Job Cuts at Servisair over Lost Ryanair Contract
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Job Cuts at Servisair over Lost Ryanair Contract
Just heard that Servisair has lost Ryanair contract out of Stn and lots of jobs to go.Biggest sympathies to all that will lose their jobs from someone who lost theirs before Xmas.And even bigger sympathies to all at Groundstar who have picked up the contract!!!I can only presume they quoted a lower bottom line to get the work, and when that price is halved to fit their current business plan, Groundstar will be paying them to do the work!!
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Oh dear...
It won't be long before Ryanair cut down their costs even more by getting the pax to load their own baggage into the holds (a la Aeroflot) and "pushback" using the reversers.
M O'L's appearance on BBC's watchdog last week didn't seem to go very well. Stranded pax and all that... . .Plus, of the massive profits he kept going on about, most of it is owed to FLS for maintenance.
It won't be long before Ryanair cut down their costs even more by getting the pax to load their own baggage into the holds (a la Aeroflot) and "pushback" using the reversers.
M O'L's appearance on BBC's watchdog last week didn't seem to go very well. Stranded pax and all that... . .Plus, of the massive profits he kept going on about, most of it is owed to FLS for maintenance.
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As much as I feel for the individuals affected by the latest Ryanair saga - I can see where this has come from.
I often take FR flights from STN, and it has to be said that I have never seen a servisair employee that understood the phrase "customer care".
Every time I board an FR aircraft at STN the servisair representatives arrive at the gate, on or about 5 minutes before the scheduled departure time. (When this happens passengers become distressed, certain that they are at the wrong gate). Frequently there will only be one gate agent, more often than not that gate agent is rude and unfriendly, and gives no information whatsoever about why the aircraft is late... again...
On the other hand, I also use Go quite often from STN, and the groundstar agents are always at the gate before the passengers are, are usually bright and friendly, and give a far more professional appearence. (Is it a coincidence that Go allow their groundstar reps to wear Go uniforms, whereas FR don't allow their servisair reps to wear FR uniforms!)
Now that Ryanair have got rid of a very bad public face of their company, all they need to do is start allocating seat numbers at check-in, and hey presto, boarding an FR flight will be as easy as boarding a Go flight!
I often take FR flights from STN, and it has to be said that I have never seen a servisair employee that understood the phrase "customer care".
Every time I board an FR aircraft at STN the servisair representatives arrive at the gate, on or about 5 minutes before the scheduled departure time. (When this happens passengers become distressed, certain that they are at the wrong gate). Frequently there will only be one gate agent, more often than not that gate agent is rude and unfriendly, and gives no information whatsoever about why the aircraft is late... again...
On the other hand, I also use Go quite often from STN, and the groundstar agents are always at the gate before the passengers are, are usually bright and friendly, and give a far more professional appearence. (Is it a coincidence that Go allow their groundstar reps to wear Go uniforms, whereas FR don't allow their servisair reps to wear FR uniforms!)
Now that Ryanair have got rid of a very bad public face of their company, all they need to do is start allocating seat numbers at check-in, and hey presto, boarding an FR flight will be as easy as boarding a Go flight!
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Yes Copenhagen I agree. But it is not difficult to supply a pax with a seat number. The only reason they don't is because they will not pay for loadsheets to be done on computers. Just because a passenger pays peanuts for a ticket does not mean that they expect to be treated like crap. I have heard 'you get what you pay for' too many times, to justify the treatment of pax. Listen to what the above gentlemen is saying. The gate staff even though they do not work for the airline are the first port of call. Go is also low cost, though if I am reading his point correctly, the service is much more pleasent. This says a lot. Pax don't really always remember good things about a flight. But they will always remember the bad.
[ 22 January 2002: Message edited by: Tower ]</p>
[ 22 January 2002: Message edited by: Tower ]</p>
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Fast Jet Wannabe:
The reason there is only ever one gate agent at the gate is most likely because Ryanair only pay for one Servisair Passenger Handeling Agent. It is the same at Manchester. No doubt ground star can spare more staff because they have nothing else to do.
The agents can often not give information on delays because Ryanair very rarely give Servisair the information. It is not unknown for FR flights to arrive at the gate without so much as a word from their Ops. Very often we have to get inbound details from the crew and the aircaft registration from the side of the fueslage when it arrives on stand!
I have no doubt that Servisair agents would wear FR uniforms *IF* FR paid for them. Servisair do this for Airtours, JMC, Britannia and SIA and used to for Sabena, Swissair etc.
As has been said before, Ryanair get what they pay for. Which isn't much.
The reason there is only ever one gate agent at the gate is most likely because Ryanair only pay for one Servisair Passenger Handeling Agent. It is the same at Manchester. No doubt ground star can spare more staff because they have nothing else to do.
The agents can often not give information on delays because Ryanair very rarely give Servisair the information. It is not unknown for FR flights to arrive at the gate without so much as a word from their Ops. Very often we have to get inbound details from the crew and the aircaft registration from the side of the fueslage when it arrives on stand!
I have no doubt that Servisair agents would wear FR uniforms *IF* FR paid for them. Servisair do this for Airtours, JMC, Britannia and SIA and used to for Sabena, Swissair etc.
As has been said before, Ryanair get what they pay for. Which isn't much.
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About time there was some serious competition for Servisair - they are a pile of s**t!! They always seem disorganised and unprofessional and have to consult their supervisor before giving you an answer whenever you ask them something.
As far as open seating is concerned, it is done to speed up the boarding process. If you notice, whenever an FR flight is boarding there are no pax hanging around, they get on board as fast as they possibly can, minimising time on the ground. It has nothing to do with providing crap service but simply a method of stopping the competition of who's last to board a flight.
Thank Goodness that we don't have to face Servisair anymore.
As far as open seating is concerned, it is done to speed up the boarding process. If you notice, whenever an FR flight is boarding there are no pax hanging around, they get on board as fast as they possibly can, minimising time on the ground. It has nothing to do with providing crap service but simply a method of stopping the competition of who's last to board a flight.
Thank Goodness that we don't have to face Servisair anymore.
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The main story in our local rag last Sunday concerned a disabled lady who spent 6 hours on board a Ryanair aircraft from Italy to Stansted. The aircraft left late and after landing she had to wait 2 hours on board because Ryanair had cancelled a contract with a contractor 2 days before and there was no one trained to get her off the aircraft. Eventually she was man handled off the aircraft by members of the family. A few days later she died and the family are blaming Ryanair. <img src="mad.gif" border="0"> <img src="mad.gif" border="0"> <img src="mad.gif" border="0">
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I remember arriving at 17.55 hrs (or was it 18.55) and just missing a flight from BRS to DUB .... Servisair was handling Aer Lingus at the time(1995) and so asked them for a new connection ..... was told all servisair staff were going home and I would have to call Aer lingus at a number which they kindly gave me ...... it turned out to be a Dublin number and I very quickly found it was going to cost me a bundle in phone charges so I asked the Aer Lingus guy to call me back at the BRS payphone which he immediately agreed to do ..... no joy - the pay phone would not accept incoming calls ..... so I ended up paying about a fiver in phone charges to replace my flight to DUB ...... will I remember Servisair? - of course - for ever
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"About time there was some serious competition for Servisair - they are a pile of s**t!!"
Delete Servisair and insert RYANAIR.
Long live Easyjet, GO, Buzz and bmibaby <img src="tongue.gif" border="0">
Delete Servisair and insert RYANAIR.
Long live Easyjet, GO, Buzz and bmibaby <img src="tongue.gif" border="0">
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Dont be too hard on Servisair, there are much worse handling agents out there! Try Aer lingus in Dublin, they are what we call a pile of c***.
If Servisair are that rubbish, then why are some of the worlds best known airlines handled by them? Singapore, American, Britannia, Continental to name but a few!!!!!! <img src="mad.gif" border="0"> <img src="mad.gif" border="0">
If Servisair are that rubbish, then why are some of the worlds best known airlines handled by them? Singapore, American, Britannia, Continental to name but a few!!!!!! <img src="mad.gif" border="0"> <img src="mad.gif" border="0">
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More gutter style management by that pillar of ethical business princples - yours truley MOL.
Two hopper loads of FISH & FOWL Manure Jeeves and then I'll no doubt be back for a load of Paraquat.
<img src="tongue.gif" border="0">
Two hopper loads of FISH & FOWL Manure Jeeves and then I'll no doubt be back for a load of Paraquat.
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Your lives are obviously not worth living if you can't give FR a good slagging off, that's how pathetic most of you are.
Having the women dead is no doubt very sad but in no way can FR be blamed for this. Most airlines are handled by Servisair because there is simply no choice. It is FR policy everywhere to only have 1 gate agent with a member of the cabin crew doing the boarding.. .I know that it may be a bit hard on Servisair but why on earth are they unable to recruit and retain good staff??
Having the women dead is no doubt very sad but in no way can FR be blamed for this. Most airlines are handled by Servisair because there is simply no choice. It is FR policy everywhere to only have 1 gate agent with a member of the cabin crew doing the boarding.. .I know that it may be a bit hard on Servisair but why on earth are they unable to recruit and retain good staff??
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The main reason handling agents are rude and offensive to customers is because they have been on shift for 16 hours. This is the only way they can earn a decent living (thru overtime). Cheap airlines mean poor pay for the workers, who are never trained correctly and always on temp/seasonal contracts.. .I suppose this is what they call "a good deal" for the customer?. .May be next time the flying greek and Irishmen are on Watchdog they could discuss the pay of their staff and subcontractors.. .Then the Great British public will realise who's taking the **** out of who. <img src="mad.gif" border="0">
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The handling agent I work for know Servisair as Circusair. Whatever happened to them at LTN? We handled all their flights the past year or 2. Apparently ex employees put it down to bad management.
Lee <img src="smile.gif" border="0">
Lee <img src="smile.gif" border="0">
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"I know that it may be a bit hard on Servisair but why on earth are they unable to recruit and retain good staff??"
In two words: Bad Management
Staff are expected to do a huge amount of work for very little pay and no thanks from the managers, airlines or passengers.
Delays are covered up by managers (Who, with occasional exception, have no idea what they are doing) so bad performance does not reflect on them. No one is willing to accept responsibilty and instead of tackling the problem head on, a person is thrown at it, equiped only with a mobile phone, a tabard which invariably has liasion somewhere in the title made up for them and not one jot of help or backup from the management.
The Whole operation revolves around the blame culture. Make a mistake and your are writing reports left right and centre, and even when it is clearly not that member of staffs fault, they are still dragged infront of the powers that be for a good rodgering. And not forgetting all the 'get out clauses' that the management introduce to cover their own backs.
Staff are expected to stand and take whatever passengers, Airline Reps, Flight deck and cabin crew can throw at them for virtually nothing and when you have seen some of the abuse that is flung around (Mostly by pilots and cabin crew I have to say) it is a wonder that most staff last longer than a few days, indeed i bet the majority don't. I believe that at MAN last summer, around 20 temp dispatchers left the company before they had even seen an aeroplane. I dread to think what the Passenger Handling staff turnover is like, especially with their NAZI style rules and regulations.
So, now you have an insight into how Servisair works
BUT,
Despite all the above, there are staff at Servisair who ARE professional. Who WILL go out of their way to help people and who DO care about doing a good job. Please do not paint all Servisair's staff with the same colour.
Alot of it's problems stem from the airlines wanting to have first class handling but at the same time wanting to pay in chocolate money, and I'm afraid that Ryanair fall squarely into this catergory. (They even shut down their engines before turning onto stand and coasting to a stop to save fuel!)
[ 22 January 2002: Message edited by: SZD ]
[ 22 January 2002: Message edited by: SZD ]</p>
In two words: Bad Management
Staff are expected to do a huge amount of work for very little pay and no thanks from the managers, airlines or passengers.
Delays are covered up by managers (Who, with occasional exception, have no idea what they are doing) so bad performance does not reflect on them. No one is willing to accept responsibilty and instead of tackling the problem head on, a person is thrown at it, equiped only with a mobile phone, a tabard which invariably has liasion somewhere in the title made up for them and not one jot of help or backup from the management.
The Whole operation revolves around the blame culture. Make a mistake and your are writing reports left right and centre, and even when it is clearly not that member of staffs fault, they are still dragged infront of the powers that be for a good rodgering. And not forgetting all the 'get out clauses' that the management introduce to cover their own backs.
Staff are expected to stand and take whatever passengers, Airline Reps, Flight deck and cabin crew can throw at them for virtually nothing and when you have seen some of the abuse that is flung around (Mostly by pilots and cabin crew I have to say) it is a wonder that most staff last longer than a few days, indeed i bet the majority don't. I believe that at MAN last summer, around 20 temp dispatchers left the company before they had even seen an aeroplane. I dread to think what the Passenger Handling staff turnover is like, especially with their NAZI style rules and regulations.
So, now you have an insight into how Servisair works
BUT,
Despite all the above, there are staff at Servisair who ARE professional. Who WILL go out of their way to help people and who DO care about doing a good job. Please do not paint all Servisair's staff with the same colour.
Alot of it's problems stem from the airlines wanting to have first class handling but at the same time wanting to pay in chocolate money, and I'm afraid that Ryanair fall squarely into this catergory. (They even shut down their engines before turning onto stand and coasting to a stop to save fuel!)
[ 22 January 2002: Message edited by: SZD ]
[ 22 January 2002: Message edited by: SZD ]</p>
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A couple of observations on previous postings.
The Flying Irishman says that Ryanair have to use Servisair as there is rarely any other Handling Agent to use. So why did Ryanair switch to Servisair from Reeds (or was it still Monarch?) at Luton several years ago as it was Ryanair's policy to use Servisair where ever possible?
Got the Fokker in Sight - whilst I appreciate that your employers are carrying out some of Servisair's functions at Luton - e.g. Servisair don't do any tugging - I don't think it is correct to say that you handle all their flights! I know of several people who work for Servisair at Luton.
By the way .... why do your tug drivers either go too fast or very slow????
The Flying Irishman says that Ryanair have to use Servisair as there is rarely any other Handling Agent to use. So why did Ryanair switch to Servisair from Reeds (or was it still Monarch?) at Luton several years ago as it was Ryanair's policy to use Servisair where ever possible?
Got the Fokker in Sight - whilst I appreciate that your employers are carrying out some of Servisair's functions at Luton - e.g. Servisair don't do any tugging - I don't think it is correct to say that you handle all their flights! I know of several people who work for Servisair at Luton.
By the way .... why do your tug drivers either go too fast or very slow????
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SZD: Couldn't agree with you more. As for people giving Servisair a good hiding and boasting of Groundstar's brilliance, which planet are you all on? Groundstar recently took over the KLM Uk contract at NCL and what a mess they have made of it so far. KLM only transferred for financial reasons; Servisair at NCL had received KLM's station of the month three times in the previous year before the contract was changed, and KLM are now getting what they pay for. Every time Groundstar delay a flight, KLM don't pay for the turn-round, so they haven't paid for any flights yet. Groundstar staff "didn't know" that the a/c had it's own airstairs, so they positioned their stairs by the a/c only for the cabin crew to open the a/c door which landed on the top of the stairs! The other day Groundstar overloaded the a/c and attempted to offload the last two passengers who boarded, the pilot told them this wasn't an option as they were both Royal Wing pax so Groundstar called the POLICE out to deal with the pilot because they didn't know how to solve the problem!!!!!! And Groundstar are PROFESSIONAL? I think not. The problem with Servisair lies with the management in that they do not implement a standard of service throughout their stations - everywhere is different. But just because the Stansted lot lose a contract doesn't mean that all Servisair stations offer a poor service. At NCL the Servisair staff turn GO a/c round in 16 minutes and even when there's only two or three staff in operations they still don't end up with many handling delays. So if Ryanair aren't happy with their lot at STN, I suggest you move to NCL and give Servisair the contract. They'll show you how it's done!