Ramp Agent / Customer Service ( Airtran)

Silverhawk

Silverhawk

New Member
This might be a stupid question.. maybe not.. but can you request Part Time/ Full Time with an airline as a Ramper / Customer Service Agent ?

AirTran just left a voicemail with me today requesting an interview for a position here in Pgh that I applied for a long while back. I definately am going to the interview but wasn't sure if I could make it a full time thing and maybe pick up extra hours to make up some of the income lost if I were to leave my current job with the bank. I just really have hated my job the past year with all the pay cuts and mgmt changes etc.... the job market up here really does suck even with a Master's and I'm going to be in the area probably at little while longer...

I know many of you have worked or are working already in the same area.. just wanted to get your opinions !!

Thanks in advance...
 
It depends on the airline. I think AirTran might start everyone out at PT and move up. XJT normally does that depending on the station. If staffing is tight at a station, FT spots might be open immediately. SWA on the other hand only hires FT in order to keep staffing costs at a minimum. Can't hurt to ask in the interview.
 
Whichever you work (F/T or P/T), you will be bidding on a line. This is a major difference between airlines and typical corporate jobs. As a ramper, your line would likely rebid every three months or so, and the higher your seniority, the more choices you get. As a new hire, you may not have many shifts to choose from. As far as extra hours goes, you may be able to do "shift swaps" with other agents. This usually involves getting a form signed by your supervisor. And you can sometimes pick up shifts from others who want a day off, but that is straight time (not time and a half), even if you're over 40 hours for the week. If you are lucky, there may be overtime available, but in the post 9/11 world, overtime is rarely made available...the airlines would rather make do short staffed or have extra P/T agents they can pay straight time. The recent holiday luggage fiasco shows just how close to the wire some airlines are now willing to get regarding adequate ground crew staffing.
 
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but in the post 9/11 world, overtime is rarely made available...the airlines would rather make do short staffed or have extra P/T agents they can pay straight time.

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Eh, it depends on the airline, the load factors and the staffing. I never had a problem getting OT at SWA, and I was pretty low seniority wise. I even got mandatory OT a couple of times. XJT was pretty much the same way. I was PT, and they were begging me to pick up shifts, some of which they even offered to pay me time and a half if I would just come in. Another thing XJT did was limit the amount of shift new hires could give up. You could pick up as many as you wanted, but you could only give away X amount.
 
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