Baggage handlers spend the majority of their working days transferring luggage to and from aircraft, however, that isn’t the only cargo that they are responsible for transporting. Ramp worker Rachel Bacha shares an inside look at her job on her TikTok page @Rachel.Bacha, where she has amassed 44.6k followers.
When one follower asked her “do you deal with the dead bodies?” Rachel confirmed this is absolutely part of the job, although a responsibility she didn’t anticipate in her early days of the job.
The first time she was met with the task, Rachel says she was “freaked out” by the idea.
In her viral video, Rachel explained: “I learned so much when I started working for an airline that I never even thought about, that never crossed my mind, and this was one of them.
“That there are actually, fairly recently, human remains on planes. By on planes, I mean in the cargo hold.
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“When I first started working on the ramp I was 19 years old, I was fresh and so young and scared and the job was super intimidating to me but I was doing it anyway, I was powering through.
“It was my first or second day on the ramp not doing computer training or book training, and my supervisor at the time said: ‘Hey, take Rachel and go get HR or go to HR or something like that’.”
Rachel says she naively thought HR stood for Human Resources but was surprised to find that it is actually shorthand for “human remains”.
She continued: “We get over to cargo, this big building, and there is this big old box, a human-sized box.”
Rachel has since moved plenty of cargo in her role, but she admits that the first encounter left her feeling uneasy.
The baggage handler explained: “Not so much anymore but the idea there was a human body right infant of me in this box, kind of freaked me out, and I am sure all of the blood left my face.”
She added: “Sometimes they’re inside a coffin and then inside the cardboard box and sometimes they’re just inside the cardboard box.
“I’m not entirely sure how they are fixed inside of the box, but when you put them in the cargo hold you have to make sure that the head is above the feet sot at nothing moves around if there is anything because it could cause smells, problems, all that good stuff.
“So many random things you didn’t know. Statistically, you’ve probably been on a flight where there are human remains below you.”
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Although it’s not a nice thought, bodies are often carried in the holds on aeroplanes, however, there are strict rules and regulations which must be followed.
Experts from FuneralWise explain most bodies that need to be transported overseas will be carried in the cargo hold and are specially shipped.
They explained: “Most airlines will transport dead bodies but you’ll have to work with a funeral director or a specialised transport company.”
This will need to be signed off by authorities and sent with an approved shipper.
If you or someone you know is struggling with bereavement, Mind offers a helpful guide and useful support resources.
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