American’s flight attendants union, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, has endorsed Joe Biden. It’s the comments on their Facebook page that are the best read here, though I have four general reactions.
- It’s a little late at this point? But from their perspective better than after the election I suppose.
- It won’t change anyone’s mind, literally no one said “I was undecided before but now that American’s flight attendants union came out for Biden the choice is clear.”
- The membership didn’t vote for this (as they do at some unions, like TWU) an endorsement of any kind angers many of its members. At least when it’s determined by a majority vote everyone feels like their voice was heard and the decision was fair.
- APFA is weak and should probably leave the national politics to Sara Nelson at AFA-CWA (who among other things represents United’s flight attendants)
I paid $0 for these selfies. Priceless. #DemDebates pic.twitter.com/lEM6kUqh9Q
— Sara Nelson (@FlyingWithSara) December 20, 2019
But as I say, listening to the flight attendants melt down over this, or celebrate in pure joy, is an act of unrivaled schadenfreude. On your next American Airlines flight it may be the cabin crew brawling, rather than passengers in a mask dispute:
Some flight attendants see Biden as the obvious pro-union choice, but others see Biden as anti-air travel, so how does that play out for someone working in the airline industry?
“nOt My ChOiCe”…Y’all feel better now showing the world how ignorant you are for endorsing an anti union candidate while enjoying the benefits of a union protected job?
It’s comical that you people are patting yourselves on the back for supporting a “pro union “ candidate while also supporting the same candidate that wants to get rid of fossil fuels. What do airplanes run on?
Election outcome aside, I look forward to hopefully seeing a return to life that carves out spaces not intruded on by politics. That’s been tough lately, even blog topics have been heavily influenced by politics when airline executives like American’s CEO Doug Parker spend most of their time in Washington looking for taxpayer money.
I look forward to celebrating the biomedical achievements of Covid-19 vaccines and treatments that allow us to return to mostly normal life, and finding peaceful getaways on the other side of the world… and re-connected with neighbors, too, where there are more important things than the latest developments in Washington.
They are “hedging” their bet!!!!!!
Doesn’t Biden make a big deal of taking Amtrak?
Union endorses Democrat is hardly a headline. I wish I shared your optimism about politics receding post-election but I sort of feel like this is some horrible new norm we live in now. The woke millennials who have taken over corporate America are not about to let their employers go back to just being normal companies just because the election is over. Pandora’s Box of endless causes and virtue signaling will not be easy to close.
A vote for Harris/Biden is a vote for putting flight attendants out of work. Smart move!
Plane can run on hydrogen power, airbus is already working on it.
Now who is the ignorant moron? Leave the invention and technolocal advancement to scientists and engineers, you are an FA, not a aircraft designer.
@ chris
Something CAN run on hydrogen, the economics of creating H2 are, however, pitiful. Do some research on the power return – energy in vs energy out – of hydrogen and you will find it’s stunningly expensive.
Trump’s pandemic and economic disaster creation won’t be fixed by Trump, as Trump just doubles down on his own pathological ways. I can see why the airline unions would rather want to count on Biden than to rest their faith in the disaster they’ve seen come from Trump this year.
The fastest way to get to a sustainable economic recovery for the airline industry is to see the Covid-19 spread controlled sooner than later. And in most quarters, Trump inspires no confidence about his ability to properly manage the Covid-19 situation.
About the idea that politics becomes less confrontational in the year ahead, I doubt it. Unfortunately, Trump’s most extreme supporters are going to be a material problem for America even if Trump loses the election and he gets his escort for a final exit out of the White House. And actually like cornered rats, the Trumpicons are going to be their most dangerous when they are facing the new reality about being cornered and who is in charge: the American majority that voted against Trump in 2016 and their successors doing so again in 2020.
@Gary, are you still hoping that Sara Nelson would have asked you out on a date way back when, or are you just hoping to get a selfie with her? 😀
Sara Nelson is a Democrat shill and a tool of the radical left.
Remember she is the same person who argued heavily against leisure travel in the pandemic. Since when did a union leader want to decimate her own ranks?
What’s going to keep the travel industry afloat near term? ….ohh yeah leisure travel. Real smooth.
@GUWonder: Trump’s team has done amazing work to find a vaccine against “THE VIRUS” (as the lame Biden refers to it 20 times in a 30 second ad). There will be a vaccine in less than a year, a process that normally takes 4-5 years. Meanwhile, Biden makes a big show of wearing a mask when 30 feet from anyone else and criticizes Trump, yet has his own “plan” that mainly consists of doing what has already been done – including more lockdowns and a useless federal mask mandate. He’s an idiot.
And yes, the FA’s union are idiots as well for endorsing a candidate who represents a party that wants to get rid of fossil fuels. Which their jobs depend on.;
BTW – if you want to get into a discussion with me about that issue and “climate change”, I’d be happy to regale you with stories about how supposedly “green” sources of energy are actually MORE harmful than the current fossil fuels they’re meant to replace. In some cases, much more damaging, Not because of CO2, but because of other more insidious carcinogens that, unlike CO2, will actually kill people.
This comment section is trash
I never understood these endorsements. Is it just “virtue signing” to their own team, psychological for the opposing candidate & team, or is there some benefit if their preferred candidate wins?
I honestly never paid attention nor care who is endorsed by anyone. It’s kind of like one’s butt….everyone has an opinion so who really cares?
If it was up to Biden none of you would be flying at all ( total lockdown) on all but essential air travel. Also he is in favor of the green new deal which includes eliminating fossil fuels. What do you think airlines run on? Talk about self destructive behavior.
No wonder..this is the same dysfunctional bunch that can’t stop infighting within their own ranks and is at risk of a takeover from another union thanks to tier fumbling, bumbling leadership (errr..lack of same). More of the same mentality that supported being taken over by a much smaller and bottom rated airline. While millions of other American – non airline – workers suffer economic hardships without federal bailout money – let alone a second round – this crowd seems to have lost sight of the fact that Trump supports it as do a good deal of Republican’s in Congress. As the time worn saying goes: “Ya just can’t fix stupid!!”
@Cmorgan – maybe your reading and/or hearing skills aren’t up to par…he is in favor of a long-term *transition* towards renewables and away from legacy fossil fuels…which is EXACTLY what the major oil & gas companies globally are already doing.
SMH at the thinking that comes from Trump acolytes these days.
Sara Wilson is as goofy as they come. She wants a socialist government that will set prices for everything. I don’t know how anyone that works for a living can vote democratic. This isn’t the party of JFK. But wait, now I get it, airline workers don’t work for a living! They sit on their asses and play Candy Crush. Careful what you wish for , you might just get it!
Racists Sanjay and OneXMarine get pissed Off whenever some one does’t support racism or men who grab women by the pussy. Just two proud racists
@Allen you should be careful you call a racist. I don’t support either of those things you are throwing out there. But I also don’t support socialism or lazy airline workers who got 6 months of pay protection and small business got 4 weeks and now you’re whining because you want another 6 months. If you had to work for a living it would kill you.
Sara Nelson is just a infamous politician who can’t get nomination from DNC.
And Union is totally a joke, union members are even worse.
Delta FA are not unionized, that’s why they can provide better service than “tiny pitch airlines” and “dragging off airlines”.
@Creditian you are spot on. My wife is a retired F/A for AA and she says that she is now ashamed to tell people she used to work for AA. I’m lifetime Platinum and I may never fly AA again. When you are paying for First or Business the “benefits” from loyalty programs don’t matter. I’m going to cancel my Admiral’s Club membership as well. I have an AMEX card that gets me into their clubs and they are much nicer. I’ll have to give Delta a chance when I need to fly domestically. It’s been several years since I’ve flown them.
@ Gary. Hang in there Gary. President Donald J Trump can withstand the unprovoked personal attack onslaughts from social media and MSM . . . you are also doing a great job of weathering the snide comments from “low information” commenters. Their comments say more about them than you.
To those keyboard warriors, “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.”– Abraham Lincoln
I have to wonder at the commenters who genuinely believe Biden will ban air travel to protect the environment. That is never going to be accepted by voters, even if a politician wanted to do it they couldn’t. The whole point of the green movement is to move as much energy to non-carbon sources so that the activities that don’t have carbon-free alternatives (e.g. steel production, flying – until H2 becomes a viable fuel) can continue while minimizing the contribution to global warming.