JetBlue cutting staffing

[mrman]

SKY HIGH STATES: Not only do carts expedite the service, but they make it more efficient. 3 Flight attendants serving 150 passengers. So, each F/A gets 50 people. That's how many up and down the aisles with a serving tray? TOO MANY.

I believe WN does it with 3 trips of 12 drinks per tray. Well you may change that to 6 as they are required to ask every passenger if they would like another drink even on the 30 minute hop from HOU to CRP. Not using the cart gives a more personal service and keeps the aisles clear for potty breaks

 

[NAPAUS]

Spoken like a person who never has to walk the aisles multiple times in a flight! I fail to see the "cost" of hauling carts. Most of the weight of the carts is not in the carts themselves, but in the contents of those carts--beverages and snacks. If you are going to haul those anyway, where is the savings?

Carts also save the cost of cleaning vouchers engendered by those jerks who--even with a 36 in pitch--feel that the only place for their feet is out in the aisles. If you are carrying drinks on a tray when one of them trips you, it can be messy.

😛 😛 😛 AMEN!!! I flew for 25 years and BELIEVE me a cart is a dream for f/as...running in and out of the galley is unproductive and increases workload. Most f/a unions fought long and hard for carts. BTW, SW service is hardly a model to follow. Its non - existent. Bad jokes, sloppy f/as and nothing special. JB is MUCH more of a class act, and the f/as derve carts - it will redistribute the workload due to one less f/a. The time has come for fa/s at JB to stand up for themselves. They are a great group who deserves more.

 

[PHX-F/A]

Not to mention the cost of buying carts and the cost of stocking them.

Rhino, haven't flown in a loooong while, but what's the latest on the FAA's efforts to increase the per pax weight estimate?

The only savings I can see in not having carts, would be the lack of a repair cost, and the fuel cost. You still have to stock the galley with product that would have been in the cart.

As for working the flight. It's not easy to work a full flight of 150 with a cart and everyone is up in your way once the seat belt light is off. If you're constantly running from the galley, you're going to be dodging passengers every time you enter/exit the galley.

I've never flown on JetBlue, I have flown on Southwest, and there is a noticeable speed difference in the time it takes to take that first beverage. Flight Attendants working off of a cart are faster.

 

[Rhino]

As for working the flight. It's not easy to work a full flight of 150 with a cart and everyone is up in your way once the seat belt light is off. If you're constantly running from the galley, you're going to be dodging passengers every time you enter/exit the galley.

I've never flown on JetBlue, I have flown on Southwest, and there is a noticeable speed difference in the time it takes to take that first beverage. Flight Attendants working off of a cart are faster.

You may be an FA, but every FA that comes to SWA from other carriers, and they are myriad, says that snack/beverage service is much faster when working without a cart. Many cite the the same reasons you gave above which undermine your own argument.

SWA gives full service HOU-AUS. Other carriers don't bother on such short flights. Carts block the aisles, slow service, and annoy PAX and FAs. Take orders, pass out the snacks, then taking a max of three trays with previously ordered beverages to the customer is way more efficient. If it wasn't more efficient, SWA wouldn't do it.

 

[USCREW]

USAir does serve with trays on shorter flights, and we also served exclusively with the tray on MetroJet. It is NOT more efficient, and it would be counter-productive on a larger aircraft. Try running all trays on an Airbus 330...ridiculous. It's more feasible on a B737.

 

[BoeingBoy]

One thing to consider is the lack of F/C on B6 and WN. Take the 737-400, which at 144 seats is the closest in capacity to B6's 320's and also has 3 F/A's.

One F/A serves F/C and "helps out" in coach, leaving 2 F/A's to serve up to 132 passengers (61 per F/A) from 1 galley - the aft galley. That would be a lot of running back and forth with trays and nearly the full length of the cabin at times.

Compare that to B6 - up to 150 passengers with all 3 F/A's to serve them from both front and aft galleys. A maximum of 50 passengers per F/A and never being more than half the length of the cabin from the galley.

Jim

 

[KCFlyer]

BTW, SW service is hardly a model to follow. Its non - existent.

Hmm...I was on a flight from MCI-TUL - 55 minutes gate to gate schedule. There was not one empty seat on the plane. I was towards the back of the cabin. I had one beverage, and was asked if I'd like another. How many drinks do customers on your airline get for a flight on a full sized airliner that is in the air less than 45 minutes?

Flight Attendants working off of a cart are faster.

Tell that to the passengers in the back of the plane, as they watch the cart move ever so slowly towards them as they serve from the front of the plane. I don't see how it can be faster than having 3 FA's take about 7 or so rows drink orders and carry them back to their selected block of rows.

 

[Rhino]

I never intended to assert that flights that serve meals and are long-haul should dispense with carts.

Serving without carts is faster on snack/beverage flights. Period. Don't prove yor ignorance by asserting otherwise.

It cracks me up when OAL FAs disparage SWA's FA service and their uniforms. The PAX have already voted with their feet(s).

99% of the FAs that allege SWA sucks, then Tivo "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy." I'm sorry the world isn't as you would like it to be.

 

[NYCDelta]

I never intended to assert that flights that serve meals and are long-haul should dispense with carts.

Serving without carts is faster on snack/beverage flights. Period.

At Delta, we used to hand carry hot meals to passengers on the B727, because we didn't have meal carts. It took forever!

I haven't flown WN in a while, do they write down the drink orders for several rows, and then run and get them? I can't remember. At any rate, their service was very efficient.

Service can be done with or without a cart, if you hussle. On the DL shuttle, we have carts and serve a full plane a drink and a snack on 30 minute flights; so I know it can be done. The key is not having everyone work out of the same galley; then we could probably do it without carts.

 

[KCFlyer]

At Delta, we used to hand carry hot meals to passengers on the B727, because we didn't have meal carts. It took forever!

I haven't flown WN in a while, do they write down the drink orders for several rows, and then run and get them? I can't remember. At any rate, their service was very efficient.

On most of my flights, the FA takes your drink order prior to takeoff, then they prepare them and bring them to your seat. And it seems like the 3 FA's have their own "section" of the aircraft to serve...so instead of pushing a cart from the front to the back of the plane, they each have about 7 or 8 rows that they are responsible for. Not sure if that's the plan...but it's what I've noticed on most of my flights with them.

 

[USCREW]

On most of my flights, the FA takes your drink order prior to takeoff, then they prepare them and bring them to your seat. And it seems like the 3 FA's have their own "section" of the aircraft to serve...so instead of pushing a cart from the front to the back of the plane, they each have about 7 or 8 rows that they are responsible for. Not sure if that's the plan...but it's what I've noticed on most of my flights with them.

We served like that on MetroJet, and that was fine since it was on a 737. It is much different on larger aircraft. Drink orders are not taken on the ground since that is when we are concerned with safety/push-back and it is against FARs to do "non-safety-related" actions during ground movement. Also, the tray would not work on Shuttle even though it is a very short flight since we serve full cans.

99% of the FAs that allege SWA sucks, then Tivo "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy." I'm sorry the world isn't as you would like it to be.

What does this have to do with carts? What are you implying?

 

[mga707]

On most of my flights, the FA takes your drink order prior to takeoff, then they prepare them and bring them to your seat. And it seems like the 3 FA's have their own "section" of the aircraft to serve...so instead of pushing a cart from the front to the back of the plane, they each have about 7 or 8 rows that they are responsible for. Not sure if that's the plan...but it's what I've noticed on most of my flights with them.

You're correct. 137seats (-300/-700) divided by 3 FAs equals 45 2/3 seats per FA, so 7 or 8 rows per FA is the norm. Which means a maximum of four trips to the galley per beverage service assuming the flight is full and everyone wants a drink, as the trays hold a dozen cups.
Personally I much prefer the WN method of drink service to the aisle-blocking carts.

 

[KCFlyer]

Drink orders are not taken on the ground since that is when we are concerned with safety/push-back and it is against FARs to do "non-safety-related" actions during ground movement.

Should have been clearer - the FA's take my order as I am taking my seat during the boarding process. The aircraft is parked at the gate - not moving.

 

[NewFlightGuy85]

This is good news to people flying JB, bad news for me! Went to Queens for my blue review, and it went so well, I was so excited to start working for them! Then the news came out that they were removing a row of seats :unsure: O'well just means I have to kill it at my next interview at Continental...(plus side is the travel perks are better!)

 

[donttouchthebeauty]

This is good news to people flying JB, bad news for me! Went to Queens for my blue review, and it went so well, I was so excited to start working for them! Then the news came out that they were removing a row of seats :unsure: O'well just means I have to kill it at my next interview at Continental...(plus side is the travel perks are better!)

Question??? Why would you want to limit yourself to three of the nastiest cities in the country (Newark - otherwise known as sewark, Houston, and Cleveland) and there work rules suck... just a few bits of info....