USAirways fliers feel labor woes

[luvthe9]

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/200...ays-labor_N.htm

 

[safety stud]

Finally...
A great article...

 

[barbeetantrums]

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/200...ays-labor_N.htm

And passengers are starting to notice.

Frequent flier Alan Anderson of Phoenix flies US Airways every week and hears about the employees' frustrations firsthand.

Anderson said he was waiting for an already delayed flight to take off from Washington, D.C., recently when the pilot told passengers it was going to be a while longer before they could depart. The pilot said the bags from the previous flight were still on the plane and the current passengers' bags were still waiting to be loaded.

The pilot didn't explain why, but Anderson's thoughts turned to a possible slowdown. "That's the only rational explanation for this," he said.

I seriously doubt that this was a labor action in PHX. Sounds more like the aircraft was placed at a gate that was purposely left unstaffed or there wasn't coverage for shift transition. Back when folks felt a desire to go the extra mile, however, rampers would come from other gates without prodding and take care of the flight but now they look the other way. "I don't see a flight at an unstaffed gate. Do you?" "No, I don't see a flight at an unstaffed gate." :unsure: Now they must be explicitly told (or as our ramp management calls it, "issuing a directive") by a supervisor to work the unstaffed flight.

 

[Harry Callahan]

I seriously doubt that this was a labor action in PHX. Sounds more like the aircraft was placed at a gate that was purposely left unstaffed or there wasn't coverage for shift transition. Back when folks felt a desire to go the extra mile, however, rampers would come from other gates without prodding and take care of the flight but now they look the other way. "I don't see a flight at an unstaffed gate. Do you?" "No, I don't see a flight at an unstaffed gate." :unsure: Now they must be explicitly told (or as our ramp management calls it, "issuing a directive") by a supervisor to work the unstaffed flight.

I was thinking the exact same thing. Looks like not enough staff on the ramp. Iminage that.

 

[LGA777]

Actually barbeetantrums if go back and read the article the quoted passenger is from PHX but the delayed flight was at DCA. Probably not a slow down as DCA has been really short staffed as of late and there was probably not enough ramp staffing to work that flight in a normal timely manor. DCA is one of the few east stations that still has catering and several times in the last month they have sent out msgs to all downline stations with DCA flights to double cater all DCA flights as they could not staff even one catering truck that day, as the few catering agents where needed for the ramp, both positions are fleet service.

DCA, like my station LGA, is in a high cost of living area and since the buyouts many of the newhire replacements realized they could not survive on the US salary so turnover has been high and finding suitable replacements willing to work on US's salary has been difficult. We have not suffered nearly as badly in LGA as our ML flight schedule is less than half of DCA's so we are surviving.

I have met the DCA station Mgr several times and have the upmost respect for her, she has a very tuff job. The smart thing to do would be pull down DCA flying a little bit until this is resovled and redeploy that flying to LGA and or PIT but as Tempe seems to be driven only by profit and not the quality of operation that probably won't happen as they belive there is more money to be made in DCA than the above stations, even though they have the unused but paid for gates and present staffing that could easily handle some of DCA's overflow !

My two cents again !

Respectfully

LGA777

 

[nycbusdriver]

DCA, like my station LGA, is in a high cost of living area and since the buyouts many of the newhire replacements realized they could not survive on the US salary so turnover has been high and finding suitable replacements willing to work on US's salary has been difficult. We have not suffered nearly as badly in LGA as our ML flight schedule is less than half of DCA's so we are surviving.

Getting hired by USAirways at LGA or DCA is an opportunity to network for a better paying job.

You go into the terminal during a break and find out that the girl behind the Starbucks Auntie Anne's, Hudson News, etc. counter is making 50% more than you are and getting better benefits. Naturally, you apply to all of them and are hired before too long. And then USAirways again has to find, hire, security check, drug test and train your replacement.

Getting an USAirways job at these airports is a great stepping stone to a real job.

 

[barbeetantrums]

Getting hired by USAirways at LGA or DCA is an opportunity to network for a better paying job.

You go into the terminal during a break and find out that the girl behind the Starbucks Auntie Anne's, Hudson News, etc. counter is making 50% more than you are and getting better benefits. Naturally, you apply to all of them and are hired before too long. And then USAirways again has to find, hire, security check, drug test and train your replacement.

Getting an USAirways job at these airports is a great stepping stone to a real job.

Girl behind the counter can't fly to Germany on a whim in order to overdose on real German bratwursts.

 

[crusher]

DCA is at least 100 agts under staffed (inside & outside). If a plane was not off loaded it is probably because there aren't enough agents to go around. Our staffing is very thin when everyone shows up for work, so when there are sick calls it all falls apart. DCA & LAS are pretty similar sized stations in terms of flight levels . The big difference is DCA has about 550 total agts (in&out) while LAS has 1300. Unless Tempe does something about pay (Mc Donalds pays more and gives you food also), this problem will continue to fester until the remaining senior agts have had enough and leave. The continued shares disaster has people in cust svc quitting daily. they have had enough of this crap system. When your own regional mgr says that as long as bookings are 70% loads and the weather is good we can get by with shares , but when we have weather or some other problem we crash and burn and everyone knows it and they don't do something about it. And they still have not fixed international yet. If they really want us to turn this sinking ship around they need to do something NOW. First thing on the list is to DUMP SHARES and BRING BACK SABRE NOW!!!!! We can no longer afford to keep using this crap system and expect to continue to operate. Cosidering how much this res disaster has cost us you'd think that someone in Tempe would slap Dougie and Kirby across the face and tell them to wake up and smell the coffee , we are in a downward spiral and the ground is getting closer and closer. Change the direction we are heading in and right this ship. We are more and more becoming the LOW CLASS CARRIER instead of a WORLD CLASS CARRIER. Say what you want about Wolf but he did have a positive effect on the service levels of our airline. When he was in charge Envoy was voted to be the best T/A service. Look at us now. Is Tempe's vision for us to be the new "Soulplane"?(the Movie).

 

[phasersonstun2]

Girl behind the counter can't fly to Germany on a whim in order to overdose on real German bratwursts.

Yo, who needs a friggin swollen overspiced German hot dog when youze can pound down on the official sandwich of our nations' first capital; da often imitated but never outdone...

Philly cheese steak - wazaa pazzing!

 

[hp_fa]

"Many view America West as saving US Airways, a point executives now take great pains to refute by revealing that America West was in danger itself of filing for bankruptcy for a second time without the merger.

Parker never sounded such dire warnings before or after the deal was announced. " (Emphasis Added)

OK, there is the truth. Whether you like Dawn or not, she was the day-to-day reporter covering America West in their home market. She had routine access to management.

One more point. During the time period in question, Doug was known as being very open and honest with the AWA employees and we never heard any of this until well after the transaction was announced.

The only way the truth will ever come out is if anyone sues Parker or the airline and finds a way to make the question relevant to the proceedings. Until then, all that anyone can count on hearing is spin and cheerleading.

 

[hp_fa]

Way Way back there was a news report a few days after 9/11 about airlines and even then it was stated that the two airlines most likely to fail or fall into BK were???

US Airways and America West. ATSB wasn't even formed yet, then we had BOTH carriers get the loans which delayed Judgement DAY

Apples and oranges.

AWA had a liquidity problem only because they were due to close a routine financing transaction on 9/12/01. There was no problem on 9/10/01 because business was proceeding normally. That transaction was cancelled immediately after the awful events of 9/11/01. This has been well reported.

AWA got their ATSB loan, weathered the storm, and was fine. It then went on and made money. There was no bankruptcy discussion at AWA prior to the U/AWA transaction and actually well after it.

Bob, you have actually commented on Dawn's articles as being informed. Do you think she made up the quotes I posted from USA Today?

 

[CactusFlyr]

Way Way back there was a news report a few days after 9/11 about airlines and even then it was stated that the two airlines most likely to fail or fall into BK were???

US Airways and America West. ATSB wasn't even formed yet, then we had BOTH carriers get the loans which delayed Judgement DAY

Did you ever happen to see the "comparison chart" regarding what AWA and AAA each did with their ATSB loan money?? Wish I could find it but needless to say it was shocking. AAA pretty much just bled it out, AWA put it to good use. I will look for it to post. I believe it was in the ALPA magazine.

 

[tadjr]

OK, there is the truth.

OK, heres my truth. I really dont give a *S&( one way or the other. We are what we are now and Parker is the guy in charge. DO SOMETHING to get things corrected. Is one way or the other going to really correct all the screwups that have happened since integration? Is anything going to change us from our current situation if it was buyout, merger, etc? The HP team is in charge for the most part and they arent living up to their end of the bargain. Sure, we're making money now, but at the rate we're going its not going to be pretty in a couple months if they dont get some MAJOR issues corrected.

 

[hp_fa]

OK, heres my truth. I really dont give a *S&( one way or the other. We are what we are now and Parker is the guy in charge. DO SOMETHING to get things corrected. Is one way or the other going to really correct all the screwups that have happened since integration? Is anything going to change us from our current situation if it was buyout, merger, etc? The HP team is in charge for the most part and they arent living up to their end of the bargain. Sure, we're making money now, but at the rate we're going its not going to be pretty in a couple months if they dont get some MAJOR issues corrected.

Tad, my remark was designed to utilize the article to refute the false perception that AWA was headed for BK in 2005 or 2006. As Dawn's article illustrated, no one around the airline seemed to know this alleged fact that many people have used repeatedly on the forums over the past year or two. There wasn't any evidence that it was true before the transaction, and Dawn would be the most likely reporter to know if this was or was not true.

That said, I agree that there are problems now that need to be resolved by those in charge now. But folks here need to stop deluding themselves that AWA was bankruptcy bound before the transaction and stop using that falsehood to bash West folks.

 

[Phoenix]

Girl behind the counter can't fly to Germany on a whim in order to overdose on real German bratwursts.

Yeah, but she can afford German bratwursts in DCA. Maybe a ramper can fly to Germany but when he gets there he can't afford to buy a German Bratwurst, even at the Wal-Mart IN GERMANY.