The True Life of Ramp Rat

John F. Kennedy Airport is one of the largest and busiest airports in the world. Thousands of flights take-off and land from JFK every day. With the flights come passengers and cargo. It becomes the job of mechanics, like myself, and ramp agents to ensure flights arrive and leave on time. For my second observation, I gave a much closer look into the life of a Dnata ramp agent at Terminal One. I decided to observe the ramp agents during a busy afternoon shift, when the agents are handling a larger number of aircrafts. I focused not only on the task required by ramp agents, but also the demographics of the subculture, the privilege amongst ramp agents, and the reasons for the lack of pay in a dangerous and strenuous job that has created a high turnover rate in the subculture. Being an aircraft technician, I’ve earned the opportunity to gain true insight in the life of a ramp agent.

1 A bathroom.

Terminal One is home to several airport operation companies. I work for a company called “Mach II Maintenance.” We are a maintenance company in charge of performing tasks including aircraft inspections, engine maintenance, and preventative, routine maintenance. Mach II is a large company which provides services for many airlines such as Korean Air, Aeroflot, and Air France. However, the largest company at Terminal One, is Dnata. Dnata is the company that hires the ramp agents for Terminal one. Their job includes baggage loading, servicing lavatories¹, refilling potable water, towing the aircraft, and marshalling. The “ramp rats”, a moniker known by Mach II employees, due to their constant movement and large population, are some of the hardest working employees on the ramp. The “ramp” or “tarmac” is the common term the airport employees use for where the busiest operations of servicing the aircraft for departure occurs.

My second observation was much different than my first. The weather, the time, the location, the entire environment was different. I decided for my second observation I’d take an etic approach to my ethnography, by aiming to avoid my bias as an aircraft technician. Unlike the first observation, the ramp was busy and crowded with ramp agents. It was a cold and windy afternoon. The afternoon is one of the busiest times of the day for the terminal, when most airlines schedule flights. Gate 9 is by far one of the least favorite gates by ramp agents and mechanics on windy days. The weather at JFK is almost always 10 degrees colder than average New York City weather, due to the strong winds caused by the airport’s location along Jamaica Bay. Gate 9 is situated in the corner of the terminal, so there is nothing to block the wind from any direction. The sun was setting, and the airport lights began to come on. The air smelt much smoggier and burnt my nose. I was a bit underdressed, and so were some of the ramp agents. Some were still in t-shirts, sweaters, and a few in jackets. I took notice very quickly that the new hires were only provided basic company clothing and gear, because the jackets they wore did not bear the company logo. That is most likely due to a probation period, in which a new hire must be with the company for a certain period before they can reap the full benefits.

The plane preparing for departure at Gate 9, was a Norwegian Shuttle 787. The Boeing 787 is smaller in size than the A380 aircraft I observed earlier, but one of the more technologically advanced aircrafts, with state-of-the-art equipment. For mechanics typically, the more advanced the aircraft, the less work we had to do. However, that was not the case with the ramp agents. I could tell the aircraft was new since the white paint on the fuselage² didn’t have any grease marks, paint chipping, or dents. For the ramp agents, this meant they had to be extra careful in handling the aircraft, which created more stress for them. They drove the tugs slower, they spent more time loading and off-loading luggage, and everything was done with more caution. Worst of all, the airline representatives would not leave them alone. They would shout “Let’s go let’s go!” at the rampees who were only trying to do their job in a safe and timely manner.

2 Main outer body of an aircraft. 3 Section of aircraft which passengers are seated in.

It was clear the wind and frigid cold had begun to take its toll on the ramp agents. Every little break opportunity they had, they’d run under the plane to stand under the packs exhaust system. The packs in an aircraft are responsible for providing conditioned air to the cabin³. The warm air exits the aircraft from the packs exhaust, to outside of the aircraft. The ramp agents use the warm air to bear the coldness of the airport. It’s times like that where I realize the privilege of being an aircraft mechanic. As an aircraft mechanic, we spend about 10 to 15 minutes outside of the aircraft performing a walk-around, before entering the warmth of the cabin, which is a short time. The ramp agents, however, spend 99% of their job outside of the aircraft in all types of weather. Whether it be rain, snow, or unbearable heat, the ramp agents face the weather head-on to complete their duties. By stark contrast to their duties, the average salary for a ramp agent is $24,960 a year or roughly $12 an hour. Supervisors who bear similar conditions, but are more experienced and privileged than the rampees, make $48,870 a year (Study.com No Pg). Which is still relatively low, for the level of physical work required of them each day. The reason for low wages can be traced to education, as the only requirement for becoming a ramp agent is a high school diploma or GED (Study.com No Pg). Prior ramp experience or training is not required for employment at Dnata. And so, the pay matches the qualifications required, as many of the ramp agents I observed were young, who most likely did not seek higher education for reasons such lack of financial support or interest. As a result of the low wages, there is a very high turnover rate in the ramp subculture, as many often seek higher income employment.

4 Lower portion of aircraft where cargo is being held. 5 Small platform on wheels used to carry heavier objects.

It was easy to spot the newer agents in a crew from the more experienced ones. One of the biggest giveaways was the condition of their safety vest. In a crew, the ramp agents all wear a bright, neon-green vest, while the supervisor sports a neon-orange vest. You can spot a newly hired ramp agent by the cleanliness of his vest, which lacks dirt and grease. The rampees all treated each other the same nonetheless. Their job of loading and off-loading the cargo required that they communicated and worked together. The agent throwing bags off the belly⁴ communicated with the agent throwing bags into carts, who then shouted, “You’re clear!” to the agent loading the cart onto the dollies⁵. It was essential that they worked together to get the job done safely. Nevertheless, the job of a ramp agent was still dangerous, regardless of the emphasis of teamwork and safety on the ramp. Much was due to the lack of training and the large equipment used by Dnata ramp agents. K-loaders are large machines that are used to load the cans which carry the luggage into and out of the plane. As I observed the rampees, they would get on top of the loaders to push the cans onto the dollies. The K-loaders have rotating platforms to assist in moving the cans. There were instances when the agent pushing the can would accidently step on the rotating platform, and almost slip and fall. Or when driving the tugs, especially, at night. The ramp agents would get very close to hitting other agents on the ramp or hitting the aircraft. Other incidents which have occurred include, the Alaska Air ramp agent who was found locked inside the cargo hold of the aircraft on a flight from Seattle to Los Angeles. Luckily, his knocking for help was heard and reported to the pilots who diverted back to Seattle and landed the aircraft 14 minutes after takeoff (Glenza, theguardina.co.uk). The situation could have turned for the worst if the pilot continued to their destination and the aircraft climbed up to 30,000 feet. The conditions and temperatures could have severely harmed the agent. At higher altitudes, the air is thinner, and the temperature can drop below freezing, which could lead to complications such as unconsciousness, hypothermia, and even death. Although this incident, was rare, it is just a reminder of the possible dangers a ramp agent can face in their career.

Time was nearing departure for the Norwegian 787 bound to London. The cargo doors were being closed and the rampees were gathered around the warmth of the exhaust packs. It was night now, and the blinding airport lights brightened the entire ramp. I could see the passengers through the windows, as the flight attendants walked down the aisles. The ramp supervisor called over one of his ramp agents, to help him in connecting the tow bar, from the plane to the tractor. Of course, it was the newer rampee, with the least seniority, who had to leave the warmth of the packs to help his supervisor. He went without being selected, because of his understanding of his lower-seniority position among the rest of the crew. However, that becomes an issue when working in a strictly timed environment. When attempting to connect the bar, it was obvious he was having trouble due to the lack of experience. As an aircraft mechanic, I’ve connected my fair share of tow bars when the ramp crew is short on agents. The bar must perfectly align with the aircraft connection point in order for it to connect. He was having trouble with only a few minutes to spare before the flight becomes delayed. His supervisor couldn’t assist him because he was busy aligning the truck to connect at the other end. The airline reps could only watch, since they are not legally allowed to handle another company’s equipment due to injury liability. I felt sorry for him, as he grew in nervousness with panic. There was a look of despair and cry for help as he scrambled to get the job done. Finally, one of his colleagues came to help, and for the struggling ramp agent who could only watch, that was probably the only training he has ever received. Dnata ramp agents are in and out of Terminal One. I see new agents every week and so it is difficult to constantly provide training for the influx of new hires every week. Regardless, it should be mandatory that the agents are given adequate training before being placed to work around millions of dollars’ worth of equipment. Vocational schools in Sweden have realized the importance of training and begun giving classes for ramp operation training. “Students learn everything from safe driving of GSE (Ground Support Equipment) and handling of dangerous goods to flight planning and load volume and weight distribution and even firefighting and rescue operations” (Smith, Business Insights: Essentials No Pg). Training is essential to the well-being of both the rampee and the company, and it should be taken more serious at JFK. Hopefully, with more training comes higher pay for the hard-working ramp agents, and in turn, more ramp agents would stay.

Finally, the plane was fully ready for departure. The rampees grabbed their “wands”, one of the most essential artifacts for the ramp subculture and marshalled the plane out. The “wands” are brightly colored glow sticks, used to guide the tractor driver when moving the plane, to avoid collision with other aircraft. The “wands” are also used as a final signal to the pilots, signaling that they are clear out of the ramp. Once the plane came to a full stop, and the loudness of the engines roared, the ramp agent waved the wand and gave the final wave goodbye. It’s always great to see the excitement that overcomes the ramp agents when their job is complete, so they can finally run back to the warmth of the breakroom for long-awaited rest and comfort.

 

Works Cited

 

“Airport Ramp Agent: Salary, Duties and Requirements.” Study.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, study.com/articles/Airport_Ramp_Agent_Salary_Duties_and_Requirements.html.

 

“Alaska Airlines ramp agent found inside cargo hold after pilot heard ‘banging’; Flight 448 from       Seattle to Los Angeles took off and was in the air for 14 minutes before pilot made an emergency landing.” Guardian [London, England], 14 Apr. 2015. Academic OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A409596498/AONE?u=cuny_ccny&sid=AONE&xid=2788861e. Accessed 22 Oct. 2018.

 

“Swedish Voc-Tech School Trains Tomorrow’s Ramp Agents.” Ground Support Worldwide Feb. 2014. Business Insights: Essentials. Web. 22 Oct. 2018.