Rumor Alert! AA to stop using airport wheelchair attendants

[jimntx]

Now, this is a totally unfounded rumor, but yesterday at ORD, a gate agent supervisor told me that AA is going to stop using the airport's wheelchair attendants and hire our own.  This is supposedly due to the fact that US Airways had union-represented wheelchair attendants, and that we were going to that approach.  Has anyone else heard this?  The reason I ask is that we are getting more and more cases of the airport-supplied attendants showing up to the gates later and later.  We waited almost 20 minutes yesterday at ORD (after all the other passengers were off the plane) for a wheelchair.  And, as most if not all of you know, we can't board the outbound flight until all passengers have been removed from the inbound flight.  Waiting on wheelchairs creates problems with the arrival/departure banking process.
 
As far as the "attendants unavailable due to high demand" argument, I  call BS.  We had a similar problem to the above issue at DFW one day and were told attendants were all being used for other passengers.  When I got off the plane I had to walk down to C2 for my next flight.  Every single one of those rocking chairs lined up beneath the Veteran's Appreciation mural was occupied by a wheelchair attendant napping.

 

[cltrat]

Jim I don't know their contract but here  in CLT gate agents have the wheelchairs at jetways for flights as needed so yes they are union but they handle all customer issues,

 

[WeAAsles]

Now, this is a totally unfounded rumor, but yesterday at ORD, a gate agent supervisor told me that AA is going to stop using the airport's wheelchair attendants and hire our own.  This is supposedly due to the fact that US Airways had union-represented wheelchair attendants, and that we were going to that approach.  Has anyone else heard this?  The reason I ask is that we are getting more and more cases of the airport-supplied attendants showing up to the gates later and later.  We waited almost 20 minutes yesterday at ORD (after all the other passengers were off the plane) for a wheelchair.  And, as most if not all of you know, we can't board the outbound flight until all passengers have been removed from the inbound flight.  Waiting on wheelchairs creates problems with the arrival/departure banking process.
 
As far as the "attendants unavailable due to high demand" argument, I  call BS.  We had a similar problem to the above issue at DFW one day and were told attendants were all being used for other passengers.  When I got off the plane I had to walk down to C2 for my next flight.  Every single one of those rocking chairs lined up beneath the Veteran's Appreciation mural was occupied by a wheelchair attendant napping.

It's probably true if it was told to you by a Gate Agent Supervisor? The CWA is currently in negotiations with the company and have TA'd many articles already so she may have been given the heads up? The US side also doesn't have any red coats so I think you're going to wind up seeing them evaporate as well? In exchange for all of that work you "MAY" see some small stations close there availability to in house customer service? That would be my guess.

It's also in the current CWA contract that they bring up and down the escorts. It'll be interesting to see what happens with that one?

 

[WorldTraveler]

I believe all US air carriers are required to provide wheelchair assistance if requested by passengers as part of their compliance with federal laws.

airlines can and have been fined by the DOT for failing to provide timely wheelchair service.

 

[WeAAsles]

I believe all US air carriers are required to provide wheelchair assistance if requested by passengers as part of their compliance with federal laws.airlines can and have been fined by the DOT for failing to provide timely wheelchair service.

WT he didn't say that they would not be doing the job. He said they would be transitioning those jobs back to in house Union hands. Knowing the current US CWA contract I would say the rumor is probably true. Plus most of the wheelchair assistants are kids who are more concerned with their phones then they are in doing the jobs. It's easier to police that function from within rather than contacting the third party management to address concerns. The old AA got what they paid for through outsourcing.

 

[WeAAsles]

Here's a link to the CWA negotiations with updates. Recognition and Scope has not been checked off yet and I don't see that they have begun working on it yet as of the last update.

http://american-agents.org/

 

[jimntx]

WeAAsles, you have to understand that WT never misses an opportunity to display his incisive grasp of the obvious.  Now, don't you know that only he and Delta and every other airline in the world flying in or to the U.S. knows that wheelchair assistance is required under the ADA.  Only AA and its employees have to be told that.  And, because he is incapable of reading what I actually wrote, it also gives him an opportunity to put down AA even if it's only and implied put down.
 
And, airlines are not required to provide the service, the law simply says that in most situations involving public access someone must provide the service or the facility must be wheelchair accessible.  The average wheelchair occupant is probably incapable of getting up and own airport jetbridges without assistance of some sort.  I would not call those situations wheelchair accessible.  Hell, I'm just about the most able-bodied person you'll ever meet, and I have to struggle with my bags up and down certain jetbridges at DFW.    In most major airports today, the service is provided by the airport operating authority through contractors.  At DFW Airserv is the actual provider of the wheelchair assistants.
 
I hope you are right that the task is being turned over to the gate agents.  They are always there, and it is to their advantage to get wheelchair passengers on/off the plane as quickly as possible.  I always let them board the wheelchairs early--especially when it's like the other day going DFW-RNO...we had 7 wheelchair passengers.  They have enough on their plates without having to take a delay due to w/c passengers.

 

[WeAAsles]

WeAAsles, you have to understand that WT never misses an opportunity to display his incisive grasp of the obvious.  Now, don't you know that only he and Delta and every other airline in the world flying in or to the U.S. knows that wheelchair assistance is required under the ADA.  Only AA and its employees have to be told that.  And, because he is incapable of reading what I actually wrote, it also gives him an opportunity to put down AA even if it's only and implied put down.
 
And, airlines are not required to provide the service, the law simply says that in most situations involving public access someone must provide the service or the facility must be wheelchair accessible.  The average wheelchair occupant is probably incapable of getting up and own airport jetbridges without assistance of some sort.  I would not call those situations wheelchair accessible.  Hell, I'm just about the most able-bodied person you'll ever meet, and I have to struggle with my bags up and down certain jetbridges at DFW.    In most major airports today, the service is provided by the airport operating authority through contractors.  At DFW Airserv is the actual provider of the wheelchair assistants. 

Yes WT can be a PIP at times (meaning withheld)

I guess you know we have Eulen America doing it here in MIA. Weirdest thing to watch. These kids will be pushing some handicapped or older individual, not paying attention while they try to text away. No joke! I've actually almost had a few of them run into me going through the terminal.

I hope it's the ambition of the NEW AA management to get rid of all of these hoser outfits and get those jobs back in house where they belong. Above and below the wing.

 

[john john]

Work performed exclusively by Customer Service Agents includes: boarding and deplaning non-ambulatory special assist passengers between the passenger’s seat and the aircraft threshold;

 

[jimntx]

Seat to a/c threshold gets them to the jetbridge.  What about bottom of jetbridge to terminal concourse and beyond (changing planes; getting to baggage claim)?  Are CSAs responsible for those aisle chair passengers whose major handicap is a severely overactive elbow (obese)?  Reason I ask...we've got some downright tiny gate agents (what you call CSAs) at DFW.  I can't see some of them moving one of the "oh my god, it's moving our way" class.

 

[Phoenix]

WT he didn't say that they would not be doing the job. He said they would be transitioning those jobs back to in house Union hands. Knowing the current US CWA contract I would say the rumor is probably true. Plus most of the wheelchair assistants are kids who are more concerned with their phones then they are in doing the jobs. It's easier to police that function from within rather than contacting the third party management to address concerns. The old AA got what they paid for through outsourcing.

WT hangs around the airport with a wheelchair to fill in when Delta gets behind. Real AA fanboys would do the same. Even though we can never catch Delta we don't want to fall further behind.

 

[WorldTraveler]

negative and negative.

 

[Kev3188]

WeAAsles, you have to understand that WT never misses an opportunity to display his incisive grasp of the obvious.  Now, don't you know that only he and Delta and every other airline in the world flying in or to the U.S. knows that wheelchair assistance is required under the ADA.  Only AA and its employees have to be told that.  And, because he is incapable of reading what I actually wrote, it also gives him an opportunity to put down AA even if it's only and implied put down.
 
And, airlines are not required to provide the service, the law simply says that in most situations involving public access someone must provide the service or the facility must be wheelchair accessible.  The average wheelchair occupant is probably incapable of getting up and own airport jetbridges without assistance of some sort.  I would not call those situations wheelchair accessible.  Hell, I'm just about the most able-bodied person you'll ever meet, and I have to struggle with my bags up and down certain jetbridges at DFW.    In most major airports today, the service is provided by the airport operating authority through contractors.  At DFW Airserv is the actual provider of the wheelchair assistants.
 
I hope you are right that the task is being turned over to the gate agents.  They are always there, and it is to their advantage to get wheelchair passengers on/off the plane as quickly as possible.  I always let them board the wheelchairs early--especially when it's like the other day going DFW-RNO...we had 7 wheelchair passengers.  They have enough on their plates without having to take a delay due to w/c passengers.

I hope he's right, too; it'd be a nice reversal of the usual trend(s)...

 

[WeAAsles]

I hope he's right, too; it'd be a nice reversal of the usual trend(s)...

Some CEO's "may" understand or be beginning to understand the value behind having in house Customer Service? Sure the absolute known labor costs would be more than their peers but the value behind having a motivated workforce who themselves is invested in the product and the company they work for will surely show up in other areas that could potentially generate greater revenue production as a whole? "Customers always write"

Kev did you catch this one this morning?
 
One other intriguing event occurred last week. On Friday, Parker took the stage at the National Press Club with Delta CEO Richard Anderson and United (UAL - Get Report) CEO Jeff Smisek. The three presented their case regarding the threat U.S. aviation faces from heavily subsidized Gulf carriers that gain an illegal advantage from overly generous Open Skies treaties.
 
The three CEOs have a unified case. But what struck me was that as people, they seemed to have absolutely nothing in common.

At the end, Parker took the time to recognize that his two peers were wearing socks with bright patterns. (He wore the typical darkly colored socks). Making the point that the three wouldn't be together at all if they didn't have an important point to make, Parker declared, "Just look at the socks, for God's sake."

http://www.thestreet.com/story/13154008/1/american-air-execs-17-months-into-merger-are-just-getting-started.html

 

[WorldTraveler]

yes, there is  common threat which AA, DL, and UA understand and the APA, ALPA, and APFA also get.
 
but specific to the wheelchair pusher issue, let's be clear that AA is overstaffed.... they have 20 thousand more employees to fly similarly sized networks to what DL and UA have.
 
AA is in a position where it can cut contractor costs and use its own people because overall it is overstaffed.
 
AA has to deal with its overstaffing or it will come at the cost of AA employees reaching salary parity with DL, WN and UA employees.
 
AA cannot pay its employees the same amount as its competitors and have more employees and deliver the same levels of profits.