Ramp Agent

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Proballr32

New Member
Hey gang, I've a got a question about ramp agents. I'm graduating in May from a university here in B'ham, and I'm thinking about possibly working for WN as a ramp agent over the summer at BHM while I take a few classes at a community college before heading to med school. I am also working on my PPL, and am an aspiring airline pilot. My question is, what is life like as a ramp agent? Will being a ramp agent have any influence on getting a job up in the cockpit? I hear that WN treats their employees very well, and that they are a great company to work for. I believe that pay starts out at $8.75 and hour, and then increases to $10.00 an hour for year two. Any perspective that you guys could give about the job in general and/or southwest in particular would be really appreciated.
 
Medschool and learning to fly.. hope you have deep pockets. lol.... from what I understand WN is a great company to work for.. ask kellwolf he used to work for them .... I do know that they do not hire seasonal workers so dont tell them during the interview that you plan on just staying for the summer




-Rabbi
 
I used to work the ramp for Frontier here in Denver and while I don't think that since I was a ramp worker for them it will directly lead me to a pilot job, I did however get to know alot of people in HR, and the flight department. I managed to score some free sim time in the A319 and got to pick the brain of one of the Chief Pilots.

If you have a good reputation while working on the ramp it can only help down the road when you are trying to interview and you can tell them that you used to work there. The day I meet the minimums at Frontier my resume will be on their desk and they WILL know about it.

In short, it's not the working the ramp that will help you that much, what can help is using that ramp/company access to get to know the right people.

It is a fun job at times though!
 
Check with SWA on the option of working during the summer only. Delta use to hire seasonal help like that....Dont overload yourself with school, flying and working. Something will suffer and its usually school, I know been there done that, and school should come first. Working the ramp will give you an idea of what the airline industry is all about and the every hour changes. At times is more chaotic than an chinese firedrill and can be slower that watching paint dry. Working the ramp may not lead to the right seat of an airliner but will give you an perspective from under the wing.
 
Ah working the ramp. Working for Comair in MCO was like a chinese fire drill! Oh man when I first started I was running around like a chicken with it's head cut off. It was way different than when I worked ramp for AA. When I left I could do it in my sleep. It's fun, exciting at times and dead other times. I know AA had been doing the seasonal thing since they let people go. You might want to try a smaller airline like a regional.
 
Well I guess I'm fairly qualifed to answer your questions. I am currently a WN ramp agent up in BDL. Life as a ramp agent as WN can be awesome at times, and other times totaly suck. When I first started and up until we got our most recent newhires, I was working 60-90 hours a week. I was being mandatoried on my first day off and then for doubles on most of my regular days. I would be at BDL from 9am-2am most days. I would have huge paychecks, as I would get overtime and doubletime, but I would be way too tired to even think about using any of the money. Now that our station has become fully staffed however, I work OT when I want and can work just 40 hours a week if I want. I also get the schedule I want now, which greatly increases my QOL. Right now I can hold a 315pm start with Friday/Saturday off each week. This allows me to sleep in most of the week and then go out and have fun with my friends those two nights.

The job itself is a blast, especially if your into aviation. I enjoy pushing back 737's up and down the alley here at BDL. Especially when you have a United pushing across from you and then a US Airways plane coming in all at the same time. Also the satisfaction of stuffing 117 bags going to vegas on the front a -700 is pretty nice.

Life as a ramp agent can also vary depending on the station. At BDL we run very short. We work just about every flight that comes in or out. Usually only 2 people per gate as we always have two planes come in at once with the current schedule. At night we usually get 3 on the ground at the same time, and we will have to save one flight for later. I don't know how they run at BHM, but I'm guessing it's similar to us. I do know BHM has less flights, so it should be more managable than what it is here in BDL.

As for the company, I can say it's a pretty good company to work for. The benefits help offset the low starting pay. Also the moral here is pretty high and nobody worries if their job will be here the next day or not. I'm glad I got on with WN and hope to stay here for a little while. Also about the pay, 10.18/hr is 2nd year pay.

As for the job in the cockpit, this job won't directly get you there, but in the future if you ever have have competitive times, it can't hurt if you had a good record while working here as a ramp agent.

I also attended community college during the fall, and that wasn't too hard to do while working here. I might go back this spring and do some more courses this spring. I also worked/working on my PPL while working here.

If you have any further questions, just ask. I was hired in June of 05, so I've been here a little over 6 months.
 
RobS, I work in BNA and have been trying to get on with SWA for a couple of years. It seems like they never post the positions, but I still see new people getting hired. What is the best way to get a resume to the top of the stack?
 
I'd go up to the CSR counter and find out whatever you can. If you want networking find a ramp job at an FBO. I work at Signature and have made it my goal to "BS" with these corporate pilots flying in. Some are even airline guys flying recreationally on their time off. I've made some good contacts there. The only thing about being a ramp rat at an airline is the free flight benefits.
 
thanks for the response. Yeah, it figures the two passions I have ( medical field and aviation) are very expensive. I am in no hurry to get to medical school, so I can stay at WN for longer than just the summer. I only need to finish a few upper level biology and chemistry classes. BHM doesn't seem to be too busy, so it will probably work out okay. Does anyone know what kind of shifts are available?
 
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