Yellow Gate Valet Tags

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Nov 30, 2006
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I worked a SFO-PHL flight tongiht that was fairly full. At the last minute, 2 F/C class passengers board. All the bins are full, so I offer to Gate Valet their bags so they are on the jetway upon arrival in PHL. Nice passengers, and they are very understanding.

WHAT A DAMM MISTAKE! We arrive in PHL and after deplaning, the gate agent comes down looking for the bags. NO GATE VALET BAGS HAVE ARRIVED!! They have all been sent to baggage claim. I ask th F/O to go down and double check and he confirms that the bags in the bins have been sent to baggage claim.

Who the hell do we have working the ramp in PHL? These guys/gals know what a valet tage looks like! It toatlly sucks. Totally embarrasing, when I as theFA ,who valeted his bag ,comes face to face with him as I enter the gate area. GET IT TOGETHER PHL!!!!
 
We were deadheading in the middle of a winter snow/ ice storm from PHL-BOS and when we got to BOS, the rampers put our bags on the ramp and left them there. They unloaded all of the bags while we waited on the jetway. Then one of our pilots went down and our bags were sitting in huge slush puddles with the gate valet tickets on them... and the rampers were loading the new bags for the next flight! WTF!
 
The ramp is told to leave the crew bags on the ramp for the crew to retrieve.
 
I've seen this happen on other flights from the West to East stations, and not just PHL.

I don't completely blame the rampers for this. For years, they were trained that the only things to come up to the jetway were strollers and wheelchairs.

This sounds like another West procedure that was foisted upon the East personnel, without anybody bothering to communicate it properly to the frontline employees who are supposed to institute it.
 
The ramp is told to leave the crew bags on the ramp for the crew to retrieve.
Ahhh. But only the pilots are allowed to go onto the ramp, so how does Tempe want the f/a's to get their bags? Typical Tempe. Hey, that's what we should rename the airline! :down:
 
I know in phx/las all yellow tagged bags go back up to the jetway no matter if it's crew or passengers bags. "It is not a west thing"
 
I know in phx/las all yellow tagged bags go back up to the jetway no matter if it's crew or passengers bags. "It is not a west thing"

Really? A co-worker of mine had a "gate valet" tag on her bag on a PHL-PHX flight and after waiting on the jet bridge until the crew walked off she was told her bag went to baggage claim.
Not just a Philly thing!
 
The ramp is told to leave the crew bags on the ramp for the crew to retrieve.

Old procedure.

Current procedure: CREW tags no longer exist and DH crew bags are to be checked with a GREEN valet tag (one time use only) and treated the same as a stroller, IE taken by ramp personnel from the jetway at dep and replaced on the jetway upon arrival by ramp personnel.

Whether the procedure is followed or not is another matter...

Assuming the correct GREEN valet tags were used in the first post, there isn't really any excuse for the bags not to have been there on the jetway. OTOH, is anyone really all THAT suprised by this?
 
IDK why Philly would disrespect valet tags that much.. Here in PHX that's our top priority. the FIRST thin we look for is green! (not money)

It's my mission to find crew bags, as it was your mission to get me so drunk in first class! One hand washes the other! :)


Philly just sucks ass. analyze it any way you want, it's just lawlessness down there. I'd like to invite any of you to come down and unload a bin full of bags that came from Philly. It's awful.
 
Philly just sucks ass. analyze it any way you want, it's just lawlessness down there. I'd like to invite any of you to come down and unload a bin full of bags that came from Philly. It's awful.

I love when they load the gate checks 1st, then everything else on top of them. Particularly when we get in at 2am and want to go to the hotel but the old people have to wait for wheelchairs and families with the multiple kids wait for strollers. Admittedly, the East hasn't cornered that market, but it isn't very common out West.
 
In response to the original post....

Ramp agents are told the only checked luggage that is to taken back up the jetway
upon arrival are ''wheelchairs, walkers, strollers, and things that are imperitive
for the passenger to make it to thier connection or the claim area.

They are not to bring any checked baggage or baggage related items up the
jetway. This could lead to numerous people seeing this occur and asking for thier
carry ons that need to be checked to be returned to them on the jetway. The crew
off loading the a/c would end up delaying the offload of the whole a/c to accomadate
the checked carry ons.

This is not so on express flights because the jetway (if any) is easily accessible and
baggage is often gate checked.

You could have moved a couple of your crew bags to accomadate the passengers valet
bags or checked thier valet bags through to thier final destination otherwise they will go
to the claim area.

Now, I know it was 2 passengers being nice and helping you out so maybe you could have
asked the captain or f/o to go down plane side upon arrival and retrieved the valet bags for the
passengers. The Goverment is not going to allow the ramp agent to return a personel bag to
a passenger once that bag is checked at the gate or counter unless that passenger is outside
a secure area.

Don't know if this is the answer you want to hear but its' the procedure and if other agents do
bring up checked items other than those approved from the Goverment than don't push the
issue and be happy they didn't follow procedure.

bob...phl
 
hey chill,
"Philly just sucks ass. analyze it any way you want, it's just lawlessness down there. I'd like to invite any of you to come down and unload a bin full of bags that came from Philly. It's awful."


try unloading one from phx.. I thought I would never say this. But I will take a PHL inbd any day over PHX

thats a fact .!!!
 
In response to the original post....

Ramp agents are told the only checked luggage that is to taken back up the jetway
upon arrival are ''wheelchairs, walkers, strollers, and things that are imperitive
for the passenger to make it to thier connection or the claim area.

They are not to bring any checked baggage or baggage related items up the
jetway. This could lead to numerous people seeing this occur and asking for thier
carry ons that need to be checked to be returned to them on the jetway. The crew
off loading the a/c would end up delaying the offload of the whole a/c to accomadate
the checked carry ons.

This is not so on express flights because the jetway (if any) is easily accessible and
baggage is often gate checked.

You could have moved a couple of your crew bags to accomadate the passengers valet
bags or checked thier valet bags through to thier final destination otherwise they will go
to the claim area.

Now, I know it was 2 passengers being nice and helping you out so maybe you could have
asked the captain or f/o to go down plane side upon arrival and retrieved the valet bags for the
passengers. The Goverment is not going to allow the ramp agent to return a personel bag to
a passenger once that bag is checked at the gate or counter unless that passenger is outside
a secure area.

Don't know if this is the answer you want to hear but its' the procedure and if other agents do
bring up checked items other than those approved from the Goverment than don't push the
issue and be happy they didn't follow procedure.

bob...phl
WRONG!!!!!!!!!!! The new valet tag procedure was implemented on all mainline flights a few months back. It is only to be used for first class passengers. Ramp agents are to bring all valet taged bags up to the jetway with carseats,strollers, etc. It is never a problem in any station but PHL. PHX,CLT,LAS it is always a breeze.

Oh and btw....crew bags are never stored in the FC overhead bins.