Pilot and F/A load bags at DCA

[DCaf]

I heard a statistic recently which may explain some of this.
DCA has more flights than LAS. DCA has about 250 on the ramp
and LAS has over 1000. I'm sure LAS has bigger jets coming through, but I don't think that can explain the difference in staffing.
Give DCA half of Vegas' staffing and you won't see pilots loading bags.

 

[700UW]

If you hurt yourself while performing work not in your CBA or job description the company can deny your workers comp claim.

a : a contemptible person b (1) : a worker who refuses to join a labor union (2) : a union member who refuses to strike or returns to work before a strike has ended (3) : a worker who accepts employment or replaces a union worker during a strike (4) : one who works for less than union wages or on nonunion terms

Seems to me pilots and fas are not getting paid union wages to do that work since the plane is on the ground nor do they work under a CBA that gives them the scope language to perform the work.

Still a SCAB!

 

[EMBFA]

How was a F/A "loading bags" if there were pax on the plane? Both F/As need to be on the a/c while pax are on board, they can not even be on the jetway. Are they that stupid? I'm sure the FAA would be interested in this.

 

[rjh]

I hope this is not true.
If the company doesn't have personnel to load bags, then customers need to choose an airline that does?

Yes, every company (in any industry) should have enough employees to get the work done. But there are often cirucmstances where things can't be done as timely as we'd like them. If companies had lots of extra people on staff just to be available for those circumstances, then wages would go down and/or prices would go up. But of course, the amount of money that unions make would go up.

The fact that a pilot and FA were willing to help doesn't degrade their jobs ..it shows that they are big enough to actually do something to be helpful. Unfortunately, such gestures don't happen enough because unions don't allow it.

 

[SKY HIGH]

How was a F/A "loading bags" if there were pax on the plane? Both F/As need to be on the a/c while pax are on board, they can not even be on the jetway. Are they that stupid? I'm sure the FAA would be interested in this.

sky high states: If you go back to the link and read the following comments to this story, I believe it says, enough F/A's were onboard. =)


only stating opinions

 

[Wannabe Airways]

I personally have loaded and unloaded bags during my tenure on the express side. I have even marshalled an airplane in AND pushed one back at the F gates in PHL. You do what you gotta do when you have to, its called Captains discretion (ultimate authority as to the operation of the aircraft) While I wasnt really applauded by mgmt for pushing an airplane back, it was 230am and there was NO ONE anywhere on that mickey mouse ramp to do squat and I had 50 people who wanted to go home including myself. If you are qualified on the airplane then you know about W&B and how to load 30 bags, secure the net and close the bag door.

 

[EMBFA]

sky high states: If you go back to the link and read the following comments to this story, I believe it says, enough F/A's were onboard. =)
only stating opinions

Read it... there would never be a "third" F/A on an E170 and I doubt a non-revving F/A working for anyone would go down and start loading bags, just as they wouldn't close up the door, have a seat in the cockpit and start taxiing... these contract company employees would happily do anyone's job for free, but this is pretty ballsy. If a flight attendant was involved they are violating FAR 121.393, as well as US Airways work group CBAs and airport regulations.

Since when does a F/A, or a pilot, know how to correctly load an aircraft? Especially on a weight and balance sensitive aircraft like that? Isn't that why the Mesa flight in CLT crashed, the bags were loaded incorrectly?

If the customer was impressed by this, by posting it he's pretty much lost those two Republic employees thier jobs.

 

[SKY HIGH]

Read it... there would never be a "third" F/A on an E170 and I doubt a non-revving F/A working for anyone would go down and start loading bags, just as they wouldn't close up the door, have a seat in the cockpit and start taxiing...
Since when does a F/A, or a pilot, know how to correctly load an aircraft? Especially on a weight and balance sensitive aircraft like that? Isn't that why the Mesa flight in CLT crashed, the bags were loaded incorrectly?

sky high states: the poster recants her story and says, "maybe" it was a GA.

(copy and pasted)
Hmm. I asked my boyfriend about this, and he said he thought two FAs stayed on the plane, so I guess either there was a 3rd FA (maybe heading home or something?) or he confused the GA with an FA? However, he said that one of the guys from the cockpit definitely did leave and go help load -- he saw him lifting the bags off the luggage trolley (or whatever its technical name is) from his window.

You make a good point though -- I'm assuming that the GA could work the jetbridge, but probably not pushback. I imagine what happened is that they loaded the luggage so that they could leave as soon as the ground crew showed up, rather than have to wait for them to load the luggage on top of everything else, but that's a guess. Maybe they were close to timing out and wanted to maximize the chances the flight would get off the ground?


only stating opinions

 

[CV580ETOPS]

Southwest treats its people like people.

US Airways and the former America West treats its people as "bodies".

Don't compare apples with oranges.

Oh give it a rest,will you sweetheart?? Even if the employee groups were treated as well as SW folks,those on the east coast still wouldn't do anything more than the bare bones minimum to get the job done,and the west coasters would be too dumb to realize they were being trated nicely for a change by management.

 

[ItsJustAJob]

Those kids at Republic already gleefully took pilot and flight attendant jobs, they would probably load bags and clean the shitter with a toothbrush for 25 grand a year too. Anything to fly a shiney "big boy" jet! Someone should have come and thrown them in the cargo compartment along with the bags.

Any of those "Kids" at Republic could be 15+ year US Airways veteran pilots who just happen to be furloughed.

I have been in PHL parked at the gate with no rampers anywhere. So on those occasions, I have gone to the back of the plane (CRJ200), opened up the cargo door, and brought the passenger carry on bags forward so that the passengers could be on their way to a connecting flight. Am I a scab too?

Also, there isn't a ramp worker anywhere in this company that knows more about the weight and balance of a CRJ than I do(or any other captain). That's why whenever there is a question of whether or not bags can go, the come and ask me. I am sure the captain of the E170 shares the same knowledge. So the arguments about that crew not having W & B know how is utterly rediculous.

Signed.....one of those "Kids" at PSA.

 

[EMBFA]

Not the F/As... less than 10 US F/As took that "opportunity" to be a new hire at a commuter. And I don't think any company's F/As have a clue about loading an aircraft. I want the operation to run smoothly, but I'm not taking on someone else's job, one I don;t know and am not trained for. Just as I'd hope a non revving resevationist wouldn't take it upon themselves to operate a door or start cooking up meals in the galley. I don't get paid enough for my own job as flight attendant now with aircraft cleaning duties, hell no am I doing anyone elses job too. Sorry. Compensate the employees correctly, you'll get better work out of them.

Again, I'm not familiar, but I would think unloading and loading would be two different things? Or does it only matter on the small turboprops where the bags are placed?

Maybe its not as big of a deal as some ofus are making it. But at a company where everyone has to compete with contract companies for thier jobs, and the work groups never stand together, I guess its no surprise this is considered acceptable by some.

 

[Dog Wonder]

Oh give it a rest,will you sweetheart?? Even if the employee groups were treated as well as SW folks,those on the east coast still wouldn't do anything more than the bare bones minimum to get the job done,and the west coasters would be too dumb to realize they were being trated nicely for a change by management.

The East is lazy, the West is dumb.

The only ones who have all the answers are in Tempe. But people just keep asking them the wrong questions.

 

[freedom]

As a ramp worker let me throw in my two cents , whoever loaded that aircraft should be fired if they aren't mainline employees , damn i hate mesa airlines and any company remotely similar to them , and this republic you talk of sounds like another name for mesa air ... If i saw mesa workers of any type here in PHX loading one of OUR mainline planes i would immidately call over my supervisor and the city of PHX and do everything in my power to get them fired and their company fined .... i treat mesa workers of any type like the dirt they are ....

As for the question of pilots in general loading an aircraft , it really doesn't bother me because i've only had help from pilots twice in the seven years i've been here , and i've never seen them in the bin .I'm all for team work and i don't mind helping out the other work groups "every now and then" . I might also take this momement to remind everyone that back when AWA first started the people there used to do everything , ticket counter , ground , BSO etc .

For those of you who aren't familiar with AWA , the reason so many west coast workers are against this type of thing is that while we had team work our company courrpted the spirt of it , instead of seeing workers helping each other out , the company see's fewer bodies being paid , and hence they would start making the different departments short staffed in order to save a buck , that's why the team work spirt died at AWA.

 

[Bear96]

If you hurt yourself while performing work not in your CBA or job description the company can deny your workers comp claim.

That's B.S. If that actually happened to you (and I am sure it didn't; you're just mindlessly repeating some union nonsense you heard), you need a better WC attorney. Sure there is a remote chance the company may initially "deny" it, but a decent WC attorney can successfully prevail with a little effort.

 

[barbeetantrums]

I have indirect knowledge that US Airways has done exactly the "Nonsense" of which you speak. REPEATEDLY!!! It is easier for an employee to just "Do Nothing" thanks to the enlightened management.

The former America West repeatedly denied workers comp for employee injuries incurred doing the work of other groups, i.e. bagroom agents being injured when clearing jammed up bags in the belt system.