"We were woefully underequipped with tugs and carts, and just the basic things you needed to run a ramp operation," he said.
Since then, he has ordered more than 120 new pieces of equipment, 90 of which are in use.
Baggage handlers and managers say it has been routine for one crew to arrive at a gate to handle an arriving flight, find carts and tugs missing, and scavenge by stealing tugs and carts from another gate.
Another tactic: Between flights, employees who worked on a crew together would take turns sitting behind the wheel of a tug to make sure a rival group didn't swipe it.
"These are hardworking people," Grantham said. "They'll do everything they can to protect their equipment. "
Timid managers, weak discipline
Rank-and-file employees weren't the only ones leaving US Airways in droves in recent years. So were the top managers.
With the top command in flux, supervisors have often been afraid to reprimand workers for fear they'll quit, too, leaving crews even more short-staffed.
"Some managers just won't discipline," ramp worker Andre Robinson said. "It's just like, 'Whatever. ' They blow it off. "
In the past, another worker said, some bosses seemed to shrink from their job.
"They're looking to be invisible and survive," the worker said. "They go in their offices and lock the door and won't answer the phone. "
He added that Grantham had shaken up midtier management, which has become much more involved.
Most of Grantham's management team is new. His head of customer service, Nelson Comacho, on the job six months, said he was struck by how workers had no idea who was previously in senior station management.
Former US Airways employees said problems in the Philadelphia baggage service had festered for years. Ambitious executives dreaded being sent to the city.
"Philadelphia was so difficult to work with, there were a number of people in USAir who didn't know how to handle it," said Gerald Hankinson, who served three decades with the airline until leaving in 1996.
"The best people didn't want to be there. You went there if you really screwed up or you were at the bottom of the seniority list. "
Clearly, Grantham, the latest station director, is not in that category. He previously ran America West's Las Vegas hub - a vital post for that airline.
Parker said he was determined to improve service.
"It is our No. 1 initiative," he said. "I don't know of any No. 1 initiatives in my career that I haven't succeeded with. "
|
|
|
|
|
|
NEWS
Philly.com Promotions
