Company to eliminate Availability Lines

[Garfield1966]

Just a guess on my part but if AVBL were to dissapear and the reserve numbers go up, I think we would see more releases. That might help off set it.

On the other hand, if we increase routes in various markets, it might be a way to avoid having to hire more people back.

Just a theory.

And no offense taken. I would not want to be a FA. I like knowing what city I am waking up in with out needing to think about it for a few seconds.

 

[jimntx]

Just a guess on my part but if AVBL were to dissapear and the reserve numbers go up, I think we would see more releases. That might help off set it.

On the other hand, if we increase routes in various markets, it might be a way to avoid having to hire more people back.

Just a theory.

And no offense taken. I would not want to be a FA. I like knowing what city I am waking up in with out needing to think about it for a few seconds.

I don't see how eliminating AVBL would increase staffing--which you seem to imply when you say that "it might be a way to avoid having to hire more people back." The reason I have availability some months is because I was unable to hold a line--even sometime on months when I have bid every position on every line on the bid sheet. That implies to me that we already have more f/as in SLT than are actually needed. (Don't mention the sick call level here. It's a scandal.)

Plus, I heard through the grapevine that there was actually a recall of furloughees planned for this year, but that "the cutback in flying in the Fall" made it possible to cancel the recall. I have no idea what is meant by "the cutback in the Fall." I know there is a seasonal reduction in service after Labor Day, but surely that would not be sufficient to justify cancelling a recall. They schedule recalls only when staffing is reaching a critical point.

Speaking of which, how are we coping considering the fact that there are fewer active flight attendants today than there were in June, 2004? There were approximately 700 f/as recalled in July and November of 2004. There have been well over 1,000 f/as who have quit, died, retired, or gotten fired since July, 2004--885 just in 2005.

They just sent out a notice that there will be domestic transfers pulled this month for LGA, DCA, and SLT. If they don't get the volunteers to fill available vacancies in these bases, can they force transfer people from bases with overages? Such as DFW and MIA?

Also, I know that some of my classmates who are at LGA have their names on the list for SLT. (Like me, they want DFW, but that ain't happenin any time soon.) Since there is already a shortage at LGA, would they be allowed to transfer from LGA to SLT to fill a vacancy there? :huh:

 

[Garfield1966]

Prior to 9/11 MU lists for most bases were very long. I remember working IMA and having 50 people to call on MU on a regular basis. Beginning and end of the month were a PIA in terms of not having enought people. Now it is not bad. MU lists for the most part are short, beginning / end of month is not a problem assuming regular operations. Not sure what changed but work is alot easier now than it was when I started out in crew skd. SOme bases have it a but difficult like LAX/ILA due to the out ragious sick list numbers but with all the crap that California passes like CA sick and what have you it's no wonder. I'm just waiting for AA to shut the west coast down and faly it all from ORD and DFW.

 

[jimntx]

SOme bases have it a but difficult like LAX/ILA due to the out ragious sick list numbers

Please LAX/LAX-I are amachoors compared to us in SLT for sick calls. There was a bar chart posted on the bulletin board in ops here yesterday that shows that the average sick calls in SLT are TWICE as high as the systemwide sick calls.

I guess that's why I'm sitting Ready Reserve today, and just about every single SLT trip in open time for today was transferred to other bases by noon yesterday. Interesting point, though. When I called in at 1900 last night, the system said that I was #3 of 8 for today. However, the HI25 shows me as #4 of 8.

 

[TWskyliner]

Jim, what do you attribute to the high sick list in St. Louis? It can't be our wonderful weather or toasted ravioli.

 

[jimntx]

Jim, what do you attribute to the high sick list in St. Louis?

Haven't a clue. I didn't even know anything about it until yesterday. Take this with a grain of salt because it's pure, unadulterated, unconfirmed gossip, but another f/a told me that Peggy had told her that the company was considering closing the St. Louis f/a base because of the number of sick calls.

Yet, here I sit on ready reserve with no trip. I was #4 of 8 at 1900 last night at call-in time. Here at 14:20 the next day, I'm still #4 of 8; so, they haven't used a single reserve since yesteday afternoon. There were between 10-15 trips in open time for today at noon yesterday. By 1pm they had all been transferred to other bases. And, some really screwed up sequences built.

For instance, there is a 75 sequence on the bid sheet every month that is a 3-day trip.
Day one: STL-DFW continuing to LAS.
Day two: LAS-STL, STL-DFW, DFW-MCO.
Day three: MCO-DFW, DFW-STL.

Now, the #3 on that trip called in sick. A sequence was built and then transferred to ORD. The flight attendant assigned, deadheaded to STL last night and laid over here. She works the above trip until it gets to DFW tomorrow. She then will deadhead back to ORD.

Another sequence was dropped into the system for tomorrow in which an SLT f/a would deadhead on the STL-DFW leg tomorrow, then work the rest of the trip as the #3. However, that sequence has now been transferred to DFW to eliminate the deadhead from SLT-DFW.

So, I guess another sequence will drop into open time for day after tomorrow with an SLT f/a deadheading to DFW to work the last leg back to STL. Or, the DFW f/a will finish the sequence and then deadhead back to DFW--at least the inbound flight to STL on that last leg turns right around and goes back to DFW; so, at least, he/she won't have to take their bags off the plane.

Oh, and did I mention, here I sit on reserve with no trip. Altogether now...Nobody knows the trouble I've seen. Nobody knows my sorrow. 🙁 🙁

 

[TWskyliner]

I'll trade sorrows with you any day Jim...1 year 8 months till AA kicks me to the curb again...this time for good.

 

[B.O.B.]

I'll trade sorrows with you any day Jim...1 year 8 months till AA kicks me to the curb again...this time for good.

You can have my spot! 😉


Approved or not approved?

 

[Garfield1966]

Jim,

It's a gamble for us. 8 reserves for a large base like STL is not many. My guess is they are holding the reserves back for any trips that cannot be transfered out. I know when I used to work DCA, I would do the same thing. I would transfer out any trip that I could to LGA/ORD/MIA and use my reserves to cover the am sign-ins that I could not transfer. There were days and sometimes weeks where I would not have any early sign-ins to cover but every now and then it would save my ass and I would clean out the base and not leave the today desk with a single person at home. We have no way of knowing what the next day will hold so we play it safe just incase.

Just FYI as far as the number you get at 1900 when you call in is not a number you can bank on. The otehr day I skipped down about 10-15 people at my base till I found someone legal to fly the 6 am SI 3 day that I had open up. Everyone above the reserve I assigned came into late the day prior to be legal for it or they were not good for 3 days.

 

[jimntx]

Jim,

It's a gamble for us. 8 reserves for a large base like STL is not many. My guess is they are holding the reserves back for any trips that cannot be transfered out. I know when I used to work DCA, I would do the same thing. I would transfer out any trip that I could to LGA/ORD/MIA and use my reserves to cover the am sign-ins that I could not transfer. There were days and sometimes weeks where I would not have any early sign-ins to cover but every now and then it would save my ass and I would clean out the base and not leave the today desk with a single person at home. We have no way of knowing what the next day will hold so we play it safe just incase.

Just FYI as far as the number you get at 1900 when you call in is not a number you can bank on. The otehr day I skipped down about 10-15 people at my base till I found someone legal to fly the 6 am SI 3 day that I had open up. Everyone above the reserve I assigned came into late the day prior to be legal for it or they were not good for 3 days.

Oh, there were a few reserves assigned trips, but not many. But, trips aren't assigned until around 1730, but the great majority of the trips were transferred out by 1300.

I understand that relative position can be affected by last signout time, etc. But, they did not use a single reserve at SLT from 1900 on the 3rd until close of business on the 4th. I was 4 of 8 at 1900 on the 3rd, and I was still 4 of 8 at 1700 on the 4th.

However, with sick calls as high as they have apparently been at SLT, I agree that 8 ready reserves ain't that many.

 

[Skymess]

Garfield,

There's a debate going on over at my other board that you might be able to answer.

Is the reserve list longer in Chicago and DFW (both intl and dom) to cover shortages at the bases on the east and west coast? or is it due to the sizes of the bases and does reserve seem to be more senior because the bases themselves are made up of more senior people?

Some people think the lists in the center are high because of the anticipated shortages on the coasts and others because of manning needs at the center bases.


Do you know anything about it?

 

[Garfield1966]

Sorry but that info is way above my pay grade.

If I had to make a guess I would say that the reserve counts are based on the size of the base. I do not know how the procedure works for you guys in terms of transferring or drafting to another base but cost wise I would think it would make more sense for AA to say we need x number of people in this base and x number here as opposed to sending rips out of base. Transferring a trip with a over night and what have you is quite costly. There have been weeks when BOS, DCA are fine. There were days when I would send trips into that base to get the reserve hours up. And then there are days when it all goes down the tubes. There is no way to predict what a day will be like. I guess it is possible that they have high numbers to cover the rest of the system but somehow that does not make much sense to me (this is the airline industry so I guess logic does not necessarily have to be used).

As far as seniority, I do not even look at it. On reserve, seniority does not mean squat to me. I look at seniority when granting PVD's or reassigning line holders. That's about it.

If you know someone in planning they may be able to shed some more light on the issue.

 

[jimntx]

Is the reserve list longer in Chicago and DFW (both intl and dom) to cover shortages at the bases on the east and west coast? or is it due to the sizes of the bases and does reserve seem to be more senior because the bases themselves are made up of more senior people?

The reserve lists at ORD and DFW are going more senior simply because there are not that many junior people left in the base. I know that at DFW, reserve regularly goes to 17 years and has gone as high as 19 years in the past 12 months. There is fear that if AVBL is eliminated, reserve will go over 20 years at DFW.

As far as covering other bases...I know that when I was based at DFW and was on reserve every other month, we were regularly deadheaded to MIA to cover trips that should have been flown by MIA reserves. And, fairly frequently we were deadheaded to BOS, LGA, or JFK to work as VMs on transcons (which suited me fine. It was the only time I ever got to work on a 767). But, I don't think the reserve staffing is deliberately 'upped' at ORD and DFW for that purpose. It's just that on any given day, those bases will be more likely tohave an available body.

 

[fliboi78]

I have been at JFK since 2001 and have ONLY done availability, because of my juniority. That being said, I don't know if the company means that they are short manning at the end of months domestically or internationally. But, the past few months at JFK where they would usually have OPT II open around the 22nd until the end of the month in the past, have not had OPT II open at the end of the month the past few months. I usually max out around the 17-21 and am looking to pick up more and so I sit around or pick up from Hiboard. I even fly those 5 hour BDA turns just to get some extra flying in when I am called.

 

[nbmcg01]

I have been at JFK since 2001 and have ONLY done availability, because of my juniority. That being said, I don't know if the company means that they are short manning at the end of months domestically or internationally. But, the past few months at JFK where they would usually have OPT II open around the 22nd until the end of the month in the past, have not had OPT II open at the end of the month the past few months. I usually max out around the 17-21 and am looking to pick up more and so I sit around or pick up from Hiboard. I even fly those 5 hour BDA turns just to get some extra flying in when I am called.

I know of 2000 + that would be more than happy to cover the STL flights and most of them actually live there.