Crew Base Staffing Numbers

StewGuy86

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Sep 1, 2002
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Charlotte, NC
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This was touched on in another thread and I wanted to bring it up as a separate discussion. It seems to me that one of the inefficiencies of this company is that crew base size and the number of departures at that base's airport aren't necessarily related and I don't understand why. For instance, for many years PIT was by far the largest crew base in the system, even while CLT (and more recently PHL) was a larger hub with more mainline departures. Now, PHL is the largest base but has 48 fewer mainline departures per day than does CLT. And PIT still has WAY more time than PHL or CLT in proportion to the number of mainline departures in that city. Here are some numbers:

Number of Active F/As per base (transatlantic and domestic combined):
PHL: 2080
CLT: 1534
PIT: 1129

Number of Daily Mainline Jet Departures:
PHL: 205
CLT: 253
PIT: 107

Obviously, I didn't take the time to go through each base's blocks and count the number. I simply went by the number of active F/As in these bases as a gauge for overall crew base size. But does it not make sense that you'd want more time in the crew bases that had the most flights?

I guess I just don't see the "big picture." So if anyone out there can explain how it works and how this is the most efficient and cost-effective way to distribute crews, feel free to educate me.

Sources: Crew base info received from a staffer at "Ask Inflight" and flight information from "About US Airways," each on The Hub. Figures are for July 2004.
 
StewGuy,

One possibility may be the link between f/a's and pilots since we fly the same pairings. I've been involved with the pilot permanent bids going back to the PI merger, and the company has never downsized a base other than incrementally. One valid reason could be training capacity (while it doesn't really apply to f/a's, it's a consideration for pilots).

Even when closing the smaller PI bases (GSO, SYR, etc) they phased them out over many months. GSO was at least a year, IIRC. First the 727 was phased out, then the 737's, and finally the F28's. Training flow isn't enough of a reason to stretch it out too much, so maybe some of it is the old "We've always done it that way".

As far as base size relative to flights, the same would apply to some degree. Additionally, "politics" has often played a part in the process.

Jim