Reserve in JFK

[kirkpatrick]

No system guarantees complete coverage, but winter storms generally give at least 12 hrs notice and my experience has been that such storms that cause many cancellations mean lots of crews are sitting around waiting for balance trips or makeup or whatever whichever company calls it.

The point is, changes and possible problems with those changes can be discussed between company and union, resulting in less hassle for the FA and respecting the company's right to cover its flights. We at TWA had some good things going. It would be nice to at least lay them out on the table and talk about them.

MK

 

[nbmcg01]

No system guarantees complete coverage, but winter storms generally give at least 12 hrs notice and my experience has been that such storms that cause many cancellations mean lots of crews are sitting around waiting for balance trips or makeup or whatever whichever company calls it.

The point is, changes and possible problems with those changes can be discussed between company and union, resulting in less hassle for the FA and respecting the company's right to cover its flights. We at TWA had some good things going. It would be nice to at least lay them out on the table and talk about them.

MK

Garfield, if you are really interested, I will be happy to send you our old CBA. Or, ask some of the former TWA schedulers now working at the Master Base. 12 day spreads would probably change the dynamics of reserve at AA and it is a "no cost" item. Only a small number were awarded..a few at the beginning of the month, a couple in the middle, and several at the end of the month. Want to guess how senior Dec reserve used to be at TWA. Also, when we were purchased by AA, I would have been the most junior STL Intn. f/a and my seniority was Jan.,1970. Our Intn. reserve went as high as 40 years. lol

 

[Skymess]

Wow, I guess from my point of view our reserve system isn't that bad. Reserve used to be you were on it until you were on it. Then I guess a year and a half ago we went to preferential bidding and based on your years you have 3, 6 or 9 days on reserve. We don't have call in any more. In NYC which is our most junior base at 15 years I don't have any "access days" which is what we call reserve days but I can't hold International at all any more.

It's funny because the rumor on the line is that AA is so junior in NYC and at two years you can hold LGW or any short INT'l trip. I never would have thought reserve would be 15 years in NYC. So what is your junior base?

We don't fly Gatwick. We only fly Heathrow out of NY.
Our divisions are separated. If you are INTL JFK you only fly NY international trips. Domestic LGA only flies Domestic. Even though we call them JFK and LGA, both INTL and DOM NY flight attendants cover 3 airports.

Currently, we have about 6 LHR trips a day out of Kennedy. The 2330 departure goes about 5 years seniority and the senior people who bid it our commuters. People with about 5 years can sometimes hold some of the other Londons too. We have very junior London and very senior.

International FA's, regardless of seniority, always get some sort of line if it isn't their reserve month.

NY is the most junior base system wide. It is also the most senior with 2096 people. We are in a hiring freeze so there are no real junior people any longer at any base. I wouldn't be surprised to see this union administration (who are very senior) come up with a new plot to make the most junior FA's straight reserve so that the seniors could hold off. I am just waiting for that attempt to happen. It may just pass a vote too because so many people are getting p'd off being on reserve at 10 years plus years.

 

[AAStew]

Yep, I hear that when and if we call back anymore furloughees, they all have to sign a contract with new work rules and pay. It is the C-scale contract. They will be at the same starting salary as Uniteds new flight attendants until they cross back over to A-scale, at 20 years or death, whichever comes first. Reserve will be straight reserve, and schedulars will be back at our bases. There, we will have special pens or caged rooms where we will lock these straight reservists so they can't escape or call in sick without the schedulars approval, which has to be also approved by the head of AA medical.
I think this to be very fair and equitable as we do this job for the glamour and not the pay, and it will keep me off reserve.

 

[Skymess]

How exactly does reserve work?

Are you paid a minimum amount of hours even if you are not called?

You are paid a reserve guarantee of 75 hours. You are given 12 days off during the month. The days are pre picked and you bid by seniority for them.

We have a four hour call in period the day before our reserve day starting at 7pm. If you are assinged a trip you confirm it on the phone. If you don't have a trip the recording tells you whether you are released (never) If you are on the long call out list (they don't call you until after 12pm the next day. Never happens either) or what number you are out of the ready reserves. (it is always wrong unless it tells you that you are number 1)

Then, you try to go to bed as soon as you can because you could be called at any time. If you are on reserve for a 6 day period they can call you 24 hours a day for that 6 day period and you need to be at the airport specified as soon as humanly possible. They scare the heck out of you and everyone tries to break land speed records to get there. At some point you just tell yourself you'll get there when you get there or you could wind up crashing your car or having a heart attack when you get stuck in rush hour traffic.

It is always nice to get that phone call in the middle of your sleep that says get to the airport now because an international flight has been delayed 6 hours, the regular crew has gone illegal, and the passengers have all been waiting. You jump out of bed, throw on your outfit, drive (or take a cab) to the airport and find the passengers jeering at you and screaming "thanks for showing up" as they heckle you when you try to navigate through the crowded boarding area with one eye open because you are still half asleep.

You get the guarantee of 75 hours whether you fly or not. The FA's always fly on reserve. The pilots are the only ones who do used to not fly on reserve because they had the ability to pass trips up to the next most junior pilot. I don't know if they still have that ability. I don't think so.

 

[AAStew]

The pilots can still pass. I am on reserve in January, when they call me I am going to say, I pass. DO you think they'll go for it?

 

[fliboi78]

We don't fly Gatwick. We only fly Heathrow out of NY.
Our divisions are separated. If you are INTL JFK you only fly NY international trips. Domestic LGA only flies Domestic. Even though we call them JFK and LGA, both INTL and DOM NY flight attendants cover 3 airports.

Currently, we have about 6 LHR trips a day out of Kennedy. The 2330 departure goes about 5 years seniority and the senior people who bid it our commuters. People with about 5 years can sometimes hold some of the other Londons too. We have very junior London and very senior.

International FA's, regardless of seniority, always get some sort of line if it isn't their reserve month.

NY is the most junior base system wide. It is also the most senior with 2096 people. We are in a hiring freeze so there are no real junior people any longer at any base. I wouldn't be surprised to see this union administration (who are very senior) come up with a new plot to make the most junior FA's straight reserve so that the seniors could hold off. I am just waiting for that attempt to happen. It may just pass a vote too because so many people are getting p'd off being on reserve at 10 years plus years.

flt 116 at 5 years??????? i don't think so. i held it at 4 years last summer but it is now up to about 10-12 years.

 

[operaations]

The pilots can still pass. I am on reserve in January, when they call me I am going to say, I pass. DO you think they'll go for it?

you say pass we say ok miss trip. no worries pass all month

 

[flymeorion]

flt 116 at 5 years??????? i don't think so. i held it at 4 years last summer but it is now up to about 10-12 years.

Why are these trips so senior if the layovers are so short. We were told that 9 hour layovers are normal for LHR, CDG and MHT.

 

[FA Mikey]

Short layover = more time at home. In Miami the SA rockets to EZE, GRU and GIG are 30 plus years to hold. They fly 4 less days for the same number of hours.

 

[Skymess]

flt 116 at 5 years??????? i don't think so. i held it at 4 years last summer but it is now up to about 10-12 years.

Since when? This month all of the London trips are mixed. Nothing is right on that bid sheet for next month.

 

[Bob Owens]

You are paid a reserve guarantee of 75 hours. You are given 12 days off during the month. The days are pre picked and you bid by seniority for them.

We have a four hour call in period the day before our reserve day starting at 7pm. If you are assinged a trip you confirm it on the phone. If you don't have a trip the recording tells you whether you are released (never) If you are on the long call out list (they don't call you until after 12pm the next day. Never happens either) or what number you are out of the ready reserves. (it is always wrong unless it tells you that you are number 1)

Then, you try to go to bed as soon as you can because you could be called at any time. If you are on reserve for a 6 day period they can call you 24 hours a day for that 6 day period and you need to be at the airport specified as soon as humanly possible. They scare the heck out of you and everyone tries to break land speed records to get there. At some point you just tell yourself you'll get there when you get there or you could wind up crashing your car or having a heart attack when you get stuck in rush hour traffic.

It is always nice to get that phone call in the middle of your sleep that says get to the airport now because an international flight has been delayed 6 hours, the regular crew has gone illegal, and the passengers have all been waiting. You jump out of bed, throw on your outfit, drive (or take a cab) to the airport and find the passengers jeering at you and screaming "thanks for showing up" as they heckle you when you try to navigate through the crowded boarding area with one eye open because you are still half asleep.

You get the guarantee of 75 hours whether you fly or not. The FA's always fly on reserve. The pilots are the only ones who do used to not fly on reserve because they had the ability to pass trips up to the next most junior pilot. I don't know if they still have that ability. I don't think so.

Thanks for the info.

So you are guaranteed 75 hours but rarely get that 75 without working it. If you only got 75 hours would it be above the poverty level?

Your hours are only for flight time right? So all the time spent seating the passngers, preparing the cabin, waiting out delays etc are unpaid and you have to able to report for work at unpredictable times?

I dont think I'd go for that. With all that standby, even though you are home, they use a lot more of your time than they actually pay for.

 

[Skymess]

Why are these trips so senior if the layovers are so short. We were told that 9 hour layovers are normal for LHR, CDG and MHT.

Most LHR and CDG layovers are at least 24 hours.

The senior trips are the LHR's that leave at 630 and 7 pm and get home the next night at 9 and 11. They go senior because you go to LHR, stay on your own time zone, don't spend money on your layover, and get paid 1445 for two days. The other senior one is the 830 am lhr that gets home the next night at 730. You have a downtown layover and you only have to work 2 instead of 3 days.

We just lost one of the 2 day LHR's because the winter weather won't allow the minimum behind the door.

 

[jimntx]

Thanks for the info.

So you are guaranteed 75 hours but rarely get that 75 without working it. If you only got 75 hours would it be above the poverty level?

Your hours are only for flight time right? So all the time spent seating the passngers, preparing the cabin, waiting out delays etc are unpaid and you have to able to report for work at unpredictable times?

I dont think I'd go for that. With all that standby, even though you are home, they use a lot more of your time than they actually pay for.

He's got it. By George, he's got it. The rain in Spain, etc, etc.

But, Bob, it has always been this way for flight attendants at every airline I know of. It's not like we take the job and then the company springs this info on us. To get in 70 hours (domestic guarantee) of flying in a month, assuming a minimum 5 hours credited time per day takes 14 days of flying. To that add a minimum of at least 14 hours of unpaid time because we have to report to the airport one hour prior to first flight of the day. In the sequence I flew over Christmas, on Christmas day I had a 2.5 hour unpaid sit at STL and another 2 hour unpaid sit at DFW.

On the plus side, I can rearrange my schedule to have large blocks of days off that have nothing to do with "official" vacation. Next month, I'm going skiing during the 6 days off I have from 23-29Jan. I originally had a trip during that period but I traded it for a trip earlier in the month. Also, it has to be the most unsupervised job in the U.S. economy. I work at 30,000 feet. My supervisor is back in St. Louis.

And, with all the "drawbacks" it is still a fun job. Every leg is like a brand new job because you have a whole different set of passengers each time. The jackasses get off at the next stop and you never see them again.