Rumor Alert! AA to stop using airport wheelchair attendants

[jimntx]

Anyone ever heard the term "buyout" or transitioning the workforce? There is a time expanse to be able to accomplish that feat. People don't just walk in the door proficient for all the tasks that are expected of them in many of an airlines job functions. There are no schools for many of these jobs.

Didn't all of the other airlines offer buyouts a few years after they were out of BK?

AA has already offered two rounds of buyout for senior f/as.  It was called the VEOP--Voluntary Early Out Program.  It was available only to f/as who were at top of scale--i.e., had 15 years of service or more.  It was reasonably successful.  I know my seniority number dropped considerably (just in time for it to go back up when they merge the US Airways and AA flight attendants into one operation--2017, I think).

 

[usabusdriver]

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.

 

and yet no answers as to how AA can have considerably more employees per ASM than DL, UA, or WN but get less revenue per ASM than some of their competitors while AA employees have the expectation that they will get pay equal to or better than their peers.

 

 
Well, what is the definition of similar sized networks?
 
DAL operates 782 mainline aircraft.
 
UAL operates 708 mainline aircraft.
 
SWA operates 674 aircraft.
 
AAL operates 983 mainline aircraft.
     25% more than DAL
     38% more than UAL
     45% more than SWA
         Plus SWA does not do connecting bags.

 

[WorldTraveler]

Airlines produce ASMs or available seat miles as the unit of production

The number of airplanes in a carrier's fleet is immaterial

In fact AA's fleet count is higher than its peers in part because so many airplanes sit in S America during the day compared to its peers

parked airplanes can't generate revenue

Other carriers generate more ASMs per aircraft and are thus more productive

 

[usabusdriver]

Airlines produce ASMs or available seat miles as the unit of production

The number of airplanes in a carrier's fleet is immaterial

In fact AA's fleet count is higher than its peers in part because so many airplanes sit in S America during the day compared to its peers

parked airplanes can't generate revenue

Other carriers generate more ASMs per aircraft and are thus more productive

 
 
Well, I guess that is a dodge.
 
The question at hand is the language you used.
 
 

 
they have 20 thousand more employees to fly similarly sized networks to what DL and UA have.
 

 
 
Similarly sized network to me is quite different than ASMs produced per aircraft. ASMs produced is a product of A/C type and routing. Compare Emirates or Qatar in ASM per aircraft and DL.
 
That is far different than a utilization discussion, how many hours per day per aircraft, versus a discussion on efficiency, or number of employees per aircraft. 

 

[john john]

using a contract wheelchair pusher is entirely permitted by the CWA jetbridge to jetbridge.

Work that may be performed by a contractor includes in-station transportation except as currently performed by Passenger Service employees and/or Customer Assistance Representatives CAR’s

 

[WorldTraveler]

Well, I guess that is a dodge.
 
The question at hand is the language you used.
 
 
 
 
Similarly sized network to me is quite different than ASMs produced per aircraft. ASMs produced is a product of A/C type and routing. Compare Emirates or Qatar in ASM per aircraft and DL.
 
That is far different than a utilization discussion, how many hours per day per aircraft, versus a discussion on efficiency, or number of employees per aircraft.

I'm sorry but the only way to produce revenue is by flying a seat on an aircraft. It doesn't matter if it takes 100 or 700 aircraft to produce the same amount of revenue.

for the year to date, DL and UA are almost identical in terms of the total size of their mainline capacity - or seat miles they produced. AA is 10% larger.

AA's mainline headcount should reflect the size of its mainline operation in terms of seat miles produced.

The number of aircraft it takes to produce it is immaterial.

AA/US are not merged so there is some inefficiency - and that is the point.

part of the merger will include becoming more efficient which will require reducing the number of people to produce the same amount of seat miles.

 

[topDawg]

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.

gah. 
again, just because AA outsources less than mother Delta does not mean it is over staffed. fairly amazing how hard this is for you to understand. 
 
but then again, working for the management team you did.....its not that hard to figure out.