Dear Vice President Garton

[TWAnr]

Seen on another website:

Dear Vice President Garton,

I am writing you this afternoon because I am concerned about the poor service our customers continue to receive on American Airlines. As a Purser based at SFO I am in regular contact with our premium customers. Vice President Garton I can tell you first hand our customer’s overall impression of American is very poor. In fact the current state of our operations is so poor one of our PREMIUM FOCUS GROUP customers, a business associate of mine, actually called my real estate office two weeks to complain about the continued poor service and broken promises by American Airlines in regards to addressing problems. This customer is so angry he is just waiting for Virgin America to launch, if they have any frequency to JFK you can kiss his business good bye no matter how many time he hears an apology from management. (By the way he is a BC Passenger twice a week between SFO to JFK.)

Mr. Garton, I have been a flight attendant for nearly 35 years for 3 lines and can tell you if this company does not get it’s act together very soon there is little hope we will be in business within the next few years.

For months now my co-workers and I have put up with broken airplanes, nasty airplanes, entertainment systems that don’t work for days on end, toilets leaking into the galleys, toilet seats falling off the toilets, running out of water (a near daily occurrence on our 757 MIA SFO operation), broken seats, broken lights, and half dead bloody mice still in their traps under passenger seats. The company can put in all the new interiors it likes however, when you don’t clean or make repairs our customers are not going to come back!

This past weekend was one of the worst I can remember, on Thursday I left on a 3 day trip out of San Jose. The airplane overnights and was supposedly cleaned by one of our contract cleaning companies. Upon boarding I found M & M’s and crumbs under the seats in first class, stained carpets, and lavs that had not been dumped. Upon arrival at DFW we boarded another aircraft to SAT in worse condition. The plane smelled terrible and I can’t remember ever seeing a carpet in such bad shape or so nasty. One passenger came to the back to use the lav and inquired if the carpet was wet. (It’ wasn’t wet it was nasty!) This passenger’s shoe actually stuck to the carpet along with several others. Mr. Garton that passenger was Dr. B, MD, Professor of Neurology at The University of Texas Health Science Center. By the way Dr. B is American Advantage Executive Platinum Member XXXXXXX.

After apologizing to Dr. B for the condition of the aircraft I listened while he described how upset he is with American. It appears Dr. B is a regular passenger to Paris, he related every time he gets on one of our aircraft they are dirty yet on occasion when he uses Air France out of Houston their airplanes are spotless. Can you imagine how embarrassed I was as a representative of American Airlines having to hear this over and over again? Mr. Garton, Dr. B is tired of hearing things will improve, it hasn’t happened and he is disgusted by the continued broken promises from the corporate office when he files a complaint. (For the record I provided him with a 1000 mile certificate and free drink coupons out of my purser wallet.)

Sadly this isn’t the first time I have heard this, my business associate mentioned above was met by our SFO Base Manager several months ago following a trip from SFO to JFK to CDG and return where he had to sweep the trash and crumbs out of his business class seat on the way to Paris before he could sit down.

You would think this would have been the end of the story for the SAT to DFW flight but it’s not. Upon landing at DFW it was clear there were more issues with this airplane than being dirty. During the final approach the airplane began shaking and making a horrendous noise that scared all the passengers. It was so bad I had to make an announcement that everything was OK knowing it wasn’t. The Captain suspected a control problem or the flaps continued to travel beyond the setting she selected. It is my understanding the airplane was taken out of service and did not continue on. I am sure Dr. B was real impressed! Mr. Garton for the next 3 days I continued to work on hot, filthy, and nasty airplanes in poor condition leaving our customers with a negative impression. To make it worse I had little sleep between duty periods and nothing to eat due to the terrible schedules forced on us at SFO.

Again you would think that is where it ended but NO, yesterday April 1st, I had the unfortunate pleasure of being the Purser on AA 327 DFW SFO, aircraft N351 a Boeing 767-300. This airplane had been on the ground at DFW for over 24 hours with numerous maintenance items that were not fixed. Vice President Garton, not one, I repeat not one, of the 30 reading lights in First Class worked! In addition two rows in Main Cabin were inop. If that weren’t bad enough none of my first class passengers were able to enjoy the movie are music since the audio system for the entire first class cabin had been inop and deferred by maintenance for three days. The first class passenger in seat 6A could not recline her seat because it was broken however, when the gentlemen in 6B reclined his seat 6A began reclining along with 6B. Makes you kind of wonder what else is improperly wired. This airplane sat on the ground for 24 hours yet the lavs had not been dumped, it was so poorly cleaned there were empty salad dressing bottles under the first class seats, and not one maintenance item was fixed. By the way aircraft N351 is one of our 767 300’s with the new interior, entertainment system, and seats. If it’s in poor working condition or dirty, it does not matter what interior is installed. Further, on April 6th three out of the seven of us working this same flight including myself and FA 6 became ill with some sort of gastro-intestinal illness. Again that airplane was absolutely filthy, do we now have to worry about some sort of cruise ship type of illness when we come to work?

Mr. Garton I would like to touch on a few other flights, on one of my MIA SFO trips in March we ran out of water one hour and thirty minutes into the flight. (Restricting water levels on a 757 on long haul isn’t a good idea.) Usually this flight runs out of water an average of 3 times a week, yet we are still dealing with the issue. This airplane had been flying around for several days prior to our flight with two of the four lavs inop, including the one in First Class. In fact the aft left lav flooded the back of the passenger cabin and galley with blue waste water on takeoff out of SJU and MIA. I wonder what the FAA would think about maintenance IN-OP stickers being on the lav doors but no mention of them in the log book? I wonder what OSHA would think about the flight attendants wading in lav waste serving food and beverages from a galley full of blue sewage water? On my next MIA SFO flight the entertainment system had been in-op for 3 days and not one repair station had the parts to fix it. If that weren’t bad enough one passenger’s seat was completely missing it’s armrest. Unfortunately for the gentlemen seated in that seat we ran out of water before he could have a cup of coffee, sadly his flight from Barbados to Miami also ran out of water. When passengers from Barbados to San Francisco can’t have a cup of coffee, their armrest is missing, the lavs are broken, the plane is dirty, the toilets are leaking into the galley, and passengers can’t watch the movie or listen to music because it’s been broken for 3 days, you know things are bad!

Mr. Garton, I know I am not the only Purser you have heard from but enough is enough! We need this airline back on course or there won’t be an AA in the future. The SFO Base Manager, my supervisor Terry Jelly, and the office staff have been very supportive of our customers and the flight attendants however they can only do so much.

Sadly from our point of view they are the only ones trying to make things better. It’s time for the corporate office to assist those who are trying and get this airline and it’s planes back in shape.

Finally, it wouldn’t hurt for the corporate office to let us know we are appreciated once in awhile!

Thank you for your time and any assistance you can provide.

Best Regards,

XXXXXXXX, Purser
SFO

 

[jetmechjer]

AS LONG AS MR.OUR PAY AND ALL HIS WHITE COLLAR CROOK CROONIES GET THEIR MONEY THEY COULDN'T CARE LESS. I BELIEVE THESE BASTARDS WILL MILK ALL THEY CAN FROM OUR COMPANY AND LEAVE IT IN RUINS FOR ALL US TO DEAL WITH AS THEY MOVE ON TO RAPE ANOTHER LARGE GROUP OF WORKERS......ENRON COMES TO MIND????
MR OUR PAY AT ONE TIME WAS YOUNGER, SOMEWHAT GOOD LOOKING AND WAS AA'S GREAT HOPE FOR THE FUTURE. HE IS NOW GRAY, HIS TEETH ARE YELLOWED FROM ALL THE LIES PASSING THRU THEM AND WE ALL NOW KNOW THAT HE IS JUST ANOTHER CROOK!!! LIKE CARTY WHO WE SUCCESSFULLY RAN OFF!!! THEIR BLACK SOULS WILL BE JUDGED FOR WHAT THEY DID TO ALL OF US IN THE AFTER LIFE!!! PARTICULARLY FOR THE SUICIDES, DIVORCES, HOUSE FORECLOSURES, BANKRUPTCIES AND ALL THE PAIN THEY HAVE CAUSED!!!
MAY GOD HAVE MERCY ON THEIR GREEDY SOULS!!! NOT!!!!
:unsure: :unsure: :unsure: :unsure:

 

[WorldTraveler]

I'd like to hear someone from maintenance respond to this.

Are you told to just not deal with anything that isn't required to keep the plane airworthy or is there just a lack of people or parts?

 

[iluvaa]

I'd like to hear someone from maintenance respond to this.

Are you told to just not deal with anything that isn't required to keep the plane airworthy or is there just a lack of people or parts?

all mechanics are honorable men and women we do everthing they allow to make sure aircraft are SAFE if its not a saftey issue its hard to argue. with tickets at all time low and fuel real high customers need to decide what they want cheap ticks or great service and top notch planes. but no matter what they will be safe

 

[aapitbull]

I'd like to hear someone from maintenance respond to this.

Are you told to just not deal with anything that isn't required to keep the plane airworthy or is there just a lack of people or parts?

Maintenance is just like the rest of this company Do more with less or else. what most people don,t know is the TWU agreed to 3 years worth of attrition on top of all the layoffs so for nearly four years anyone who quit,died got fired or retired has not been replaced you do the math.

Their focus is on running a cattle car company for the past few years they have been pulling capacity out of the system and driving up load factor less airplanes mean the remaining ones fly more each day. more use less time for repair when planes are down less mechanics means one must prioritize what gets fixed first etc etc etc. anyway I think you get the point.

 

[ch53D]

I'd like to hear someone from maintenance respond to this.

Are you told to just not deal with anything that isn't required to keep the plane airworthy or is there just a lack of people or parts?

Just because an A/C sat at DFW for 24 hours doesn’t mean it will get fixed or have a check accomplished. There’s A/C every day that don’t have checks assigned to them and sit for many hours. The only thing required by maintenance is to clean up inbound items.

The checks that are accomplished have been watered down a lot in the past four to five years. The company has removed a lot of items including looking at the cabin on 0922 and PS checks.

The manning has deceased in the last few years to an unbelievable level and the work load per AMT has tripled. Instead of working one over night airplane now you have to three.

Parts are now a joke. Example A/C 399 yesterday had at least 12 placards on it. It does have the new interior. The company went out a bought the interiors with now parts to fix them. Many of the placards have been on for at least a week. You can have all the AMT’s in the world but it comes down to, no parts no fix.

The bottom line if the company doesn’t want AMT’s looking at there A/C and supplying us with parts it isn’t going to get fixed in a timely manner.

 

[L1011Ret]

If the allegations in the above letter are true, and I suspect they are, then the relationship between managers bonuses and performance is a fraud. There is no relationship.

 

[TIME FOR CHANGE]

I bet things were not this bad 6 years ago

 

[NewHampshire Black Bears]

Along the lines of this sad, but highly informative post, I'd like to hear from AMT's, Pursers, and F/a's, in LAX and JFK, pertaining to AA's W/B trips between LA-JFK, and JFK-LHR, which as we all know are the PREMIER trips in the company, meaning are ANY of these(above) conditions occuring? (Which I 100% beleive that they are) !

Thank you.

NH/BB's

 

[Hopeful]

At JFK, there is a manpower shortage. There is alot of OT, especially going on midnights where the bulk of the work gets done. Even with the OT, there is too much work to address all the issues.
As for parts, that is another story. Years ago, most parts were stocked and it was rare the stockroom did NOT have what you needed. Then, as in every other aspect of the company cost cutting mission, many parts were removed from stockrooms and the overall inventory was greatly reduced. I believe this was based on the fact that the larger your parts inventory, naturally the more it costs to maintain it, but there is a TAX issue on the parts because they are also assets.
If there are some financial people here, maybe you can shed light on it.

 

[TWAnr]

And this is what the competition is doing:

Emerging from 19 months of bankruptcy protection, Delta is inching back up, leaner and more focused, with airplanes that have been scrubbed clean and a re-energized workforce that is roping back customers...

Passengers will notice the difference inside the planes as well, said Joanne Smith, Delta senior vice president for in-flight services. "We are to create a better on-board experience," she said. The airline will equip all long-haul planes with in-seat TVs, bring back meal service and install lie-flat seats in first class.

Los Angeles Times - Delta's ambitions soar again

 

[FWAAA]

At JFK, there is a manpower shortage. There is alot of OT, especially going on midnights where the bulk of the work gets done. Even with the OT, there is too much work to address all the issues.
As for parts, that is another story. Years ago, most parts were stocked and it was rare the stockroom did NOT have what you needed. Then, as in every other aspect of the company cost cutting mission, many parts were removed from stockrooms and the overall inventory was greatly reduced. I believe this was based on the fact that the larger your parts inventory, naturally the more it costs to maintain it, but there is a TAX issue on the parts because they are also assets.
If there are some financial people here, maybe you can shed light on it.

Unless we're talking about a one-a-year type of part (only need one very rarely), this sounds like more penny-wise and pound-foolish management. There may be a shortage of parts but there's no shortage of poor decisions like these.

Of course, inventories can be very expensive to carry, especially if the part is only very rarely needed, but if these are somewhat routine replacement items, ya gotta keep some in the parts bin.

I've seen companies that try to get clever and move inventory out of state a few days before the inventory/pers prop tax assessment date, and then magically return the inventory after the assessment date, but states are slowly wising up to such shenanigans.

 

[LGA Fleet Service]

We see the same thing at LGA every day.

Management is terrified of taking a delay, so cabin cleaners are routinely chased off a turning aircraft in under ten minutes.

I heard a radio call the other day, CSM was telling a crew chief to have his cleaner (One guy on a 737) off the aircraft in seven minutes.

Honestly, what can one person accomplish in seven minutes? :blink:



They refuse to acknowledge they've staffed the operation at most stations improperly and when we question why we're sending out filthy airplanes, we're told that passengers 'Value an on time departure'.


But of course there is much head scratching and forming of JLT "Groups" to figure out why the Survey America numbers are cratering.

Might have something to do with the filth we have people sitting in.

Idiots.We're lead by idiots who have forgotten that this is a customer service driven business.

The attitude of management seems to be "F@ck 'em, we already got their money".


Shame what management has turned this place into.

 

[IORFA]

AMEN, LGA FSC

 

[Boomer]

February Maintenance Newsletter

In no way am I a CompAAny apologist for what has occured with respect to concessions and the outright naked greed shown by AA Management with respect to bonuses and/or honesty and transparency.

To paraphrase the article: AA has reduced the costs of carrying parts for every situation, for every fleet, for every station.

As far as I know, the standing orders of accomodation within AA Maintenance & Engineering are:
1) Safety;
2) Passenger Comfort/Conveniance;
3) On Time Departure.

If any Member of AA Mangement or the TWU engages in coercion, intimidation, harassment, threats and/or disciplinary action; the following are responses available to the individual AMT:
1) the ASAP Program, Aviation Safety Action Program;
2) the ASRS Program, Aviation Safety Reporting Program;
3) the DOT Whistleblower Program, Federal Aviation Administration Whistleblower Protection Program;
4) the US House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Transportation & Infrastructure; Aviation Subcommittee; Jurisdiction
5) the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation; Senate Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety and Security;Jurisdiction

Finally, the TWU won a major Arbitration case against American Airlines back on '02 or '03 from Local 562: NO LINK TWU "XXXXX" v. American Airlines NO LINK. Contact someone in the TWU from that Local for details.

The Arbitrators' decision basically states that no Arbitrator will second guess the decision of a Pilot or AMT in the generation of a discrepancy against the airworthiness of an aircraft absent a showing of bad faith on the part of a Pilot or AMT.