nytimes 3/21/06
As available seats have declined, workers have paid more attention to how the line forms to fill them. American and Southwest employees board on a first-come-first-served basis. Delta and United employees board by seniority. Each method produces resentment.
US Airways, seniority-based, merged last year with America West Airlines, which was first come first served. The combined company, known as US Airways, has gone through an internal debate on which approach to adopt. The e-mail address for workers' comments suggests the scraps they are fighting over: [email protected].
Emotions are running high, with more than 7,500 e-mail messages so far. "Picture me at my age (old) with 32 years of dedicated service," a seniority advocate wrote, "running down the concourse trying to beat that new hire with barely six months on the payroll. Well, I guess he won, beating me and my wife (who just had her left hip replaced)."
An advocate of the first-come-first-served approach responded: "Many times over the years I have been sitting in the boarding area 60-90 minutes before departure, only to be bumped by a 'senior' employee with his wife and four children, who showed up 15 minutes before departure."
W. Douglas Parker, chief executive of US Airways, is in no hurry to make a decision. He is asking employees to board former US Airways flights by seniority and former America West flights first come first served — to experience the difference — and is hoping that everyone calms down by the end of the year.
"We're taking it very seriously," he said. Flight benefits "loom large in our ability to attract and retain employees."
As available seats have declined, workers have paid more attention to how the line forms to fill them. American and Southwest employees board on a first-come-first-served basis. Delta and United employees board by seniority. Each method produces resentment.
US Airways, seniority-based, merged last year with America West Airlines, which was first come first served. The combined company, known as US Airways, has gone through an internal debate on which approach to adopt. The e-mail address for workers' comments suggests the scraps they are fighting over: [email protected].
Emotions are running high, with more than 7,500 e-mail messages so far. "Picture me at my age (old) with 32 years of dedicated service," a seniority advocate wrote, "running down the concourse trying to beat that new hire with barely six months on the payroll. Well, I guess he won, beating me and my wife (who just had her left hip replaced)."
An advocate of the first-come-first-served approach responded: "Many times over the years I have been sitting in the boarding area 60-90 minutes before departure, only to be bumped by a 'senior' employee with his wife and four children, who showed up 15 minutes before departure."
W. Douglas Parker, chief executive of US Airways, is in no hurry to make a decision. He is asking employees to board former US Airways flights by seniority and former America West flights first come first served — to experience the difference — and is hoping that everyone calms down by the end of the year.
"We're taking it very seriously," he said. Flight benefits "loom large in our ability to attract and retain employees."
--AND you physically presented yourself at the podium, you roll over to the next flight at the top of the list for your classification. (The requirement to physically present at the podium is to prevent people from listing and checking in for the 0600 flight when the flight they intend to catch is the 1000. If you haven't been seen by the gate agent, you are removed from the standby list as a no-show, and you don't rollover to the next flight.)
