Just FYI from the AA side of the equation.
According to a document on the APFA website, as of 2/3/12, there were 16,337 American flight attendants. This does not include any American Eagle f/as (I think they are AFA.)
The #1 f/a was hired in Oct., 1958. The #2 in Nov., 1958. Then there is a "huge" gap. The #3 started in July, 1960. You have to get to #392 to find a f/a with a hire date in the 1970's. #392 started in January, 1970.
The company re-shuffles the seniority list every year in June to remove those who have left--quit, died, retired, got fired. So, there will be a more accurate list sometime next month.
The most junior "regular" f/a has a hire date in June, 2001. That f/a along with approx. 200 others just senior to him/her are still on furlough. There are 28 Mandarin speakers that are junior to that f/a, but who are active. Under an LOA with the union, they were hired out of seniority so that the company could increase China service. The agreement states that if there is a furlough they are first to go, and they will never be senior to the people who are still on the furlough list to be recalled.
Of course, as at US Airways, not all of those on the active seniority list are actually active--if you know what I mean. According to the union, we have over 200 f/as on the "active" list who have not flown a trip in over 10 years. There are at least 1,000 who haven't flown a trip in years, but it's been less than 10 years. The bankruptcy term sheet that the company has proposed would eliminate this idiosyncrasy because every f/a would have to fly a minimum of 200 flight hours/year on a rolling 12-month basis "in order to maintain employment." Under our current scheduling system, that would be approx. one 3-day trip/month.
We already have to fly a minimum of 420 hours/year on a rolling 12-month basis (average of 35 hrs/month) in order to receive company-paid benefits--like insurance. The bankruptcy term sheet proposes increasing this to an average of 45 hrs/month.
Hope this sheds some light on the topic.
