wrx said:
KC Flyer:
Maybe you should take my place for 1 month and see how it really is! Don't talk your crap about revenue and shooting yourself in the head. PORTION DELETED BY MODERATOR! When you work a trip from JFK-NRT (14 hours) then layover for 11 hours and then fly home NRT-JFK (13 hours), then we can talk. Getting home and resting for 10 hours and have the phone ring to do it all over again. Then let me see what you have to say about f/a's calling in sick for the holidays because we're to damn tired to work under these conditions.
So step up to the plate and come work as an AA flight attendant. I give you 2 days and you will be crying and quitting.
A little FYI, it's against the law for any company to fire you for being out sick if you have a doctor's note! If they do...LAWSUIT! PORTION DELETED BY MODERATOR
OK WRX, I did some research and I am not sure what the heck you are talking about. I do not have access to last month’s schedules any more but this month does not jib with any of your rantings. Maybe you are not flying this month or did not bid NRT or who knows what but this is what I found.
First off let me say that I work 8 hours a day, 5 days a week 80 hours a month. Technically we work a straight 8 hours with no official beaks. We eat, use the rest room or what ever during down time if we have it. I am not complaining or anything, just setting a base line for what I do each day.
Since you were baiting me to come work a NRT trip with you I wanted to see exactly what it was that you do. Aside from the actual job function this is what I found.
I pulled a random day on flight 167, took a name off the NS and found bid number 5013.
What I found was this. I could not find a single person on NRT with seniority over 10000 (90% seem to be under 5000 seniority) which means the people who bid this “hellacious†trip WANT to bid it. The only junior FA’s on any of the sequences I found were speakers, AVBL’s or trades. I am not sure when this short layover was (perhaps last month) but that has been changed at least for the month of October. (see sequence below)
SEQ 14595
DT EQ FLT STA DEP M STA ARR AC FLY GTR GRD ACT
SKD 20 AF 167 JFK 1130 NRT 1450 14.20
D/P SKD 14.20 P/C 0.00 TL 14.20
HALF DAY COUNT NRT 6
SKD ONDUTY 15.50 ODL 25.35
SKD 22 AF 168 NRT 1755 JFK 1710 12.15
D/P SKD 12.15 P/C 0.00 TL 12.15
SKD ONDUTY 13.45
U/S 0.00
SEQ SKD 26.35 P/C 0.00 TL 26.35 TAFB 55.10
The layover on this sequence is over 25 hours. Here is what else I found. Someone who gets selection 5013 will only work 10 days in October and accrue 79.50 hours. Assuming they do not OE or get a TM they will get their guarantee. This selection works a STT turn on the 10th, a NRT 3 day from the 11th to the 13th, a SXM turn on the 18th, NRT again from the 22h to the 24th and a LHR 2 day from the 30 to the 31st. The other 21 days of October that individual is off to do as they choose (I found one FA with a NRT bid line who is flying 150 hours this month). On paper that seems very very nice. I would love to only work 10 days a month. Again, I must emphasize that if you are working NRT, you chose to work NRT. No one held a gun to your head, you did not draw the short straw because you have to be very senior to get this bid seq.
So, you don’t like the short layovers. Fine, I went looking for a short L/O. I found London.
SEQ 14962
DT EQ FLT STA DEP M STA ARR AC FLY GTR GRD ACT
SKD 08 AE 142 JFK 0830 LHR 2015 6.45
D/P SKD 6.45 P/C 0.00 TL 6.45
HALF DAY COUNT LHR 4
SKD ONDUTY 8.15 ODL 12.05
SKD 09 AF 101 LHR 0950 JFK 1225 7.35
D/P SKD 7.35 P/C 0.00 TL 7.35
SKD ONDUTY 9.05
U/S 0.00
SEQ SKD 14.20 P/C 0.00 TL 14.20 TAFB 29.25
Pretty much the same deal as NRT. I just looked at 142 JFK-LHR. No one over 6000 seniority. They do have to work 11 days in the moth instead of 10 (see bid 5023). They seem to like the short lay over or at the very least, they prefer the short lay over instead of being away from home longer but again, no one here drew the short straw.
So, what does someone who has not been flying since DC 3’s were around get to fly? I looked for the Caribbean flights. I found 3 bid lines, 5201, 5172 and 5083. I do not feel like going through each in detail but I will try and give an over view of each.
5172.
You will work 24 days this month. You will do will do 8 3 day BDA sequences with 1 leg out 1 leg back and a 33 hour lay over. I looked at flight 1444 JFK-BDA on the 0th and the highest seniority date is close to 17000. Very little work (2 kegs) but you are away from home and stuck in BDA for 30 hours a pop.
5201
You will work 15 days days this month and 3 going into next month. There are 2 turns, and 4 four day sequences. The 4day trips have a 20 hour layover the first night, 11 hours the 2nd night and 10 hours the 3rd night. The high seniority is about 18000. Seems like a trade off. You want to be away less, you have shorter layovers until you get to the point where you can hold Europe, Asia or South America.
5083
You will work 15 days this month. You will do 15 BDA turns. The high seniority on 686 JFK-BDA 10 Oct. was about 15000.
These are just 6 bids I found. Yes there are better (maybe not than NRT or LHR) and I am sure there are worse. Everyone has different needs in their lives.
WRX, you asked if I would do a trip with you. To me it is apples and oranges. If were are talking about the hours I work each month and the hours you work each month, I’ll trade you in a heart beat. I have worked a 16 hour shift (we call them doubles) during a weather session. I did not like it but I lived. It was none stop for 16 hours. I had time for 1 meal. I don’t like working long shifts so I limit the doubles that I do. I am not a people person. I have a problem being nice to an idiot. That seems like a job requirement for a FA. Would I be able to do your job? Technically yes. I’d get fired for telling an Exec Platinum that he has unrealistic expectations. Do you want to give up your 21 days off and work 8 hours a day driving a desk? I doubt it. Could you do it? Technically yes. Would you survive a month? I doubt it.
In regards to your quote above, I get the feeling you are referring to reserves. Are they getting abused? For the last few moths my response is hell yes they are. Thing is, in comparison to your colleagues, you have low seniority and regardless of what company you work for, if you have low seniority you get the crap shifts, no good vacations ( I have close to 20 years and still can’t hold Christmas or new years). Part of the dues to the job.
