Inflight Handheld Computers

[FlightChic]

I know the batteries were dead on the MAD-PHL flight today......they did it the old fashioned way!! Me thinks this whole HHD launch may NOT go as smoothly as one may think

And another thing...am I the only one who sees BIGTIME problems with storing the HHD's and their batteries ON the aircraft??? There are an awful lot of people who have access to the aircarft at different times.....I'm just sayin'.......

I think it would have been a far better idea to have the HHD's and batteries boarded inside SEALED combo carts with the F/A's returning them to SEALED combo carts before landing....greater tracking ability and accountability.....

...but what do I know...I've only worked here 24 or 25 years.......

Unfortunately, your idea makes too much sense to implement. h34r: h34r:

 

[jimntx]

In reading the thread, a couple of posts have suggested that you can charge the batteries on board. Can you? We can't at AA. However, we don't have the dead battery problem because Cabin Service at all major stations has replacement units and batteries. The only reason to go with a dead battery would be because the galley f/a didn't call Cabin Service for replacements. (Of course, this assumes that when the crew boarded, the galley f/a followed the procedure to check the Hand-Helds and their batteries to make sure they are working properly. )

There are glitches at times--a station has run out of charged batteries--but they have not been frequent in my experience.

 

[Zarah]

In reading the thread, a couple of posts have suggested that you can charge the batteries on board. Can you? We can't at AA.

US does not charge the batteries onboard.

 

[iheartairbus]

US does not charge the batteries onboard.

We however are supposed to make sure that the batteries make it back into the pouch so that the RON city ground staff can "swap" out the batteries w/ freshly/fully charged ones.... we all know that nothing around here works as planned in the begginging it will take alot of pissed off f/a's and customers before it gets right and get a system that works. I will give them plenty of kudos for the tons of literature so that most understand what they are doing and a big kudo for setting up the hotline for the senior mama's who have/had/still don't have any sort of clue.

 

[US Oringinal]

The next time you are struggling to get the HHD's operating, or taking 25 minutes to load inventory into the HHD's, or trying to get it to "sync up" repeatedly...REMEMBER YOUR PRIMARY FUNCTION.

The events of Thursday need to impress on us all that we are all SAFETY PROFESSIONALS FIRST!!

If messing around with these unreliable, difficult to operate HHD's, and it takes more than a couple minutes of your time...you need to stop and refocus on your SAFETY RELATED DUTIES FIRST! EVERYTHING ELSE IS SECONDARY and should be adressed that way.

I've seen plenty of F/A's lately TOTALLY stressing out over the HHD's--some to the point of tears---and it's not worth it, nor what we were hired to do. Especially during pre-flight, we as F/A's have many important safety-related duties to complete---trying to get the HHD's to work is NOT one of them!!! SAFETY FIRST!! EVERYTHING ELSE IS SECONDARY!

Why the Union has said and done nothing about this is beyond me.....

(If anyone from the Sandcastle or in my base management wants to talk to me about this--feel free to contact me....you already know how....)

 

[aredeeyou22]

dupe... sorry

 

[aredeeyou22]

HHD's are moving FA's to tears? Really?


The Union (AFA) *has* said a lot about this. In fact, I received TWO E-Lines from MF yesterday alone, one at 2:08pm, and one at 3:51pm. Both E-Lines reiterated the importance of focusing on our primary function: safety. I have received several E-lines from the AFA since the accident happened on Thursday, and all have focused on the idea of safety as our primary function. What more would you like the Union to say about this? Cease all cabin service systemwide, and wait patiently for an incident? The Union has been VERY vocal about FA's becoming nothing but glorified vending machines. I would venture to say they are quite against the idea.

You should check to make sure you are signed up for the MEC E-Lines.

 

[US Oringinal]

YES TEARS---REALLY!!!

And why not--they are being told by "facilitators" that if they do not use them appropriately or per company procedure, they will be disciplined. Ghost riders will be watching, so they say!!

I fly TransAtlantic mostly and it takes usually 20 minutes or more to get the HHD's to "sync-up" and get the inventory(which is ALOT on our widebodies)loaded in--that is if they work at all!!

During the time when F/A's should be checking their emegency equipement, verifying supplies, manning their exits and diligenty watching and facilitating boarding, they are in the back galley too often trying desperately to get the stupid HHD's operating!!
90% of the time, paasenger boarding begins witin 5-10 minutes of us getting on the aircraft!


The Union, I know, is opposed to the "revenue generating schemes" of our management as it involves F/A's, but I have read nothing from them as far as how they will back-up and support any F/A who is unable to get the HHD's working properly. On the other hand I have read and heard first hand from the company many times about the discipline(upto and including termination) if we do not follow proper company HHD procedures!!

I will tell you firsthand that our F/A's are being pressured and intimidated by the company and that many feel the Union has NOT done anything substantial about it. I've seen the "safety first" eLines, but not one directly telling F/A's how they will be supported should the HHd's not be used correctly.

Generating revenue is good for all of us...but it is NOT and NEVER SHOULD BE our first priority!!

You may not think it's a big deal...but you're wrong. SAFETY IS OUR PRIORITY....EVERYTHING ELSE IS SECONDARY.

 

[aredeeyou22]

YES TEARS---REALLY!!!

And why not--they are being told by "facilitators" that if they do not use them appropriately or per company procedure, they will be disciplined. Ghost riders will be watching, so they say!!

I fly TransAtlantic mostly and it takes usually 20 minutes or more to get the HHD's to "sync-up" and get the inventory(which is ALOT on our widebodies)loaded in--that is if they work at all!!

So what you are saying is that 20 minutes is cutting into the break schedules?

During the time when F/A's should be checking their emegency equipement, verifying supplies, manning their exits and diligenty watching and facilitating boarding, they are in the back galley too often trying desperately to get the stupid HHD's operating!!

So you are saying that now that we have the HHD's, FA's are not paying as much attention to the emergency equipment/ preflight duties as they used to. That's not good. I don't fly tranny- atlantic if possible, but it would seem to me that they could take 20 minutes while the meals are cooking to play with the HHD's after takeoff. There are 6 FA's in coach, surely 2 can be spared to play with these things after level off, before service?

Generating revenue is good for all of us...but it is NOT and NEVER SHOULD BE our first priority!!

You may not think it's a big deal...but you're wrong. SAFETY IS OUR PRIORITY....EVERYTHING ELSE IS SECONDARY.

I agree. Safety is priority #1. That said, there must be a spare 20 minutes in the air to fiddle with the HHD's. I highly doubt the company is contemplating ghost riders and disciplinary action to whole crews that can't get the dang things to work. If that day came, which I doubt it will, the AFA would be there to back us up.

And I have to disagree just a pinch with revenue generation not being a (not the) top priority. With the current economy and past/ possible future fuel prices, revenue generation became a problem. I am not going to debate (yet again) the way that Tempe handled the implementation of fees, but do you REALLY think that revenue generation was/ is not a priority for all airlines?

Incidentally, how come I don't remember hearing all this HHD drama at AA or UA or WN when they started them?

 

[US Oringinal]

I also checked my ELINES from the AFA and have said nothing directly addressing the HHD"S and the associated problems.

And just so you know, I'm not against the use of HHD's---matter of fact I think they could be a useful tool. But it should NOT be the responsibility of F/A's to have to load Flight info, A/c #, origination/destination into each HHD plus have to load the whole inventory(broken down to types of sodas, liquors, etc) into the primary device. It is a tedious and time-consuming process that can/does take our time away from our safety-related duties!! The company could have made these a useful tool, but in my opinion have placed the onus of inventory control on the F/A's!

WE HAVE OTHER THINGS TO DO AND BE CONCERNED WITH.

As it is now, our aircraft are, in large, minimally staffed according to FAA rules.
Placing the added time-consuming and often frustrating responsibilities associated with getting these HHD's to loaded up and working is WRONG and it needs to be addressed.........And the threats of discipline if not used per procedure should stop!

In my opinion, the right way to do this was to have all the info loaded on these HHD's and have them supplied in sealed/locked carts--ready to use by F/A's. But the company decided to go another(cheap) way and has put the onus of inventory control on the F/A's to get them working according to procedure....

I'd love to hear from other F/A's to see how many HHD's are actually working properly and without any issues. From what I'm hearing out on the line--not many are!

 

[US Oringinal]

So what you are saying is that 20 minutes is cutting into the break schedules?



So you are saying that now that we have the HHD's, FA's are not paying as much attention to the emergency equipment/ preflight duties as they used to. That's not good. I don't fly tranny- atlantic if possible, but it would seem to me that they could take 20 minutes while the meals are cooking to play with the HHD's after takeoff. There are 6 FA's in coach, surely 2 can be spared to play with these things after level off, before service?





I agree. Safety is priority #1. That said, there must be a spare 20 minutes in the air to fiddle with the HHD's. I highly doubt the company is contemplating ghost riders and disciplinary action to whole crews that can't get the dang things to work. If that day came, which I doubt it will, the AFA would be there to back us up.

And I have to disagree just a pinch with revenue generation not being a (not the) top priority. With the current economy and past/ possible future fuel prices, revenue generation became a problem. I am not going to debate (yet again) the way that Tempe handled the implementation of fees, but do you REALLY think that revenue generation was/ is not a priority for all airlines?

Incidentally, how come I don't remember hearing all this HHD drama at AA or UA or WN when they started them?

I can tell you don't fly TA--unlike what most people think, we don't have LOADS of time to "play" with the HHD's. We've got 6 F/A's on the 330 or 4 on the 767(when fully staffed) in Economy to serve international forms, headsets, drinks, dinner, special meals, more drinks, oj/water plus arrival drinks and danish service to either 249 or 182(or something close to that) people. They don't call the back of the 330 the slave ship for nothing!

My guess is that if other airlines didn't have any problems with their HHD's, they either had better machines, a better IT department or a better inventory control system.

Again--what I've written is just what I've seen in the past 3 weeks. But if you want to believe that this isn't a problem...so be it. You're right!!! It was another terrific roll-out by Tempe!!

 

[aredeeyou22]

I can tell you don't fly TA--unlike what most people think, we don't have LOADS of time to "play" with the HHD's. We've got 6 F/A's on the 330 or 4 on the 767(when fully staffed) in Economy to serve international forms, headsets, drinks, dinner, special meals, more drinks, oj/water plus arrival drinks and danish service to either 249 or 182(or something close to that) people. They don't call the back of the 330 the slave ship for nothing!

Not to argue with you, but I have flown TA many, many times. Most crews performed a push-pull service on the way over (before it was procedure), and we were always finished with dinner no more than 1.5 hours into a 7 hour flight.

Do they still start the "Delicious Pastry of the Month" service about 1:15 out on a full aircraft in Y? If so, on the way to Europe on a 7 hour flight, that is about 2+45 of service, and 4+15 of down time. You are saying that you can't find time to load HHD's? Also, on the 330, with 6 FA's, can't 2 do forms, 2 set up carts, and the other 2 load HHD's, all while the meals are cooking? Last time I did TA, it was a lot easier than it was in 2000, and we only had 6 FA's in Y at that point as well.

Coming Westbound, there is even more time, even with the "initial" beverage service in Y.

What am I missing?

Added: I have never said that this was another flawless rollout by Tempe, I am disputing the fact that TA FA's can't find time to turn on and load inventory into the handsets. The idea that Tempe wants me to continuously do more for them for free is something I am not pleased with, and I have posted as such in other threads. That said, TA ain't brain surgery.

 

[NoMoreKoolAid]

I am seeing issues on every flight almost with these things. Other airlines did research and most likely put more thought and money into the system. I used to fly Europe and I think what Aredeeu22 is missing is the fact inventory has to be input before you can start selling. Is the wine/liq cart not bonded both ways still? You are not allowed to open them on the ground in Europe or the states so you have to wait until you are in the air to put in the economy inventory and the envoy inventory. I am sure its quite a headache especially on the 330. This had to be done with 3 units before you start the service but you can't start anything until your in the air. A lot of unnecessary steps on this machine and USOrig is right. It's not our job to plug in all this tail number and so forth.
In DC last week I flew with this gal that was just in a spin over trying to get it to work right. By the time she got to her doors she was a mess. It stresses you out and takes time away from what we are suppose to be doing during a critical time.

 

[AlleghenyVista]

Ive been using the HHD's since they came out and I think they work great. Now don't get me wrong! Im not doubting that their have been some technical issus . However, I think they are easy to start up and easy to close. A couple of times batteries needed to be changed. The pilots called ops and new ones were brought to the airplane.

And yes, on transatlantic flights, the kits are not to be opened before you are airborne. However, on the front of the liquor/red wine carts and the beer/white wine carts, the numbers of what you should have in there are printed. After checking equipment, I turn on the HHDs and just put those numbers into the HHD's. With six working in the back, we have done it smoothly. After takeoff, the "B" gets the carts set up, while the "C" and "F" pass out forms if needed, and the "G" and "I" sell headsets. After that, the "G" and "I" keep the HHDs on their bev carts. The "Quick $" feature makes it so much easier.

 

[DCaf]

Incidentally, how come I don't remember hearing all this HHD drama at AA or UA or WN when they started them?

Because US airs all their dirty laundry in public; UA and AA less so; WN hardly at all.