On Time Every Time

[SKY HIGH]

How about this to enhance on-time performance?

Stop making flight crews change airplanes every bloody time they go through a hub.

sky high states: Actually, if you look inside the PAIRING SHEETS, you'll find a chart that says, Aircraft Changes and Sit Arounds have reached another "new low". Check out the graphics.

Aircraft Changes went from 3,376 in Jan 07 to 1,508 in Nov 07.


only stating opinions

 

[PA18]

sky high states: Actually, if you look inside the PAIRING SHEETS, you'll find a chart that says, Aircraft Changes and Sit Arounds have reached another "new low". Check out the graphics.

Aircraft Changes went from 3,376 in Jan 07 to 1,508 in Nov 07.


only stating opinions

You obviously sit in a cubicle, and not in a cockpit or on a flight attendant jumpseat.

 

[vantheman63]

The management daisy chain stays intact. Root problems never get addressed.

TRUER words have yet to be spoken....

This is yet, one more example of The Sand Castle's miss-understanding of what customers REALLY want.

Passengers take for granted they are going to get on an airplane and not die in the process of getting from point A to point B. Whether or not that's good bad or indifferent is not the point. The point is, I don't know many pax that get on an airplane and wonder, "gee, I wonder whether or not I'll get to my destination on time."

The airline's freakin JOB is to operate on time. In these days or crowded airports and skies, we pax (sadly) take it for granted we probably won't get there on time....and I for one, don't penalize ANY airline for lack of "on-time performance," because they all perform about the same...average at best.

I judge an airline on fair, rational pricing and service once you're in their domain.

With all due respect (or lack thereof if you will) to The Sand Castle, this friggin notion that all we customers want is to arrive on time with our bags and to hell with all else confounds me....like getting there in one piece, is that not the job and promise of the carrier once a ticket is purchased? Isn't the one place where you can at least attempt to remove the "commodity" label from your product in the pricing, service and treatment of your customers?

What am I missing here? 'Cause I'm just not getting why this airline is going to make it, potentially, WORSE by beating employees over the head with a BS "close the door 5 minutes early" policy.

 

[PO'ed PHX Ramper]

You know how you fix this? 2 ways:

1 - start boarding at -40 insted of -30. That gives you more than enough time to get any problem worked out.

2- Proper boarding pass readers. That removes 90% of the BS gate agents have to deal with with the crap computer system.


I had all of the bags, seating issues, comfort issues, and computer issues worked out when I actually had a West flight attendant who didn't procastinate, sorted out by -12 at the latest, when I started boarding a bit early.

I wonder, did this COO actually go around and observe flights or did he just take opinions over the phone?

 

[2clippedwings]

This whole initiative (initiative being used loosely here) is a result of the big bosses saying fix it and the underbosses coming up with a 'plan' to do so.

Unfortunately, the 'plan' stays the same. Tell people how to do what they already know how to do without addressing why what they know how to do doesn't get done.

The management daisy chain stays intact. Root problems never get addressed.

And there you have it.

The root problems never get addressed.

We know how to get a flight out on time. Unfortunately those efforts are not supported by our current infrastructure.
Personally, as a human, I need to eat and use a restroom sometime during the work day. I don't see this consideration as part of the current or future plan. The best I can do is the best I can do and I'm not going to blow a vein trying to orchestrate everybody else involved to do their jobs.

 

[elcantante]

everyone needs to be onboard in order for this to take place . what good is it if the f/a's do their part in making sure the flt goes out on time but the agents and ground personel do not ? didn't we do something like this back when ?

 

[PO'ed PHX Ramper]

ground crews have up to an hour to make sure things go properly. Our job isn't too hard: Put the bags mail and cargo in the bin and shut the door.

The faster you load, the quicker your job's done. The bags are not oversized pax who need an extra seat for their big bunz.

There's a good effort going on by all of us on the ramp to ensure bags make their destination on time. It all depends on the person and how fast they can go.

 

[flyingcat]

All this so they can reprint the big stopwatch poster and give them the satisfaction to state they are proactive. Bottom line posters and talk do nothing.

Even the new COO has stated that agents do not have proper tools to do the job and the level of automation is far below other airlines. If they love Shares so much go buy the CO version, training manuals and methods. They know their moves have benn a disaster but this is their way of trying to deal with it.

One wonders if Emperor As....., I mean Sherrif Joe has put US Airways on his enemies list yet.

 

[SegmentKing]

[quote name='PO'ed PHX Ramper' post='548359' date='Nov 29 2007, 12:36 PM']1 - start boarding at -40 insted of -30. That gives you more than enough time to get any problem worked out.[/quote]

Good idea, but I believe they only schedule flights with a 45 - 50 minute turn, sometimes faster. It takes about 5 minutes to offload and 10 mins to do a "sweep" thru the cabin. So you really can't board at 0:40. Could work in some circumstances, and when I was a supervisor and I had a bunch of "specials" I'd always board them even earlier.

 

[2clippedwings]

I am going to disagree with you on this one. It's more than depending on the person and how fast they can go.
If the company does not have enough ramp people to do the job then a flight waits.
If the ramp equipment is missing or not working this holds up things.
If weather enters the equation then that affects the operation.
If Rob the Ramper hurt his shoulder throwing bags but doesn't want to call off because he's at risk of losing his job, then that affects the operation.
If there is no one to drive a jetway to the aircraft then that affects the operation.
If the f/a's can't board passengers because they are still cleaning another airplane on the other side of the airport....guess what?
And the list goes on and on. It all comes down to proper tools, proper planning (up to date software, IT, etc) and enough staff to perform as humans not automatons.
Just imagine what a workforce that respects their leadership, works for a fair wage and feels respected could do!

 

[freedom]

I think it’s time for new equipment , maybe we should just equip the GA and FA with cattle prods , also those big pictures with the stop watches really help to convey the image that if for some reason we’re not on time then it’s the passengers fault … I like that lol ..

 

[autofixer]

Good idea, but I believe they only schedule flights with a 45 - 50 minute turn, sometimes faster. It takes about 5 minutes to offload and 10 mins to do a "sweep" thru the cabin. So you really can't board at 0:40. Could work in some circumstances, and when I was a supervisor and I had a bunch of "specials" I'd always board them even earlier.

Also, crews are required to check in and are only on duty an hour before departure and are not likely to be on board and ready 40 minutes prior to departure, especially on company scheduled short overnights and at trip origionations.

 

[oldcrow]

These silly "On Time" operations have come and gone many times over the years. Remember several years ago when the company told the hotels(dumps) we stayed in the hotel van would have the crew at the airport 1:15 hour prior to departure, no exceptions? Many times crews arrived at the airport before the agents and had to wait at the gate because no one was there to let them on, sometimes the crew arrived before security opened. Then some crewmembers started calling the staion managers at home around 4:30am telling them to get to work, or at least have an agent at the gate to let the crew on to the a/c.

This one will run its course as did all the others, they seem to average around 3 months.

 

[luvthe9]

No on time departures or arrivals, till there is at least pay pairity. Board them up anytime you want :angry:

 

[Coffee_Tea_Or_Me]

Don't forget that FAs are not paid at all during boardings, so the AFA would never agree to earlier boarding times unless the company gave them boarding pay, or something like that....