Aircraft Upkeep

[firstamendment]

I am now based in DCA. Because I am commuting, I seem to be subjected to flying the 737's. I am an airbus f/a (chillers keep me cool and the vacuum pump toliets keep me sane) and do not write this because of such, but I have to tell all of you...the aircraft are falling apart.

Now I know management is notorious for reading what is out here, so I will direct this one for management. Every 737 I have worked on has had sticky worn carpet, peeling paint in the lavs, drawers that stick in the galley, worn out seats, and worn out overhead bins. Also, the outside paint jobs are sad.

Now I know we are piss poor, but these things set a tone to our customers that are ..,frankly, bad. I remember when it was the lcc who had the old planes and shabby interiors. Now it is the "legacy" carriers and we are the trend setter. This is NOT a good thing.

Management, if you have the balls, or are spying on here, what are you doing about this? I DO NOT care for smart a** remarks from the gang (which I can't prevent ), but i really do want to know if this is going to continue. And this doesn't even include the horrible condition of the other aircraft.

Management, hear me please...the dark blue paint ain't cuttin' it. The obsession with gray interiors has paid a high price. It doesn't wear well.

What are you going to do? Please don't whine about the $$$. Surely this is budgeted. What a minute, who am I fooling?

 

[usairways_vote_NO]

Welcome to the world of a company that doesn't care for its employees and employees that have no morale left and sense of hopelessness. A dying company on the road to the end. But smile there is life after Usairways.

 

[ktflyhome]

Boieng Boy stated on another thread and I concur. Welcome to our world. I whole heartedly agree with you on the 737's. I believe I even posted a comment recently about their sorry state. Many have a horrible smell. Every comment you stated, I can vouch for. See it all. It's Shameful.

 

[Light Years]

[[[[[[[[

 

[firstamendment]

What are you talking about? They look fine!

Light Years
What WOULD we do without you? Love the new avatar.

 

[700UW]

F/A,

All the planes look like crap, they gutted utility, force unobtainable amount of work upon them and the vendors or worse.

PM if you want.

 

[flyguy121]

I remember when it was the lcc who had the old planes and shabby interiors. Now it is the "legacy" carriers and we are the trend setter.

I think you've got that backwards...seems to me that the LCC's are really the trendsetters with their shiny new planes, Satellite TV and and fresh new attitude which the Legacy Carriers are sadly lacking...

as for the rotty ass 737 and the umm...aroma...they don't call it a Tuna Can for nothing!

 

[Light Years]

-------------

 

[NYPD]

Sad isn't it?

Even the highly trained and very skilled US Airways mechanics who maintain these aircraft look at them daily in shame. Shame that there are FOREIGNERS in our country ON OUR SOIL (Alabama) with no FAA mechanic licenses working on our aircraft.

It has gotten to the point that these same highly trained and very skilled US Airways mechanics DRIVE long distances to go on vacations...feeling that the aircraft are death traps waiting for the built-in redundancies to finally wear too thin.

That's serious folks.

And to think the LUV's mechanics (as of August this year) will make 32% more than a topped out mechanic at US Airways.

"Feel the Luv".

 

[stoopidute442]

agree....the '37s are starting to smell like MD-80(piss).

 

[usairways_vote_NO]

It has gotten to the point that these same highly trained and very skilled US Airways mechanics DRIVE long distances to go on vacations...feeling that the aircraft are death traps waiting for the built-in redundancies to finally wear too thin.

That's serious folks.

Thats a pretty serious statement.

I would hope there would not be one mechanic in the industry no matter where he works including alabama that would knowing let an aircraft go back in service that was not airworthy.

 

[gso2pit]

I am now based in DCA. Because I am commuting, I seem to be subjected to flying the 737's. I am an airbus f/a (chillers keep me cool and the vacuum pump toliets keep me sane) and do not write this because of such, but I have to tell all of you...the aircraft are falling apart.

Now I know management is notorious for reading what is out here, so I will direct this one for management. Every 737 I have worked on has had sticky worn carpet, peeling paint in the lavs, drawers that stick in the galley, worn out seats, and worn out overhead bins. Also, the outside paint jobs are sad.

Now I know we are piss poor, but these things set a tone to our customers that are ..,frankly, bad. I remember when it was the lcc who had the old planes and shabby interiors. Now it is the "legacy" carriers and we are the trend setter. This is NOT a good thing.

Management, if you have the balls, or are spying on here, what are you doing about this? I DO NOT care for smart a** remarks from the gang (which I can't prevent ), but i really do want to know if this is going to continue. And this doesn't even include the horrible condition of the other aircraft.

Management, hear me please...the dark blue paint ain't cuttin' it. The obsession with gray interiors has paid a high price. It doesn't wear well.

What are you going to do? Please don't whine about the $$$. Surely this is budgeted. What a minute, who am I fooling?

first amendment-
It's about friggin time someone said this. You're right, U is piss poor, AND THE KEY WORD HERE IS PISS! I live in the GSO/RDU area, so I too am subjected to 737's all too often. We only see 319/320/321 once in a blue moon. I've observed the following on those a/c:
-toilets leaking blue water
-sinks don't work--period
-seats torn
-FILTHY,STICKY DIRTY carpet
-bulkhead walls stained
-lavs overflowing, and in many cases, green and putrid because the ramp or whoever is reponsible for dumping the lav at a particular station didn't do their job
-no t/p loaded in lav--happens on longer flights(ie dfw) when you really need it
-smell like the old dc9's/fokkers.

Park the 737's and furlough all the pilots so they can get a start elsewhere. If you treat it like a piece of s***, don't fly it! My flying this fall will be to BOS/MSY(3X)/PHX/IAD(4X). On all those trips, I might see the 319 on 3 legs, maybe 4 if i'm lucky. :angry:

 

[gso2pit]

Sad isn't it?

Even the highly trained and very skilled US Airways mechanics who maintain these aircraft look at them daily in shame. Shame that there are FOREIGNERS in our country ON OUR SOIL (Alabama) with no FAA mechanic licenses working on our aircraft.

It has gotten to the point that these same highly trained and very skilled US Airways mechanics DRIVE long distances to go on vacations...feeling that the aircraft are death traps waiting for the built-in redundancies to finally wear too thin.

That's serious folks.

And to think the LUV's mechanics (as of August this year) will make 32% more than a topped out mechanic at US Airways.

"Feel the Luv".

That's actually a scary thought.

 

[FlyingHippie]

At one point it was:

737-200 Tuna Can
737-200 Metrojet Tomato Can
737-300 Tuna Surprise (you might have a fourth F/A, you might not)
737-400 Tuna Helper (you usually had a fourth F/A, a helper)

there apparently is no light at the end of the tuna... :blink:

 

[NYPD]

That's actually a scary thought.

Yes..indeed scary.

3rd party maintenance deficiencies are well documented. It killed a 21 people in January of '03 in Charlotte.

LOTS of well-written articles came out as a result.

Too many people have forgotten, but the main reason nothing was really done about it is that it was a commuter aircraft. How about a A321 with 150 people on board? That would sadly garner many more and longer lasting headlines. Believe me, I'm in no way hoping anything like this happens.

When some of the bigger airplanes start falling out of the sky (all airlines apply) then you will see a ground swell by the public and the government (NTSB and FAA) to make some major changes regarding 3rd party maintenance.

And of course no mechanic would knowingly produce an unairworthy aircraft, but that's my point...there are lots of people (in Alabama) working on airplanes who are not licenced by the FAA and I would not trust to work on my bicycle! THEY WOULDN'T KNOW WHAT IS AIRWORTHY AND WHAT IS NOT.