Secure Areas in Airports

[cdiver2]

That's my point cdiver2, there really is no secure area. This is a gaping hole in airport security. We spend millions closing the front door, passenger screening, yet the back door is open, no secure baggage areas.
I have no doubt that the majority of baggage handlers by far are honest and herd working people. I'm trying to make the point that airport security for baggage is not what it should be.

pay a good wage and you will get good workers that dont want to lose there job.

If the airlines are going to pay $50,000 a year to all these people then be prepaired to pay at least four times what you are paying now for your ticket,

 

[Diver Dennis]

What is the average wage for airport workers?

 

[HowardE]

What is the average wage for airport workers?

That depends on how much they can sell the stolen goods for

(just kidding... no offence to anyone who may work in the airport)

 

[cdiver2]

What is the average wage for airport workers?

minimum wage for baggage handlers and the like. The guy that fuels the plane $1-2 more. People that put your food on the plane minimum, people that clean the cabin minimum.

I don't know if you realize this but most of the employees do not work for the airline, they are hired by a private Co and subcontracted to the airline. No flight benefits, no health benefits, no paid holidays or vacation and Minimum wage...great job. The employee turn over is outstanding.

 

[Diver Dennis]

Yes I know. Alaska just outsourced a bunch of jobs.Here is a link about the wages and such. The average is about $13 but it does vary a lot. http://www.avjobs.com/careers/detail.asp?RecID=69

 

[scubamickey]

You know. This whole thread just reinforces what we already know.

-Don't pack valuables or medicine in checked bags
-Put a lock on the bag (if a thief has the option I would think they would go for the bag that's easier and faster to get into)
-leave the dirty underwear on top

I have said before that I fly a lot. On average about once every other month or more. I have never had a bag completely lost and I've never had anything stolen. Ocassionally I hear a co-worker mention that their cell phone charger got lost. I tend to think that if someone checked their hotel room they would find the thing still plugged into the outlet.

The only airport that I have ever been told is bad for stealing is Miami. When I went to Cuba there was a lady there (in the Continental airlines counter for the Cuban flights) who was taking orders for shrink wrapping bags. i asked if it was because of the Cubans and she laughed and said "hell no, it's because of the workers in this airport". I paid the extra few dollars to shrink wrap my bags

I really do believe that baggage handlers in general aren't thieves. But maybe I've just never had anything they wanted. Which makes me worried as we are traveling to Miami next June with all our dive gear in checked baggage (minus the regs and cameras of course).

 

[scubamickey]

Yes I know. Alaska just outsourced a bunch of jobs.Here is a link about the wages and such. The average is about $13 but it does vary a lot. http://www.avjobs.com/careers/detail.asp?RecID=69

Interesting, it also says the following:

Employees enjoy benefits such as paid vacation, sick leave, life insurance, dental insurance, group accident and sickness insurance, retirement income plans, credit union membership for savings and loan purposes, and free air travel or air travel at greatly reduced rates for employees and members of their families. In addition, they often receive large discounts for travel on international airlines and for hotel accommodations at holiday destinations. Employee suggestion programs with cash awards are another benefit.

 

[cdiver2]

find a well paid job with an airline, if there are any left that hire directly.

I think the link you provided is a job search center specializing in airline jobs. There used to be hundreds in the Florida area. Go to one and they will tell you there are lots of well paid jobs in the industry and they will help find you one. Give them $35 and they will give you a resume to fill out (and tell you what to put in and what not to put in) and that's it. After a few weeks if you call and ask how things are looking you will be told " your resume has been sent to all the airlines and you will be called by the airline if they want you. End of story (don't call here again). You could do the same thing by going to the airport and asking for a application form at the ticket desks.
I may be wrong but do you see an airline name anywhere?

There was a big stink a few years back in Fl about these company's advertising fictitious jobs.

 

[JamesD]

Unfortunately I still disagree with your basic premise Diver Dennis, I don't believe that a secure area needs to be secure to things coming in and going out. I can make a secure area, if I control what goes in, I don't care what comes out, that to me is secure (within the boundries of what I'm interested in, in this case making sure that no bad things get in). Basically airports don't care what gets out of the secure area (lots and lots of bags mostly) they DO care about what gets into the secure area (no bombs, no guns, etc etc).

While there may be holes and issues, and I'm not claiming the security is perfect, because anything can get out of the secure area does not make the area any less secure for the purpose that the airline needs.

 

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I didn't realize you could fly from Miami to Cuba. I've always heard that you had to go from a no US Terr. Curious