Aircraft Baggage Handler and Ground Crew
What the work is
Loads and unloads air freight, directs planes, positions staircases and performs other aircraft ground services to ensure aircraft operations run efficiently.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Loads and unloads air freight from aircraft
- Inspects air freight to ensure it is properly loaded and secured
- Operates vehicles and material-moving equipment during the loading, unloading and transportation of air freight
- Sorts air freight for processing, transport or storage
- Positions loading ramps and staircases to allow passengers to board and disembark aircraft
- Assists in the movement of aircraft on the ground
- Communicates with pilots, Flight Attendants and other ground crew members to coordinate aircraft operations
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a regional airport apron where small jets are turned around, and a container wharf in the nearest port. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A plane is loaded, fuelled and pushed back right on time, and the pilot gives a wave
- A ship is emptied and refilled in a single smooth shift, with the whole gang in rhythm
- A clear dawn shift when the apron is quiet and the first flight of the day is yours
Hard days
- Wind, rain or heat on an open apron where the work does not stop for the weather
- A late flight that makes everything else bunch up behind it
- Heavy bags, early starts and a bay full of people who all need something at once
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 741931, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.