Vatican

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Jan 30, 2016
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I was on another full flight last week, and got into a conversation with a flight attendant who mentioned that loading passengers in and getting them settled was so much work, but that it was unpaid, because FA's are only on the clock once the doors closed! True? Doesn't that speak to the 'lost wages' issue we keep hearing about in other industries? 
She had raised the issue with management, and in response they told her that if they had to pay all FA's for load-ins and load-outs, it would "cost too much money"! I thought airlines were exceptionally profitable for the moment, but in any case, it shouldn't matter. BTW, management said that to her in an email!
 
 
Vatican said:
I was on another full flight last week, and got into a conversation with a flight attendant who mentioned that loading passengers in and getting them settled was so much work, but that it was unpaid, because FA's are only on the clock once the doors closed! True? Doesn't that speak to the 'lost wages' issue we keep hearing about in other industries? 
She had raised the issue with management, and in response they told her that if they had to pay all FA's for load-ins and load-outs, it would "cost too much money"! I thought airlines were exceptionally profitable for the moment, but in any case, it shouldn't matter. BTW, management said that to her in an email!
 
 
Does AA or UAL get paid for boarding?
Which IAM represented F/A's get boarding pay?
Btw it can't be lost when we never had it can it?
 
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Remember - if the FA's want to be paid for boarding - the cost per flight hour would be reduced to cover the extra time for boarding. 
 
Everyone likes to forget the hourly wage has been calculated to factor in boarding etc
 
Wages are not going to go up if you want "paid" for boarding - the wages will just be adjusted
 
Think pushing peas around a plate
 
How many threads will this come up on?
 
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Vatican said:
I was on another full flight last week, and got into a conversation with a flight attendant who mentioned that loading passengers in and getting them settled was so much work, but that it was unpaid, because FA's are only on the clock once the doors closed! True? Doesn't that speak to the 'lost wages' issue we keep hearing about in other industries? 
She had raised the issue with management, and in response they told her that if they had to pay all FA's for load-ins and load-outs, it would "cost too much money"! I thought airlines were exceptionally profitable for the moment, but in any case, it shouldn't matter. BTW, management said that to her in an email!
Same as pilots. That's the way it has always been. She probably didn't mention that she didn't get perdium for the drive to the airport from home.
 
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jcw said:
Remember - if the FA's want to be paid for boarding - the cost per flight hour would be reduced to cover the extra time for boarding. 
 
Everyone likes to forget the hourly wage has been calculated to factor in boarding etc
 
Wages are not going to go up if you want "paid" for boarding - the wages will just be adjusted
Exactly. The current system benefits the more senior FAs at the expense of the junior employees, because a senior mama who flies to Asia three times a month has just six boarding/deplaning periods each month, while the junior flight attendant who flies 50 short domestic segments each month has 50 boarding/deplaning periods each month. So not only does the junior flight attendant make substantially less per hour than the senior, but they spend a lot more hours each month at work because of the manner in which the the time is recorded.

I once had a flight attendant give me the "we're only paid once the door closes" nonsense, to which I asked her where they clocked out when they took their short breaks, ate their meals and when they went to sleep on 14 hour flights to Asia. She wasn't happy with that logic. Short-haul junior FAs don't benefit from that, but long-haul FAs spend a good deal of time "on the clock" on those 12-16 hour flights when they aren't doing anything resembling "work." If flight attendants were to move to a model where they clock in before boarding, my guess is that some long-haul FAs would have to "clock out" for several hours on the typical flight to Asia, and they know it. That's another reason why the current system works for the flight attendants.
 
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FWAAA said:
Exactly. The current system benefits the more senior FAs at the expense of the junior employees, because a senior mama who flies to Asia three times a month has just six boarding/deplaning periods each month, while the junior flight attendant who flies 50 short domestic segments each month has 50 boarding/deplaning periods each month. So not only does the junior flight attendant make substantially less per hour than the senior, but they spend a lot more hours each month at work because of the manner in which the the time is recorded.I once had a flight attendant give me the "we're only paid once the door closes" nonsense, to which I asked her where they clocked out when they took their short breaks, ate their meals and when they went to sleep on 14 hour flights to Asia. She wasn't happy with that logic. Short-haul junior FAs don't benefit from that, but long-haul FAs spend a good deal of time "on the clock" on those 12-16 hour flights when they aren't doing anything resembling "work." If flight attendants were to move to a model where they clock in before boarding, my guess is that some long-haul FAs would have to "clock out" for several hours on the typical flight to Asia, and they know it. That's another reason why the current system works for the flight attendants.
Ouch.

Be careful what you wish for.

I could see a large group of junior F/A's getting involved in a union and pushing this issue.

Hah, that would require paying attention.
 
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FWAAA said:
Exactly. The current system benefits the more senior FAs at the expense of the junior employees, because a senior mama who flies to Asia three times a month has just six boarding/deplaning periods each month, while the junior flight attendant who flies 50 short domestic segments each month has 50 boarding/deplaning periods each month. So not only does the junior flight attendant make substantially less per hour than the senior, but they spend a lot more hours each month at work because of the manner in which the the time is recorded.

I once had a flight attendant give me the "we're only paid once the door closes" nonsense, to which I asked her where they clocked out when they took their short breaks, ate their meals and when they went to sleep on 14 hour flights to Asia. She wasn't happy with that logic. Short-haul junior FAs don't benefit from that, but long-haul FAs spend a good deal of time "on the clock" on those 12-16 hour flights when they aren't doing anything resembling "work." If flight attendants were to move to a model where they clock in before boarding, my guess is that some long-haul FAs would have to "clock out" for several hours on the typical flight to Asia, and they know it. That's another reason why the current system works for the flight attendants.
 
Not necessarily so at Delta.
With they way our A day system works it's not that cut and dry with just junior f/A's working domestic.
Many junior f/a's fly international trips.  Especially during the summer.  Also there are many very junior LOD's
flying ONLY intl.   Also the there is much more freedom in swapping/dropping. 
 
Also people forget if the flight is 15 mins early they get paid for the full block - so are they willing to give that up for boarding pay?
 
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BABABOOY said:
Does AA or UAL get paid for boarding?
Which IAM represented F/A's get boarding pay?
Btw it can't be lost when we never had it can it?
At AA our duty rig starts at time of check in .
 
Maybe I wasn't clear. Out duty rigs start at sign in as well.  
Some feel we should get flight time during boarding and that is 
what I was referring to.