How often and when do baggage handlers cease loading and unloading due to weather?

[Melburnian1]

How often do Australian airport baggage handlers cease unloading and loading baggage due to adverse weather onto smaller aircraft such as B738s, B717s, SAAB 340B and A320s that lack the small airline containers?

I have seen this occur at MEL a couple of times when it has been teeming.

Is there (say) a minimum intensity of rain before they will do this, does it vary by airline and whether the baggage handlers are contractors or airline staff?

Is there (shudder) a union directive in place or is it an airline supervisory management decision?

I have not seen it so occur, but does it also occasionally happen in extremely hot, humid weather when it is absolutely blazing (i.e. sunny) on the tarmac? CNS and DRW in February might be an example of the latter.

 

[trooper]

Re: How often and when do baggage handlers cease loading and unloading due to weather

Funny ..I would have put the (shudder) in front of "airline supervisory management decision"....

Im sure some guy/gal sitting in a dry air conditioned office is the right person to decide these things....

 

[jb747]

Re: How often and when do baggage handlers cease loading and unloading due to weather

They stop work when there is lightning. I've never seen them stop in rain.

 

[samh004]

Re: How often and when do baggage handlers cease loading and unloading due to weather

I was under the impression that the only time they stop loading (outside of whatever staff are available) is when there is lightning within the vicinity and everyone stops at that point.

 

[williamsf1]

Re: How often and when do baggage handlers cease loading and unloading due to weather

Back in the old Ansett days the baggage handlers would get paid a rain allowance on shift if the rain came…….. It was known when the clouds rolled in, the fire hose would come out to wet things down, so they could claim for the allowance when it really did not rain.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Re: How often and when do baggage handlers cease loading and unloading due to weather

I'd like to see covered wagons and loading belts to protect luggage. Why can't Australian airports and airlines invest in that?

 

[TheInsider]

Re: How often and when do baggage handlers cease loading and unloading due to weather

They stop work when there is lightning. I've never seen them stop in rain.

This is correct. Has to be lightning activity within 5NM (from what i remember) of the airport for it to be stopped. Also yes this would've been a union directive that management support.

Rain or heat/cold doesn't stop the loading.

Or recently in MEL, they stopped work due to winds being over 70kts (or was it 50kts), not safe with the equipment.

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: How often and when do baggage handlers cease loading and unloading due to weather

Thank you all. Perhaps when I observed it stopped for whatever reason I did not see the lightning!

 

[lc_461]

Re: How often and when do baggage handlers cease loading and unloading due to weather

Brisbane used to have a two light system - a white light would flash on the ramp indicating that lightening was within 10nm. The blue light would flash if lightening was within 5nm and then for safety reasons everyone would have to get off the tarmac.

 

[samh004]

Re: How often and when do baggage handlers cease loading and unloading due to weather

Thank you all. Perhaps when I observed it stopped for whatever reason I did not see the lightning!

The lightning could be in any direction, perhaps behind you