Time To Retire

AAStew

Veteran
Feb 24, 2003
877
15
Okay folks, here is something that will make me very unpopular, but I don''t care. I went on the CRAF flying reserve list today at American Airlines. The most senior person on reserve has a seniority date of 1958! For goodness sake, it is time to retire! What is the deal? Can anyone that old honestly say they can perform their job efficiently? Hell no! I am 42 and I find myself exhausted at the end of a day and I am in great shape. Ladies (and some guys) it is time to go! You can''t less than 65 and my guess is that you are closer to 70!
 
Even the EEOC recognizes a safe limitation when it's staring them in the face. When an aircraft goes into distress for whatever reason, it's crew is required to be equally quick minded and quick on their feet. Age doesn't always allow for that.
 
That reminds me of a few years ago when a Captain would not fly a trip out of DFW due to his seeing that one of the flight attendants had a lot of trouble getting up after sitting in a first class seat. It was an elderly woman, that in the Captains estimation, was unable to physically complete her duties.
 
Where in the heck do you young kids come from? Us older folk know exactly how you got here. It was never anticipated that the young would eat the old. Sure hope none of you young kids will ever need to move back in.
 
Yes, I think that was Juanita Carmichael or was it Dovie? Either ways, bless their hearts they were each at least 74 years old before they retired, They both had the honor at one time or the other in their long.....careers to be the oldest, living flight attendants and I use the term living loosely here.
 
Aw Ualo6, I just want to fly one of those "good trips" while my memory still works.
 
We used to have a Flight Attendant that had a nickname of "St. Louis" because on a transcon flight, it took here until STL until she could get from the back of the plane to the front...
 
It's nice to laugh on this board isn't it? Everything else is so depressing....oh for the good old days.
By the way, I was in Paris the same day as the shoebomber flying to JFK. I am a speaker and you are right everyone on my crew had at least 30 years seniority who was not a speaker. I do not doubt that any of them can perform their job as well or better than I can. I am just taling about the true dinosours...
 
AAstew -OMG, I'm LOL, God Bless Juanita and Dovie, I've heard the stories. They are LEGENDS! You hear about so many infamous F/As that you can only wish you had flown a trip with (ex. ACTION GIRL, Superman, et al.)

To be fair, do you realize how senior the non-speaking F/As were on AA63? I missed 1/2 of the Nightline(?) special due to flying. I suspect MIA-Europe trips easily goes 25-35yr seniority. The one who was bitten (believe it was Christina), honey, I would have been scared to cross her! Love the initial news footage of her angrily smoking a cig with her arm in a sling at Boston Logan! She easily has 30+yrs. When I went to BOS out of training I flew with many senior mamas who were some of the coolest people I've flown with. I never doubted their ability to perform their duties. Sharp as tacks! Love their tales of deregulation! They should compile a book...hey the glamour is GONE.

Haven't heard too many stories about Dovie but tons about Juanita! She was long-overdue. Every airline has their own (ex. see NW boards at Crewstart).

Unfortunately, Juanita could not perform her duties but bless her for trying and giving us something to smile about!

UAL06 - Hope that is not your seniority year
 
Just completed 2 int'l trips. Beleive me, the service level of the senior FAs was deplorable. I strongly felt like writting letters but decided against it. I'm mean these people just don't care. I'm not saying they couldn't do the job, just that they didn't seem to care.
Now I'm not saying they're too old its just their attitude sux. If I had a choice it might not be AA.
Sorry if it offends it is just how my wife and I were treated.
 
That's the whole thing in a nutshell. AA just wants to lower it costs to compete with Jetblue and Southwest. But the one thing they are forgetting is that no matter how low they get their labor costs, PEOPLE ARE NOT GOING TO BE HAPPY AND IT WILL BE NOTICED BY THE PASSENGERS! Do they think that those who manage to survive a layoff will suddenly be "SINGING IN THE RAIN" like Gene Kelly? JetBlue and Southwest were conceived and raised with the low fare concept. They never had it forced down their throats!
 
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On 3/8/2003 9:46:26 AM flydcoop wrote:

I suspect MIA-Europe trips easily goes 25-35yr seniority.
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With twenty five years seniority in St. Louis, you can hold a place in line at the unemployment office.
 
You had to be TWA....but we had our Heroines. Ask any TWAer with seniority and he/she will have a story about Ida Staggers. What a wonderful individual.