Ual To Hire 2000 Flight Attendants

[Bob Owens]

A reuters article says that UAL is trying to hire 2000 FAs.

They are offering a whopping $16,000 a year.

Compared to a 40 hour week it comes out to $7.70/hr. So it looks like UAL is competing with McDonalds for workers.

McDonalds has the edge, here is why.

Location. McDonalds are easy to get to, airports are remote.

Security. McDonalds has never even been close to filing for C-11.

Safety- Terrorists have never flown a McDonalds into a building.When is the last time you saw a McDonalds blow up with no survivors?

Benifits. At least at McDonalds to know you can at least eat.

At$16000/yr you would qualify for just about every form of assistance avilable, you can risk your life to be part of the working poor.

How likely is it that UAL will find drug free, criminal record free people with a 10 year background check at $16,000 a year?

 

[Fly]

Actually, they are offering $17.22 an hour for the first year. With per diem and the monthly wage (which varies depending upon the number of hours that month) they can make much more than $16,000. They list of people wanting to be flight attendants is staggering. Go here to see all the wannabes.

 

[Red Tail Bear]

FLY,
Are ALL furloughed F/A's back to work, or have been "called", then refused ??

I thought I heard/saw somewhere that UAL was NOT recalling Furloughees .

RTB

 

[mrfish3726]

They are trying to replace the ones that didn't come back from layoff, and the ones that have QUIT since they're pensions got trashed! Can't wait till FEB they say LOL

 

[dc3fanatic]

I thought I heard/saw somewhere that UAL was NOT recalling Furloughees .
RTB

They can't hire new until they have recalled all furlough. The new hires are at a lower rate, so why would a company bring back higher rate people unless they contractually had to? Think.

 

[Fly]

ALL flight attendants have been back from involuntary furlough for quite some time. All voluntary flight attendants have been recalled too and are back on the line. The starting pay is NOT lower except the fact that every year up to year #14 they get a pay raise (and obviousy these are 1st year f/a's vs 4th year). So the new flight attendants will make EXACTLY what every other flight attendant makes according to their year of service.

To pay otherwise, would have meant we established "C" scale! That did not happen.

 

[dc3fanatic]

. . .The starting pay is NOT lower except the fact that every year up to year #14 they get a pay raise (and obviousy these are 1st year f/a's vs 4th year).

Look, the point was that the SYSTEM average would be LOWER. DUH!

The new hires would be at a lower rate than the current population. Didn't think I needed to spell that out!

A new FA is cheaper than one with 14 years experience. Duh!

I didn't make any errors in what I said, you just need to look at it from the big picture.

 

[Fly]

I'm sorry, I misread what you posted. Yes, all are back and he's right, they would never have brought them back if they didn't have to.

 

[dc3fanatic]

I'm sorry, I misread what you posted. Yes, all are back and he's right, they would never have brought them back if they didn't have to.

no prob. Sorry for sounding harsh.

 

[FWAAA]

In the article linked below, UAL claims that the new hires will earn more like $23k to $24k. Of course, that assumes the new hires will fly 85 hours per month, not the minimum guarantee of 75 hours per month. What Mr Owens leaves out is that many of the FAs will be young kids who are signing on in part because of the flight bennies. Additionally, Fly likes to tell us that her hubby has a great high-paying job - similarly, many of the older applicants will be second earners in their household.

http://biz.yahoo.com/rb/051111/airlines_united.html?.v=5

In the article linked below, Jane Allen says that the new hires are expected to make between $23k and $24k per year:

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/051111/united_flig...dants.html?.v=4

Sorry to throw some facts into Mr Owens' rant, but somebody's gotta do it.

What's really rich is that a mechanic for AA who still makes over $62k (even after massive concessions in 2003) is complaining about the starting pay for UAL FAs.

While not as glamorous as it once was, flight attendant compensation is still pretty good considering that all you need is a clean record and a high school diploma. B)

 

[jimntx]

They list of people wanting to be flight attendants is staggering.

Can I have an AMEN from the choir? Fly is right. Despite all the recent publicity about how the "f/a's lot is not a happy one", the number of people who want to do the job--the glamor, the travel, etc--continues to grow.

At AE, they still have literal crowds of people show up to the initial interviews--and AE interviews strictly by invitation only. Very few don't show up when invited. I have a friend who recruits for Frontier. Their last open house, they had 550 people show up. They could have had more, but that was the maximum the room would seat.

And, the truth is that there are a lot of airline furloughees out there who will apply to UAL. They will go to any length--including starting over at the bottom--to get back in the air. This job gets in your blood and your bones. Just the thought of going back to a 9-5 office job makes me want to open a vein.

 

[Bear96]

In the article linked below, UAL claims that the new hires will earn more like $23k to $24k. Of course, that assumes the new hires will fly 85 hours per month, not the minimum guarantee of 75 hours per month.

I have seen that figure by UA and really have to question it. IIRC, I barely made low $20Ks my first year, pre-concessions when the hourly flight pay rate was higher, and we flew alot as reserves back then. I am not sure how they expect these folks to make MORE under a lower-paying contract. Plus now the new folks will have to pay some $$ out of their pay for health insurance premiums, which we didn't have to do.

The only thing I can think of is that they are expecting them to fly a lot of international right off the bat which pays (a bit) more, whereas when I was hired we started off as strictly domestic.

 

[FWAAA]

I have seen that figure by UA and really have to question it. IIRC, I barely made low $20Ks my first year, pre-concessions when the hourly flight pay rate was higher, and we flew alot as reserves back then. I am not sure how they expect these folks to make MORE under a lower-paying contract. Plus now the new folks will have to pay some $$ out of their pay for health insurance premiums, which we didn't have to do.

The only thing I can think of is that they are expecting them to fly a lot of international right off the bat which pays (a bit) more, whereas when I was hired we started off as strictly domestic.

You raise excellent points. Quick question: What's the maximum hours a FA is allowed to fly? IIRC, the FAA doesn't limit FAs like it does the pilots.

Once article I read said that with expected overtime (apparently a highly technical term for extra flying), the FAs might make $23k to $24k.

Perhaps UAL is anticipating working the asses off these new hires. That's plausible, since many current FAs are not anxious to fly 100+ hour/mo.

 

[jimntx]

You raise excellent points. Quick question: What's the maximum hours a FA is allowed to fly? IIRC, the FAA doesn't limit FAs like it does the pilots.

The only FAA restriction on flight attendant hours aloft is that we can not fly on 7 consecutive calendar days without a 24 hour break. Now, be aware that it is perfectly legal to fly someone on 6 consecutive days, then...
Assume that I get back from my trip at 0930 on the 6th day. They can fly me again after 0945 the following day.

 

[B.O.B.]

Can I have an AMEN from the choir? Fly is right. Despite all the recent publicity about how the "f/a's lot is not a happy one", the number of people who want to do the job--the glamor, the travel, etc--continues to grow.

At AE, they still have literal crowds of people show up to the initial interviews--and AE interviews strictly by invitation only. Very few don't show up when invited. I have a friend who recruits for Frontier. Their last open house, they had 550 people show up. They could have had more, but that was the maximum the room would seat.

And, the truth is that there are a lot of airline furloughees out there who will apply to UAL. They will go to any length--including starting over at the bottom--to get back in the air. This job gets in your blood and your bones. Just the thought of going back to a 9-5 office job makes me want to open a vein.

Heck, if they want my spot...you can have it!