reserves f/a's are sitting in phl

[Bear96]

Bear, I commuted to DCA from CLT for 8 years to hold a better reserve line. My seniority in CLT would hve left me on quick call(not sure if you know what that is?) for most of my time.

Do I understand you correctly -- you live near CLT yet choose (chose?) to commute to DC, to still be on reserve? Now that's just bizarre. (And from my understanding, "quick call" is what we called "ready reserve" at UA, though I could be wrong. Meaning on your reserve days you basically sit by the phone waiting for it to ring and then have to get to the airport either pretty much immediately or at least within a few hours, depending on the assignment.)

What part of the company are you from? Are you a stew, what base/ Enlighten us, please.

I am not with U. I am an ex-UA F/A who is familiar with UA's reserve system after having lived it for quite a few years. A bunch of posts up, Dea Certe (I think) asked if I had any ideas to improve reserve so that is why I am sharing my thoughts. Take them for what they are worth ... (not much, I know! 🙂 )

 

[Travelpro72]

Well my other half is not in the airline industry and does not have the ability to move across country to PHL to live. I like doing the job and only wish I could fly more. So your happy with the reserve system and HONESTLY love sitting at your crash pad and thats great. So I should just deal with the "situation at hand" or find other employment? Thats the answer? Maybe seperate my relationship and move across country? Silly. All I ask is for a more efficent system so when I'm on duty I can fly at least a "portion" of my days on duty. I don't always mind commuting to work as I have been doing it for quite some time and is my choice. That I'm not complaining about. I feel that it is rediculous for the company to pay someone 71 hours and not really use them. If it were a small portion of the f/a group that sat reserve until they advanced it would be one thing, but to have like 20% sitting around with their thumbs up their rear doing a rain dance outside praying for a trip is another. The old system we had let f/a's pass and now the LTO system prevents you from working even if you do something as little as OPR. Until every single f/a excluding lodo gets time you go absolutely NOWHERE. That is a good system? For who? my guess is those who DON'T want to work. Those f/a's are still out there. All the open time we have could be made into more blocks and there is absolutely no reason why the company doesn't do it besides maybe not having the brains to figure it out. I will NEVER choose to sit reserve when I can plan my life better and have a block. We all have preferences and that is just not mine.

 

[N109UW]

If you can revamp the reserve system, then you can do the sameto the Lineholders. It's called Pref. Bid. Everyone builds their own line, some will bid trips while others will put parameters. You may not get what you wanted, but you will have a specific set of trips to fly. You could still keep the ETB so lineholders could drop some trips for others(lineholders or reserve) could pick up some extra time. The only problem is, this pretty much elimanates the bid sheet completely. The only trips that might be on the bid sheet are ones that coould apsolutely not be put in a line/block. Do any of you remember when our contract stated that there had to be " at least 13% of the trips left for a bid sheet". The pilots was topped out at 10%. It's like pulling freakin teeth. So many others suffer for that stupid bid sheet.

Bear, I wasn't trying to be a jerk to ya. I did commute from CLT to DCA. I could pick up a trip from future, then fly up that morning, take the trip and then hopefully get realeased to come home. If not, I stayed the night at went home the next morning. By doing this, I was guaranteed a 95-100 hour paycheck with full per diem. It was very much worth the commute.

 

[USstew23]

I just don't unterstand what is so bad with the RSV system...if you bid days off you want have another life outside the airline and stay off these boards and find something to do it works...I know it will not last but the less I fly the more money I make per hour...that keeps my attitude in check...all I have to do is answer the phone...no touch or weekend trips or bidding or using AIL...I have done BH and RSV the RSV system is not that bad...move to your base it will change your life... if your that un happy with the system you may have to make some changes or you will drive yourself crazy...make a list and see what is really important in life to you...trust me there is life outside the airline...

Exactly! I have spent my entire flying career on RSV (with the exception of 4 months) I think most agree that RSV is not the optimal lifestyle, however living in base can certainly be a huge positive. I think our biggest problem is that not 1 single employee from East ever expected to see PIT in the position that it is now. Let's be honest that's where US/AL was rooted and that is where the biggest majority of the employees were from (non-commuters). Now look at what we have, alot of the PIT folks (that never had to commute)are trucking it on over to PHL just to sit RSV or do whatever they do. Probably not an easy thing to swallow. And let's not forget that LGA base that we inhereted from Shuttle. Now that is what I call PRIMO!!! haha. For anyone that is based there (and not from there) you all need a big fat GOLD STAR!!! To be on RSV and just sit and sit and sit only to be called for a 1-day when your LTO is up. Not so much!! I guess my point here is that if you have the luxury to live in your base on RSV then you have a big advantage, and for the most part should be grateful. For those of you that have been displaced to another base to sit RSV (with limited choices career wise and a family to feed) my heart goes out to you. HANG TIGHT! For those of you who are complaining (in base RSV or commuting RSV). Please do the not so fortunate a favor and try to use your powers for the good. I remember being 20 years old and my first day of training they came in and the first thing out of the instructor's mouth was "BEFORE WE BEGIN THE JOURNEY TO YOUR NEW CAREER IN THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY, WE WOULD JUST LIKE FOR YOU TO KNOW ONE THING: THE ONLY THING CONSTANT IN THIS BUSINESS IS CHANGE! AND IF YOU DO NOT ADAPT WELL TO CHANGE THEN PLEASE LET US KNOW AND WE WILL CALL THE BUS TO PICK YOU UP AND TAKE YOU BACK TO THE AIRPORT!" That has stayed with me for 10 years. Take from it what you wish!!

 

[N965VJ]

PS I am very motivated but I am union labor...

Please elaborate on that.

 

[phl/yyz]

Please elaborate on that.

just to say that no matter how hard I work the scale is set...safty first do a good job be nice to others...it's not like if you work really hard you will be promoted to lead f/a ...not bashing union in any way that;s just the way it is...looks like the month is off to a good start still sittin in n crash pad and lovin it...

 

[N965VJ]

...it's not like if you work really hard you will be promoted to lead f/a ...

OK, I understand.

Hey, you could get your mug in one of the newsletters! And a BNLT!

 

[phl/yyz]

OK, I understand.

Hey, you could get your mug in one of the newsletters! And a BNLT!

BNLT? what???

 

[flygirl74]

Today is the 14th and I STILL haven't flown a trip (other than ETB)!! I had 3 "vacation" days that raised my L.T.O. I won't fly this week..I'm 120 to be called. I go on duty 21st I think.
I'll fly Xmas and New Year's and get maybe 30-40 hours in. Lose my "vacation" pay, since it's absorbed into my 71 hour guarantee. Last year, almost all my vacation days landed on OFF days. Not only did I lose the pay, but also the extra day off.
I'm still feeling the glamour!!

 

[Travelpro72]

I'm in the same boat here as well. I did OPR and a two day trip. Now I'm over 200 for a trip today and 190 for tomorrow. How ANYONE can think that this is ok is crazy. I was on the van from my crashpad to the airport and had to deal with the pissing and moaning from all the f/a's that were trying to "doubleup". "Ohhhh I just didnt get the 2day that I wanted" and "Ohhhhh I only have 50 hours and its the Fiiiiiifteeeenth". I said, "Yeah, well I'm off to sit at the airport for 4 hours and it's not gonna do a thing for my pay at the end of the month. But Hey, I'll be there to work the trips dropped on christmas morning... Not to worry. Regardless of my duty time, my rear will be on a plane out of here today. Just to be funny I called scheduling and asked if I could be released early. I said that even with a natural disaster they would not reach me with a trip. The said no so off I go. This is such fun! ! ! LOL 😀

 

[tahitigirl]

That's something I don't understand. If going into invol. days, and you are number 200 or more why can't you get released a day early? It would help in picking up ETB trips.

 

[TheWatcher]

I'm in the same boat here as well. I did OPR and a two day trip. Now I'm over 200 for a trip today and 190 for tomorrow. How ANYONE can think that this is ok is crazy. I was on the van from my crashpad to the airport and had to deal with the pissing and moaning from all the f/a's that were trying to "doubleup". "Ohhhh I just didnt get the 2day that I wanted" and "Ohhhhh I only have 50 hours and its the Fiiiiiifteeeenth". I said, "Yeah, well I'm off to sit at the airport for 4 hours and it's not gonna do a thing for my pay at the end of the month. But Hey, I'll be there to work the trips dropped on christmas morning... Not to worry. Regardless of my duty time, my rear will be on a plane out of here today. Just to be funny I called scheduling and asked if I could be released early. I said that even with a natural disaster they would not reach me with a trip. The said no so off I go. This is such fun! ! ! LOL 😀

With so many people on call and no trips to be covered, why not re;ease you from duty? To keep you around like that is not productive for the company or the employees morale and peace of mind.

 

[proudf/a]

With so many people on call and no trips to be covered, why not re;ease you from duty? To keep you around like that is not productive for the company or the employees morale and peace of mind.

Yeah, that would be a real good idea, to boost the employee morale......no they would much rather keep you hanging by your fingernails.

 

[andyperkins]

just to say that no matter how hard I work the scale is set...safty first do a good job be nice to others...it's not like if you work really hard you will be promoted to lead f/a ...not bashing union in any way that;s just the way it is...looks like the month is off to a good start still sittin in n crash pad and lovin it...

The “scale†was set the day less than half of the flight attendants voted on the agreement on the table. Nothing is going to change until we take responsibility for our actions. Why don’t you say things like…â€if only I had gone to the AFA roadshows†or “Next time I will read the entire agreement, rather than ask my friends how I should vote†(one of our f/a’s actually said that to a news reporter, sad)

I believe in working very hard and it has paid off for me, this came in today’s mail…â€

CONGRATULATIONS!! …on winning the Service Superstars Award and thank you for the outstanding service you provide to our customers…you and one eligible family member listed on your travel privilege will receive a FREE ROUNDTRIP positive space ticket, FIRST CLASS (domestic, including the Caribbean) or positive space coach (international) on US Airways to the destination of your choice…

The Union has nothing to do with what type of “work-ethic†you have as a person. But some people, and you know who you are, use the Union as a copout for doing a poor job because they know how difficult it is to get booted. Yea I’m sitting reserve but I use the time to my advantage and get some things done I can’t attend to while flying.

We should be pushing AFA and the company to penalize the f/a’s that overfly preventing the time from trickling down to the reserves. Or better yet, not allowing scheduling to allow the f/a’s get the trips if they have met the monthly obligation maximums. If you want me to address the issue with the leadership I would be happy to champion this, but saying that the system stinks like you are the victim of someone’s evil plan to inconvenience you is just crap. Why would the company release you if they have to pay you the 71 hour guarantee? Would you forfeit your pay for the days that you would have been AVL to be released?

(For those of you reading this that don’t understand the aviation industry, the guarantee of 71 hours amounts to a gross monthly pay of $2,123.61 to $2668.89 based on tenure with the company for about 19 days to be on call, $111.73/day minimum)

 

[hula-flyguy]

Yeah, that would be a real good idea, to boost the employee morale......no they would much rather keep you hanging by your fingernails.

heck, release the schedulers too! No reason for them to be there, right?