How To ‘Ramp Up’ New Ramp Operations

by Steve Smith
Created: March 28, 2012

Matheson Flight Extenders has long specialized in ground support for the USPS, but is branching out into the commercial sector.

Matheson Flight Extenders specializes in terminal handling and ground support services for the United States Postal Service and other commercial carriers at 16 cities across the United States.
Matheson Flight Extenders specializes in terminal handling and ground support services for the United States Postal Service and other commercial carriers at 16 cities across the United States.
All images Courtesty of Matheson Flight Extenders

Matheson Flight Extenders won its first international contract last year to provide ground handling service to Asiana Airlines three weekly cargo flights at Portland, OR.
Matheson Flight Extenders won its first international contract last year to provide ground handling service to Asiana Airlines three weekly cargo flights at Portland, OR.
"We’re the little guy that your magazine started out to serve," says Kenneth DeVolpi, station manager at Harford, CT. "We’re trying our best to grow and go up against the big guys."
"We’re the little guy that your magazine started out to serve," says Kenneth DeVolpi, station manager at Harford, CT. "We’re trying our best to grow and go up against the big guys."
“By the time we do turn you loose on the ramp,” says Tom Tagart, manager of operations and safety, “there is a great deal of trust placed on you.”
“By the time we do turn you loose on the ramp,” says Tom Tagart, manager of operations and safety, “there is a great deal of trust placed on you.”
Matheson Flight Extenders didn’t have much of a presence at any airports until 2001. The big change came in 2001 when the USPS outsourced much of its airport-related operations and put Flight...
Matheson Flight Extenders didn’t have much of a presence at any airports until 2001. The big change came in 2001 when the USPS outsourced much of its airport-related operations and put Flight Extenders in charge of 13 airport locations.

Asiana also operates flights at other Flight Extenders locations. The airlines said at the start that they will evaluate the Portland operation to determine if they will make a switch.

“We have very open lines of communications,” Tagart adds. “We’re always talking a lot with our staff about our performance standards – that we want to run efficiently and show a profit on the bottom line.”

For the customer, Tagart says the clear communications extend not to just what they’ve done right, but also what didn’t go according to plans.

“We’ll provide them with the corrective action that we’ll take to fix it,” he adds.

O’Donnell will also be keeping a sharp eye on the Asiana contract.

“It’s great to see that the high-quality systems and service that we’ve built into our company do translate well and are appreciated in commercial business like Asiana,” O’Donnell says. “We believe there is quite a future for us there to grow.”