Hello PHL F/A Displacement

[CLTBWIDAYSYR]

My transfer to CLT has been in for almost two years now. I am thrilled by this. Perhaps they figured out that putting time in CLT might help them combat the unable to commutes that are becoming all too common these days (like mine on Thu).

 

[Twicebaked]

Well the wonderful people who staff this airline are going to stick it to the employees one more time. According to the latest pilot bid, they will be pulling all the domestic 757/767 out of Philly and putting all in CLT. That is a lot of time to be lost so one can only guess displacments will be in the near future.

They can't leave well enough alone. They always have to screw with people's lives. Hello displacement and 20 year reserves in PHL. Really makes you want to come to work and feel good about doing your job.

Don't panic.....there are alot of people that want to go to CLT.

Let's not cry wolf until we read "displacement".

We all need to stop stressing.............let's get a hobby.

How about drinking on the beach!!!

 

[marco90821]

Well ,Paul Kinsey says? If that isn't just crap in a litter box I don't know is! What is going on? First CLT is overstafed the next they ship off 100 people?. How ironic.

Do you use common sense? Did you read the post from Flightchic? There are so many FAs in PHL who commute from CLT that there will be absolutely no problem with the temporary transfer for the winter months. These FAs welcome this, and it will only make their lives better, if at least temporarily.

 

[beachboy]

I indeed use common sense and probably have thought it out more than most. Now the company seems so sure the majority of these 125 will be coming from PHL in November. They just finished plugging the holes in LGA and BOS. Then in December another 25 lines will go to CLT. How many more people will they need in December? Flash forward to May 2008 when the seasonal flying is put back into PHL for international. I can't see us having a ratified contract with the snails pace of negotiations. So what is the answer? Transfer a few more hundred BACK into PHL? I would be willing to bet they will ask for a seasonal bid. That will divide the group as it will be people flying into PHL for international. Eating off the top and then in October going back to their base of origin. So if your 1989 the few months you could hold a decent line you get knocked down becuase of a temp bid. Helps some and irks others. Has anyone factored in how this will effect VAC with bidding? Your VAC is awarded on the base you hold during the bid. Staffing is dependent on that. I am happy for all those who want to go to CLT and I think the intent is to balance the flying. I just think it's based on a lot of assumptions and speculation at this point. I hope the dominos fall just as they are set up but I don't know if they will.
And I still find it ironic that we were overstaffed just 3 months ago and now we are shipping 125 AND MORE for December off there. The facts are the facts I just found it interesting.

 

[Be Careful What You Wish For.]

Would not the PIT FA's find this to be a more attractive alternative to PHL all year round? Fly carribean winter months,Europe during the summer. Good work if you can get it.

 

[supercruiser]

Even though they indicate that the PHL 767/757 Domestic flying will be eliminated in early 2008, it is effectively done on November 1, 2007. At that time there will be ONE block of 767/757 Domestic time in PHL, and ONE reserve for each seat. To me, that's a closed base.

Will have to find out the rationale for leaving a smidgeon of time. Not exactly unprecedented though, as they did similar on the F100 when they parked them, leaving a couple trips a day going out for a few months, with only a handful of pilots flying. The difference that time though was the a/c was completely leaving the fleet.

 

[AstroLounge]

My transfer to CLT has been in for almost two years now. I am thrilled by this. Perhaps they figured out that putting time in CLT might help them combat the unable to commutes that are becoming all too common these days (like mine on Thu).

Without knowing YOUR personal situation (seniority/displaced etc) don't forget that there are MANY junior F/A's throughout the system (PHL/BOS/LGA/DCA in particular) that were displaced OUT of CLT in previous years and THEY WILL HAVE FIRST RIGHT of TRANSFER before anyone "Senior" gets to fly SOUTH. Just because there are openings doesn't mean Seniority will dictate WHO will GO. My take on the situation is this will be a "Bump &Flush".......many people affected systemwide. And as if staffing BOS and LGA will get any easier, N-O-T!

 

[Travelpro72]

:blink: Can we say musical chairs. Until they learn that LGA and BOS as a base will not work they will continue to go back to filling LGA and BOS. ALWAYS. WOW....all I can say is WOW brilliant.

 

[CLTBWIDAYSYR]

Without knowing YOUR personal situation (seniority/displaced etc) don't forget that there are MANY junior F/A's throughout the system (PHL/BOS/LGA/DCA in particular) that were displaced OUT of CLT in previous years and THEY WILL HAVE FIRST RIGHT of TRANSFER before anyone "Senior" gets to fly SOUTH. Just because there are openings doesn't mean Seniority will dictate WHO will GO. My take on the situation is this will be a "Bump &Flush".......many people affected systemwide. And as if staffing BOS and LGA will get any easier, N-O-T!

Please qualify "senior". That term varies from base to base (as does the term junior).

 

[AstroLounge]

first of all, The Company couldn't give a rat's *ss how difficult YOUR commute or anyone else's is for the most part.........IF you choose to commute, you learn to do it or struggle along the way. As far as seniority.......PIT is a very "Senior" base and most of the remaining F/A's pretty much live in the OH/PA/WV areas. Reserve is somehere in the 23-24yr range, if I remember correctly. If approx 25-50 PIT F/A's decided to put in a transfer on this latest Transfer for NOV, they would be required to see WHAT their seniority could hold (either it is awarded or not) based on how many of the previously Displaced F/A's decided to come back to CLT. Many people easily discard the previous Company antics of displacements/furloughs IF the action didn't EFFECT THEM. There have been FOUR displacements already out of PIT in the last several years and yet we still have some self absorbed individuals that are "AMAZED" by it. So as far as "Junior" or "Senior" only Inflt Admin knows whose names are on the LONG LIST.......but rest assured, I know there are plenty of people in BOS/LGA/DCA that may want OUT if not for any other reason but FINANCIAL. So now it will be a Guessing & Waiting Game.

 

[jbragg476]

As to those who were "displaced" out of Charlotte.... I believe those people were technically furloughed from the company at a certain point.. so when they were "recalled".. they loss all rights to be called back first to their previous base... correct me please if I am wrong.

 

[beachboy]

DECREASE IN PHL FLYING
Accessing The Hub
AFA Local Numbers

Dear Member,

DECREASE IN PHL FLYING

Last Friday the Company announced a Pilot Bid that will reduce the 75/76 Domestic flying in PHL. As communicated in a previous Eline, the Company released the following CBS message at 16:56 EST last Friday:

Date: Friday, 10 August 2007 16:56 ET
To: USAALLMX.F/A, USAALLFA.SPV
From: KINSEY.P
Subject: PHL/CLT Staffing Update Nov 2007

As each of you and particularly our PHL based flight
attendants know, the flying in PHL has its peaks and
valleys. During the winter, it seems there are too many
flight attendants and in the summer as seasonal
transatlantic service begins our flight attendant staffing
becomes very tight. A portion of this is created by the
change in aircraft utilization as the flying shifts between
transatlantic and domestic markets. During the
transatlantic flying season, the utilization for our
transatlantic fleet is much higher than the utilization for
the same aircraft when they are flying domestically
during the off season.

In order to help offset some of that difference going
forward, the company is issuing a pilot bid that will
remove 15 lines of flying from PHL 757/767 Domestic
in November, 25 lines of flying from PHL 757/767
Domestic in December and add 25 lines of flying to
CLT PHL 757/767 Domestic in December. The
difference of 15 lines represents the lower utilization
of the aircraft. We feel these changes will allow us
to achieve a more balanced distribution of assets
and to more effectively utilize our resources.

Philadelphia is our primary international gateway
offering 20 daily transatlantic flights to 19 destinations
throughout Europe. Charlotte continues to be our largest
hub operation with over 539 daily departures offering
service to 122 nonstop destinations.

As a result of this pilot bid, InFlight Administration
will be posting flight attendant transfers into CLT for
the month of November and we anticipate posting
another transfer effective for the month of December.

---------------------

Since this morning I have been talking with various Company managers about the decision to make this change. I have also been in consultation with PHL Council 70 President John McCorkle and CLT Council 89 President Ann Crowley.

The Pilot Bid and the CBS message do not really address the "peaks and valleys" caused by seasonal Transatlantic flying. The bid is purely pilot driven and is a result of pilot staffing and training problems the Company hopes to eliminate by moving the 75/76 Domestic flying into CLT. In addition, Company managers indicate this decision is based on the Company's belief the aircraft will have better utilization rates in CLT than in PHL.

As the message indicates, due to lower aircraft utilization (domestic v. transatlantic) 15 PHL 75/76 lines of time will basically "vaporize" in November. In December, 25 Pilot lines of 75/76 flying will be shifted to from PHL to CLT. The net result is that 125 transfer openings will occur in CLT for November with an additional transfer posting (estimated at 75 to 100) for December.

Because there is a seasonal pull down of Transatlantic flying every year in PHL the "peaks and valleys" do occur, but this pilot bid does not address that as the lines of flying will be moved into CLT and the corresponding number of Flight Attendants will be needed to staff those lines. PHL will remain in an overstaffed situation until the seasonal Transatlantic flying returns in 2008. The Company indicates the overstaffing will be "handled" by offering Voluntary Personal Leaves of Absence (VPLOA).

AFA realizes this is a drastic step and will affect the lives of many of our members. PHL Flight Attendants know the lines will shrink at the end of the seasonal Transatlantic flying but the removal of domestic 75/76 flying in addition to the seasonal pull down has a devastating effect.

The 15 75/76 pilot lines that "vaporize" equate to 60 Flight Attendant lines and the 25 75/76 lines that will shift to CLT account for the additional 100 Flight Attendant lines. What is not clear is if 100 Flight Attendant lines are being added to CLT, why the need open CLT up for 200 or more Flight Attendants. AFA is pursuing the answer to that question

For PHL Flight Attendants the decision on whether to transfer or not is difficult at best. While the number of lines that will be reduced is known, it is impossible to predict who will transfer to CLT. Until the transfers are processed it will also be impossible to determine how many PHL Flight Attendants will go back on Reserve as a result of the loss of domestic 75/76 flying. AFA will update you as information is developed. I would have liked to have been able to address this matter sooner but the timing of the publication of the Pilot bid made that impossible until now.

Questions and Answers

Q - Does AFA have a role or a say in where the Company places aircraft or lines of flying?

A - No. AFA does not have any contractual ability to require the Company to maintain a certain amount of flying in a base. AFA has contractual language that ties the Flight Attendants lines of flying to the Pilot lines.

Q - Will the process reverse itself next year when the seasonal flying increases in PHL?

A - No. PHL will, as mentioned above, remain overstaffed until the seasonal Transatlantic flying returns next year. At that point the staffing will be adequate for the seasonal flying - according to the Company.

Q - Will there be any transfer openings in PHL next year.

A - Possibly. If the Company increases flying significantly in PHL then transfer openings could occur.

Q - If PHL will be understaffed from November until April/May will the Company consider offering VPLOAs for more than a month at a time, e.g. a three month VPLOA.

A - The current contract does not provide for that ability but AFA will meet with the Company to determine if multiple-month VPLOA can be offered.

Q - I have a priority right of return to CLT on file-is it valid?

A - Priority right of return for Flight Attendants displaced from a particular base guarantee such Flight Attendants the right to return to the base from which they were displaced before anyone else is granted a transfer to that base. If you have a priority right of return to CLT on file and do not wish to exercise that right you must contact the Company to have the priority right of return removed from your file. You can contact Mark Stelzer at 480-693-5827. Please remember that a priority right of return is only valid if after you were displaced you did not voluntarily transfer to another base or if furloughed you did not accept the first recall you were offered.

Q - I have a "standing transfer bid" to CLT on file-is it valid.

A - Yes. Standing bids will be honored in seniority order as the transfers are processed. If you have a standing bid on file or can't remember if you have a standing bid on file you can rescind the bid on the hub or call Mark Stelzer. If you rescind the bid on the hub please be sure to make a copy.

Q - Do Flight Attendants who were furloughed from CLT and recalled to another base have a priority right of return to CLT?

A - No-only Flight Attendants who were displaced from CLT and then subsequently furloughed and recalled to a base other than CLT have priority return rights (if a priority right of return form was filed).

Thank you,

Mike Flores, President
The US Airways Master Executive Council
AFA-CWA

 

[EMBFA]

As to those who were "displaced" out of Charlotte.... I believe those people were technically furloughed from the company at a certain point.. so when they were "recalled".. they loss all rights to be called back first to their previous base... correct me please if I am wrong.

You are wrong. You maintain your priority return unless you voluntarily transfer to a base other than the one you were displaced to, as long as you took the first offer of recall (full east mainline).

The sentence is worded confusingly. It should read...

Please remember that a priority right of return is only valid if after you were displaced you did not

-voluntarily transfer to another base or

-if furloughed, you did not accept the first recall you were offered.