minded.its the fact that the groundstaff didnt give a toss that was the issue.It was only once we got onboard that we were told the aircraft had suffered a technical fault at the last minute which needed to be rectified before we could go because there were no spare aircraft.
I have found in delays that passengers tend to be more patient and tolerable of delays when they are kept informed than when they are left in the dark,and i think the groundstaff need to bear this in mind.
And yes,i know where the door is too. Im just trying to find the key to unlock it.
