Additional F/a Duties

[BoeingBoy]

Flight attendants find new job obligation rankles

Nicole Harris
Wall Street Journal
Feb. 3, 2004 10:48 AM

Flight attendants like Sara Nelson Dela Cruz have a new workplace concern in addition to their worries about terrorism and job security: selling airline food.

WSJ Article

Jim

 

[Colby]

First the Passengers complained about what was being served on the Long-Haul flights...

Second the Passengers Complained when the meals were taken away and they had a tight connection. Therefore, they couldn't stop and buy something to eat and all they're offered are a couple of bags of Pretzels....

Now, they're gonna Complain that they Have to Buy their meals On Board...WELL... GET OVER IT PEOPLE welcome to what the LCC's have done to what used to be Full Service from the Legacy Carriers!!!

If you have the time .....Buy your meal in the airport (Chances are you're gonna spend MORE money and Have to BUY your Drink) before your Flight.

If you know in Advance you're gonna have a tight connection somewhere... Pack a Lunch or Buy something in Advance so You'll have it with you when you get hungry...

JUST QUIT THE WHINING ALREADY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[nyboilermaker]

Perhaps cleaning the cabin too?

 

[Light Years]

A couple of things...

a waitress makes $15,000 a year INCLUDING tips, I'm sure they really include thier tips... and where did they get the 50,000 a year for flight attendants? Thats supposed to be average? Any of my friends that are furloughed and waitressing are making WAY more than the 20k a year they brought home from Airways.

And I don't think Ms. Groff really knows what she'd talking about. For starters on our 757 and 737 fleet, we didnt even heat the meals, they just sweated and festered in thier own heat in those Genie trays, so thats no extra effort. On Airbuses pressing a few buttons on the oven wasn't much of an effort. It was less drama to go through and serve meals than this new circus they do now.

 

[ktflyhome]

I really like Shery Groff's comment. "you can always pull an aditional Flight attendant from First Class". What addtional F/A does she mean???? All I can say, is that I would hate to have to use hand held computers to generate the sales of these BOB delectables. Not to stray to far from the topic, but this is something that has been bothering me. Just this last trip, I had 35 pax's going from CLT to ILM. They are a Travel Group who has been flying on USAirways since the '80's with their group. Most are retirees. They just came from Rome on us. Their Pres. of the group really seemed to know alot about our Airline. They were great F/C pax/s as well as Coach. They have 4 more trips planned overseas on US.

They were really put out that we were charging for drinks on overseas flights and commented that all of them had sent e-mails all ready to Dave. They would prefer an extra few buck added to their ticket instead.

I commented on this to a fellow F/A and her comment was "All of the other airlines do this, we are the last."

So to pull these 2 topics together, I guess my question is "Why do we have to do everything like all of the other airlines"?????

It seems anymore we just copy what everyone else is doing without regard for remaining "Unique". We use to offer an airline which set it's self apart from the mainstream, which generated loyalty from PAX's. There is no creativity or nuance left with in this Management or Airline as I see it. When asked "why are we doing this". ANSWER....because everyone else is!

Also, as of this week they are laying off the people who brought in the envelope with the money for us to sign off on. Now, it supposedly will be sealed and preboarded along with the meals.

The whole thing is a bid joke and a rip-off of the pax's money. Everyone is trying to sell a Brand and the food sucks. Many Pax's complain. Just MOHO :down:

 

[Light Years]

Continental hasn't stooped to this ridiculousness yet, and they seem to be doing better than we are.

Oh well... LIVE LOVE EAT !!!!!!!

 

[Colby]

"Why do we have to do everything like all of the other airlines"?????

The answer is pretty simple.................

Management and Marketing don't know What Else to DO !!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[W:EXCH:INVOL]

Perhaps cleaning the cabin too?

I've got a feeling that pulling tickets at the door is just around the corner, too.

 

[BoeingBoy]

W:EXCH:INVOL,

At least that is impossible without adding an extra F/A or changing the FAA's mind - with minimum staffing, all F/A's have to be on-board for enplaning & deplaning.

Jim

 

[W:EXCH:INVOL]

Thanks for the tip, Jim. Good news for what's left of c/s. I think.

 

[BoeingBoy]

Of course, they could have the pilots do it...

Jim

 

[Fly]

You CHARGE MONEY for drinks on international flights?!? We charge domestically, is that what you mean? (but we've been charging domestically since I've been around) Headsets for the movies are always free on United as well, domestically and international. I can't believe you charge internationally, maybe that was a typo? :unsure:

 

[Piedmont4US]

Of course, they could have the pilots do it...

Jim

You know if the CEO of Jetblue can pick up trash from the cabin.

Then Dave should do the same..

 

[KCFlyer]

"Why do we have to do everything like all of the other airlines"?????

Because boldness isn't highly regarded in the airline industry these days. IMHO, US could have avoided a LOT of their problems had they implemented a "value pricing" plan accross the board - kind of like America West (they posted a "surprise" profit). But...the "other airlines" wouldn't do that....they'd steal that vaunted "market share" by offering money losing advance fares on competing routes (I've always wondered if winning the "market share" battle was worth the losses that are incurred). Offering a good product, even if it means selling meals in coach, at a fair price would result in revenue...good revenue, not loss leader revenue. If the other guys want to capture your market share by offering flights at fares that won't let them make a profit, then LET THEM BLEED. Perhaps the mantra for management should be to changed from "We're #1 in market share and bleeding cash" to "We're willing to be #2 in market share and make a profit".

 

[PITbull]

So, we have the "idiot" VP from in-flight make statments that what the f/as are saying on food selling and safety is basically "unfounded".

That is why she is an "idiot". Case in point, this is why we have so many problems with the inflight dept that we NEVER had before she bcame VP in our dept. In fact, we didn't have a VP for 7 hears before her. We had a GREAT senior director who had his ""pulse" on the In-flight dept and on his people. When he ran the show, we had NO problems that were significant as we do today from this "do-nothing" waste- of- air-and-space VP.

How insensitive of her to make the statments she did to the Wall Street Journal.

She has been here 18 months and NOT ONCE met with the AFA MEC. She spends more time commuting than she does in her office. And she has more layers of folks in between here that she doesn't have to lift one finger.

Now, if that she would be an elimination from the VP ranks, that may just get the AFA's attention to talk to management. Hmmm, how much is that worth to them?