Behind the Scenes: Life on the Ramp

Passengers may only catch glimpse of all that happens between landing, takeoff

By Julie Bercik

Published July 25, 2022

Read Time: 2 mins

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“You have to keep your head on a swivel.”

That comment, from James Bivins, ramp supervisor for Trego-Dugan Aviation at Pittsburgh International Airport, captures the workday life of all the people who help airplanes land and take off without actually being onboard.

With about 140 current daily departures, that keeps the multitude of ground crews busy: guiding airplanes to the gate or pushing them back for departure, chocking or putting down or removing blocks that keep planes in place, loading or unloading luggage, and a host of other duties.

“You marshal in the plane, the plane is huge, it’s loud,” Bivins said.