Overheard at Islip Airport
By Kevin
Due to unspecified security concerns, last night's 8:30 from ISP to BWI departed at 11:30 or so, but I had already rescheduled for the first flght out this morning when I was passing through a pack of baggage handlers smoking outside. One sang a very short ditty:
Nuttin' but DE-lays, babyThough the extreme delay was not the fault of this man or of his colleagues, one can see a perverse incentive arising. Still, I'm not a manager, but I'd say than an overtime structure that rewards everyday personnel with a bonus for working slowly is neither labor-friendly nor shareholder-wealth maximizing.makin' OT like CRA-zy
This got me thinking, "Could airport ground crews collude with one another to slow down air traffic, giving each other routine OT?" These aren't sumo wrestlers, but why not?
Garry Kelley, call your office.
P.S. While I'm complaining about business, I should note that not all taxicab passengers like heavy-on-bass dance music cooming in their ears, especially on what could be a serene ride on a deserted highway at 4am. In addition, empty beer cans on the floor of the backseat do not inspire confidence about a driver's sobriety, sanity, or cleanliness. Now I didn't complain about either the music or the beer, as both were easily explained: the driver had spent a night returning drunks home from the bars. More importantly, he was willing to discuss the economics of suburban taxicab driving (which are, in his experience, radically different from urban taxi driving, except in the Hamptons and surrounding environs, where the drunk kids are BIG tippers).