Air Canada baggage handlers behaving badly

[bagbat]

See the video:

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/04/18 ... 76827.html

[single_swine_herder]

I wonder what the union's defence strategy will be when mgt takes some kind of action against this person?

"Oh, and where in the company training program does it say that employees can't drop carry-on bags from a height of 20 feet into the bin?" ....... nothing written prohibiting that? ..... Then how is this union brother or sister supposed to know there is anything wrong with his well motivated performance when there is always so much pressure to get a flight away from the gate on time?

The real problem here is mgt not properly training this poor fellow.I move to have the letter removed from his file or we are taking this to arbitration."

So what will happen to this guy?

I predict 3/5 of SFA because it is simply too much work by mgt to correct the behaviour to a Bozo in a CAW style union environment which exists at Air Canada.

[white_knuckle_flyer]

See, that's the problem with cell phones.

Behaviour like this never happened before cell phones with cameras were invented.

[CPLMike89]

Maybe people should just check their baggage instead of trying to lug every piece of the families samsonite collection into the cabin. I'm in no way condoning the mishandling of baggage but the amount of crap being passed off as carry on nowadays is getting out of hand.

[shamrock104]

Slightly off topic, but I believe the airlines have been partly responsible for the carry on luggage by charging for checked luggage.

[iflyforpie]

Plus.... carry on size is tightly controlled. It's not like you can get past the check in with a queen mattress or something.....

[Impact]

Can't wait for the first person to blame this on the passenger.

[CID]

Tightly controlled? That doesn't stop people from showing up at the gate with massive bags. It's getting out of hand. These bags on the video should have been checked in the first place.

As far as charging for bags, what do you expect? People want cheap fares and don't want to pay for what they don't use.

And anyone packing something fragile like a laptop in checked bags, even gate checked is a moron.

Also singling out Air Canada is a bit unfair. This dude sat back and took video instead of alerting the flight crew. He wasn't interested in fixing a problem he discovered, he was interested in punishing the airline even though it was an individual failing and that of a contractor to boot.

No not the fault of a passenger just the absolute wrong reaction from a passenger in an increasingly difficult industry that is heavily scrutinized by know-nothings.

[MUSKEG]

An pray tell what would the "right passenger reaction" have been? Alert the crew, right. And how would that have solved the situation? I'm astonished that you would even mildly defend this. I hope this goes viral, I'm tired of replacing luggage that some Neanderthal decided to treat like a football. A picture is worth a thousand words and this video comes as close as any to exposing the workplace mentality where a worker is protected by a union.

[TG]

This dude sat back and took video instead of alerting the flight crew. He wasn't interested in fixing a problem he discovered, he was interested in punishing the airline even though it was an individual failing and that of a contractor to boot.

No not the fault of a passenger just the absolute wrong reaction from a passenger in an increasingly difficult industry that is heavily scrutinized by know-nothings.

To follow MUSKEG post above,
Alerting the flying crew would have only stopped this particular action.
Taking a video and publishing it should have more general impact toward Air Canada. Making them realise how some of its baggage handlers behave and take corrective actions about it (more training or whatever)

It doesn't matter who pack what and how much of it, this is unacceptable.

[human garbage]

This is not surprising to anyone who has worked ground side... The best one I've seen was a guitar in a soft sided case thrown at a baggage cart at least ten feet away. Of course it hit the metal end of the cart and flipped end over end a couple of times across the pavement. Doubt very much it was going to ever be playable again based on that.

As I watched it happen I couldn't believe that anyone would even try that and expect it to work. Live and learn apparently.

[Kokanee]

From the time that I spent at YYZ on the ramp working, this is standard SOP's on the ramp. depending on the aircraft at the gate those stairs can be steep. Hauling those damn gate check bags are a pain.

This is not the worse I've seen on the ramp. If your bag has a Fragile sticker on it, it will be the one being thrown across the ramp. I've even see dogs escape from their cages on the ramp, from falling off the belt loader and breaking open. A couple of the bag tractors chasing it into a corner where security comes and shoots it.

I was not working for AC.

[Impact]

Also singling out Air Canada is a bit unfair. This dude sat back and took video instead of alerting the flight crew. He wasn't interested in fixing a problem he discovered, he was interested in punishing the airline even though it was an individual failing and that of a contractor to boot.

I beg to differ. The airline is entirely responsible for this individuals actions. This rampy was a "contract" rampy, and not an Air Canada employee? Can you provide proof? I thought all of mainlines' rampies in YYZ were indeed company employees.

Let me guess....this guy was doing what he was doing in the name of "safety"?

[Married a Canadian]

At Heathrow they have metal chutes next to the jetways...so checked bags can be "slid" down to the bottom.
Is their anything similar at YYZ?

[photofly]

I used to take $20k of lenses and camera equipment in a carry-on exactly sized to meet airline requirements - because the airline wouldn't accept any responsibility or liability for delicate equipment in checked baggage.

I can't tell you how angry I'd be if the airline at boarding forced me to gate-check that bag and the contents got smashed up by being mishandled just on the way down a 6m staircase.

[godsrcrazy]

Maybe people should just check their baggage instead of trying to lug every piece of the families samsonite collection into the cabin. I'm in no way condoning the mishandling of baggage but the amount of crap being passed off as carry on nowadays is getting out of hand.

YA sure i checked mine last fall in Toronto. When i got it at the other end it was short 1 Video camera. It was there when i checked it and considering i watched the baggage handlers unload it at the other end i doubt they took it. Air Canada response was sorry you can't prove it. Every time i go thru Toronto its a hassle with these people. Its got to the point i don't want priority tags on my bag as the priority bags usually means they are the last on the belt. Of course they always blame the way it was loaded at the other end.

[dashx]

carry on size is tightly controlled

That was meant in jest?

You wouldn't even want to know how heavy my last set of two carry on bags was. I am always amazed at how lax (99.9% of the time) check in procedures are when it comes to carry on's.

FYI my last flight was on Westjet and the "owners" let me get away with two carry on's that were overweight and over sized. But hey those fancy new 737's just eat up bloated carry on bags.

When I fly the "ancient" AC 767's I travel more appropriately. Same for all the RJ's and Dash 8's.

And even my tool boxes travel wrapped in plastic......I have no time to return Pelicans (or otherwise) for a new case.

Caveat emptor.

[Gannet167]

Alerting the crew would have had as much effect as it did for the guy in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo and, much like posting the AC video, this guy's video generated massive viral publicity and finally, a response from the airline.

[co-joe]

Nevermind the danger to your bags, what if that landed on buddy below? Serious workplace injury anyone? Let's see, 70 Lbs dropped on your head from 20' up.... show that video to WCB, they'll love it.

[Impact]

Let's see, 70 Lbs dropped on your head from 20' up....

A 70 lb carry-on?

[Flying Low]

The response is easy.

You think there is no solidarity in aviation...you'd be wrong.

They suspend or fire said employee. Within an hour all ground handlers walk off the job. Word spreads to other airports, those ground handlers walk off the job. All of a sudden said employee is back with a slap on the wrist and an amnesty given to all who walked off the job in support.

I believe this worked very effectively for those that slow clapped Lisa Raitt.

Don't look down on them...as a group they are far smarter than pilots!

[GyvAir]

A 70 lb carry-on?

Believe it.
I helped a nice lady lift what felt alarmingly like a german shepherd folded up into a gym bag into the overhead bin one time.
Didn't ask.. I was afraid to hear the answer.

[NWONT]

A number of years back there was another vid made by another passenger from his seat. It showed a baggage handler, on the conveyor, opening this passengers bag and stealing contents on the moving belt. The guy was filming his own property being stolen. Nothing was done to the handler as I recall. Anybody know of this vid or how to find it?

[CID]

Muskeg, I'm not "mildly defending" anything here. I travel on the airlines a LOT however and I know that they tend to be one of the most scrutinized industries in the world.

If this was a bagger at the grocery who was rough with the "goods" it wouldn't have the same public backlash.

The general public savours the opportunity to swear never to fly a particular airline again. They will bash the crap out of an operator because the coffee maker was broken on their last flight or (gasp) there was a weather delay.

Just the other day I was waiting to board and overheard a distraught man say he was upset because he was in boarding group 3. He continued that he felt sorry for all those people in group 5.

If I witnessed this baggage issue, I would have alerted the crew and recognized it was likely the actions of individuals and not the airline. Of course it's ultimately the airline's responsibility to fix it but to cause all this attention and subsequent phony outrage helps nobody.

[Impact]

They suspend or fire said employee. Within an hour all ground handlers walk off the job. Word spreads to other airports, those ground handlers walk off the job. All of a sudden said employee is back with a slap on the wrist and an amnesty given to all who walked off the job in support.

There's no wonder why, after hearing stories like this, that the public have a sense that the "solidarity" (union?) movement is nothing more than a sham. When an entire group, in their own form, condones illegal behavior, it's no wonder that a full public backlash will happen in the form of this most recent Youtube video.