US Airways Reports Record December Load Factor

[Res Judicata]

Oh and let's not forget my First Officer's that continue to have to call for gate agents, parkers, weight and balance, etc......My hats off to them for keeping the operation moving and having to supervise all these other employee groups.........two ten minute sits 100 feet from the gate last trip alone.......

How much does it cost the company to pay an East FO for 10 minutes? 7 bucks?

BFD. The agent was probably on break anyway and couldn't be bothered as it costs next to nothing to make East pilots wait.

 

[mrbreeze]

So naturally CLT, with it's vast European ops performed worse than PHL, with it's miniscule European ops... It's amazing how much difference 40-some TA flights can make in a ~1200 flights a day operation :blink: ...

Jim

Most of the "slow down" was focused on the TA operation during last summer......where we are literally limping along with a bunch of old 75-76's.

An example.....a month ago, we were leaving AMS to PHL in a 757. After we were cleared to push and start, the mechanic, controlling the push back, stopped the whole operation. After establishing communications with him, we were told that we had a large fuel leak after pressurizing the fuel pumps. We went back to the gate and the flight was cancelled. (and the aircraft spent at least 5 days in AMS while awaiting repairs)

With the strong headwinds while flying Europe to Philly, the company is trying to force as much fuel as possible into these 30 yr old 757s (topping them off as much as possible)......which in this case ruptured the main fuel tank and caused a huge fuel leak. Fortunately, we were not over the North Atlantic when this problem was discovered.

Bottom line....we have a management team that is pushing these old airplanes to their limit in order to squeeze out a minimal profit, regardless of safety. On further review, the aircraft had a fuel problem for several weeks before this incident occured.

Slow down....my ass.

breeze

 

[BoeingBoy]

Most of the "slow down" was focused on the TA operation during last summer......

As I said, it's no wonder why CLT with it's vast TA operation had the worst performance last summer... Just look at all those vintage 757/767's that depart CLT bound for Europe every evening... 😛

Jim

 

[mrbreeze]

So naturally CLT, with it's vast European ops performed worse than PHL, with it's miniscule European ops... It's amazing how much difference 40-some TA flights can make in a ~1200 flights a day operation :blink: ...

Jim

Question, Jim....

How much ETOPS flying have you logged? Do you even have a clue as to what is involved?

breeze

 

[mrbreeze]

As I said, it's no wonder why CLT with it's vast TA operation had the worst performance last summer... Just look at all those vintage 757/767's that depart CLT bound for Europe every evening... 😛

Jim

OK.....I do not have a clue as to what CLT did last summer. But as far as Philly goes, the mechanical problems were very real.....seemed to be a problem each week when I tried to fly a trip.....and I take offense to your assertions that it was a union slow down. NOT!!!

Honestly, management, being the bean counters that they are, are trying to squeeze a profit out of a bunch of aircraft that are aging.

breeze

 

[BoeingBoy]

seemed to be a problem each week when I tried to fly a trip.....

So you have a problem every trip...did you ever notice that the one thing consistently the same is you...different tail numbers, different destinations, different F/O's, different FA's, different fuelers, different push back crews, etc.

Ya know what...one doesn't even need to be a pilot to recognize faulty logic. You're trying to claim that PHL's TA flights caused CLT to be the epicenter of the schedule problems last summer. If you don't see the problem with that logic, you probably are the problem...

Jim

 

[mrbreeze]

So you have a problem every trip...did you ever notice that the one thing consistently the same is you...different tail numbers, different destinations, different F/O's, different FA's, different fuelers, different push back crews, etc.

Ya know what...one doesn't even need to be a pilot to recognize faulty logic. You're trying to claim that PHL's TA flights caused CLT to be the epicenter of the schedule problems last summer. If you don't see the problem with that logic, you probably are the problem...

Jim

That doesn't even make sense, old man. I stated that I didn't know what CLT did last summer, but take offense to what you call a union slow down in Philly.

I do a professional job at work and your out of date BS is out of line, especially since you have no ETOPS experience. I take pride in my work and safety is a top priority. For you to claim otherwise just proves what a whore you are to manaegment, and your disrespect to the pilot profession.

breeze

 

[767one]

Okay. You say you are waiting 10 minutes for someone to park your aircraft and get the jetway on the main cabin door. Well, there are many reasons a delay might occur, and unless you have actually worked receipt and dispatch from the ramp or gate level, you will never understand. The first reason is that the US Airways staffing model for ramp and gate is devised to handle "perfect" conditions, meaning that flights depart and arrive exactly as scheduled. This leaves little margin for error, because a ramp or gate crew may be assigned to work more than 1 flight per hour based on those perfect conditions. Now, when you as a pilot "firewall" your plane to show an early arrival, the ramp and gate crews that were assigned to your flight may just be finishing up with dispatch on another flight. Or, the operation is taking diversions or outbound weather and ATC delays. There are so many variables in an airline operation that even the best people with the best software can't overcome the simple fact that staffing models don't work except on an excel spreadsheet.

I will not dispute that the company staffs the ramp for perfect conditions because they do that for all employee groups. As far as firewalling the plane.....that just won't make much difference in the arrival time and for the transatlantic flights the overwater speed is given by atc and must be complied with. and you are right that staffing models only work in fantasy land not in real life.

 

[Keroseneuser]

So you have a problem every trip...did you ever notice that the one thing consistently the same is you...different tail numbers, different destinations, different F/O's, different FA's, different fuelers, different push back crews, etc.

Ya know what...one doesn't even need to be a pilot to recognize faulty logic. You're trying to claim that PHL's TA flights caused CLT to be the epicenter of the schedule problems last summer. If you don't see the problem with that logic, you probably are the problem...

Jim

I am waiting to see what happens again this summer. Last year as the summer months came on the maint. really suffered. It was not just him, the fleet in general was falling apart. A short list of aircraft Iissues I flew with were, Inop radios that were repeatedly "reset", engines that went hot on every toga take off (both at same time, plane flew at least 3 weeks like that), transcon dispatches with one functional transformer rectifier, flap issues that were "ops checked normal" (Bad flutter), speed brake issues that induced a 20 degree roll on every retraction( another "ops check normal") Those are just the main ones I remember. I made notes in my crewbook once it started getting bad, I went for an 18 day period and didn't see a single airplane that was MEL free.

There were a few guys that were writing up things like o2 bottles low etc. I am not talking about that kind of stuff. The part that really drove last summer from what I saw was genuine items that simply did not work and were not getting fixed. Several mechs. I spoke to complained that they were buried in work and could not keep up with the schedules the company was trying to run.

The airplanes have been running pretty clean lately, very few MEL's. Will see what happens as the summer push comes on.

 

[767one]

I am waiting to see what happens again this summer. Last year as the summer months came on the maint. really suffered. It was not just him, the fleet in general was falling apart. A short list of aircraft Iissues I flew with were, Inop radios that were repeatedly "reset", engines that went hot on every toga take off (both at same time, plane flew at least 3 weeks like that), transcon dispatches with one functional transformer rectifier, flap issues that were "ops checked normal" (Bad flutter), speed brake issues that induced a 20 degree roll on every retraction( another "ops check normal") Those are just the main ones I remember. I made notes in my crewbook once it started getting bad, I went for an 18 day period and didn't see a single airplane that was MEL free.

There were a few guys that were writing up things like o2 bottles low etc. I am not talking about that kind of stuff. The part that really drove last summer from what I saw was genuine items that simply did not work and were not getting fixed. Several mechs. I spoke to complained that they were buried in work and could not keep up with the schedules the company was trying to run.

The airplanes have been running pretty clean lately, very few MEL's. Will see what happens as the summer push comes on.

I agree with all of your post I will add that I will not take an aircraft etops if the oxygen is anywhere near the minimun required. I have been operating this way for years will continue to operate this way. I won't take an aircraft etops with the forward lav. inop or with 2 lavs inop even though the mel for the 757 requires no lavs at all.

 

[UPNAWAY]

All one has to do is look at the MEL slides for the year a huge spike up in May back down in August and back to normal now, that was 100% on the Pilots and Union. BTW MEL items where at an all time low heading into may, so it was not a lack of MX or aging AC issue.

 

[Keroseneuser]

All one has to do is look at the MEL slides for the year a huge spike up in May back down in August and back to normal now, that was 100% on the Pilots and Union. BTW MEL items where at an all time low heading into may, so it was not a lack of MX or aging AC issue.

So you mean that the double engine overheats, the inop radios, the flap flutter, the roll problems with speed brakes, and the countless mel's I had last summer were 100% the pilots and union and that stuff was actually not broken?

Well damn, thats good to know so next time I am staring at two red temp gauges with the master warning light and associated CASS messages in my face climbing out at night in mountainous terrain I can ignore it since its just the pilot's doing. Sweet! And here I thought that the 11 previous write ups for the issue meant there might be a problem with the engines.

 

[BoeingBoy]

That doesn't even make sense, old man. I stated that I didn't know what CLT did last summer, but take offense to what you call a union slow down in Philly.

I guess it wouldn't make sense to you kiddo...

You've been trying to say that the TA ops were the problem:

"Where the alleged slow down is focused is during the summer, while we have the heaviest Euro ops"
"Most of the "slow down" was focused on the TA operation during last summer"

But the center of the "problem" was CLT with it's few TA ops. PHL, with the majority of TA ops, didn't have as much of a problem as CLT. Kinda pokes holes in your entire argument. Hang around kid, you might actually learn something from your betters (but with your know it all attitude I doubt it).

No, I don't need to call it a slow down - a federal Judge did that with an injunction to back it up. USAPA couldn't convince a hillbilly Judge in NC otherwise. Why don't you call him and tell him your tale of woe...maybe with your "superior" knowledge of all things you can convince him of his error...

I'll give you and Kero points for effort though. It's simply amazing how maintenance falls apart at 12:01 AM on May 1 and becomes fine again when an injunction is issued - an injunction that doesn't even name or affect maintenance in any way... 😛

Jim

 

[Move2CLT]

I guess it wouldn't make sense to you kiddo...

You've been trying to say that the TA ops were the problem:

"Where the alleged slow down is focused is during the summer, while we have the heaviest Euro ops"
"Most of the "slow down" was focused on the TA operation during last summer"

But the center of the "problem" was CLT with it's few TA ops. PHL, with the majority of TA ops, didn't have as much of a problem as CLT. Kinda pokes holes in your entire argument. Hang around kid, you might actually learn something from your betters (but with your know it all attitude I doubt it).

No, I don't need to call it a slow down - a federal Judge did that with an injunction to back it up. USAPA couldn't convince a hillbilly Judge in NC otherwise. Why don't you call him and tell him your tale of woe...maybe with your "superior" knowledge of all things you can convince him of his error...

I'll give you and Kero points for effort though. It's simply amazing how maintenance falls apart at 12:01 AM on May 1 and becomes fine again when an injunction is issued - an injunction that doesn't even name or affect maintenance in any way... 😛

Jim

Spot on Jim.

And add to that the fact the Wells is nowhere to be seen. Here stunt nearly cost her a job here. Both the union and she took the company's advice and dropped the issue.

A CVR recording can be very persuasive.

 

[767one]

So you mean that the double engine overheats, the inop radios, the flap flutter, the roll problems with speed brakes, and the countless mel's I had last summer were 100% the pilots and union and that stuff was actually not broken?

Well damn, thats good to know so next time I am staring at two red temp gauges with the master warning light and associated CASS messages in my face climbing out at night in mountainous terrain I can ignore it since its just the pilot's doing. Sweet! And here I thought that the 11 previous write ups for the issue meant there might be a problem with the engines.

I guess I screwed up last month writing up the hf radio that quit on the way back from DUB. Also the oxygen mask mike switch that broke when I was trying to answer an hf selcal and the f/o was in the lav. I guess the crew going to gig later that day would have figured it out if they had a depressurization. Same with airplane in DUB last month that did not realize it was on the ground with the gear down. The warnings were blaring over the speakers and the eicas lit up like a Christmas tree because it thought it was in the air at low altitude with the gear up. I guess I should just turn myself in because all these things were my fault ...or all usapa's fault.