I haven't posted here for a while but what I see happening at this airline makes me ill.
In the past I've expressed my opinion about our management team. I won't even go there....
But I feel the need to spew my frustration about how our flight attendant duties are right now without even factoring in the hellish mess that will be USAirways after 8/1/08.
We as flight attendants are usually quite flexible and adaptable people. We adjust to suit conditions. We bust our a$$es to give our passengers a service that is not embarrassing.
I've already accepted that the airline industry has completely and utterly changed since I entered it many years ago. I can't imagine how much more ghetto we are going to be.
Poorly thought out, and I'm predicting poor execution of this latest hare-brained idea.
We have so much tagged, ill-fitting, missing, broken galley equipment. We have 2nd rate cups and garbage bags. We have "new" carts that have nothing like an edge to prevent hot liquids from coming off of the back of the carts. We have atlas carriers missing handles and fitting so poorly that you can't latch them. We have catering that has to be prompted on what to cater (in some stations, not every one) because they don't look in the compartments and carts. We have water pouring out of carts on take-off because they don't empty the used ice bins, just dump the ice on top. We have drawers (AWA) that do not fit in the Atlas carriers resulting in strain in shoulders trying to get them out. Carts with brakes that don't work. Tagged carts that continue to fly through the system without being swapped out. We have carts that can't support drawers, meaning the drawers fall through. Try doing a service with that. We have to create cart set ups ourselves to do our jobs efficiently and prevent injury. We have tray tables that are filthy even after coming out of the hangar (not all hangars but enough) on originators.
As it is now, catering shows up many times while the passengers are boarding meaning that they can't (won't) cater 1st class. We then have to carry catering supplies through the cabin in order to have something to serve.
Have you noticed how many times the large trash bags are not completely placed into the waste bins resulting in throwing wet trash in a bagless container? Guess how that smells after a few days? How often do you think those are cleaned out? As a matter of fact, how often do you think anything gets cleaned out?
On short haul flights it will be very interesting trying to accomplish all of the sales, money handling for beverages, food, Buy on board and headsets (until the IFE's are shutdown/removed?). New paperwork with every a/c change.
We'll have to demo on every flight (domestically).
We offer a completely inconsistent product. "Don't you have snacks?", "Here's $2.00 for my bottle of water" while we still have liter size bottles on the cart. Telling the passengers that today your drink is included in the price of the ticket but tomorrow there will be a charge. Passengers that hand you a credit card after ordering their drinks then claiming to have no cash. So today is cash, tomorrow is credit (maybe? maybe not?-will the handhelds work? Will we know how to use them correctly when the time comes?) How about having no pillows and blankets on a long haul then getting on a Shuttle aircraft and having THREE overheads full of pillows.
How do you like having to clean airplanes?
How do you like working at FAA minimums? Do you remember when we actually had at least one more crew member on board?
Yes, I am truly over it. I never imagined that this career would turn into what it has. It's NOT just the economy and if you are a realist, you know that is fact.
Doug will get what he wants if he's able to hold off flight attendant negotiations.
18-20 year old kids that still live at home and don't need the income to support themselves let alone a family. A flight attendant that will be in the business for 18 months then leave to get married etc.....(does this sound familiar????? Go back 40 years.
Sad, really.
And don't worry kool-aid drinkers, I'll have moved on and you will all eventually be asking yourselves the same questions because you were not thinking about the CYCLES of this business. You will be sorry to have swallowed the hook. I'm just sorry that you weren't in this industry when the airlines were run by people who loved the business and not financial rapists.
