New F/A Announcement Book

[Travelpro72]

Oh Astro.... 😉

 

[2clippedwings]

If you want names and bases just go on wings and find the issue of inflight weekly that listed the name of the FA's on the special teams.

After going through all of the Weekly Inflight News I was able to piece together that the team selected for revising the announcement book was created early in 2010. That teams identity does not appear to have published though it involved flight attendants and AFA reps.

 

[songbirdstew]

The following are the contents of an email that was forwarded to me. It's to Barrington Johnson, AFA Safety Chair, and was written by a PHL based F/A. I'm looking forward to hearing the answers to the questions that were asked.

Hi Barrington,

Happy New Year! My question is regarding the flow of the new announcement booklet we are now required to carry. The new demo actions do not mirror the actions that we follow in the emergency manuals verbatim pull out section in the event of an emergency. As you probably know, we now demo the safety card first and then the seat belt second in the new book however has anyone addressed the fact that this does not match what actions we would be taking if we removed the card from our emergency manuals and followed it as we are supposed to do in an emergency? If we did so, we would be demoing the seat belt first the way we have always done it.

During the strees of an emergency as we are trying to calm passengers, etc I think we should not have to think which one comes first and they should both be identical. I have no idea who thought that since the old announcement wasn't broken that they should fix it but I think this is truly a safety concern that should be addressed. I spoke with PHL Inflight Supervisor Laura Aiello today and she agreed with me and saw the reason for concern.

In addition with regards to the life vest announcement, the way I read it, if the a/c is life vest equipped but you are not going over water all you do is tell them how to take it out of the package. If however you ARE operating over water then you proceed to tell them how to use it. there is a lot of confusion about how this is to be read.

Another question is why this little booklet is now an FAA requirement when SWA can make their announcements off the cuff just as long as the safety information is included. The way I see it is that it's another way for the company to discipline those who misplace theirs and another way for the company to make a buck charging the F/A 10 bucks to replace the one they lost. Is the union addressing this?? In addition, why is Coca-Cola is printed on the back of the booklet. Is that an FAA requirement too???

And his response is as follows......

Thanks for your concerns about the new announcement handbook. The safety committee will check and see if that will be on the upcoming Alert bulletin.

You are correct about the life vest. If you are NOT going over 50nm then you read the short version. If you are going over 50nm you read and demo the life vest.

The announcement handbook is an FAA requirement due to the fact the announcement section of the IEM will be removed very shortly. By doing this it is also seen as a cost saving methods. Over a two year period, the tan announcement book was printed that each f/a would have four copies.

Coca-Cola donated the blue binders. The inserts were paid for by the company. The $10:00 is a way to discourage f/as from constantly borrowing a loaner and not returning it. The safety committee is still dealing with crew members who come to work and do not carry an IEM. In addition we do have crew members who borrow IEMs for a month and longer. The company is trying to make sure this does not happen with the announcement booklet. I would not be surprise to see a stronger program as far as borrowing an IEM in the future. Please note, the safety committee members and I are not in agreement with some of the company's actions. However, we are hard pressed to come up with a soultion that will be acceptable for everyone. As you are aware approximately every three months we may possibly get revisions for the announcement book. Thank you for concerns. Barrington

and her response is as follows and so far, she has not heard back from him.......

Barrington,
Here's the thing, an Alert bulletin would be like putting a bandaid on the problem. They need to reprint either the announcement OR the IEM portion so they are exactly the same. In the event of an emergency there shoould be no question of what do I demo first. Tension will be running high, and a bungling demo of what do I get out first because this is what we do in a normal situation, I'm not thinking clearly, my adreniline is rushing and you're wonderimg if you hold up the card first or the seat belt first---that just won't cut it.
I don't need to tell you these things, it should be common sense.

You gave me a more detailed explanation of why we need to carry the manual and why Coca-cola is on the back than addressing the real problem which is safety. I've spoken to 3 inlfight supervisors that see the point and think it's a real safety concern. I would think AFA safety committee would be all over this.
Human beings are creatures of habit. We will revert back to what we do on a daily basis before we follow what is on a card...there in lies the problem.
I hope that the safety committee will be working with the company on this because it IS a concern that yet again another alert bulletin will not fix.

 

[AstroLounge]

After going through all of the Weekly Inflight News I was able to piece together that the team selected for revising the announcement book was created early in 2010. That teams identity does not appear to have published though it involved flight attendants and AFA reps.

KEEP Digging! For The Dignity of All Stewardesses past and present! 🙄 I say "Round them Up in the middle of the night, rough 'em up a bit and make them Work a REAL Trip!". Keep Digging.......or who knows they could be in Protective Custody by Now. The Salem Witch trials will prove to be Nothing for what These Rebel Stewardesses have in Mind for Them.

 

[ggiby]

Both should be plural because we're speaking to a group of people, not an individual.
'

Hey.... Don't you remember when we got out first EOM from the west? There were so many mistakes in the manual, spelling, grammar, and where the door handles were located, how to operate them, etc....
When you sent e-mails to them, the response was...."you east people are too picky"....
That was the response that I got when I told them that to arm a door, you pushed the handle in, not pull it out...
and I was told that I was too picky ....

I can forgive spelling and grammar once and a while.... But.... Not excessive mistakes....

I have an idea, they can hire someone to go over it... and then not give me a raise again for 10 years to compensate the spell and
grammar checker! ..... NOT.... 😱

 

[flybynite]

Hey.... Don't you remember when we got out first EOM from the west? There were so many mistakes in the manual, spelling, grammar, and where the door handles were located, how to operate them, etc....
When you sent e-mails to them, the response was...."you east people are too picky"....
That was the response that I got when I told them that to arm a door, you pushed the handle in, not pull it out...
and I was told that I was too picky ....

I can forgive spelling and grammar once and a while.... But.... Not excessive mistakes....

I have an idea, they can hire someone to go over it... and then not give me a raise again for 10 years to compensate the spell and
grammar checker! ..... NOT.... 😱

That was one of the biggest snafu's I've seen in years. I'm amazed the FAA wasn't making a nest in someone's office.

And oh yes, they have people who are supposed to proofread this stuff however, in that case they sent it off to the printer before that critical step was taken. Morons.

 

[Travelpro72]

The high cost of cheap. You get what yo pay fo.

 

[AstroLounge]

Hey.... Don't you remember when we got out first EOM from the west? There were so many mistakes in the manual, spelling, grammar, and where the door handles were located, how to operate them, etc....
When you sent e-mails to them, the response was...."you east people are too picky"....
That was the response that I got when I told them that to arm a door, you pushed the handle in, not pull it out...
and I was told that I was too picky ....

I can forgive spelling and grammar once and a while.... But.... Not excessive mistakes....

I have an idea, they can hire someone to go over it... and then not give me a raise again for 10 years to compensate the spell and
grammar checker! ..... NOT.... 😱

Agreed. It's beyond comprehension.

 

[MustangSally]

The new announcement book is one of the worst we have seen. They are going to charge us $10 if we lose the book yet there is no way that it will fit in our pockets so you have to have it in your lap for landing and then lay it on the counters afterwards. Please if it is so important why don't they just put one on all the aircraft and leave it there. Do not nickel and dime us to death.
Who on earth wrote the book? Obviously trying to justify another job.

 

[PHX-F/A]

And why in Heavens name did they swap the seat belt demo with the emergency card. Isn't the seat belt the first thing they need to do? And doesn't the emergency card segue right into the exits? Come on Tempe Tweens, lets not reinvent the wheel with everything you do. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!! Sheesh!!!!

Welcome to my career. It's always been this way, reinventing the wheel that is. AWA was always that way. Reinvent the wheel and it comes out worse than anything Fred Flintstone ever had.

But I have to say it's not as bad now as in the past. East crews would argue otherwise, but there's a lot of East policy and procedure that was adapted as best practice (or least path of resistance).

Oh, and we hated monitor challenge in the beginning. We're just accustomed to it now. And as for the Red strap? Stupid! and the guy who master minded it is no longer with the company. HEHE

 

[Travelpro72]

I have a question. How can Southwest f/a's say the demo however they want as long as they hit the important safety information? As long as all the points are covered what's so hard about writing it correctly and keeping it simple? As with so many other things changed at this company over the past few years more often than not it turns out WORSE! ! ! Fix the damn book. And we WONDER why we can't find a plastic cup for f/c domestic hooch.

 

[Zarah]

I have a question. How can Southwest f/a's say the demo however they want as long as they hit the important safety information? As long as all the points are covered what's so hard about writing it correctly and keeping it simple?

Because that is what they had approved with the FAA. US could do the same. They choose not to.

 

[Travelpro72]

HAHA! ! I figured as much. 🙄 So I guess that means that since the powers that be cannot find the ability to say, 'OOPS' we'll have to tote the jackass booklet around and sound like morons? Lovely.

 

[uncbuck51]

hello PHX...Hello PHX....give your rough drafts to a professional writer,or a college writing class...get 4 samples and let the Flight Attendants review them...the newest edition is nothing like what was proposed to management after the round table meeting of Flight attendants in November,,,,hire an editor!!!

 

[Whatnow?]

hello PHX...Hello PHX....give your rough drafts to a professional writer,or a college writing class...get 4 samples and let the Flight Attendants review them...the newest edition is nothing like what was proposed to management after the round table meeting of Flight attendants in November,,,,hire an editor!!!

But if they hired somebody then they would have to spend money..... :huh: