Early Brake Release ?

[NewHampshire Black Bears]

A friend called with a holiday greeting, and then proceeded to tell me about conditions in his small NE station.

Brutally short of help, forced OT, no SK coverage and BIG time delays.(ALMOST)

Seems TOO MANY APA pilots are releasing their parking brakes, and covering up 20-35 min. delays.

IMHO, for saftey reasons, and as union people, this is UNEXCEPTABLE.

Mabey some of you APA folks on here, might want to comment on this ????

NH/BB's

 

[L1011Ret]

If everything is ON TIME, there is no need to hire anyone. Makes perfect sense!!!

 

[Kev3188]

NH/BB--

It won't make you feel better, but over at NW our "good friends" from ALPA do the same thing. There have also been instances where the plane is pushed back a couple of feet, and then it's loaded. Unbelievable. At AA do you guys have a flight times dept. (maybe in conjunction with dispatch?)? At my station, we just call them, and after conferring with the flight crew, they usually amend the times to reflect reality. Needless to say, local mgmt. hates this. Good luck.

Kevin--

 

[FA Mikey]

Keep in mind they make money after depature (brake release) like the F/A's not before.

 

[NewHampshire Black Bears]

Keep in mind they make money after depature (brake release) like the F/A's not before.

Mikey;
Thanx for the $$ info.
BUT,
That leaves me in a "logic quandry"(Is there such a phrase ??) :unsure: :unsure:

On one hand, the cockpit boys/gals releasing early would be FRAUD, and costing AA a ton of dough.

On the other hand, AA is VERY aware of this practice, but seems not to care.

(Mabey early relese is the lesser $$$$ of 2 evils)


Bottom line, NOTHING(repeat) NOTHING would surprise me about this FRIGGIN" company !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NH/BB's

 

[Hopeful]

So essentially, the pilot's are getting bonus$$$$ just for kicking their brakes off EARLY!

Good work!

 

[AA80Driver]

So essentially, the pilot's are getting bonus$$$$ just for kicking their brakes off!

Good work!

Pilots & F/A's don't get paid until the brake is released. How can you consider that a bonus?

 

[Hopeful]

I meant kicking the brakes off before scheduled departure time. I've seen it as much as 20 minutes "brakes off" before dept time.. Nothing personal!
Isn't the brakes off early the topic here?
At a pilot's salary, those 20 minutes add up.. Nothing personal!

 

[BoeingBoy]

Sorry to butt in but just curious...

Here at US Air we can't get an "out" time until all the doors are closed (including cargo) and brakes off. Is it different at American?

Jim

 

[Hopeful]

True. Providing doors are closed, brakes off will start the clock. But there is an unorthodox means of bypassing that condition. What I've seen happen quite often is all doors closed, tractor and bar hooked up, brakes knocked off waiting up to 20 minutes for a push crew to arrive.

 

[BoeingBoy]

Hopeful,

Got you, that works here too. Course, at that point, the crew is literally "in charge" of the airplane and pax so maybe they should be paid (I don't want to start an argument over it). We went thru a period at U where mgt. was telling us to release brakes in situations like this to make on-time performance look better.

Jim

 

[Hopeful]

That was my point on the bonuss$$$$. It can make the airline look more dependable while the pilots pick up more spending change!

 

[NewHampshire Black Bears]

I have SEEN *SS HOLE supervisors get on the head set, and "BEG" the Capt, to release brakes, to show a phoney "OUT" time, therefore(on paper), NO delay.

I have seen A-300's MOVE a few inches, while standing on top of a "wide body container loader".

I have(on several occasions) informed Captains that we were brutally short of help, and that whatever the delay was, it was on "the up and up" We explained that a "TRUE" delay was the ONLY way that HDQ would question local management why delays were occuring. Once local management "ran out of PHONEY excuses(to HDQ), did we get the LEGITIMATE help, we needed.

I'd say that about 50% of the Captains we approached were sympathetic to whats was going on, and did the "right(HONEST) thing"

I've heard captains tell supervisors to "GET THE *ELL OFF MY A/C, AND DON'T BE SUGGESTING THAT I SHOW A PHONEY OUT TIME"

I can understand the "getting paid" part, I really can.
BUT,

To all you Captains out there "Please don't release your brakes, when a LEGITIMATE delay, is occuring.

NH/BB's

 

[AA80Driver]

That was my point on the bonuss$$$$. It can make the airline look more dependable while the pilots pick up more spending change!

How much of your on duty time would you be willing to work for free?

 

[KCFlyer]

NHBB - Check your PM's