American Airlines Customers To Test New Food Conce

Mike, since you are International, you need to see the f/a briefing on this little experiment.

Some of the highlights:
1. In addition to normal cart set-up duties during boarding, the #2 is supposed to open and inventory the Inflight Cafe cart "time permitting."
2. After takeoff #4 passes out menus to EVERY main cabin passenger.
3. Inflight cafe sales are to be done with the first beverage service--though passengers are allowed to purchase any time during flight as long as supplies last.
4. 3 row rule does not apply. #2 can either sell meals and snacks through whole cabin then return to help #4 with beverage cart, or can sell to a few rows then float back to the beverage cart. (In other words, the #2 will be between the two carts during the service. So, if the #4 runs out of free snacks on the beverage cart or needs ice or hot water for tea, I guess he/she will have to get it themselves from F/C and the extra supplies will have to be stored in F/C.)
5. In addition to the Inflight Cafe, there will ALSO be a choice of 4 different free snacks offered with the beverages. An announcement of which 4 will be made during boarding. Of course, you and I know that the #4 will be re-stating the choices about every 3rd row. (According to the rule of maximum inconvenience, the briefing says that all 4 will be mentioned in the pre-departure briefing, and all 4 will be available on the cart at all times while supplies last; however, the f/a only has to offer a choice of two to any single passenger. I can see it now. You say, "would you like the Pringles or the Pretzels?" The passenger responds with "what about the Honey Graham crackers that were mentioned?" Or, they ask you to repeat the choices that were made in the pre-departure announcement.)
6. Most of the choices will require some assembly in the aisle. For instance, if fresh fruit is offered with the meal, the fruit will be packaged separately and put on the selection at the time of service.

Another gotcha... Item 1 says the Cafe cart should be inventoried prior to departure "time permitting." There is supposed to be a flight attendant "sales kit" in the sealed cart which includes an inventory list and a $20 change fund. If either of those items is missing from the cart when it is opened, who do you think is going to be charged with the loss of the $20 bucks or the fact that the contents don't match the inventory? I'm guessing it won't be catering or management.

And, the crowning glory. Trash pickup will be done strictly with the small plastic bags, and the cafe cart may NOT be used for trash storage. It must be inventoried and re-sealed prior to landing.


This is going to be a lot more complicated than Bistro meals or tray service. Though #2 goes very senior in most bases now, I got a feeling that when I am recalled I won't live long enough to bid off #2 if these procedures remain in place. :p
 
I have a hard time beliving more than Ten BOB meals would sell on anygivin narrowbody flight.
 
s80dude said:
Confirmed with an OSM today in Dallas. We will not get VM positions to sell the food, nor will we get understaffing. Provisioning will be at 40% and according to the briefing in my mailbox, the #2 sell the food and then float back to the beverage cart with the #4.
[post="173773"][/post]​

They will have to pay us understaffing for the food service. If the load meets the criteria for staffing requirments then they will have to pay it! Once again AA is going to violate our contract and then the APFA will have to file a NOD to get our pay we deserve. They APFA will be filing a NOD regarding the staffing on the 737 very shortly. Per our CBA if a plane has over 14 seats in f/c we are required to have 2 f/a's in f/c, no matter what the load is!
 
AAmech said:
I have a hard time beliving more than Ten BOB meals would sell on anygivin narrowbody flight.
[post="173895"][/post]​

Actually, since the test meals are going to sell for $5 or $7 (the $7 meals for the first part of the test and the $5 for the second half of the test period) or $3 for a snack, they will be cheaper than most airport meals. I think they will sell rather well. They have on the airlines that have offered them even when the meals were as much as $10.
 
AAmech said:
I have a hard time beliving more than Ten BOB meals would sell on anygivin narrowbody flight.
[post="173895"][/post]​

Granted we have different clientele, but we often sell out on HP. However, there are flights that occasionally don't sell as well even the same flight sold well the week before.

Someone mentioned trash management. That has been one of the biggest issues we have had at HP. The initial BOB retail container did not stack and took up a lot of trash space. We, and I believe US, worked on getting more trash-friendly containers that will stack so that trash space can be saved. Hopefully you will get those containers so that you won't need to fight the same battle again.

At HP we staff our 737, 319 and 320 aircraft with three FA's. On the Airbus we have 12 people in F/C. So, the 2nd and 3rd deal with the main cabin and the 1st deals with F/C. Once meals are done in F/C, our 1st's often help with subsequent beverage service and trash pickup. It generally works OK for us.
 
hp_fa said:
Once meals are done in F/C, our 1st's often help with subsequent beverage service and trash pickup. It generally works OK for us.
[post="173916"][/post]​

Your CBA and our CBA are totally different when it comes to staffing, rules and pay. If our CBA shows we are to have a VM on a certain flihgt then AA needs to get their s**t togther and provide one. If they don't then understaffing pay needs to be given to all f/a's on that trip! If they refuse both then, I will file a grievance and make sure the crew is paid!

Our new APFA will not tolerate the crAAp from AA! JW is gone and so is the a$$ kissing he gave to AA.
 
LiveInAHotel said:
Your CBA and our CBA are totally different when it comes to staffing, rules and pay.
[post="173948"][/post]​

I understand that and I don't pretend to know the in's and out's of your contract. I am simply trying to let the reader's know that the customers generally like the food and that the on-board service logisitics can be worked out.
 
LiveInAHotel said:
They will have to pay us understaffing for the food service. If the load meets the criteria for staffing requirments then they will have to pay it! Once again AA is going to violate our contract and then the APFA will have to file a NOD to get our pay we deserve. They APFA will be filing a NOD regarding the staffing on the 737 very shortly. Per our CBA if a plane has over 14 seats in f/c we are required to have 2 f/a's in f/c, no matter what the load is!
[post="173906"][/post]​

Can you show me where that was ever written? Do they staff DOM only 3? They have maintained the 4 bid positions to mix sequences with the 757 on INTL

As far as I know. Unless something changed. You cannot get understaffing for only 3 on a 737, if that's what it was bid out. If there is a meal and the passenger count is over 14. The number 4 would assist the 1 in front then go back to m/c. To finish the beverage service.
 
FA Mikey said:
Can you show me where that was ever written? Do they staff DOM only 3? They have maintained the 4 bid positions to mix sequences with the 757 on INTL

As far as I know. Unless something changed. You cannot get understaffing for only 3 on a 737, if that's what it was bid out. If there is a meal and the passenger count is over 14. The number 4 would assist the 1 in front then go back to m/c. To finish the beverage service.
[post="173988"][/post]​

Mike, I think you are correct that the specific staffing numbers are not in the contract. However, in Domestic Article 9, Section B, Paragraph 2 (pg. 102), it says "The current published staffing guidelines, effective August 1995, shall be used to determine the number of bid positions and the total number of Flight Attendants who will be assigned to flights with variable manning." I've never seen the "published staffing guidelines," but I believe that the only narrow bodies with bid 4 are the 737 and 757 because of the number of seats in F/C.

Earlier when I said that the #4 had to help get the service started in F/C, I was assuming that if they are selling food in main cabin, something besides cashews and pretzels is being served in F/C. In my vast career of 2 years and 10 months, on a Super80, it was customary for the #4 to unwrap and set up the F/C trays for the #1 and if time permitted help with the first round of drinks. We never had the 737 at DFW until the last month before I was furloughed. The only time I got to work the 737 was on reserve when I would be deadheaded to another city to work a trip--like the SEA-JFK transcon or the DEN-MIA flight.
 
The numbers and equations of having two f/a's in first are based on there being a meal in both cabins. On the 73 or 75, the number 3 is a flex position and they are not exclusive to a cabin. They start in one cabin and finish in the other if necessary. If the passenger count is 14 or less they should be working in m/c, not first.
 
FA Mikey said:
If the passenger count is 14 or less they should be working in m/c, not first.
[post="174035"][/post]​

True, but from what I've seen with all the time I have to non-rev around the system, F/C fills up with non-revs if there aren't paying passengers for those seats. The service standard does not differentiate between rev and non-rev passenger count in F/C.
 
Not sure I am understanding your point. If the cabin has a meal service and there are over 14 people in the seats. Then the number 3 is to help in first. It only applies to the planes with over 14 f/c seats the 73 and 75. On the MD80 the number 1 would always work alone.
 
Today I went on special assignment and ramped a few flights that had the new In-Flight Cafe onboard. I have to admit I was a bit skeptical; however, it didn't appear to be that bad. Basically on a full 757 there are only 35 meals onboard.

Many Flight Attendants attitudes are dispicable when you try to help them and flat out tell you they refuse to sell the meals. I would like to remind everyone that AA has the right to determine the inflight duties of the Flight Attendants and that 35 meals don't necessarily mean your overworked.

I know that management is out flying and watching the procedures and failure to do the required services is considered restriction of output.

It really is not all that bad.
 
"Basically on a full 757 there are only 35 meals onboard."

I just flew on another carrier that sells food, it was supposed to be a 1.5 hour flight, but after we left the gate, the wx-atc fun began. Sat on the ground for about two hours. It was now around dinner time.

The F/A's made the announcement about purchasing food and what was available as far as selection is concerned.

Plenty of people around me started looking for money to pruchase food, myself included, but alas, they ran out of food by row ten or so.

Needless to say, now there were a lot of disappointed people who had hoped to grab a meal.

So, the problem and the question is, how much food should/will be onboard? Too much and it may go to waste, too little and you suffer disappointed pax.
 
Dizel8 said:
So, the problem and the question is, how much food should/will be onboard? Too much and it may go to waste, too little and you suffer disappointed pax.
[post="174906"][/post]​

They should not even be selling food onboard. This will be a huge problem and the airlines will never listen to us when it comes to pax or our needs. This new idea will just be a short deal and will not last long. It will cost the airlines more $$$ then they make on it.

It's cheaper to BYOF (Bring Your Own Food) then to buy it at the airport or onboard.
 

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