End of month flight cancellations

[tadjr]

By the time I had left work last night at 730, we had over 85 flights cancel due to lack of crew. All but one was 733-734 crews. Are we doing some kind of training again that is draining the 737 crews or are we (stupid question) understaffed on these planes? It didnt differentiate cockpit or cabin crew, but since they were all 737s it would appear cockpit (unless it was domicile based).
I would have hoped that fiascos such as this would have been a top priority from CCY to be addressed in an attempt to stem the flow of revenue ( and associated costs with upset passengers and time spent trying to handle the problem), but it appears that we are heading back to the way things were instead of improving in many areas.
How much money was lost yesterday alone because of this? Who is going to get the blame because we know someone will, although it probably wont be who actually deserves it? How is CCY working to get a handle on this problem that continues to plague US at a time when we can ill afford to lose the goodwill of those passengers affected?
Anxiously waiting for a reply from someone in the know, and I know someone knows......

 

[N628AU]

I can see the abnormally harsh summer weather plauging much of the east, especially CLT getting fingered for crews going over time. Just my guess.

 

[USAirBoyA330]

You think yesterday and today were bad? Tomorrow is going to be a nightmare. Just finished using every available F/A in PHL and they still have over 20 trips left uncovered. Scheduling said all other bases were in the same boat or worse so they can't pull F/A's from other bases.
But by all means keep the furlough notices coming.

 

[OldGuyinPA]

I can see Al C. telling all the regional directors that...their to tell the station managers to work with less people. Makes sense...keep the customers in line and get them so upset that they'll never fly USeless Air again. Airline rage is real at USAir. We're seeing it daily...Oh well...

Dave doesn't know whats really going on, kept in the dark from reality by his VP's.

Keep the bonuses flowing Dave.

 

[airlineorphan]

If weather (or by some fluke, training) was the direct cause of the crew shortages, the real problem continues to be the too-close-to-the-bone job cuts.

Airlines are an industry that REQUIRES built-in redundancies all along the way. From maintenance to crews to customer service to operations, and so forth down the list.

If bean-counters decide they can run a tighter ship with less people and no redundancies built in, mother nature or SNAFU will always come and slap them upside the head. It's just too complex an operation to operate on some insane assumption that nothing will go wrong. And when it does, you have to give away the store to cover the costs of stranding thousands of customers!

Spend a million dollars to save a dime! Is that the strategy they teach in Harvard Biz School? Best and brightest, my a$$!

-Airlineorphan

 

[trvlr64]

Tell Dave Seigel, Dave Bronner and Ben and the rest of the VP's to strap on an apron and serve my fat ass a beverage. I'm thirsty!!

 

[PITbull]

Heard from scheduling today that tomorrow it is going to be bad for coverage. Front end and back end. I don't underststand why they are still in furlough mode. This is completely baffling. Someone is either miscalculating the numbers in finance, or the finance guy is having a complete "breakdown" and no one has noticed yet in that department.

Somone, please go check him out.

 

[Hello Newman]

They'll probably end up blaming the flight crews, accusing them of phony sick calls as part of a work
slowdown. Senator John Mccain is no fan of the airline industry, so perhaps he needs to know how
service in all carriers is falling by the wayside.
While execs pay themselves bonuses and plead for
federal bailout. By the way where is the Board of
Directors? Aren't they supposed to be seeing that this sort of thing doesn't happen?

 

[PITbull]

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[PITbull]

Newman,

Here's my take.

Watch how this works...

Now that the staffing for f/as has been reduced beyond substandard levels for an airline like ours, the company will come out and literally "pounce" on the flight attendant who dares call in sick FOR BEING SICK. They will torture these f/as tomorrow.

This is what this mangement does, and that is why we are so upset. We were told that they are "tightening" up the Disciplines...and IMO it is to further reduce heads in conjunction with furloughs. It appears to be a "set up" (reduce staffing fiecely, and then punish those who are still here who are left on the property who have any kind of health problem because they are considered "liabilities" to this mangement, and look to terminate by setting up the "perfect environment" for employees to fail.

Pretty calculating, don't you think?

Trust me, there is absolutely no work slow down....there are just not enough f/as now, so that when there is any lost time or absence, it is magnified 10 fold.

 

[Smartest Loser]

Chip,

The problem with your statement is.."People will not continue to put up with BAD SERVICE"..!!

You wouldn't go eat at a place that always had long lines and it took forever to get your meal.

We are losing more than we are gaining in these area's due to poor planning. That's my 2 cents.

 

[USA320Pilot]

Resource Planning cut flight crew staffing to the bone and the flight crew shortage will subside going forward. This month the company experienced abnormally harsh weather, which increased monthly flying and required more reserve staffing, which cannot be anticipated.
Dependent upon August weather, the same situation could occur, but this should subside in September when the new schedule begins. The schedule will have 7,000 less block hours for the month, until October 1 when 6,400 flight hours are restored.

US Airways will begin to implement a new flight crew scheduling system in November that must be fully in place by June 2004. This will result in about 8% more flight crew productivity going forward.
In regard to lost profits, I believe the flight crew cancellation may not have a huge effect. The company continues to lose money and the cancelled flights could have saved some money and many passengers were rebooked on other US Airways flights, saving revenue and increasing load factor.
I regard to passenger ill will, I suspect this was not largely effected. US Airways and other airlines have become a commodity-based business and in the future passengers will likely seek the airline that has the lowest price and best schedule for their needs.

Best regards,
Chip

 

[PITbull]

Chip,

I have too much respect for you to pick on you...BUT, YOU HAVE GOT TO BE MAKING SOME KIND OF FUNNY HERE RIGHT? What poison have you drank?

Company is still skimping, needs to further reduce cost? How so? CASMS still too high?

Are you implying that now you see that maybe the company had "just cause" to terminate your defined pension, because they are in such dire straights? Poor mangement. What a dilemma.

Is someone paying you to write this stuff?

How about trying the unusual for this mangement?

Here, give this idea a try....

Restructure the fares and simplify them, hire in some rank and file (NOT MANAGEMENT) to cover these deficits for ANTICIPATION and preparation of the unexpected historical problems that arise in this industry, so we can start to provide efficient customer service, and then we may just see a friggen profit around here.

AND MARKET THE DAMN AIRLINE.

 

[trvlr64]

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On 8/1/2003 5:31:23 PM PITbull wrote:

Chip,


I have too much respect for you to pick on you...BUT, YOU HAVE GOT TO BE MAKING SOME KIND OF FUNNY HERE RIGHT? What poison have you drank?


Company is still skimping, needs to further reduce cost? How so? CASMS still too high?


Are you implying that now you see that maybe the company had just cause to terminate your defined pension, because they are in such dire strights? Poor mangement. What a dilema.


Is someone paying you to write this stuff?


How about trying the unusual for this mangement?


Here, give this idea to mangement....


Restructure the fares and simplify them, hire in some rank and file (NOT MANAGEMENT) to cover these deficits for ANTICIPATION and preparation of the unexpected historical problems that arise in this industry, so we can start to provide efficient customer service, and then we may just see a friggen profit around here.


AND MARKET THE DAMN AIRLINE.

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You go girl, give em hell !!!! And Dave, I'm still waiting for my beverage and in a real glass like the other airlines offer!!

I feel sarcastic today!

 

[USA320Pilot]

Pitbull:
In my 28 years of flying, July was one of the worst months for thunderstorms I have witnessed. Although the company does anticipate some disruptions, I believe Operations should not be held responsible for unusually adverse weather.
Obviously, "operating short staffed and canceling flights for a 'time sensitive' business" is not positive, but US Airways reported a huge Q2 loss of $154 and still has to high of a CASM of 10.74c. The airline must continue to skimp and further cut costs to be a long-term survivor.
Did Resource Planning make a mistake and short staff flight crews? Absolutely, however, with all due respect I do not believe it had a huge effect on profits, passenger perception, or future performance/customer service.
Best regards,
Chip