Immediate termination

[lpbrian]

Lets not forget to Add ATL to the list of Closed Crew Bases. And NOW that the COMPANY has decided to fly ONLY RJ's into ATL, it aint pretty......

And most RJ's don't have any extra jumpseats. Often, with Eagle, flights are weight restricted.

 

[A320 Driver]

Are line checks always booked in advance or can they be impromptu?

They are booked a day in advance. Some Check Airmen have even called line pilots at home to let them know in advance that the jumpseat was being used.

A320 Driver B)

 

[careerfurloughee]

They are booked a day in advance. Some Check Airmen have even called line pilots at home to let them know in advance that the jumpseat was being used.

A320 Driver B)

So a check airman can't use his authority to bump a jumpseater as a way of getting to work?

 

[A320 Driver]

So a check airman can't use his authority to bump a jumpseater as a way of getting to work?

Not for commuting to work. No. I'm not saying it has never happened but if he got caught doing it, he would be in deep do do.

A320 Driver B)

 

[PHX-F/A]

If you call in sick for work yet show up for a fun flight somewhere on the same day, you will be terminated. As a gate supervisor in PHX I once had a PHX gate employee call in sick yet show up and board a flight to California. One of my agents told me that so-and-so was on the flight and had been supposed to work that day. Two of us (supervisors) went to the aircraft, pulled the employee off the flight and terminated that person immediately. (BTW, the flight was also within the time of the day that person was supposed to be working.)

Commuters and especially persons on an OJI can be handled somewhat differently then the scenario I described.

I think this is the situation that this thread is actually about. People make really stupid decisions and think they won't get caught. I don't think its a commutter issue at all.

 

[ALCARLOS]

No one should be disciplined for making every attempt to commute.

It matters only if the person is there, not how hard he/she tries. Also, its good business to eliminate a more senior person and replace.

 

[700UW]

Also, its good business to eliminate a more senior person and replace.

It is also against the law for age discrimination.

With attitudes like yours no wonder why US is in such a mess when it comes to labor (un)relations.

 

[tadjr]

No one should be disciplined for making every attempt to commute.

I guess you would have to come up with a definition of "every attempt" to make it work.
Is not catching the last flight the night before report which might have had seats, but meant a night in a hotel, making every attempt?
Is giving yourself 1 "extra" flight into PHL in the summer to catch a 900pm International trip while 3 am flights went out with seats (or a jumpseat open) making every attempt?
Do you use one of your newly acquired S1s to get to work or do you save that for something important like the vacation trip to Europe?
Everyone is going to have a different definition of "every attempt" and the ones who are abusing the system now are going to be the same ones whose definition of "every attempt" means they showed up at the airport some time in advance of their report time and tried to get on A plane, nothing more, nothing less.

PS- Not all commuters work like this, but I've worked the gates enough to see there are quite a few who do. 😛h34r:

 

[USCREW]

I guess you would have to come up with a definition of "every attempt" to make it work.


The company has their definition of "every attempt" spelled out in policies and procedures. It is very clear.

 

[jimntx]

FWIW, your commuter policy is much more liberal than AA's. A full flight is no excuse for not making it to work. Just within the past year they have modified the policy to allow removal from your trip with no "missed trip" penalty ONLY if you have made 3 attempts to get to work and all three cancelled or were delayed due to mechanical, weather, ATC hold.

And, by no penalty, I mean it's not a black mark on your attendance record. You are removed from the trip without pay and you have to make yourself available for what we call make up flying and actually fly in order to get back the lost pay.

And, all 3 of your "attempts" must have been far enough in advance that any of them would have gotten you to base before your scheduled sign-in time. There might be a 0700, 0800, 0900, and 1000 flight to base. If your sign-in is at 11:15 and the flight is 1:20, the 1000 can not count as an attempt. If all of them go out on time (or near enough that you would have still made sign-in), but they went out full and you couldn't get a jumpseat, tough. It's still a missed trip. Only a cancellation or a mechanical/weather/ATC delay gets you off the hook, and it has to happen with all 3 flights--unlikely.

It's one issue that I understand the company has never even allowed to be discussed in contract negotiations. Their philosophy is YOU choose to live away from base. You, therefore, bear the responsibility for getting yourself to work on time. When you come down to it, that's the way most companies operate. I chose to live in the Houston area in a subdivision that was 36 miles from my office on the opposite side of the downtown area (I lived in NE Harris County. The office was in Southwest Houston.) My company did not think that the length of my commute was a reason for me to be late to work.

 

[ab320driver]

Apples and oranges. Did your company move your office to different cities 8 times in 10 years? Didn't think so...

P.S. We DID negotiate that.

 

[jimntx]

No, my office did not move 8 times in 10 years. However, if they walked in one day and said you are moving to the L.A. (or Chicago/New York/Denver/Tulsa/London/ Rome/Hamburg or somewhere in the Far East) office, I would be expected to either resign or go home and start packing.

 

[tadjr]

Well for those commuters who were living in base cities, I can see the problem and feel for them (I have moved once and been downgraded two times to avoid a move personally so I know of what you speak), however, there has never been a crew base in TPA/MCO/IAH/DFW/DEN, etc.... so unless a crewmember is still living in ATL/MIA/ORF/BWI/LAX, etc there really is no comparison either.

 

[700UW]

There was also SAN, UCA and maybe SFO.

 

[Bear96]

Apples and oranges. Did your company move your office to different cities 8 times in 10 years? Didn't think so...

Please. Enough of that sob story. Almost any airline I have heard of will PAY for reasonable moving expenses if it is an involuntary relocation due to a crew base downsizing or closure.

Yes it sucks to have to relocate. But no one, in any industry, with any company, is guaranteed the same job in the same city for life. This is ESPECIALLY true in the airline industry, and shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who is even remotely familiar with the business (which you should be before you start working for a major airline).

Bottom line, it is a choice to commute or to move. Make your choice and live with the consequences.

(And truly, how many F/As or pilots have literally been FORCED to move "8 times in 10 years"? As in, not voluntarily chasing seats or equipment or flying or trying to avoid reserve, but have actually had their bases closed or been surplussed? Maybe you can find one or two examples out of tens of thousands, but I think you are exaggerating a wee bit.)