firstamendment said:
Fliboi
YOUR airline bought TWA. YOUR airline either saw value in TWA or bought them to try to be the biggest airline in the world. If you buy an airline, you buy their people AND their senority.
You can provide all the excuses in the world. I will respect you more if you would just state your truth, which is like most: I am a selfish, egotist, looking after my own interest. I feel my lowly 4 years of seniority at AA is more pure because I am a real AA f/a. The TWA f/a's are not real AA f/a's and deserve to not be here. My pals that quit TWA and went to AA should be rewarded for jumping the boat. They should not be penalized for waiting. It's all about me me me me me...period.
As silly as it seems, most fall in this category but are too cowardly to admit it. AND, just because AA "appears" to be on top of the world, you are NOT the "desired" airline and respected company to work for and AA is as vulnerable as any to "fail". There are two new sheriffs in town...Southwest and Jetblue. The word on the street is no longer "I wish I worked for AA"...it's I wanna work for Jetblue or Southwest" So enjoy your longevity of 4 whole years at AA and talk to me about industry issues when you have 15 or 20 years. One's opinion of this industry changes with time.
just so you know, my desired airline was UAL! i applied once before i got hired with AA and twice afterwards(one time being about three months before 9/11). so it had nothing to do with AA being the biggest or best. I just wanted to fly with an airline that flew to a lot of places and UAL, to me, is still the most diverse (of going to different destinations). AA being the biggest and the best?!?!?!?! you talk to most AA fa's and we all hate AA me being one of them! so i said nothing about anyone wanting to work for "the biggest and the best". i recognize seniority as being everything in this job. i have been stuck in ny for years now because i can't go anywhere else. i've had my car stolen once my appt broken into once and damn near mugged once. but i stay because it is the job, not the company. i am from wisconsin and was living there when i was hired with AA. after applying with ATA and UAL and getting rejected i was sick of looking and stayed. i was even thinking of applying with twa but i found out that they had to pay for their trainning or something.
when we first bought twa i felt horrible for them that they gave their lives, if not more, for that airline. i, along with A LOT of other junior people, were the only ones who felt bad for the TWA fa's. when one of us said something like, "those poor girls/guys", we were all told by the senior people that they deserved it and other hateful things. but then i found out that they would be getting paid double if not more than what i was making, i thought that that was fair. they got brought up to what an AA flight attendant was making at their TWA DOH seniority and a lot of them were in their 30th and almost 40th year. they got vacation as an AA fa. the only thing they didn't get was their occupational seniority. i thought that was fair. no one knew that 9/11 would happen and all these layoffs and crap would happen. also i must admit that it is crap that AA shut down all of their domiciles except STL. i know tons of them had homes in ny and la a the such but we all commute.
as for me, you are damned right i am trying to protect my seniority. i earned it! but i am not greedy. i am sorry it had to happen but it did. i might be layed off or AA might be liquidated as you said but i would just go and look for another job. we are resiliant people airline folk. and one thing i have learned in MY LITTLE 4 YEARS in the airline industry is that we all have to give and take. especially since 9/11.
and why can't i comment on something that is affecting my life? yes, i started 4 years ago in this industry. just because i only have 4 years in the industry means i can't defend and or speak my mind on the matters of seniority and my job? maybe some other docile junior fa. but i've been in ny now for 4 years and i know one thing, either you speak your mind or you are trampled upon. i'd rather speak.