Ramp Service Positions

JEP · December 31st, 2007, 17:56

so a friend recently applied for a pt ramp job in MSP for Mesaba. Mind you, said friend is a commercial pilot student. well he did not get the job and the letter stated:

and you wonder why people are backing aircraft into portable water trucks.....

Sprint100 · December 31st, 2007, 18:52

I got the same from Northwest. Keeping in mind that 95% of the people in the room had no ramp experience and knew nothing about the planes going into LAX.

gredenko · December 31st, 2007, 19:15

I can attest that we need as many qualified, sober and hard-working rampies as possible. As a pilot for Mesaba, I realize that it's a demanding job and requires a large amount of responsibility. The pay is terrible, but it's a foot in the door of the company.

ComplexHiAv8r · December 31st, 2007, 20:36

Sorry you didnt get the position.

Pietrantonio · December 31st, 2007, 21:06

That's happened to me before. And then you get hired somewhere, and during training, they tell you stories of..."he filled a citation bravo over the wing with 100LL because he didn't know the difference." "One night someone drove the jet-a truck down the street to the convience store to pick up a pack of smokes." (True stories)

Gee..I wonder why ramp agents come and go...

And there you are...one of the qualified applicants holding a letter of rejection...sad but true

MQAAord · December 31st, 2007, 21:12

Aiy.......

JEP · December 31st, 2007, 21:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by JEP

so a friend recently applied for a pt ramp job in MSP for Mesaba. Mind you, said friend is a commercial pilot student. well he did not get the job and the letter stated:

Quote:

Originally Posted by ComplexHiAv8r

Sorry you didnt get the position.

What are you talking about? It was a friend....

BigGuyFlying · December 31st, 2007, 21:38

I was very fortunate, I got hired at JetBlue as a Ground Op when I turned 18 with no prior airline experience at all, just a lot of MS Flight Simming (haha!). But I've been here three years now and love it... I just got crosstrained a year ago to do Airport Ops as well.

BCTAv8r · December 31st, 2007, 23:47

Applied at Spirit and Jetblue. JB sent me a similar email while Spirit didn't even bother to respond. I know a girl that used to be CSA for Spirit though and she said it sucked (getting up extremely early in the morning and being treated like a number). I'm glad I am working for an FBO now.

Joe Gremlin · January 1st, 2008, 11:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by JEP

so a friend recently applied for a pt ramp job in MSP for Mesaba. Mind you, said friend is a commercial pilot student. well he did not get the job

That's probably the reason he didn't get the job right there. The fact that he's a commercial student tells them he is going to leave as soon as he is able to get his first flying job.

av8sean · January 1st, 2008, 13:52

I was a ramper for US at LAS 2 years ago... I went to a group interview which mainly consisted of them telling us 10 different ways how little the job paid, that they DO drug test and DO background check, and if we are STILL interested, please come forward. That was followed by a 5 min chat with a trainer, and that was it!

CirrusMonkey · January 1st, 2008, 14:08

I worked on the ramp for UA for 12 years. Man, life was good. Out of an 8.5 hour day, I worked MAYBE 4 hours. The rest of the time was spent gambling, sleeping, reading and watching TV. Still cannot figure out why they went bankrupt............Hmmm......

To get the job now, you have to take a written test, if you pass, they send you to LAX for a face-to-face interview followed by a 20 point physical evaluation/exam, which includes a blood test and you get to turn your head a cough. All for a part time, $9.49 a hour, no respect job in which you are on probation for 6 months........

OldTownPilot · January 1st, 2008, 15:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Gremlin

That's probably the reason he didn't get the job right there. The fact that he's a commercial student tells them he is going to leave as soon as he is able to get his first flying job.

I dont think that would be a reason. Seriously, the airlines can not get ramprats on the hubs to save their lives. Certain airlines in some metro areas hire guys out of the jails that were in for misdemeanors, because those are the only guys that they can get that are clean that will work for 9 bucks and hour in the northeast.

Man thats a bummer.

Doug Taylor · January 1st, 2008, 15:10

No wonder why I'm always compelled to leave my wallet in my flight kit when I conduct exterior pre-flights...

av8sean · January 1st, 2008, 16:25

On some 4-hour shifts, I literally did no work, and sometimes there would only be one RJ flight on our bank. Technically we were supposed to go help in the bagroom, pickup FOD, etc, but everyone usually just chills in the breakroom or hides in the terminal/somewhere on the ramp. There are so many hiding spaces at the old terminal in Vegas. It's all about bidding certain shifts, basically shifts between banks, or mail shifts on days with no/little mail. Sometimes I would bring my laptop and use the free airport wifi, or maybe grab a newspaper laying around the terminal. On some long shifts I would actually leave the airport and go shopping or get lunch.

But for every easy day, there would always be a lot of hard days, like unloading a 757 in the middle of Vegas summer with an inop moving floor... was a good workout, that's for sure!

CirrusMonkey · January 1st, 2008, 16:40

Yeah, when you do get to work, it can be pretty physical. Worse narrow body: 757, pit (or bin) 6. Worse widebody: 747, rear cargo. No flooring and I never worked one that didn't require you to go back and put your shoulder into a few cans. I still have some scars on my legs from them!

December 31st, 2007, 17:56	#1
JEP Moderator Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Eden Prairie, MN (KFCM) (KMSP) Posts: 10,558 Blog Entries: 1	Ramp Service Positions so a friend recently applied for a pt ramp job in MSP for Mesaba. Mind you, said friend is a commercial pilot student. well he did not get the job and the letter stated: and you wonder why people are backing aircraft into portable water trucks..... __________________ d2h5IGFyZSB5b3Ugd29ycmllZCBhYm91dCBteSBzaWduYXR1cm U/ICBnZXQgeW91ciBvd24uIDop Last edited by JEP; December 31st, 2007 at 18:19.

December 31st, 2007, 18:52	#2
Sprint100 Old Skool Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Santa Clarita, CA Posts: 5,858	Re: Ramp Service Positions I got the same from Northwest. Keeping in mind that 95% of the people in the room had no ramp experience and knew nothing about the planes going into LAX. __________________ "I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, that diminshes fear" - Rosa Parks

December 31st, 2007, 19:15	#3
gredenko Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Twin Cities Posts: 101	Re: Ramp Service Positions I can attest that we need as many qualified, sober and hard-working rampies as possible. As a pilot for Mesaba, I realize that it's a demanding job and requires a large amount of responsibility. The pay is terrible, but it's a foot in the door of the company. __________________ "The opinion of the intelligent is better than the certainty of the ignorant" ~ Egyptian Proverb

December 31st, 2007, 20:36	#4
ComplexHiAv8r Old Skool Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: OH or is it MX?? Posts: 4,509	Re: Ramp Service Positions Sorry you didnt get the position. __________________ Oh, to be home again! Get Busy Living, or Get Busy Dying....

December 31st, 2007, 21:06	#5
Pietrantonio Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 425	Re: Ramp Service Positions That's happened to me before. And then you get hired somewhere, and during training, they tell you stories of..."he filled a citation bravo over the wing with 100LL because he didn't know the difference." "One night someone drove the jet-a truck down the street to the convience store to pick up a pack of smokes." (True stories) Gee..I wonder why ramp agents come and go... And there you are...one of the qualified applicants holding a letter of rejection...sad but true __________________ "The tragedy of life doesn't lie in not reaching your goals! The tragedy lies in having no goals to reach." http://abovethehorizon-tlp.blogspot.com/

December 31st, 2007, 21:12	#6
MQAAord Moderator Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: The Looney Bin Posts: 8,814	Re: Ramp Service Positions Aiy....... __________________ PPL SEL 100-ish hours TT Former American Airlines F/A (12 months) Former Simmons/Eagle F/A (6 years) Former Eagle ground school instructor (1 year) Former Eagle IOE instructor (3 years)

December 31st, 2007, 21:38	#8
BigGuyFlying Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Palm Harbor, FL Posts: 106	Re: Ramp Service Positions I was very fortunate, I got hired at JetBlue as a Ground Op when I turned 18 with no prior airline experience at all, just a lot of MS Flight Simming (haha!). But I've been here three years now and love it... I just got crosstrained a year ago to do Airport Ops as well. __________________ "Nobody built like you, you designed yourself."

December 31st, 2007, 23:47	#9
BCTAv8r Old Skool Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Boca Raton Posts: 6,057	Re: Ramp Service Positions Applied at Spirit and Jetblue. JB sent me a similar email while Spirit didn't even bother to respond. I know a girl that used to be CSA for Spirit though and she said it sucked (getting up extremely early in the morning and being treated like a number). I'm glad I am working for an FBO now.

January 1st, 2008, 13:52	#11
av8sean Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Toronto/DTW Posts: 479	Re: Ramp Service Positions I was a ramper for US at LAS 2 years ago... I went to a group interview which mainly consisted of them telling us 10 different ways how little the job paid, that they DO drug test and DO background check, and if we are STILL interested, please come forward. That was followed by a 5 min chat with a trainer, and that was it! __________________ The pilots life is founded on three things: sex, seniority, and salary, in that order. Dr. Ludwig Lederer, corporate physician, American Airlines.

January 1st, 2008, 14:08	#12
CirrusMonkey Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Knoxville, TN. Posts: 331	Re: Ramp Service Positions I worked on the ramp for UA for 12 years. Man, life was good. Out of an 8.5 hour day, I worked MAYBE 4 hours. The rest of the time was spent gambling, sleeping, reading and watching TV. Still cannot figure out why they went bankrupt............Hmmm...... To get the job now, you have to take a written test, if you pass, they send you to LAX for a face-to-face interview followed by a 20 point physical evaluation/exam, which includes a blood test and you get to turn your head a cough. All for a part time, $9.49 a hour, no respect job in which you are on probation for 6 months........

January 1st, 2008, 15:10	#14
Doug Taylor Agent Smith Join Date: Dec 1969 Location: KSDL Posts: 39,827 Blog Entries: 1	Re: Ramp Service Positions No wonder why I'm always compelled to leave my wallet in my flight kit when I conduct exterior pre-flights... __________________ Doug Taylor http://76school.flyblog.com (old!) http://30west.flyblog.com (updated 11/28)

January 1st, 2008, 16:25	#15
av8sean Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Toronto/DTW Posts: 479	Re: Ramp Service Positions On some 4-hour shifts, I literally did no work, and sometimes there would only be one RJ flight on our bank. Technically we were supposed to go help in the bagroom, pickup FOD, etc, but everyone usually just chills in the breakroom or hides in the terminal/somewhere on the ramp. There are so many hiding spaces at the old terminal in Vegas. It's all about bidding certain shifts, basically shifts between banks, or mail shifts on days with no/little mail. Sometimes I would bring my laptop and use the free airport wifi, or maybe grab a newspaper laying around the terminal. On some long shifts I would actually leave the airport and go shopping or get lunch. But for every easy day, there would always be a lot of hard days, like unloading a 757 in the middle of Vegas summer with an inop moving floor... was a good workout, that's for sure! __________________ The pilots life is founded on three things: sex, seniority, and salary, in that order. Dr. Ludwig Lederer, corporate physician, American Airlines.

January 1st, 2008, 16:40	#16
CirrusMonkey Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Knoxville, TN. Posts: 331	Re: Ramp Service Positions Yeah, when you do get to work, it can be pretty physical. Worse narrow body: 757, pit (or bin) 6. Worse widebody: 747, rear cargo. No flooring and I never worked one that didn't require you to go back and put your shoulder into a few cans. I still have some scars on my legs from them!

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