Ual To Hire 2000 Flight Attendants

[USAirUnited]

Information requested:

How long will you be on reserve?

Does United utilize its reserve FA's so your not living off the 75 hours a month?

Whats the current pay scale?

How much vacation time during your first year?

What equipment do the new FA's work?

Can you pick up trips?

Whats the interview process, and where does Shephiron fit into it?

Thanks.

 

[Bear96]

Information requested:

How long will you be on reserve?

Depends on where you are based. If they continue to hire, and new hires come to where you are based, you can be off reserve pretty quickly. Other locations (HNL, SEA) you can literally be on reserve every other month until you retire.

Note UA has a rotating reserve system. Until you have the seniority to hold a line, you will be on reserve every month for your first five years, and then every other month after that.

Does United utilize its reserve FA's so your not living off the 75 hours a month?

Feast or famine. Certain times of the year (generally summer), you will work a lot. Other times of the year (winter except around holidays) you will sit. Budget for only 75 hours at least half the year.

Whats the current pay scale?

I think the new first-year rates are $17 or $18-something an hour. Not sure though.

How much vacation time during your first year?

Not sure about that either any more (I left UA a couple of years ago before all the concessions took effect). There is a contract online at unitedafa.org but I am not sure if it is the current one.

What equipment do the new FA's work?

All. You will be qualified to work everything during initial training, and you will, especially out of IAD, ORD, and SFO, where I understand the next batches of new hires are going.

Can you pick up trips?

Generally, not on reserve. Reserves are (roughly) assigned trips based on how many days on remain until their next scheduled days off, and how many hours they have worked so far in the month. The reserve with the least number of hours so far in the month goes out ahead of others with the same number of days of availability (assuming legal rest and other requirements have been met).

There is a contractual provision for picking up trips only on days off, but it seems to be totally at the whim of the crew desk if they will let you do it and the stars only very rarely seemed to line up just right for them to let it happen. Even if you do manage to pick up a trip, it adds to your hours, so when you start your days on again, others with less time will be in line to go out ahead of you (see above). The whole reserve system is designed around time balancing -- don't expect to be picking up a lot of hours if other reserves are sitting.

Whats the interview process, and where does Shephiron fit into it?

Sorry, don't know that either. The current hiring system is completely different than anything UA has ever done before, so I don't think any current or former UA F/A can help you out with that. I don't think anyone can tell you what it will be like unless they have gone through it themselves.

Sorry I couldn't answer all your questions but good luck if you are applying.

 

[USAirUnited]

I have answered one of my own questions.


The airline averaged about 200 applications an hour before shutting down the site early Wednesday. The first round of screening began this week with Spherion, United's recruiting agency. Those who pass that step of the process will get an interview with United staff.

 

[jimntx]

Need some info. Now, this is hearsay; and I heard it from someone who heard it from someone who is supposedly currently in new hire training at UAL; so, if it ain't so, just say so. No need to attack me, please.

According to this third hand information...
1. Starting pay $17/hr.
2. The new hire f/a attendants will be covered by a different contract from the current f/as, and will always have a different, lower payscale than current f/as.
3. Probation will be a year, instead of 6 months.
4. No travel privileges until after probation.
5. Must physically live in the city where based.

Can anyone confirm or deny? Thanks.

 

[JAMAKE1]

Need some info. Now, this is hearsay; and I heard it from someone who heard it from someone who is supposedly currently in new hire training at UAL; so, if it ain't so, just say so. No need to attack me, please.

According to this third hand information...
1. Starting pay $17/hr.
2. The new hire f/a attendants will be covered by a different contract from the current f/as, and will always have a different, lower payscale than current f/as.
3. Probation will be a year, instead of 6 months.
4. No travel privileges until after probation.
5. Must physically live in the city where based.

Can anyone confirm or deny? Thanks.

To answer some of your questions:

1. Starting pay is $17.22 per flight hour. (Note: A reserve over-ride is paid at $1.82 per hour.)
   
2. Flat out FALSE! The new-hires are covered under the SAME CBA as existing United F/A's.
   
3. Probabation is 6 months from date-of-hire (read, first day of training).
   
4. Travel priveleges kick in 90 days from date-of-hire. Jumpseat priveleges kick in immediately upon graduation from training.
   
5. While it is true that United has only been recruiting in its hub cities (Notably Washington, D.C. and Chicago), I do not believe that new-hires are REQUIRED to live near their assigned domicile.

I will update any info here, if there is a change to what I have just stated.

 

[JAMAKE1]

From AFA E-Lines as of March 01, 2006...

March 1, 2006

Association of Flight Attendants at United Airlines

www.unitedafa.org

...The first class of 48 new Flight Attendants will begin their United flying careers tomorrow as they report for duty at DCASW. This week we met with the second class of 52 new Members who will report to DCASW on March 8, 2006. Most of these new Members come from other carriers including US Airways, America West, Air Tran, Independence Air, Northwest, ATA, TWA, Vanguard, Delta, ASA, Trans States, Skywest, Shuttle America, Transmeridian, Ryan International, PSA, Omni Air, Horizon, and Mesa and one of them is even a former United Flight Attendant back to join us on the line again. We were encouraged with their professionalism, the depth of understanding about all that we have experienced and their great desire to be a part of our community. We are confident that these new Members will be a great asset to our collective strength.



Rumors about their role at our airline should be quickly dispelled. Whispers that these trainees will be management spies, rats or working under a separate set of rights, benefits and pay are simply not true. Flight Attendant trainees are working to get through a training that is similar to the one the rest of us endured. Their efforts are focused on making it through to the next step of graduation followed by six months of probation. And, just as we all remember the struggles of the initial days of flying, once on the line they will be working on Reserve with only a 75 hour guarantee, covering three airports in Washington DC while making $17.22 an hour plus a $1.82 reserve override.These new flying partners join us under the same Contract, with the same desire to preserve and further our profession. They look to each of us for support and encouragement as they seek to contribute to the work that we do in a meaningful way...

 

[jimntx]

Thanks for the quick response. It sounded like galley gossip to me (what do you call galley gossip while you're still in training? ), but that's why i asked. I knew one of my fellow board members would get the facts for me.

 

[boxer]

It sounded like galley gossip to me

Gallley gossip? What galleys? We don't need no stinkin galleys.

 

[wouldbefa]

From AFA E-Lines as of March 01, 2006...

March 1, 2006

Association of Flight Attendants at United Airlines

www.unitedafa.org

...The first class of 48 new Flight Attendants will begin their United flying careers tomorrow as they report for duty at DCASW. This week we met with the second class of 52 new Members who will report to DCASW on March 8, 2006. Most of these new Members come from other carriers including US Airways, America West, Air Tran, Independence Air, Northwest, ATA, TWA, Vanguard, Delta, ASA, Trans States, Skywest, Shuttle America, Transmeridian, Ryan International, PSA, Omni Air, Horizon, and Mesa and one of them is even a former United Flight Attendant back to join us on the line again. We were encouraged with their professionalism, the depth of understanding about all that we have experienced and their great desire to be a part of our community. We are confident that these new Members will be a great asset to our collective strength.



Rumors about their role at our airline should be quickly dispelled. Whispers that these trainees will be management spies, rats or working under a separate set of rights, benefits and pay are simply not true. Flight Attendant trainees are working to get through a training that is similar to the one the rest of us endured. Their efforts are focused on making it through to the next step of graduation followed by six months of probation. And, just as we all remember the struggles of the initial days of flying, once on the line they will be working on Reserve with only a 75 hour guarantee, covering three airports in Washington DC while making $17.22 an hour plus a $1.82 reserve override.These new flying partners join us under the same Contract, with the same desire to preserve and further our profession. They look to each of us for support and encouragement as they seek to contribute to the work that we do in a meaningful way...

Heard the same thing at my interview yesterday. Hope to join you folks very soon. There where a lot of folks from "other" airlines there. All we want to to work, and enjoy what we are doing. United is good towards their employees, and Hope if, and when hired to be the same .

 

[Bear96]

Heard the same thing at my interview yesterday. Hope to join you folks very soon. There where a lot of folks from "other" airlines there. All we want to to work, and enjoy what we are doing. United is good towards their employees, and Hope if, and when hired to be the same .

woulbefa,

Are you the one who signed on at NW to be a potential scab last year?

(Apologies if I am confusing you with someone else.)