I'm not a moron, I'm not going to stand up and announce myself. If I don't get called I'll likely be there. These questions will be asked (unless they are dumb) whether they are divided by attendees before she shows or handed to her as a script.
If you are planning to go, understand who she is, and what types of questions should be asked. I'm not being a smartass, but please don't waste what little time we have with her on stupidity. I'm offering some tips that should be helpful.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Do not ask contract/ETB/reserve or any contract specific questions, aside from demanding to know why it's taking so long. Same goes for scheduling questions. Wrong forum. Save those questions for the union or head of crew scheduling.
* If you have a complaint, make it specific, and make it a question. Save the storytelling or comments for the OPR table or galley. Keep it short, to the point, and rehearsed if at all possible. She is "on stage", you are not.
* Similarly, if you have a suggestion, turn it into a question so she has to address it, rather than just acknowlege it.
* Avoid turning it into a group discussion. For example, don't waste time listing all of our catering woes, or everything that our customers hate about our product. She'd like nothing more than to have the hour wile away as F/As compare horror stories. Demand to know what has been done and what will be done to rectify the situation, and if not, why not.
* Keep your life story to yourself. No one cares how long you've been around or what went on here or there. She's not going to be impressed with what you've "been through", and frankly neither are we because we've been through same or worse. Ask a question that is current and applies to the future, not the past.
* Ask open-ended questions. Her answers should acknowlege the problem or inquiry, address it, and have a conclusion/solution.
* When asking questions about positions or aircraft specific, don't explain things to her. She is the Vice President of Inflight Services and therefore should know every position on every a/c from the E190 to the A330 and the related duties in her sleep. She should know all services and galley packouts like the back of her hand. It's entirely unnaceptable if she does not. She is VP of Inflight Services for all of US Airways, not just the west A320/737/757 operation. Her responsibilities include the entire, larger East operation, including international and the Shuttle.
* Keep marketing and product questions specific to onboard the aircraft. Cite customer feedback as well as F/A feedback when discussing cabin reconfigurations, inflight service etc.
* Dining and Cabin falls under Inflight now, so she is the last word. However, do not spend the entire hour talking about ice and trash bags.
* As VP of Inflight for a major international carrier, she should be aware of the products offered by our American and foriegn competition. She should also have a working knowlege of differing staffing models, policies etc. Despite her only industry experience being with America West and US Airways by default, someone in her position should have industry awareness.
* She should understand the long-term effects of poor morale at a company, and be aware of the all-time low morale of the group she oversees. Do not allow her to place responsibility on the employees themselves. Also, do not let her compare the two flight attendant groups as until there is one contract they are not one.
* If she claims US Airways is a low cost carrier, point out that it has one of the highest costs per seat mile in the industry. Ask her to provide examples outside of the employee and customer experience that are indicative of US Airways 'low cost carrier' status.
* Please ask her to back up vague claims about "the industry" or "surveys" if she cites them. Company designed surveys are slanted to their objectives, and without specific references, statements like "closets are disappearing industry-wide" have no merit.
* Forget about the uniform, there are several different channels to talk about that.
* Directly challenging or dismissing someone's qualifications or knowlege is poor form. If there is a lack of either, it will be clear enough in the answers to well placed questions.
* Hold her accountable for her position, but do not attack her personally. All credibility is lost when someone comments about horses etc. Save that for the internet if you need to. Please present yourself as a professional flight attendant in a corporate setting, not as a homeless flying shrew at a cage match.
* Getting emotional just makes you look crazy, i.e. the guy having a breakdown about not having ice in BOS on that one Crew News. Take all of your prescribed meds, and keep it both professional and in perspective.
* If she says she'll get back to you, ask for a time frame and hold her to it. Ask that when she does have the answer it's communicated to the entire group via company communication rather than to you personally. If she passes the buck to another department, make her direct you to the person who can answer it.
* Demand a timeline and deadline for promised improvements. In the corporate world, one is expected to make good on their word in an alotted amount of time.
* Demand final, authoritive answers on the spot for riduiculous issues that have taken on more mystery and intrigue than a Nancy Drew novel, e.g. The Case of the Missing Glassware, The Differing East/West Service Flow, and The Phantom Cheap But Usable Trash Bag. Enough. No excuse for these silly items anymore.
* Finally, DO NOT b*tch about base closures or your commute. Do not complain about flight frequencies, aircraft types, or routes that were "Always Full!" but have been dropped. It makes our whole group look childish and unintelligent.
An hour is nothing, especially since she'll likely have a peppy prepared speech about Envoy and money spent on painting swooshes before she even takes questions. My reasoning for this post and thread is to get an idea of what kinds of questions to ask in our very limited time with the leader of our department.
