I never said that LTO wasn't hell... I know it is. I simply responded to a poster who said she is refusing trips because she is too tired notwithstanding the fact that she hasn't flown in days, thereby forcing a flight attendant with a work ethic to take the trip. Everything she complained about is not unique to LTO... it's the same crap that has been the policy since day one... middle of the night calls, 90-minute callouts, etc., and by her own admission, she was shrouded in the international cloak for some time where all flights are scheduled to go out in the evening. She generally wasn't affected by what the rest of us were doing, that we were getting 3 a.m. callouts all along. She came up with every excuse in the book to justify that she shouldn't have to do the job. I pointed out from the very beginning that that is a reserve's job, whether or not LTO is in play... we get a call and we go to the airport. It's been that way for decades, and that is by no stretch of any imagination unique to US Airways, or east or west, or Philly or DC. It's what reserve flight attendants do. We had snowstorms before LTO and most flight attendants did their best to get to the airport if it was reasonably safe to do so. But all of these "buts" that people are bringing up have nothing to do with the original post... that a poster basically said "how dare the company call me at 0200 to work a Rome flight." You know what? The company doesn't really have a lot of control over whether or not it's an 0200 BUF flight or an 0200 delayed FCO flight that has to be recrewed because the crew became illegal, all they know is that they have to get at least six flight attendants and two pilots to do the flight. And if that one flight attendant is too tired because she's choosing to get up at all hours to check her placement in LTO, thereby voluntarily breaking up her own sleep, somebody else is getting a call at 0200 to work an 8 hour flight. That's not fair and it's a situation that has nothing to do with LTO. I agree that there are situations where people understandably are too fatigued and I absolutely back those people if they are genuinely too fatigued. But none of what she's complained about has squat to do with LTO, IMO. If I'm wrong, please tell me how. Like I said, once the wall came down, her life on reserve changed... nothing to do with LTO... everything to do with work ethic and letting down your fellow flight attendants who do what they are supposed to do when they are supposed to do it.
When I hear a f/a talk about the PIT-PHL breakfast I say, "Yeah well working the md-80 with three f/a's to Florida with genie trays on the phase 1 was no picnic". Remember the folding cart that you had to stack the meals on? It was horrid. OK, now moving on..... I sure hope that these folks returning know what they are in for. It's no picnic. Welcome to all of those that do decide to come back. Glad to have ya. 
