RE: Retirees or Soon to be Retirees and Your Travel Benefits

[bigjets]

I asked an old A scaler, why would you vote in a B scale with lower wages then you ? He says, what am I going to be concerned with a guy doesn't even work here. It's not fair what happened to the retires but it sounds like a reasonable reason that they get lower pass privledge. Do what I do, If you really need to get someplace ID 20 is your friend.

Commuters shouldn't get any leg up over anybody, move to your base city! Commuters are mostly pilots and FAs, you already have a leg up you have jumpseat privedges and you can walk to other airlines and just jump on if they have an open city, ground employees don't have that privledge.

 

[LD3]

Buy a ticket, less BS....

 

[MCI transplant]

Buy a ticket, less BS....

Easy to say when your bringing in a pay check. But for some, on a fixed income, every little bet helps!

 

[AMFAinMIAMI]

so this is kind of what happened to my family this weekend.  I retired from US with 32 years and my Wife flew this weekend with one of my twins.  She was Bumped by the family of a Retiree from AA on a USAirways flight.   Got to Love an SA5A getting on before an SA5P.  That was the thanks me and my family got for 32 years of service!

 
Hope777
 
I understand your frustration, I do and within 3 yrs I too will join the ranks of the retired.
That is unless there is a drastic health change.
 
But the First come first serve or thru pass. system at AA is the way it is done now.
Or will be shortly, for both carriers. like it or not it is what it is.
 
Years ago others carriers had the same FCFS policy and it worked well.
Walking up at departure time and saying out of my seat I have time is fool hardy.
Seniority gave you rights while working but you are retired, as I will be soon.
The D1/D2/D3 at AA along with the D2R now as well as all the other codes will determine when you get on as well as your check in time. FCFS is fair, for all. Eastern was that way as well, if you want a carrier from the past.
 
USAirways employees may feel slighted but if you think about all the negatives that uSAirways has done to you over the yrs, what did you expect? AA has done even more to it's employees. And we all can see through out this board what the AA employees have to say. Specially the TWU members. Welcome to AA's way...
 
The TWA F/A and others took raw deals as well.
 
is it fair that F/A or pilots can wear their uniform and ride while others sit at the gate?
If they are dead heading or working but when they get on board and change that tells me it was a scam.
 
Is it fair because you know the gate agent you get on in certain cities? We all have stories. It is what it is we fly when we get a seat and not before. Pass riding is a perk but companies have made the flights so cheap it hard to do that any time now isn't it?
 
This is the airline biz of today its not like it was 30 yrs ago.
 
The companies do what they want and the unions just sit by idle and say "They can do that Brother".  pilots for the most part are the only group which get what they want.
The rest of us pick up the crumbs, it has always been that way.

 

[xUT]

Skybus Airlines was my backup.
cheap fares and the fa's were real attentive if you give them a tip,,,
 
too bad they went out of business..

 

[nycbusdriver]

Easy to say when your bringing in a pay check. But for some, on a fixed income, every little bet helps!

 
Sure, it certainly seems so.  Non-revving on standby at a low priority will eventually teach the high cost of cheap.
 
How many hotel rooms must one, on a fixed income, pay for before it becomes obvious that a well-planned, super-saver ticket is really cheaper than non-revving?

 

[limit]

so this is kind of what happened to my family this weekend.  I retired from US with 32 years and my Wife flew this weekend with one of my twins.  She was Bumped by the family of a Retiree from AA on a USAirways flight.   Got to Love an SA5A getting on before an SA5P.  That was the thanks me and my family got for 32 years of service!

I thought AA employees and retirees fly zed on US  .

 

[Rogallo]

I believe you're correct. I flew on US last month and flight listed through ZED. Checked in at US counter to get on stanby list, and boarded after US employees

 

[Hope777]

Incorrect,
 
SA5A •  
American mainline and wholly-owned subsidiary employees, 
retirees and accompanied or unaccompanied eligible family 
members 
Boarding by time of 
check in. 
SA5P • Unaccompanied family members of retired employees. 
• US Express non-wholly owned active or retired employees  
flying on a US mainline flight.* 
• Unaccompanied family members of employees on leave/ 
furlough. 
Boarding by date of hire 
(year/month/day), then 
check-in time 

 

[LD3]

 

Sure, it certainly seems so.  Non-revving on standby at a low priority will eventually teach the high cost of cheap.
 
How many hotel rooms must one, on a fixed income, pay for before it becomes obvious that a well-planned, super-saver ticket is really cheaper than non-revving?

 
Thank you... It sucks enough to non-rev when your employeed, that why I still buy a ticket...

 

[john john]

After nearly 40 years with AA, it's a little tough watching someone's fifteen year old kid, or the parents, get on a plane before I do.

You guys talk out of both sides of your mouth
FCFS vs DOH = you no longer work here

 

[Kellerguy]

You guys talk out of both sides of your mouth
FCFS vs DOH = you no longer work here

No, I never mentioned the FCFS Vs DOH issue.  Quite frankly I have no issue with FCFS even though I obviously would benefit by the other.  The current AA process works quite well in that you get a look ahead into how many are listed, what class of service, the ability to list and watch from home 24 hours  in advance and the through priority all make a lot of sense to me as a whole. Personally I hated the FCFS when we had to get to the airport for listing early, it caused a lot of needless loss of sleep, stupid lines before the airports even opened, etc.
 
My only issue was the parity of D2 Vs D2P!

 

[john john]

Your time with the company(s) means nothing
Remember you guys think Pass Travel is a privilege not a negotiated benefit

 

[whizbang]

Doug called them benefits. He also acknowledged that the change from DOH to FCFS was an erosion of benefits for active. US employees and the reason for the downgrade of benefits for the retired AA people was so the active US people wouldn't have the double whammy on their travel benefit. he also made the comment that the active AA people benefitted the most and seem to appreciate it the least. travel by FCFS is a Perk to junior people and a concession to senior people. United and Delta use a DOH based system because this whole industry is based on seniority. American is the only major airline using FCFS

 

[Black Magic]

Buy a ticket, less BS....

Some people travel 2-3 times or more a month. "Buying a ticket" is not a cost effective option for them.