CAA Suspends Porter Service at Airports

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Abbas Ali
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CAA Suspends Porter Service at Airports

Post by Abbas Ali »

KARACHI: As a knee-jerk reaction to the terrorist attack on Karachi airport the Civil Aviation Authority is learnt to have “temporarily” suspended porter service at the airports and the porters have been assigned security duties.

While the decision will add to the problems of the travellers, particularly those needing assistance, it will also make security vulnerable by putting untrained personnel on strategic duties.

Responding to Dawn’s queries, CAA spokesperson Abid Kaimkhani confirmed that the porter service had been suspended at airports. But, he said, elderly persons or women in need of the service could approach the CAA information counter and ask for porters and the official concerned would arrange the facility after assessing the condition of the passenger.

He said there were around 3,500 porters at various airports. Earlier they were working on daily wages, but on court orders their services were regularised and now they were regular and permanent employees of CAA with wages ranging between Rs 20,000 and Rs 50,000.

He said that they would not be terminated, but would be transferred to other CAA departments according to their qualification. Some of them are graduates.

He, however, was not sure when the service would be offered again and said that it had been suspended temporarily. He said that the porter service was not available in other countries and was available only at Pakistani airports.

The authority’s CBA Union chief Mohammad Adil said that passengers – particularly women with children and travelling alone, elderly people and the handicapped-- were facing difficulties because of absence of porters who were a great help to them.

He said porters had been assigned security duties and posted at entry gates. Porters, he added, are not trained for security duties which required special skills.

Source: DAWN
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raihans
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Re: CAA Suspends Porter Service at Airports

Post by raihans »

He said that the porter service was not available in other countries and was available only at Pakistani airports.
We are suffering with porter mafia at KWI for few years, even this issue has been raised number of times through print & online media; authorities are unable to cope with this issue yet.
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Re: CAA Suspends Porter Service at Airports

Post by Dr747 »

He said that the porter service was not available in other countries and was available only at Pakistani airports
I love the fact that EVERYONE in Pakistan is an expert on everything in every other country. This person has either never travelled outside Pakistan or is blind.
Lets start with the airports where these facilities ARE available.
UK all major airports offer FREE assistance to passengers who are not able to lift/move their luggage. London Heathrow has also got a paid porter service (a lot less in numbers but nonetheless available). I have seen them with large red luggage trollies. I can't remember their charges but they were not more than £20.
Anyothers? It might help our CAA "EXPERT"
Raihans has already added KWI.
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Re: CAA Suspends Porter Service at Airports

Post by riz »

Porter wages @ 20 - 50 ,000.
Wow...these siyasi chamcha type porters wander around trying to fetch tips from people needing their help... + these rs 200 charges never actually go to CAA.
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Re: CAA Suspends Porter Service at Airports

Post by Moin »

Well I hope there will be trolleys available because every airport, every civilized airport, has trolleys at passengers disposal at departures and arrivals. More than half of our ticket prices are taxes and surcharges, where is that money going? What benefit am I getting out of it? Its high time airlines and travel agents put their foot down. You do nothing and exactly nothing will happen.

However, another incident I found to be of concern which I am mentioning here. A friend of mine was flying to DXB on EK the same morning I was flying to London and we met in the departure lounge and she was telling me that when she entered the terminal building and waiting in line to put her bags through the first x-ray scanner, there was this plain clothes man standing there who told her to use another x-ray scanner on the other side as it did not detect things very well and she'll pass through much quicker. To translate into Urdu his words were 'Ap wo dusra scanner me apna samaan dal dain, wo zyada nahi dikhata hai ap jaldi farigh ho jain gi' and she was quite shocked that this person would stand there and in earshot of so many other people, tell her and expose a weakness in the security system. I was quite taken aback as well and I see this as quite serious. She had no idea who he was but she said he appeared one of those 'facilitation' people working there, all the more reason he should not be exposing weaknesses and deficiencies in the security system especially after what had just happened a few days earlier.

If the CAA and Pakistan do not get their act together, all airports in this country will be red flagged and foreign carriers will pull out one by one. The CAA seems positively impotent.
Moin Abbasi
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Re: CAA Suspends Porter Service at Airports

Post by Dr747 »

Moin wrote: However, another incident I found to be of concern which I am mentioning here. A friend of mine was flying to DXB on EK the same morning I was flying to London and we met in the departure lounge and she was telling me that when she entered the terminal building and waiting in line to put her bags through the first x-ray scanner, there was this plain clothes man standing there who told her to use another x-ray scanner on the other side as it did not detect things very well and she'll pass through much quicker. To translate into Urdu his words were 'Ap wo dusra scanner me apna samaan dal dain, wo zyada nahi dikhata hai ap jaldi farigh ho jain gi' and she was quite shocked that this person would stand there and in earshot of so many other people, tell her and expose a weakness in the security system. I was quite taken aback as well and I see this as quite serious. She had no idea who he was but she said he appeared one of those 'facilitation' people working there, all the more reason he should not be exposing weaknesses and deficiencies in the security system especially after what had just happened a few days earlier.

If the CAA and Pakistan do not get their act together, all airports in this country will be red flagged and foreign carriers will pull out one by one. The CAA seems positively impotent.

Oldest trick in the book to get some money out of passengers. What you will find is that "less good" scanner works fine. But they still ask passengers to open back and do search before everyone. just time waste and if you are in a rush or nor familiar with these bastards then get more "rishwat" out. I have also heard these before from porters and these so called facilitators but never changed my lane. I always said, "no problem I have enough time so do not mind waiting!" "do not mind a good scan". that normally results in them not asking any question after scan either.

You are spot on about CAA.
Most of the postings on airports are a result of corrupt practices and hence "rishwat" from passengers.
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Re: CAA Suspends Porter Service at Airports

Post by Moin »

Yes but even if the other scanner works fine, you do not mention these things. You never know who that person is whom you are giving this information to. Even if its not true and a tactic to get tips, you do not disclose any weakness in the system whatsoever. Words from loose tongues find a home in the wrong ears.
Moin Abbasi
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