Looking at an airport operate can help pass the time while you wait for a flight. While you watch the orchestra of people and vehicles prepare a plane for its flight, a baggage tow tractor will certainly participate.
Bearskin Airlines at Thunder Bay International Airport in Ontario, Canada, has a really weird way of hauling luggage around: It hooks luggage carts to hacked Neons, an Econobox sold with Chrysler, Dodge, and Plymouth badges – all the same car. These seem to be from the 1996-99 generation.
These photos come our way of one epic Twitter thread of the airline’s passengers. If you have a good laugh today I highly recommend it. I am used to seeing hacked Dodge Neons do dumb stunts on one Gambler 500, do not perform serious operations at an international airport. But here we are.
I love it! Aside from the Neon which is clearly missing its roof and doors, the airline appears to have two more with golf carts grafted onto the back. Woah. When I stopped laughing, I realized this actually made sense. Listen to me.
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Such a decent luggage tractor TUG MA-50 costs a lot of money. These are heavy-duty machines designed to withstand heavy loads, a lot of abuse and years of service.
A Neon – especially a worn one – costs a fraction of the price of a luggage tractor. These are cars that an airline can buy for $ 500. Scrapped ones are probably even cheaper. Take a reciprocating saw up to the roof and mount a tow bar on the back: Boom! You have a luggage tractor.
This is an absolute cost saving for airlines. A cut up Neon isn’t nearly as strong or rugged as a real-life baggage tow tractor, but airline passengers have reported seeing a small fleet of things over the years. So apparently they do the job.
I love seeing regular passenger cars modified for aviation use, although seeing a Neon around luggage is definitely a first for me. This kind of reminds me of those 4×4 pickup trucks that have been cut in half and modified to haul floating planes around.