757I Configuration-8 Premium/180 Coach

[FlyOnWall]

On Thursday the Company announced US Airways will start service this spring to Milan, Italy; Stockholm Sweden and Lisbon, Portugal and also announced a confirmed order for 25 Embraer 190 aircraft. On Friday the Company issued a press release announcing a pilot recall.

NEW EUROPEAN FLYING AND ADDITIONAL B757 AIRCRAFT ADDED TO THE FLEET

PHL-MXP (Milan) will commence on May 31, 2006 and be operated using B767 aircraft. Although it is anticipated this service will be seasonal there was no announced end date for the service. PHL- ARN (Stockholm) is scheduled June 3, 2006 through October 8, 2006 and will be operated with B767 aircraft. PHL-LIS (Lisbon) is scheduled June 7, 2006 through October 28, 2006. PHL-LIS will be operated with B757 aircraft. The company has signed a deal to acquire three additional B757-200 aircraft through Boeing. These aircraft were returned to Boeing from ATA.

The three newly acquired B757 aircraft will be placed under the US Airways operating certificate and flown by US Airways "East" pilots and flight attendants.
One B757 has been dedicated to PHL-LIS. With the addition of MXP and ARN B767 service it is presumed the remaining two aircraft will replace the seasonal service usually flown by B767 aircraft to SNN, DUB or GLA. Current timetables on US Airways.com do not reflect this change but it would seem to be the logical result.
The aircraft will be configured with 8 "Premium" seats and 180 coach seats.
There will be no Envoy class or service on these aircraft. The "Premium" seat product will be just that﾿a bigger seat with no additional service. I have been told this decision is driven by competition but we will be questioning the decision to offer two different European products.
The service product and procedures have not been discussed with the Company. The Union expects to be consulted regarding both the product and the procedures.
Staffing will be five (5) flight attendants. LOD/O staffing has not been discussed to date. If LOD/Os are used the staffing would be four flight attendants and an additional LOD/O flight attendant. If no LOD/O is staffed there will still be five flight attendant positions.
Three reclining and curtained crew rest seats will be provided.
Additional safety training for these aircraft is unlikely as the aircraft are similar to the current B757 aircraft flown by US Airways.
The Union was not given notification prior to the announcement of the new flying or aircraft therefore these are all the details available. The Union notified the Company of the required contractual provisions necessary when new aircraft are acquired or new international routes are awarded.

EMBRAER 190 AIRCRAFT ORDER

The Company announced an order to acquire 25 EMB 190 aircraft beginning in November of 2006. This order was an adjustment to the previous US Airways order for up to 57 EMB 170 aircraft. The remaining 32 aircraft will be converted to an EMB 190 order subject to confirmation by US Airways. According to an EMBRAER press release, US Airways has an option for up to 50 additional aircraft. The EMB 190 has a range of between 1500 and 2150 nm depending on load and other factors.

The EMB 190 will be operated under the US Airways operating certificate and flown by mainline US Airways "East" pilots and flight attendants.
Initial deliveries will begin in November (two aircraft) and December (one aircraft). Revenue service will begin in early January. The future delivery schedule is not known.
The aircraft will be configured with 11 First Class/88 Coach. Seems odd this airplane will have First Class service and some European flying will not.
The Transition Agreement between AFA and the Company locked in mainline rates of pay for the EMB 190. The Union will have further discussion regarding service requirements and staffing decisions.
The Company has not indicated where the aircraft will be based or what routes the aircraft will fly.
Training will have to take place on the EMB 190.
The Union was not given prior notification to this announcement and discussions with the Company will be scheduled regarding the EMB 190 flying.

 

[bofie]

[

...will be configured with 11 First Class/88 Coach. Seems odd this airplane will have First Class service and some European flying will not.




good grief! The "FC" in the '57s had better be cheap.

 

[PBI2FLL]

In my opinion, all 757s in the fleet should be brought up to a respectable 16 f/c seats standard. Why bother with only 8 freakin' seats, you might as well just go all economy! Also, what doesn't make any sense to me is that the A321 fleet has 26 f/c seats...that's a little overboard for that aircraft and should be reduced to 16 seats.

 

[Flying Titan]

PBI,
I agree completely. There's no reason for the 757s to have just 8FC...even if they are going to primarily "leisure destinations." It's just too inconsistent w/ the rest of the fleet.

Also, it seems like FC in the A321 is too big, however, I wonder if this is a weight issue. If you add more Y seating and, presumably, more bodies, would that limit the range on these aircraft which already seem like they're stretched to run transcon routes? If that's not a problem, they should be standardized at 16FC seats, too.

 

[FCYTravis]

No, please don't even think about reducing those 26F seats in the A321. :down: That great big cavernous F cabin is almost always full up or nearly so on transcontinental runs from CLT/PHL to the West Coast. Cutting it back to 16 would piss off a LOT of frequent flyers like me because we'd watch our upgrade opportunities spiral down the drain.

All the other major airlines use aircraft with at least 24F on transcon-type runs.

 

[bofie]

USAirways should stop F-ing with F and just offer a decent, but not posh product.

Looking at the breakfasts I've gotten recently for example...just a small pile of melon/pineapple chunks sometimes with a pastry, sometimes not on a transcon or hawaii flight. This is simply not competitive.

Yes, I don't fly for the food, but when I pay big bucks for a ticket, I expect to be shown a bit of respect. What the (truly wonderful) FA served today I'm sure would never be served to a guest in her home or at any PHX diner.

It simply cannot cost that much to make a decent breakfast.

Anybody know the cost of the old usair omlette/sausage vs the new fruit pile?

 

[tadjr]

Also, what doesn't make any sense to me is that the A321 fleet has 26 f/c seats...that's a little overboard for that aircraft and should be reduced to 16 seats.

Actually on the right route this is a great number. I know we have them to DC now and FC is almost always full of Preferreds. Also CLT does a hefty job with 26 seats. Of course, it has to be in the right market on the right flight time.
If there arent Preferreds, thats a lot of FirstUps which are also becoming more popular and $100 extra a pop.

 

[Flying Titan]

If the "First-up" program is really becoming popular then that becomes an important $$$ argument for more FC seating on the 757s and maintaining the status quo on the 321s.

 

[PBI2FLL]

It's just too inconsistent w/ the rest of the fleet.

EXACTLY!

Also, it seems like FC in the A321 is too big, however, I wonder if this is a weight issue. If you add more Y seating and, presumably, more bodies, would that limit the range on these aircraft which already seem like they're stretched to run transcon routes? If that's not a problem, they should be standardized at 16FC seats, too.

Well, the first class seats certainly weigh more, so I don't think the added coach seats would make that much of a difference.

 

[Twicebaked]

FA served today I'm sure would never be served to a guest in her home or at any PHX diner.

Just proved your own point! A plane is not home, nor is it a diner. It is transportation..plain and simple.

You are also correct that breakfast can't cost that much, therefore buy a better breakfast in the airport if you don't like what breakfast is served.

You don't go to Applebees looking for a plane ride do you?

 

[bofie]

Just proved your own point! A plane is not home, nor is it a diner. It is transportation..plain and simple.

You are also correct that breakfast can't cost that much, therefore buy a better breakfast in the airport if you don't like what breakfast is served.

You don't go to Applebees looking for a plane ride do you?

You cannot be serious.

Talking about FC here, not coach.

Is it called "first" because it boards first? No, it is called first class because it is supposed to be better...classier...nicer.

 

[Travels2mch]

buy a better breakfast in the airport if you don't like what breakfast is served.

And where do we go to find this out?? Last summer I flew on the morning nonstop SEA/PIT, and checked the website to see if there was a meal, and it indicated 'Breakfast'. So I didn't get breakfast in the airport and 1/2 hour into the flight they served a small turkey on a stale croissant sandwich. This incidently was the same as the 'snack' that was served on the outbound flight 2 days earlier. Nice breakfast at 7:30 AM on a 5 hour flight.

I guess I was remembering the days of the better breakfasts on the transcons, but my main point is, if I had known what crap they were going to serve up front, I would have been happy to have breakfast in the airport before the flight. And like Bofie said.....first class is supposed to be nicer.

 

[LCC_#1]

No, please don't even think about reducing those 26F seats in the A321. :down: That great big cavernous F cabin is almost always full up or nearly so on transcontinental runs from CLT/PHL to the West Coast. Cutting it back to 16 would piss off a LOT of frequent flyers like me because we'd watch our upgrade opportunities spiral down the drain.

All the other major airlines use aircraft with at least 24F on transcon-type runs.

Thats fine, but start writing your letters to adequately staff the A321. I am sick and tired of feeling guilty because I go by procedure and keep the C f/a on transcons when I have 16 or more customers. By the same token, the back of that plane is a bear with two people. It's fine when you are only serving a beverage, but SELLING food is the same to me as giving out what use to be FREE food.

This a/c needs 5 f/a's to do a superior job. I am over the "everyone else does it" Well, that is not acceptable on an a/c with that big of a f/c and serving food. Some of us still like to treat you like you are our guest.not some fast food joint.

 

[Twicebaked]

I guess I was remembering the days of the better breakfasts on the transcons, but my main point is, if I had known what crap they were going to serve up front, I would have been happy to have breakfast in the airport before the flight. And like Bofie said.....first class is supposed to be nicer.

Remember them, cause I believe they are gone. All you get is priority boarding (with coach breathing down your neck to move so they can pass), bigger seats (that are usually filthy anyway) and free liquor (with beer that has been skunked and the selections are horrible).

 

[bofie]

[quote
You don't go to Applebees looking for a plane ride do you?
[/quote]


Applebee's doesn't advertise or sell plane rides. If they did they would deliver on them or they would go out of business.