Using The Tools Available

[fatherof2]

Instead of using airplanes with nothing but bags loaded on them, why didn't U use the trucks they own and have the stores employees deliver them?
I'm quite sure the cost invollved would have been far less than flying an airplane down to CLT.
Its the little things that really get my "ire" up.
How much money did we just pump out the door with the cost of the crew, jet fuel, etc...
The passengers we affected were already inconvenienced. A few more hours would not have mattered.
Two Stores Clerks could have run this route, costing the company a whole lot less than it took to fly the airplane down with no revenue aboard.
Congratulations Geniuses in Crystal City! I can see now why we have to retain the "dim" light bulbs we have in management. Can you say, Doh!!!!!! :angry:

 

[BoeingBoy]

fatherof2,

I've wondered (and would be interested in anyone's firsthand report) how many of these "baggage only" flights were going to be ferried anyway to get the planes in position for the next day.

Jim

 

[AA191]

What is the point, you are all out of a job in a few weeks anyway.

 

[the turtle]

What do you think the drive time PHL-CLT on a holiday weekend? With a winter storm clogging I-95 in the Carolina's?

Ferrying a few planes, maybe to get in position, maybe due for maintence, part 91, seems the smart thing to do.

 

[fatherof2]

What is the point, you are all out of a job in a few weeks anyway.

[post="232164"][/post]​

The "point" AA191 is not whether or not I'm going to have a job. The "point" is getting the luggage to their rightful owners in a cost effecient manner. So try to stay on topic and realize that a fiscally responsible company who is trying to drum the last dime out of labor, could have saved a bunch of money, if they had been proactive instead of reactive. 😉

 

[delldude]

What is the point, you are all out of a job in a few weeks anyway.

[post="232164"][/post]​

may we see into your crystal ball???
this stupid company won't be blessed with a quick euthanistic shot in the arm....it just isn't written to go that way...
this place will limp on for another year and drop dazed and confused employees , customers and managers along the path....
all the while upper management thinks it knows what it is doing.... :blink:
did you notice that idiot ,chiames on tv blaming the employees?
quit blaming....fix the problems....

 

[fatherof2]

fatherof2,

I've wondered (and would be interested in anyone's firsthand report) how many of these "baggage only" flights were going to be ferried anyway to get the planes in position for the next day.

Jim

[post="232163"][/post]​

I agree, IF and only IF the airplane was being positioned, then by all means use the cargo holds to the best of their ability.
My next question, would be , who loaded these "baggage" only flts if the rumors of rampant sickouts in PHL are true? :blink:

 

[700UW]

Because there are no big 30 foot type stores trucks in PHL, only CLT and PIT have them.

Plus it is not mechanic and related work, and they would have to pay overtime and per diem, it is cheaper to hire an 18- wheeler to do that work.

And it is defiantly cheaper then running planes with no passengers and US ran 6 planes yesterday from PHL-CLT with only luggage.

 

[tadjr]

And once all the bags get to where they were originally scheduled how many will we have to fly back somewhere else now that their owners are back at home and not where they were originally when they filed the claim? I had a lady going back home to ERI last night who hasnt had her bag since the 22nd. Now it will end up in Tampa (hopefully) and then have to be expedited back to ERI for delivery to her. How many people will file claims and get paid only to have their bags show up days or weeks from now? This isnt a new thing with US. About 5 years or so ago the same thing happened with the bags this time of year because I remember working in the bag room for about 16 hours straight trying to sort out the hundreds of bags we had sitting around. I guess we'll just never learn.

 

[700UW]

I know yesterday the company was flying luggage only 767 flights between PHL-CLT.

 

[novaqt]

AA191:

I'm afraid you are absolutely correct. The Bankruptcy Judge is going to have a field day this week! I believe the only course now is to order all union contracts thrown out and go Chap. 7. The workforce is miserable and now so are the customers. The customers were on the way to giving US the second chance they needed to stay in business and you have destroyed customer confidence so much, they will never return. No one will take a chance on flying with you again and with good reason. Let this be a lession to all the airlines who's upper management and bankers place such little value on their employees that incites this kind of employee backlash. Bus companies pay their employees a decent wage; your mailman gets paid a decent wage; your trash collector gets paid a decent wage, so why are airline employee's so undervalued? Perhaps the answer lies in the tax code.

On top of your work action, Comair's computers failed and all their flights had to be cancelled for 2 days and will not be back to normal until the middle of week. Obviously replacing people with technology is not the answer, especially when it fails like this weekend. Their customers suffered because of this.

 

[BoeingBoy]

The cable channels are now reporting that we are indeed trucking baggage from PHL to CLT & PIT, as well as flying it.

Jim

 

[700UW]

The section 1113 c hearings are over. The Judge is currently on vacation, Jan. 5th is left open for the AFA incase their T/A fails.

All the testimony has been presented, anything from the TV or newspapers is not evidence and by law the judge cannot take that into account for making his decison.

Hey, ITRADE, can you explain this in better detail please.

 

[Flying Titan]

It's truly stunning just how many people on this board have somehow found a way to twist this into yet another "blame management for all of our problems" scenario. Normally, I'm pretty supportive of labor at this airline and in most businesses (see many of my previous posts, if you're interested), however, this sickout was inexcusible and completely indefensible ---- and no, management didn't make anyone stage an illegal job action, which this most certainly was.

Management didn't decide to ruin holiday vacations for tens of thousands of paying passengers.

Management didn't decide to screw over the thousands of employees who were conscientious enough to show up to do their jobs.

This was the act of cowards; people who didn't work through their union, people who didn't work through the legal process; people who simply decided they were fed up with all of the horrible things that have happened to this industry, this airline and themselves personally. In their understandable frustration, they stupidly decided to lash out to hurt the company AND as many people as possible.

So, here we sit, with people on this board now blaming management for using every means possible to try to make up for this fiasco with the people who pay the bills?!?! How silly! They should be congratulated (for once). If I were flying during this mess and my bags had been lost, I would be furious to hear that the company wasn't doing everything possible to get those bags to me as fast as possible. The company's not wasting money by doing this. It's only trying to salvage what is surely an eroding customer base. Try to put a price tag on that! The lost money from ferrying bags can simply be added to the total dollars STOLEN by those who launched a job action that wasn't sanctioned by their labor group. Shame on everyone who took part in this, and thank you to everyone else who worked through the weekend to help as many people as they could under impossible circumstances.

 

[WestCoastGuy]

But over the past years. management has decided it is acceptable to work their employees like mules, treat them like dogs, and threaten to shut the place down, time after time and continue to pick the pockets of labor until there's not much left to take. Their lack of "Labor Relations" is pathetic. Then, they all take off for a long Christmas Vacation while the company fall to pieces, and scratch their heads about why it's happening.......Bruce said he was "Dumb Founded". On a personal note, I do not appreciate all the problems caused by those who decided it was better to "burn" some sick time over the holidays, while some of us chose to continue to work, but I understand their frustration, which is still something that all those in CCY just cant comprehend.