rumor has it...

[hp_fa]

Was it because of the lack of progress in contract talks with pilots and FA's?

My guess is no. I don't believe the talks are not intended to get anywhere for 2-4 more years.

I'm still amazed that Sherri Shambles is still around. Her level of incompetency is unsurpassed in my book.

Yes, but that may be the point. Nothing is supposed to get better. They appear to be quite content with the status quo of a safe transportation company that would do even less as far as customer service if they could get away with it.

Now that INFLIGHT has control of the product again and NOT MARKETING maybe we'll see change.

Don't hold your breath because I don't think you are correct. The Marketing, Finance and Yield Management Departments are running this show. Everything else is window dressing and illusion. Heck, isn't Inflight part of that illusion by being the "face" of US Airways? As long as the FAA will certify the operation and customers don't barf on the product too often the airline will continue to intend to be a safe transportation company with little consideration given to the actual travelling experience.

 

[theFLYonthewall]

I don't know much about M. Finn, but his exit seems very abrupt. Does anyone know if he quit or was terminated? Maybe he took a job elsewhere. I also heard S. Shamblin's husband has abruptly left the company as well. Shake down in the desert?

 

[NoMoreKoolAid]

Both were walked from 111 West Rio Salado Parkway. Who knows or cares what happened. Mike Finn was a total, well to be honest jerk. His cocky arrogant attitude arrived 30 minutes before he did. He knew all but knew nothing. Remember the Thanksgiving Deadheading to Europe and back debacle last year? Who was in charge of that? Mike Finn. In the last crew news AFA handed Doug his butt on a platter and singled out the scheduling section that was a total insult 5 steps backward. AFA threatened to pack up and just go home. Mike was at the negotiation table. Do the math.

 

[Travelpro72]

NoMoreKoolaid Girrrrrrrrrl I never put two and two together until you mentioned it. Well I think I just witnessed Mr. Finn hailing a cab outside of CHQ on the corner of Rio Dorito and Tostado Pkwy. Taxxxxiiiiiiiii

 

[Furloughd4now]

Finn was never fond of reserves. I know on the West, they just can't keep them on property. It's the direct opposite of what they want to accomplish. Sooooooooooo, either Finn got Fedup or someone upstairs got Fedup.

No offense to my senior sisters and brothers, but my guess is they want to keep the more junior people on property and that ain't happenin, so someone's gotta go. It doesn't settle anything. Kids in the castle have something up their sleeve :disguise:

Someone spilled a drink on my laptop, so errors are not mine ;-) its driven ME nuts... :mf_boff: I hate alcohol abuse

 

[hp_fa]

Watch right at the beginning and you will get the idea.

Finn's idea of the perfect reserve. Always ready to go.

 

[bigbusboy]

Now that INFLIGHT has control of the product again and NOT MARKETING maybe we'll see change. There is hope. Hell what else do we have at this point?

Hope is always a good thing. But INFLIGHT gets the budget from MARKETING. They still rule...it's that money talks thing.

 

[cactusflyer]

Miss HP- my bad for not knowing Chiodo was gone, thanks for the info. I think I was out on medical for my back when that went down...that whole time was a blur. Slipped disks will do that to you.

I guess will never really know why Finn was shown the door. There are some in PHX crew scheduling that are in fact sorry to se him go.

As for those who feel the need to defend Sherri Shambles, I respect your need to do that, but keep in mind that those of us on the west have been dealing with her incompetency for years. Starting with the lackluster management of the PHX inflight department when she was just a manager up to some of the stuff she's done as a V.P. For the life of me I cannot figure out how she finagled her way into a 6 figure position, because we all know there were/are people on the east with true inflight experience that could lend more to the job than she does. I guess it will forever remain a mystery. It will be interesting to see how much longer she is here if, in fact, her spouse was let go. Also, keep in mind I think the bulk of people involved with inflight that actually have experience doing our job are supervisors in the east, because no one on the west (with the exception of 1 or 2) has ever been a line qualified FA.


Now for the bigger question of the day- Who will be taking over for Finn? Anyone have any bets on who it will be? Internal placement or someone from outside?

 

[Travelpro72]

Oh absolutely. I'm not disputing that inflight doesn't have control of how much money they have to work with. What I do believe is with inflight developing the product or evolving the product if you will should come across a bit more appealing than someone with NO experience sitting a cubicle dictating what WILL work. I myself think it's an improvement.

Back to Mike Finn leaving.... I don't think he EVER, EVER, EVER treated flight attendants and certainly reserves with any kind of respect or understanding. I don't care if his wife was a f/a that ya served hash with either. Not a factor. Sorry.

 

[HP2USFA]

Well I'll just say that Scheduling lately has been in total AUTO mode for Turns only.

Why is that relevant? Because you can either have a 20+ Lineholder making $38 an hour to do a SNA turn or you can have a junior reserve making $17 do it. But if you can't keep enough of the $17 reserves around you have to go up to the $20-$30 an hour seniority range to complete your master plan. Not exactly the ideal plan 🙂

We're up to record levels of Reserves on the West - I think we're over 700 if not damn near close to it but most of those are 5-10 year seniority range. Most of the new hires from 07/08 are gone already.

 

[galley princess]

I know it's tempting to think in terms of cost per warm body, but as someone who has tried to reason it out for years, I have just come to the conclusion that it isn't a factor.

If it was, they would have bought off the senior mamas years ago. Upsides, downsides, every way to Sunday they're way more expensive. Healthcare usage, pay, vacation, LTD. All of it, but no buyout.

Scheduling thinks of us as warm bodies. They do not care how old/ senior / decrepit we are. As long as the FAA minimum is on board, with a pulse, they're happy.

That attitude: "I own your ---" is left over from the days when reserve was a year max. As Mr. DP says, it's time to confront the reality of an airline with no growth and no movement and adapt accordingly.

As for the 07/08 hires, again, I have come to the conclusion that the costs of training just must not be that high. Most companies dislike bottom up attrition, particularly after investing in training an individual, but that has never been the belief at US and apparently at HP. Why on earth would they treat new hires so badly?

Yeah. They defy sense. They always have.

 

[nycbusdriver]

Remember the Thanksgiving Deadheading to Europe and back debacle last year? Who was in charge of that? Mike Finn.

I doubt Finn could have done anything about the Thanksgiving deadheads. The only way it could have worked without all the deadheading is for the trips to be scheduled for 5 or more days. The pilot contract does not allow trips of that length. The company asked for some one time only (yeah, right) relief to accomodate the Thanksgiving trips, and USAPA told them to go pound sand (I've heard there's lots of sand to pound in Tempe.) With all the contract abuse and violations by the company, and the hundreds of furloughs, it was the height of arrogance for the company to even ASK for relief on anything.

(ALPA, of course, would have permitted it after the MEC officers had been schmoozed at the country club in Scottsdale.)

 

[cactusflyer]

I know it's tempting to think in terms of cost per warm body, but as someone who has tried to reason it out for years, I have just come to the conclusion that it isn't a factor.

If it was, they would have bought off the senior mamas years ago. Upsides, downsides, every way to Sunday they're way more expensive. Healthcare usage, pay, vacation, LTD. All of it, but no buyout.

Scheduling thinks of us as warm bodies. They do not care how old/ senior / decrepit we are. As long as the FAA minimum is on board, with a pulse, they're happy.

That attitude: "I own your ---" is left over from the days when reserve was a year max. As Mr. DP says, it's time to confront the reality of an airline with no growth and no movement and adapt accordingly.

As for the 07/08 hires, again, I have come to the conclusion that the costs of training just must not be that high. Most companies dislike bottom up attrition, particularly after investing in training an individual, but that has never been the belief at US and apparently at HP. Why on earth would they treat new hires so badly?

Yeah. They defy sense. They always have.

Bravo! Very well put.

My fear is that furloughs may be just around the corner for the west FA's since we are so overstaffed. Especially with no increased flying on the horizon and more than 70 FA's scheduled to come back from VLOA April 1st. As always, time will tell. I think the company was hoping for higher attrition, but what they don't seem to get is that no one is leaving because there is no where to go, except maybe McDonalds and even they aren't hiring. :blink:

 

[Furloughd4now]

As for those who feel the need to defend Sherri Shambles, I respect your need to do that, but keep in mind that those of us on the west have been dealing with her incompetency for years. Starting with the lackluster management of the PHX inflight department when she was just a manager up to some of the stuff she's done as a V.P. For the life of me I cannot figure out how she finagled her way into a 6 figure position, because we all know there were/are people on the east with true inflight experience that could lend more to the job than she does. I guess it will forever remain a mystery. It will be interesting to see how much longer she is here if, in fact, her spouse was let go. Also, keep in mind I think the bulk of people involved with inflight that actually have experience doing our job are supervisors in the east, because no one on the west (with the exception of 1 or 2) has ever been a line qualified FA.

Are you sying Finn is married to Shambles???? If so, nepotism is alive and well in this company? WTF :blink: Talk about a conflict of interest....

 

[cactusflyer]

Are you sying Finn is married to Shambles???? If so, nepotism is alive and well in this company? WTF :blink: Talk about a conflict of interest....

No, it was alluded to earlier in the thread that Mike (?) Shamblin was let go as well. That is who Sherri is married to and I believe he was a regional director of something or other. NoMoreKoolaid was the one who posted that they both were "escorted out".