Baggage Handler - Various Jobs of Baggage Handlers

Various Jobs of Baggage Handlers

Operations (load control) agent: An aircraft has weight and balance limitations in order to ensure safe operation. There is a limit to how much a loaded aircraft can weigh; therefore the cargo, passenger and fuel load must be distributed so that the aircraft is "in balance" -- in other words, not too nose-heavy or tail-heavy. One of the jobs of the Operations agent is to ensure that the aircraft—as finally loaded—is "legal" (within safe limits) before the aircraft departs the gate. Upon satisfaction of this mandated requirement, that data is used to generate information which the pilot requires in order to ensure the safe operation of the aircraft.

Warehouse agent: The air freight warehouse is where inbound and outbound air freight is processed. It is usually located on or adjacent to airport property and is usually separate from the passenger terminal. This is a secure (sterile) area where only authorized persons are allowed access. If inbound international shipments are involved and have not been cleared by customs, those shipments (and the warehouse) may be "in bond" which requires additional security clearance/authorization of employees.

Crew Chief: Responsible for many different job functions usually consisting of a team of rampers who report directly to him or her. Crew Chiefs are responsible for safely seeing that an aircraft has been loaded to the specifications of the load agent and reporting any discrepancies to management. Usually this job has a premium rate of pay for the extra responsibilities.

Ramp Agent: The people working on the ramp that are typically seen loading bags are referred to as "Ramp Agents". They are responsible for various things such as ensuring the inbound flights are unloaded in a timely fashion. On outbound flights, the ramp agents will load the flight and in some instances be responsible for accounting for what baggage may have been loaded in which compartments to ensure proper weight and balance, although this job is often the responsibility of Flight Operations employees.

Transfer Agent: This term is loosely used to refer to any agent who operates a vehicle that is used to transfer bags either from one flight to another or to refer to the agent carrying bags from the "bag room" to the proper flight. Another common term for this position is "runner". At locations where an airline operates a hub the agent responsible for meeting flights and transferring baggage directly from an inbound flight to the proper outbound flight(s) is termed a "connections runner", often shortened to "connects" and abbreviated as "conx".

Inbound Runner: The inbound runner is the agent in charge of delivering bags from an inbound aircraft to the baggage claim carousel.

Lavatory Agent: Each aircraft equipped with a lavatory needs to expend its waste somehow. This is where the lavatory or "lav" agent comes in. After an inbound aircraft arrives, it is the lav agent's job to flush the lavatory system. Despite what one may expect, the lesser physical demands of this position put it in equal or higher demand with other positions. In stations with higher volumes of passenger traffic, lavatory agents will usually utilize trucks adapted with large tanks on board that do not need to be emptied as often. These are also configured to facilitate access to the waste ports of the aircraft, which can be out of reach by other means. In places where fewer or smaller aircraft are being serviced a "lav cart" (essentially a small lav truck pulled behind a tug) is used to service the lavatories.

Mail/Freight Agent: As mail and freight arrives at a destination to either terminate at that location or continue on to another destination, certified agents handle and deliver it. They are responsible for scanning each package and delivering it to its proper aircraft.

Bag Room Agent: As baggage is delivered into the bag room via conveyor belt it is the Bag Room agent's job to sort bags into carts according to routing.