Flight Benefits On Us/hp Comparison

[Light Years]

You can check yourself in from home, so what is the difference?

Plus being a FA or Pilot you have more benifits than anyone, jumpseating is not a privilage we all can partake in. Then again it is the individuals choice to live somewhere besides their base........

[post="283131"][/post]​

Um, okay...

In my career with US, through displacements, I was in 5 different bases in less than 3 years, not by choice. Was I supposed to move each time? Hire a moving van, sign a lease only to break it two months later because the company is now short in New York, the most expensive place to live in the country? I don't think so. It's not possible to "live in your base" anymore... living in A base is a good idea, as long as it doesn't become the next Los Angeles, Baltimore, Pittsburgh etc.

 

[barbeetantrums]

When you don't do it by seniority, people just call thier gate agent pal from home or work to list them as soon as they can. It's easily scam-able. I'd rather stick with seniority. Seniority gets you nothing else these days, it should at least get you home from work ahead of Joe New Hire.

[post="283103"][/post]​

This is absolutely, positively untrue. Under QIK, once you are checked in, the time checked in is the time checked in. This is not and cannot be done. If it could be done I would be doing it. As the jerk 700UW says, "Don't let the facts get in your way." <_<

 

[hharotz]

IMO, the one thing I hate about the US pass program is that a spouse/parent/child of an employee travelling alone, travels on the employee's seniority. :down:

I can't tell you how many commuting FA's and other employees who have to get to work have been bumped because some pilots wife is flying home from a day of shopping in NYC or because some agent's kid is flying home after a day at the Mall of America. Under no circumstances should a non-employee travelling alone bump an employee.

If they are travelling with the employee, fine, board them all together on the employee's seniority. Other term pass members travelling alone should be boarded by seniority of the employee, but at a slightly lower BP code (like an S4 instead of the current S3...save the S3 for employees only or employees and the family when travelling together).

 

[hharotz]

This is absolutely, positively untrue. Under QIK, once you are checked in, the time checked in is the time checked in. This is not and cannot be done. If it could be done I would be doing it. As the jerk 700UW says, "Don't let the facts get in your way." <_<

[post="283188"][/post]​

Hmmm.... :huh:

What would prevent me from calling the ATO directly when they open at 5AM to ask one of my friends to "check me in" for my 11AM flight to FLL? Ethically I would never do such a thing, but I can picture this kind of funny business going on all over the system (cough, Terminal F, cough) since people will do whatever it takes to get on flights.

What would be nice is giving up the option to "buy up" our priority within the current seniority based system. For $50/segment, lets say, we could get a higher boarding priority and a free upgrade to FC if available. Maybe the company could even give us two freebies like this per year? :huh: ...This is a touhy subject, and IMO, no matter how the new company decides to settle this, people will #### and moan.

To be honest, I usually just buy confirmed seats on OA (with points or cash) when I need to travel because I've seen first hand how unreliable US Airways has become...I only have a few weeks of vacation a year and can't be bothered with the B.S. of PHL swallowing up bags, PHL ATC, oversold flts, filthy planes, limited CLT/PIT scheds, etc.. when it comes time for my vacation. I see enough people get burned by the poor operational performance (but don't worry, Exec VP Al Crellin is on the case!) every day that I don't want to have to deal with it when I travel.

 

[barbeetantrums]

Hmmm.... :huh:

What would prevent me from calling the ATO directly when they open at 5AM to ask one of my friends to "check me in" for my 11AM flight to FLL? Ethically I would never do such a thing, but I can picture this kind of funny business going on all over the system (cough, Terminal F, cough) since people will do whatever it takes to get on flights.

[post="283202"][/post]​

No offense, but it seems you are grasping for straws. I have NEVER heard of anyone doing this. It may have been mentioned before, AWA people reprimand me if I am wrong, but it is near if not wholly impossible, to change the check-in time with QIK.
I think I remember reading that a supervisor or manager is required to sign off on these things. If anyone does anything of the sort you mention, they are the very rare scumbag.

 

[Harry Callahan]

I worked for 2 airlines that used check in times. Never heard of such a thing.

 

[hharotz]

No offense, but it seems you are grasping for straws. I have NEVER heard of anyone doing this. It may have been mentioned before, AWA people reprimand me if I am wrong, but it is near if not wholly impossible, to change the check-in time with QIK.
I think I remember reading that a supervisor or manager is required to sign off on these things. If anyone does anything of the sort you mention, they are the very rare scumbag.

[post="283283"][/post]​

When you work with the scam artists and theives that we have from CCY, you begin to look at and anticipate ways that people will take advantage of the system.

I'm glad to hear that these things dont really go on....

 

[osunut]

Hmmm.... :huh:

What would prevent me from calling the ATO directly when they open at 5AM to ask one of my friends to "check me in" for my 11AM flight to FLL? Ethically I would never do such a thing, but I can picture this kind of funny business going on all over the system (cough, Terminal F, cough) since people will do whatever it takes to get on flights.

What would be nice is giving up the option to "buy up" our priority within the current seniority based system. For $50/segment, lets say, we could get a higher boarding priority and a free upgrade to FC if available. Maybe the company could even give us two freebies like this per year? :huh:  ...This is a touhy subject, and IMO, no matter how the new company decides to settle this, people will #### and moan.

To be honest, I usually just buy confirmed seats on OA (with points or cash) when I need to travel because I've seen first hand how unreliable US Airways has become...I only have a few weeks of vacation a year and can't be bothered with the B.S. of PHL swallowing up bags, PHL ATC, oversold flts, filthy planes, limited CLT/PIT scheds, etc.. when it comes time for my vacation. I see enough people get burned by the poor operational performance (but don't worry, Exec VP Al Crellin is on the case!) every day that I don't want to have to deal with it when I travel.

[post="283202"][/post]​

hmmmmmm.....because if people are going to cheat they are going to cheat, no matter what system you have. Ever hear of re-ordering the stand-by list? You think that doesn't get done now by agents at U? You have agents overriding the system at HP too. The difference is that it is easier to get caught at HP because everything is time stamped into the record. Why lose your benifits for 30 days for checking in earlier than one should. It is called laziness.

Sure you are going to have ppl cheating, but it is done today by unethical ppl no matter if is done by check-in time or seniority. Why pay $50, HP flexi's will get you to a S1 status when you exchange them in.

 

[osunut]

Um, okay...

In my career with US, through displacements, I was in 5 different bases in less than 3 years, not by choice. Was I supposed to move each time? Hire a moving van, sign a lease only to break it two months later because the company is now short in New York, the most expensive place to live in the country? I don't think so. It's not possible to "live in your base" anymore... living in A base is a good idea, as long as it doesn't become the next Los Angeles, Baltimore, Pittsburgh etc.

[post="283181"][/post]​

Hey no one said you had to stick with this carrier or career. The point is it's a personal choice on what someone does with the options they have in front of them at the time. I have moved to 4 different states in under an year, you hear me b*&ching? No, because I want this as a career and I accept the challenges that go along with it, i.e. commuting, moving, leases and everything else.

 

[tadjr]

Ever hear of re-ordering the stand-by list? You think that doesn't get done now by agents at U?

[post="283503"][/post]​

Not sure what reordering is. We used to be able to "add" the seniority date when putting people on the list, hence some people ended up with 82 instead of 92. Now, as long as the boarding code is correct, S3 employee active, S4 furloughed (and all the other differences within the category), the employee database automatically adds the seniority date so there is no fudging. Just have to be sure to see if someone should be a 3/4/5 on the list.

 

[N924PS]

Seniority is one of the few things we have left. I think that if you have earned your time in a company and you are senior to a fellow employee you should be entitled to that seat or jumpseat. I have had it happen to me where I got bumped off the jumpseat before the flight closed. The girl was running from her flight that she just worked and made it to the gate before it closed. I have been on the other side of the coin and bumped to get home as well. There is usually someone above you and below you. A new hire employee getting a seat over another employee with more seniority that was running to a gate from a working flight is not fair. That more senior employee may not have had time to list earlier. As long as you are there before the flight closes it should be the seniority of an employee that gets you home. Your seniority gets you an eventual block, the base you want, the trips you fly and by all means your way home or wherever your going.

[post="283128"][/post]​

Actually, the automated jumpseat listing that USAirways pilots have available is a great way to go. It is NOT seniority based, first come first serve. A much fairer sysytem than the USAirways F/A's seniority based system.

Although I am a 27 year seniority employee (JUNIOR at USAirways!), I have always believed everyone should have equal opportunity to jumpseat/non-rev.
I am hopeful that post merger the current Jumpseat system will be retained and that an equitable, no cheating allowed, non-seniority based non-rev system will be embraced.

USAirways-An Equal Opportunity Employer!

 

[drifterreno]

Actually the only problem with "cheating" I've encountered has been in stations that are worked by Continental. Orlando is a prime example. Once we have our own agents--ie U--working the flights I don't see any problem with "cheating" whichever way it goes. If you find someone "cheating" then you just turn them in. We do talk among ourselves while waiting to board. And we watch very carefully.

 

[cybercat]

"The only place that I have been treated poorly as an HP non-rev was LAX. They always seem to have a plank up their as* about something."

Seems to be industry-wide, not exclusive to HP. Must be something in the smog.

 

[barbeetantrums]

"The only place that I have been treated poorly as an HP non-rev was LAX. They always seem to have a plank up their as* about something."

Seems to be industry-wide, not exclusive to HP. Must be something in the smog.

[post="284146"][/post]​

Back in 2001, I flew out of LAX and the gate agent was so uptight it looked as if she would pop out of her skin. She was letting SA3P (OAL passengers, mostly) on but she said there was no room for me. I said meekly, "But I'm SA2P. Those people were from Delta." The supervisor heard this and scolded the gate agent with an upbraiding that made me squirm. She was shaking like a leaf. I got on the plane.
Two months ago, I flew out of there and the gate agent taking the boarding passes told me that standby seats weren't released yet. Waiting, waiting, waiting... Ten minutes to push... I asked the other gate agent, "Will standbys be released soon?"
"Whassyour name?", she asked.
"Puddintain.", I replied.
"Puddintain?! Man, I called your stupid name a LONG time ago! Didn't you hear me?!"
I pointed to the other gate agent who had told me that standbys had not been released. "But she told me standbys weren't released, yet!", I cried.
She only shrugged while her coworker gave her a dirty look. :unsure:

 

[luvn737s]

Um, okay...

In my career with US, through displacements, I was in 5 different bases in less than 3 years, not by choice. Was I supposed to move each time? Hire a moving van, sign a lease only to break it two months later because the company is now short in New York, the most expensive place to live in the country? I don't think so. It's not possible to "live in your base" anymore... living in A base is a good idea, as long as it doesn't become the next Los Angeles, Baltimore, Pittsburgh etc.

[post="283181"][/post]​

Sounds like a good reason to close bases. CLT/PHL and PHX/LAS seems about right.