Baggage theft conspiracy uncovered in Virginia

Two baggage handlers have pleaded guilty for their involvement in an ongoing plot to steal passengers’ possessions from their luggage in Virginia.

The pair in question, 25-year-old Chris Arthur Perry and 27-year-old Gregory Paul Wingard, were charged by a federal grand jury on October 7, 2015. On December 18, the Department of Justice announced that both men had pleaded guilty to stealing items for the period from December 2013 to June 2015 at Norfolk International airport.

According to the details of the case, the two men broke into checked baggage in order to take money, electronics and other items and sell them on to individuals or pawn shops. The pair reportedly targeted firearm containers while searching for bags to break into and both now face a maximum penalty of five years in prison when sentenced on March 14, 2016.

Fast for better conditions

As was covered in Ramp Equipment News recently, unrest in the US over wage levels continues to grab the headlines. Airport and ramp staff have been caught up in the general movement that seeks to set a minimum wage of US$15 an hour for what is often unskilled, manual labor. And with ramp workers taking home perhaps US$8 an hour, and with some having to hold down two jobs at a time to make ends meet, there is clearly a need for a reappraisal.

What hit the headlines in Seattle a couple of years back is now steadily filtering through the rest of the US. In order to draw attention to their plight cleaners, skycaps, baggage handlers, security officers and other ramp workers have been holding a 24 hour fast in the hours leading up to the country’s Thanksgiving Day. Across the country, contracted airport staff are coming together through Airport Workers Unite: in all, some 14 airports have been affected, as the staff show solidarity and try to spotlight their plight. And plight is perhaps not an ill-chosen word in this context.

According to a study carried out by the University of California Berkley Labor Center, some 37% of cleaning staff and baggage workers live on or close to the poverty line; and a survey of 500 subcontracted passenger services workers at John F Kennedy International, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty International airports conducted last year by the Economic Policy Institute revealed that 50% of airport employees in the region were reliant on some form of public assistance to survive. Moreover, 20% of staff admitted that they had missed a meal within the past week because of financial reasons.

Whilst there is plenty of support in high places for these underprivileged sections of the workforce, any sort of concrete proposals seem to be a way off yet.

Take a walk behind

US manufacturer WASP (now FAST Global Solutions) offers a walk-behind beltloader that features easy, safe operation at a fraction of the cost of a drivable beltloader. To achieve this, WASP has eliminated the drive components to increase the unit’s longevity and to lower maintenance requirements, whilst reducing costs for the air travel and cargo handling industries.

The towable units keep packages and luggage moving as fast as 100 feet (30 meters) per minute, without sacrificing control. The belt operates at variable speeds in forward and reverse for easy loading and unloading, obviating the need for the operator to reposition the machine.

The manufacturer has also announced the production of a new side-tow European dolly. This innovative transporter features a patent-pending pivoting front towbar designed to increase safety and maneuverability. FAST engineers incorporated a foot-activated, quick-release mechanism that easily unlocks the towbar, allowing it to pivot right or left to connect to a tug or another dolly. Once transport begins and the towbar straightens, the mechanism automatically locks the towbar into a straight position for towing.

German technology comes to the US

Materna, the Germany-based developer and supplier of automated passenger handling systems and solutions, opened its own US office in Orlando, in October. The move enables Materna to promote its well-established products and solutions for the aviation sector in the US marketplace. In co-operation with its local partner, Ultra Electronics Airport Systems, Materna has begun delivering passenger handling systems at a large regional airport in California.

At the recent FTE Global, in Las Vegas, Materna focussed on presenting its latest generation of automatic common-use baggage handling and self-tagging solutions. Regarded as one of the real innovators in this sector, Materna has implemented the current self-bag drop standard set by IATA and has integrated components for cashless payments in common-use environments. Materna’s solution offers passengers the opportunity to hand in their baggage by themselves, irrespective of desk opening times. Should baggage weight allowances be exceeded, Materna also calculates the excess baggage charge, which can then be paid on the spot. This new bag drop solution can be deployed by airport operators as a fully automatic system at unmanned kiosks or as a solution accompanied by staff for different airlines.

Continental opens first commercial tire retread facility in Vegas

CMC Tire, a full service tire dealer, and Continental Tire the Americas are celebrating their partnership with the opening of their first commercial tire retread facility in Las Vegas, Nevada.

An opening ceremony was held at the new 25,000 square-foot facility, which will be able to produce up to 24,000 retread tires a year, eventually increasing to a production capacity of 48,000. This will facilitate the service of more than 300 customers and create 18 new job positions.

At the grand opening, CMC Tire announced plans to service both southern Utah and the greater Las Vegas area with new and retread tires, with the latter made using Continental’s ContiTrac premium retreading solution, which extends the overall life of the tire.