No new China, what next?

[FA Mikey]

No new China service this year, what next? Launch other Asia flights, New service to India? Whats the future hold for long haul service?

 

[jimntx]

More importantly, what happens in the meantime about staffing? IDF and DFW have been carrying an overage of flight attendants in anticipation of the China route needing staffing. Will there be fallbacks from IDF? Forced transfers from DFW? I would not rule out the possibility of furloughs.

Yeah, yeah. I know. When things look blackest, I'm always there with the reassuring voice of doom. However, I'm one of the people who would be furloughed.

 

[lpbrian]

As far as the APA is concerned, nothing.

 

[ILS2MINIMUMS]

I would not rule out the possibility of furloughs.

This airline just cancelled dozens of flights across the system due to a lack of flight attendants. The flight attendant ranks are SEVERELY understaffed.

I doubt furloughs are even a remote possibility.

Remember too that the proposed China route didn't represent growth. The aircraft and crews for China were going to be pulled from another route in the system.

 

[jimntx]

This airline just cancelled dozens of flights across the system due to a lack of flight attendants. The flight attendant ranks are SEVERELY understaffed.

Wrong. We are not understaffed. We are understaffed with flight attendants who are willing to work over the holidays. The sick list doubled over Christmas (as it does every year).

If you look at the total flying vs. the active flight attendant seniority list, we are OVERSTAFFED. Problem is there appear to be a large number of flight attendants who do not wish to be on airplanes that have passengers on them.

In St. Louis the 30 or so most junior flight attendants not on reserve this month all got availability lines for January. Same thing happened in October. That means there were more line flight attendants this month than there are lines/positions on the bid sheet.

At DFW-D, 118 line flight attendants got availability. And, there were 150 f/as at DFW-D that had No Bid for January (I'm guessing on leave, missed EPTs in their grace month, etc). So, that means that there were at least 270 or so excess flight attendants at DFW after all lines/positions had been awarded, all vacation relief lines had been covered, and a whole bunch of people on reserve.

I'm guessing the same is pretty much true at every base.

 

[ILS2MINIMUMS]

Wrong. We are not understaffed.

I guess we'll see soon enough. Is it a fact or a rumor that DFW had been carrying extra flight attendants in anticipation of the China route? And if it's a fact, could you post the HI6 or whatever source said it?

Since the plane and crews were going to be coming from another route, and the proposed start date wasn't until the end of March at the earliest, why would DFW need an overage in DEC?

 

[Wretched Wrench]

I still think maxims in a foreign language should have a three-word limit.

 

[jimntx]

I guess we'll see soon enough. Is it a fact or a rumor that DFW had been carrying extra flight attendants in anticipation of the China route? And if it's a fact, could you post the HI6 or whatever source said it?

Since the plane and crews were going to be coming from another route, and the proposed start date wasn't until the end of March at the earliest, why would DFW need an overage in DEC?

DFW was not carrying the extra because of China, IDF was. However, there was an anticipation that if they had to proffer for additional IDF flight attendants, the majority would come from DFW--seniority and all.

I was told by a DFW Flight Service Manager about the overages in both bases because I was asking her about the possibility of transfers to DFW in 2007. I was hoping she had some inside info about flying increases this year--she didn't. But, even if I hadn't been given this info, a little reasoning would have told you that if they are offering bid leaves in almost every base on a pretty much regular basis AND they have to award availability lines because there are more line flight attendants than lines, we are overstaffed.

 

[FWAAA]

Don't believe that AA's got too many FAs? Then wait til the ex-TWA 757s leave the fleet this year and next. Which planes, exactly, will those FAs staff once those airplanes are gone? Perhaps AA will pull some of the -80s out of the desert, but even if it does, there will still be extra FAs (fewer FAs per airplane, right?). Furloughs are a possibility. Remote, IMO, but a possibility nonetheless.

 

[ILS2MINIMUMS]

I still think maxims in a foreign language should have a three-word limit.

For you, anything. How's this one?

 

[Wretched Wrench]

For you, anything. How's this one?

LOL

 

[kirkpatrick]

Don't believe that AA's got too many FAs? Then wait til the ex-TWA 757s leave the fleet this year and next. Which planes, exactly, will those FAs staff once those airplanes are gone?

Yet the forecast flying hours for 2007 over 2006 do not show an appreciable decrease. So either utilization of existing aircraft will increase or the company has something else up its sleeve.

A comment on the alleged "overstaffing." If there's one thing you can count on it's that the company isn't keeping hundreds of extra FA's hanging around just to be nice. Even in the busiest months there are slack periods. Take Nov and Dec for example. The first halves of the months are pretty dead, then need comes up with the holidays towards the end. So a handful of PVD's or minileaves doesn't necessarily translate into true "overstaffing."

Jim may be right when he says there is a shortage of FA's willing to fly over the holidays. But that isn't going to change anytime soon, so the shortage is just as real as not having the bodies. Recalls won't come when the company can't staff a flight on Jan 22 or Nov 4. Recalls will come when the projected staffing at critical times will result in more cancelations and delays than the company is willing to endure.

MK

 

[jimntx]

For those who want written proof of overstaffing...
This HI6 was posted in DECS this morning.

SUBJECT - BID LEAVES AVAILABLE FOR FEBRUARY
ALL DOMESTIC BASES AND MOST OF THE INTL BASES SHOULD HAVE SOME BID LEAVES AVAILABLE FOR FEBRUARY. (Bolding mine.)
FULL-MONTH BID LEAVES WILL BE OFFERED FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FULL CONTRACTUAL MONTH OF FEBRUARY DATE
RANGE IS 1/31 THRU 3/01 FOR 30-DAYS..
BID LEAVES FOR FEB WILL CLOSE ON MONDAY MORNING 1/15 AT
0900CST..
BID LEAVE AWARDS SHOULD BE POSTED IN YOUR HI10 NO LATER THAN
1200CST ON 1/16..
THANKS..
CREW PLANNING..........................1/10/07
ENTER HI6P TO PRINT THIS MESSAGE

(And, I'm not shouting. DECS always puts everything in caps. )

Recalls won't come when the company can't staff a flight on Jan 22 or Nov 4. Recalls will come when the projected staffing at critical times will result in more cancelations and delays than the company is willing to endure.

MK

MK, you know there is no one more supportive of recalls than I. However, there were, in fact, a number of flights cancelled during the holidays due to not having a crew--as I understand it, there were both f/a and cockpit shortages. Yet, bid leaves are being offered again next month. (There were some bid leaves offered in December!)

 

[MAH4546]

My money is using the pair of 777s to start either Chicago-Mumbai or Miami-XXX-Jo'Burg next winter. Until then, keep the 777s on JFK-EZE or move them to MIA-GIG over the summer.

 

[BuffaloJoe]

Why not PHL-LHR