Meet Joey Costallo, Ramp Manager at Pearson Airport. But no one calls him that. To the crews, the union, and even the vending machine guy, he’s “Joey Time.”
Why?
Because when Joey asks you to stay late, the only proper response is:
“How many hours, boss?”
followed by a slow, dramatic wallet-opening sound.
The Legend Begins…
It started with a cargo jam in 2017. The kind of jam where you need a forklift, a backhoe, and a priest.
Joey, panic in his headset, looked at his crew and calmly said:
“Guys… stay a couple extra hours? OT. Double time. Maybe some pizza.”
Boom.
The gates filled. The bags flew. The team moved like Olympic gymnasts on Red Bull and Tim Hortons.
From that moment on, Joey Time wasn’t a nickname — it was a lifestyle.
His Signature Moves:
- The Open Vest Handshake: When Joey gently tugs the zipper of his reflective vest and says, “Got one last flight, fellas…”
That’s code for “clear your evening plans.” - The Shoulder Pat of Riches:
A subtle tap on the shoulder and the whisper, “I’ll bump it to time-and-a-half…”
That move has saved marriages, mortgages, and at least three broken marriages with new mortgages. - The Ramp Shuffle™:
Joey pacing the tarmac with his clipboard like a casino pit boss, handing out overtime like he’s dealing cards: “You get a shift. You get a shift. Everybody gets a shift!”
The Day the Crews Said “Yes” Too Hard
One snowy Tuesday, an entire shift stayed for ten extra hours.
Why?
Joey promised double OT, catered shawarma, and a raffle to win a front-row spot at the urinal without the seat being wet.
By sunrise, Joey’s entire team had clocked 47 man-days in one night.
Accounting fainted.
HR called it “a systems error.”
The union declared Joey a “Time Lord.”
The Finale: Joey Time Immortalized
One day, Joey announced his retirement. The ramp crews wept openly.
On his last shift, every crew member stayed late — unpaid — to send him off. They lit orange marshalling wands like candles, spelling out:
“THANK YOU JOEY TIME.”
He wiped away a tear, looked at the clipboard one last time and said,
“Alright boys… one more turn?”
And damn it — they did it.
