portugese & swedish speakers needed

[etops1]

if any f/a out there speaks any of these 2 languages (fluently not just reading off a booklike many lod/o's do) make yourself known .there is no formal announcement on this but i know that these language speaking individuals are going to be needed for flts to lis and stockholm. i have heard it through the grapevine that the company will put spanish speaking f/a's on the lis flts if no portugese speakers are found. now i am a spanish lod/o and this would mean i would hold a block but putting a spanish speaker onboard the flt to lis is really idiotic. they are similar but very different languages.

let me rephrase that . not many lodo's read off a book .there are only a handfull who only read off the book and can't converse in the language which drives me insane .

 

[AL-PS-PI-AW]

if any f/a out there speaks any of these 2 languages (fluently not just reading off a booklike many lod/o's do) make yourself known .there is no formal announcement on this but i know that these language speaking individuals are going to be needed for flts to lis and stockholm. i have heard it through the grapevine that the company will put spanish speaking f/a's on the lis flts if no portugese speakers are found. now i am a spanish lod/o and this would mean i would hold a block but putting a spanish speaker onboard the flt to lis is really idiotic. they are similar but very different languages.

let me rephrase that . not many lodo's read off a book .there are only a handfull who only read off the book and can't converse in the language which drives me insane .

Last time I checked all LODOS had to pass a Berlitz test. A major part of the test, is being able to converse with the test giver in the language being tested.
I have never flown with a LODO who couldnt speak with a passenger, and only read announcements from a book. Some may have some funky accents, but they all have a wonderful grasp of the language they are speaking. Why would someone want to put themselves up for that kind of embarrasment on a flight? Cmon!

 

[FlyOnWall]

Thats the funny thing about seniority- most of US Airways languague speakers are furloughed. In the late 90s/early 2000s when they were expanding in Europe and wanting to be the global carrier of choice, they hired flight attendants with language skills who are now gone, or about to get booted out of MDA. So an Italian speaker and a Dutch speaker bring you to Charleston on the 170 but they don't have anyone to staff the international flights...

I've met F/As who have taken it upon themselves to learn a language which is really cool. There cant be that many Swedish speakers, it would be a great way for someone to improve thier quality of life quickly!

Of course maybe they wont have any speaker because its too "highbrow" and they dont do it that way in the desert.

 

[ringmaruf]

That's good, first they take the foreign language I-94 instructions out of Attache, now they won't have anyone to tell the poor pax how to fill them out either. 😛

In the late 90s/early 2000s when they were expanding in Europe and wanting to be the global carrier of choice,

I'm sorry, but I can't see that phrase nowadays, "global carrier of choice", without not knowing if I should laugh or cry. 🙂

God, this was one hell of an airline. 🙁

Hey, Fly, you've inspired me to change my signature.

 

[etops1]

Last time I checked all LODOS had to pass a Berlitz test. A major part of the test, is being able to converse with the test giver in the language being tested.
I have never flown with a LODO who couldnt speak with a passenger, and only read announcements from a book. Some may have some funky accents, but they all have a wonderful grasp of the language they are speaking. Why would someone want to put themselves up for that kind of embarrasment on a flight? Cmon!

trust me . there are a few out there who really should not be in the lodo program . i know of one personaly who stays up in the flightdeck so he/she does not have to answer any questions from pax. sabemos quien eres.(we know who you are)

 

[Headhunter]

The urgency for Swedish speakers is not as high as for Portuguese speakers. Most Swedes speak English as fluently as their Swedish. Not as true as for the Portuguese.
European Portuguese speakers will be preferred over Brazilian Portuguese speakers. Yes, there are differences between those Portuguese languages; but at least Brazilians and Portuguese can understand the other's Portuguese.

 

[xoxo]

Thats the funny thing about seniority- most of US Airways languague speakers are furloughed. In the late 90s/early 2000s when they were expanding in Europe and wanting to be the global carrier of choice, they hired flight attendants with language skills who are now gone, or about to get booted out of MDA. So an Italian speaker and a Dutch speaker bring you to Charleston on the 170 but they don't have anyone to staff the international flights...

That is so true..I know a few that speak portugese that are at MAA. There are french and italian too and alot od spanish lotos too...oh well..maybe AWA "new hire program" will find a use for them..NOT!!

 

[etops1]

I do NOT want to hijack this thread and turn it into an MDA debate but this is why many of us who are customers chose not to work union.

You have a talent, say fluency in a foriegn language but because of seniority systems in place you can't leverage your skill. Skills that you might have PAID to develop. You can't even really go to another carrier because of seniority.

This system stiffles anyone with iniative and as a result the really bright and motivated go elsewhere to earn a living where they are paid strictly on the value they add to the organization, NOT how long they can collect dust in the same job year over year.

That's why when someone tells me "I have 35 years experience as a Flight Attendent" or CSR or whatever I always think to myself is that 1 year of experience and 34 years of repitition or is it really 35 years experience.

It's a crying shame that some of the LODO's are at MDA. They should be using their talents to make US A better airline. But NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO we have some over the hill, negative, whinning Sr. Mama holding a block who should have retired but can't afford to now. You should hear some of the whining crap you hear in 2C when they are all congregated in the Galley, even their own co-workers can't stand to be around them.

Whoever said they need european Portugese is dead on. Even the Spanish in South America is different than is is in Spain.

well bob i must tell you. it is a shame because if we do not find any speakers then these flts will go without one. i am sure the company would love to hire speakers off the street or at least bring back the people who speak portugese and swedish and maybe some more italian speakers but the union will go nuts because it's "out of seniority" sorry charlie but if the company needs a talent they should be able to get that talent . reagrdless of seniority. if you can't offer the company what they are looking for , to bad so sad. dleta is doing exactly that. they are hiring speakers only. and some f/a are balking at the fact that the company is hiring out of seniority. people . they need speakers not nonspeakers. if you have a second language then you are of interest to the company if not... well thats the way it is. i know i will get flamed for this but the truth is the truth.( to the person who called me a few days ago about a response i got from scott kirby . i love you very much 😉 )

 

[700UW]

I believe there were provisions in the CBA to ensure each flight still had a lodo, a friend of mine, she use to fly CLT-FRA all the time and she was a lodo and not very senior.

 

[FlyOnWall]

Portugese is more common than you'd think. They'll just have to hire them via PHX since not many invols are going, then they can eventually go to philly. im sure there are port. speajers at us east though... swedish is a little more tough.

 

[700UW]

This person would be perfect.

 

[EricLv2Fish]

I know a gal who speaks Portugese (she is from Portugal) who would probably love to fly to and from Portugal. She is not currently an F/A, but could she possibly fit in doing something else...like passenger assistant or something?

 

[TheWatcher]

well bob i must tell you. it is a shame because if we do not find any speakers then these flts will go without one. i am sure the company would love to hire speakers off the street or at least bring back the people who speak portugese and swedish and maybe some more italian speakers but the union will go nuts because it's "out of seniority" sorry charlie but if the company needs a talent they should be able to get that talent . reagrdless of seniority. if you can't offer the company what they are looking for , to bad so sad. dleta is doing exactly that. they are hiring speakers only. and some f/a are balking at the fact that the company is hiring out of seniority. people . they need speakers not nonspeakers. if you have a second language then you are of interest to the company if not... well thats the way it is. i know i will get flamed for this but the truth is the truth.( to the person who called me a few days ago about a response i got from scott kirby . i love you very much 😉 )

Careful, that could be a 2 edged sword. Without telling what i do for a living, lets just say the employees are usually non union and my company uses them as long as they can get the most from them, as long as its benefits the company. When thats gone, they are discarded like yesterdays trash without an organized labor leg to stand on. In my state and industry unions are not friends of companies and the companies try very hard to disuade union organization.

 

[EricLv2Fish]

Anyone know who to contact?

 

[FlyOnWall]

Again, they would have to apply for a F/A job through America West, be based in PHX on the HP certificate until the lists are merged, then put in for a transfer to PHL. Your talking a few years. There are thousands of US Airways (East) Flight attendants on furlough, someone can't just jump in because of language.

They might be hiring for customer service in PHL though, and the language would be useful in that capacity.