The President of the American Airlines flight attendants union Julie Hedrick sent a note to cabin crew members where she takes credit for preventing their airline from offering full beverage service in economy.
APFA has been successful in pushing off the return of a main cabin beverage service into 2021. With COVID-19 cases on the rise, the last thing we need is increased opportunity for passengers to remove their facial coverings on the aircraft. The battle for a safe environment on board is already challenging. We have kept this airline flying, and the care and treatment of the front-line employees should be this Company’s number one concern.
American Airlines offers a full beverage service in front, but not in back. They’ve tried to bring drinks back into the main cabin for passengers, but flight attendants pushed back asking not to be required to offer this service.
The Association of Professional Flight Attendants is a weak union with financial challenges and suffering from infighting. While around 8000 of their members were furloughed by American, barely a critical word was spoken of management – even though neither Delta nor Southwest furloughed any flight attendants. And as their members were about to be let go, they discussed what credit cards they could use for their business expenses.
And yet this latest missive is the most combative I’ve seen them yet. They were starting to talk about a new contract before the pandemic. Now they’re signaling to their membership that their employer may be seeing givebacks.
To be clear, American has a demand problem, not a labor cost problem, and we will not entertain discussions on concessions. However, the Company is using the pandemic as an excuse to worsen our work lives. Fatigue-inducing trip construction continues to be a significant issue, with multiple legs per day, unproductive sit times, and short layovers.
Furloughs are wreaking havoc with the lives of those flight attendants who remain. The airline’s head of inflight warned cabin crew their jobs would be miserable if they didn’t take early outs. They’ve reduced staffing on aircraft and employees now regularly complain about the trips to which they’re assigned.
Unsurprisingly, the union’s solution to everyone’s problems is… more airline subsidies which would keep management secure in their jobs.
Going for great!
“To be clear, American has a demand problem, not a labor cost problem”
I mean, a demand problem eventually becomes a labor cost problem when planes are going out at low capacity. Being locked into long term contracts for anything, fuel, labor, etc. is part of what makes airlines so uniquely unable to weather the COVID storm.
The union wants their share when times are good and planes are oversold, but won’t even entertain discussions when times are bad. Not a good look (for the union, not blaming individual FAs here).
I’m not surprised. One of our F/A friends just returned from a trip and apparently the plane was catered for both breakfast on the outbound and lunch (cheese and fruit plate) on the return. The #1 gave out the lunch on the outbound and so the folks expecting lunch were getting breakfast. An EP asked our friend if he could get the fruit and cheese plate as he was frequent on this turn and knew what to expect. Checking she found one that the pilots had not touched. She asked the #1 if she could serve the EP and she told her no, that she was going to eat it herself. Then on the same flight our friend was walking through coach and there was a baby crying non-stop. The parents asked if there was any milk on board. She told them she would check and went to the galley in the rear of the aircraft where the 2 F/A’s were on their IPads. She asked if there was any milk on board and they asked if it was for the baby. She replied in the affirmative and was told that they had already told them they were not getting any milk, even though there was milk on board. In normal circumstances she would have just taken the milk anyway but she has been given a written warning for offering service to a passenger and cannot afford to lose her job. We hear these stories routinely. As I’ve said many times here, this is why the airlines should not be bailed out and that the F/A’s are their own worst enemies. AA needs to fail and these F/A’s need to take a massive pay cut. Doug Parker needs to be terminated and the entire upper management team needs to be replaced with professional business men and women. Break up the union and get back to either a legacy carrier or just go away. To deny a baby some milk just because you can should be considered child abuse and those 2 F/A’s should be fired and charged.
“To deny a baby some milk just because you can should be considered child abuse and those 2 F/A’s should be fired and charged.”
Service issues aside, that doesn’t seem like child abuse to me — parents should not rely on it being available on board (as it often isn’t!) and should’ve packed their own.
The airline industry has been around in its deregulated form for over 40 years, including all the ups and downs (mostly the latter) that come with it. All the FAs were well aware of the job when they signed up.
If they don’t like it, perhaps they should have found a more ‘rewarding’ career when the economy was going well. Here’s a hint: they’re not going to find a more flexible career choice (speaking as someone with a 2015-hired FA in our household), so deal with your job duties as assigned, and be grateful you still have one. Jeez
I know an AA flight attendant who was given a verbal warning for offering drinks to coach passengers on a very lightly loaded flight. Stupid.
@CB – You’re spot on. If you don’t like your job leave and get another one. Been there done that, and that is partially why I now own my business. Back in the 80’s when the oil patch collapsed I was working as a machinist and we were working 7 days a week. I worked Sunday evening and came in on Monday and was told we were down to 4 days a week. To meet customer demand we had to run the shop 7 days so we had different days off. I got Thursday. So I worked Mon, Tues, Weds, and Fri. It sucked but it paid the mortgage, fed the kids, and eventually we got back to a normal work schedule. I stayed with the company around another 16 years. Better than being laid off or the company going under but that concept is missed on AA F/A’s these days.
@Chris – He/She was lucky. Our friend now has a written warning on her record. Around 32 years of service to AA and they treat her that way. AA should be ashamed!
Once again, OneXMarine is spot on.
Why doesn’t Cher just take a private jet? And can’t she afford CHEESE????
Where’s the story on pathetic Delta which can’t even serve soft drinks to their customers in FIRST CLASS?
I get the risk and the undesired result that people will take their leisurely time eating/drinking and keep their mask off for a long period of time. But people still need to eat and drink…that doesn’t go away. On my PHL-DFW-OGG flight I ended up bringing multiple meals and multiple bottles of water. I did not take my mask off any less or more than I would have had there been some type of real service or if I was up front. No food on the 8 hour DFW-OGG flight even in PE is pretty crazy, we brought two meals purchased at the airport for the flight.
I fly almost weekly. Flights are packed as before pre covid. What good are the attendants if they don’t give you the .55 cent drink and bag of stall pretzels. Do I want folks to lose thier jobs, no. But try it make it suck a little less when you are packed on a flight like a can of sardines.
@QMC – I don’t know and wouldn’t say where the flight originated, however, and someone correct me if I’m wrong, you can’t take liquids (milk) through security and as I understand it a lot of the concessions at the airports are closed so perhaps there wasn’t any available after security. Or maybe they were connecting and the baby had consumed all they brought on board. Regardless, it is WRONG for those 2 F/A’s to deny a baby milk. It’s a baby! Period, end of story!
Apparently the passengers in 1st Class are immune to the virus, since they are allowed to have alcohol beverages,.
Only economy passengers can spread the virus since they TOO would have to lower their masks to drink alcohol. God forbid that the F/A would have to do their job they were hired to do instead of being on their IPADs!
Do any of you spoiled classless precious people remember there’s a rampant deadly virus thru out the nation? Even the crew are carriers. Many have incurred bankruptcy and/or death but you, the sanctimonious precious people need drinks and alcohol. Too bad..so sad.
The parents and anyone else should plan ahead. Bring dry milk. Get water in airport. You all wanted extra room, now you got it. Whine away. The headline blaming flight attendants for a virus, really?? Even if still working they have lost thousands of dollars.
You All Need To Suck It Up
Big bad union trying to keep its members safe.
Disgusting.
@Leeman – Give us a break. If you’re that afraid of getting COVID-19 take a leave, retire, and go hide in your bedroom for the rest of your life. I’m sick of F/A’s using COVID as an excuse to sit on their butts and do nothing.
If a F/A has serious health conditions then they shouldn’t be flying as we still have this thing called the flu and the vaccine is only 30% – 50% effective.
My wife, daughter, and I have all had COVID-19 and like 99.94 percent of the population it was not any worse than the flu, sinus infection, or head cold. And I’m 71 with high blood pressure. If you have a compromised immune system then by all means take every precaution you can. The rest of you get off your ass and do your job and quit asking for bail out money from the people that take the same risk or more than you do to keep this economy running.
Here’s a solution. Fire them all due to in subordination for not providing service and hire non-union people who want and will do the job.
@sunviking82 – I agree 100%. I’m sure there are millions of people right now that would bust their butt to have a job with the pay and benefits the airlines pay their people, although as I understand it the newbies don’t make as much as the senior mama’s. There are some good F/A’s out there but the numbers are dropping.
Chris asks what good the flight attendants are if they can’t give him a soda and pretzels.
When he goes into cardiac arrest, his child is choking on food or they need to be guided off a smoke filled plane in complete darkness, he’ll find out what good they are.
Flight attendants are not going through exhausting and stressful recurrent training year after year to learn how to pour him a coke and hand him pretzels.
DUDE, NO DRINKS ON DELTA EITHER.
Whats your beef with AA?
ENOUGH.
The alcohol would do more damage to the environment on the plane than anything at this point. I fly every week and I’ve talked with several flight attendants and they seem more than willing to go back to performing their duties . I see plenty of people who more than reluctant to don a face covering for just the flight period . Imagine adding liquor , so until things go back to some normalcy I’m with the airline on this one. Have your Jack and Coke when you get home or in the airport . Happy Thanksgiving folks
How about discounting tickets if meals won’t be provided. Meals are part of your ticket price.
@deedee m – rampant virus? Nonsense! A lot of hype in an election year. Even the CDC says that only .6% of 1% of the deaths only have COVID as the only cause of death. The other 99.4% have an average of 2.4 contributing factors. I watched a Dr. on TV a couple of weeks ago and he said that the common factor they are finding in “healthy” people who die with COVID have some common issues, such as smoking, vaping, drug use. 480,000 people die each year from cigarette smoke, including 41,000 from 2nd hand smoke and they still sell cigarettes. That doesn’t count the thousands that die from chewing tobacco, skoal, etc. I don’t care one way or the other about drinks. They either serve them or they don’t but there is NO EXCUSE for not giving that baby milk. NONE! Neither you or I know the circumstances about how the parents ended up with no milk for their baby, but the baby was hungry and needed milk, there was milk on board and it should have been provided. If you F/A are too scared to take it to them make a PA announcement and I’ll bet there are plenty of passengers you could throw it to who would gladly catch it and give it to the parents. You’re one sick individual if you think that denying that baby milk is acceptable for any reason. You are part of what’s wrong with the airlines!
Most states I fly to do not allow in door dine in service so why is it so hard for these snowflakes to understand that u can’t have a meal or bar service in a metal tube. And for the crews safety and health they should not be forced to expose themself to the dear passengers that paid 40$ for a ticket and expect to be waited on.
American airlines should be ashamed! The cost of airfare is high for both domestic and international travel. If the flight attendants do not want to serve the guests who have paid alot of money for their tickets…… Then I say to the flight attendants, QUIT and get another job! It is that simple. It’s the guests who pay your salary. Provide good customer service for your guests.
@deedee m
You and the many other lazy F/A’s should be terminated. If there was an emergency you lazy scums wouldn’t know what to do and would be the first off plane. Getting rid off the union contract and hiring new F/A’s that would love to provide service with a smile will save AA a lot of money!
American is no longer the airline it used to be. They have tried hard to keep showing the elitist and glamorous service they use to offer at least during the times I worked there during the 90’s. As for their inflight cabin crew back then if (some of), these F/A were awful I can’t just imagine nowadays. At the end of the day and To the honor of the truth I can give a flying #%}*+ about the beverage/food service the carriers provide, which by the way it had never been something out of the extraordinary in any airline. I perfectly know I’m absurdly paying for the ride from point A to B, but when you have children, newborns, etc., on board that’s another story and that kid still is a customer even if at no cost ticket. Therefore no union agreement nor management decision should override what is supposed to be common sense of any individual with a forehead and a brain, moreover when it comes to customer service for special guests such as babies and the elderly.
#anywayAALAsucks
I am a FA with a major airline and recently traveled to the Caribbean. I was disappointed with the service because I too saw the FA’s sitting in the galleys for a 4 hr flight. I do understand the COVID risk, but don’t support the lack of any customer service. I paid extra for my seat just to have drinks but was only asked once in 4 hrs. We are suppose to walk thru the cabin often as part of our training. It is sad what is happening since we still get paid the same hourly rate. FYI, parents with babies are allowed to bring milk or formula thru TSA, and there is no extra risk to give a baby milk! I’m also a trainer for new FA’s & to me, customer service is #1, especially during these rough times. Most airlines still have an “on demand” service when there is no service, so hit that FA call button if needed!
I am a Southwest flight attendant who has been furloughed due to Coronavirus…not sure who your source is???
Even before Covid, I have seen the decline of the airline industry, in the US especially. American used to be the best. You’re paying for a service even if you’re in coach. The best service I’ve had recently are international, British Airways and Aer Lingus. Flew United this week from Chicago to DFW and it was packed, but they let you upgrade when you are in the airport. And we did get snacks and a drink. But the flight attendants were rude.
Also, about Covid itself. If you’re afraid to get it, don’t fly. Don’t travel. Stay home and isolate. Game over. But the rest of us who know this is a scam should be free to travel and live our lives. If you’re a flight attendant freaking out about getting it, quit and find a new job. That’s it. Protect yourself. Find a job where you can work from home.
Delta not serving drinks? I was on six AA flights First Class. The first flight gave water and a snack. The rest gave nothing. I just started carrying my own water (which still means taking my mask off).
AA decisions are always poor, whether CEO or FA union.
Likewise, their First Class seat comfort and storage is a joke. Oh, and will AA be offering all their employees (including those laid off) two free tickets to anywhere like Delta is this season? Let me know.
For the record, F/A do train for emergencies. However,.the actual crashes usually are simply un-survivable. When Sully, and co-pilot saved the aircraft and passengers, joined by the Capt and crew of the Ferries that rescued them from the sinking plane. However, the F/A failed to stop a passenger whom opened the rear cabin door and allowed water to flow in. Yelling Brace Brace Brace. Not heroic!
FWIW, I received drinks and snacks on a JetBlue flight this week. Maybe AA management should compare flight attendant infection rates with JetBlue management?
I’m just glad these front line employees are willing to work in such a hazardous environment with no PPE. THANK YOU!
Here’s everyone crying about not getting a drink!!!! You now realize why FA’s are really onboard – SAFETY. They will give you CPR or pull your butt off a burning plane. Pack your own chut (aka take care of YOURSELF)
There’s a fricking PANDEMIC going on. Hospitals around the country are FULL. With airlines, the country is trying to keep an essential service afloat and operating. People get drinks…they take off their masks…they get food they take off their masks. They have wine or a cocktail, they linger with their masks off….spreading whatever they have around in close quarters. Trust me…this is NOT about FAs not wanting to do service….they’re bored tears most flights, but they realize the constraints they are operating in and the proximity of everyone to everyone. This is ONLY about NOT spreading the virus…Period
I’ve flown Delta from Atlanta to the west coast over 10 round trips since June. Great service, middle seats blocked off as well as seats in first. Flight attendants have been awesome and snacks and drinks offered to ALL the passengers. Delta is doing it right. I have flown on American on two trips, old aircraft, packed like pro covid. And for whatever reason, AA always seems to have issues with on time departures.
BTW…Southwest DID furlough FAs
Delta did “reassign” hundreds of FAS and cut hours drastically for others.
United furloughed FAs
You continue to dilute the term “industry expert”. Each of your posts lately, shows just how much about the industry you don’t know. And your incessant obsession with AA-bashing is laughable.
Please stop berating the flight attendants. Most of them as a whole, are great professionals. Their union on the other hand, is about as worthless as the titts on a boar hog! And AFA/CWA isn’t any better. I’m not against unions in general, but i unequivocally disagree with the APFAs agenda and wanton misrepresentation of its members. Further more, the AA management has no direction, leadership or vision. There should be mild but frequent electroshock therapy to the board of directors to get positive changes with the organization.
Amc..milk was never a drink that was given on the aircraft by caterers. The only beverages are listed. We might have 1 very small carton. If your child needs milk,please supply your own. If not, powered fruit drink and mix with water. Our job is to keep you safe and evacuate everyone in case of emergency!
Most of you are inconsiderate morons with these hot takes. This “if you don’t like it, leave” attitude is nonsensical when we’re in the middle of a pandemic.
“It’s a scam.”
“If you’re afraid, stay home!”
“My whole family got it (and passed it to others) and we felt fine! No foul!”
These are the selfish fools that are running it for the rest of us. They’re why we have 4% of the world’s population but 20% of the deaths. They’re why schools are open in most of the world but shutting down again here. They’re why the elderly in nursing homes are getting slaughtered. Disgusting people. Too much Fox.
States are going on lockdown and inside dining is not allowed and the CDC recommends you don’t enjoy the holidays with your family because you might share the virus and kill one or more of them. And why? Because you think you need a soda when you fly. Maybe take some responsibility for yourself and buy yourself a soda in the airport before you get on the plane. Why should Fa’s be exposed unnecessarily for a drink? Why should they risk their health or the health of their family for a coke? And don’t say get another job if you’re afraid or concerned because that’s just stupid. And all of your comments are stupid. Realize what’s important in life and realize the airline is taking you from point A to point B. Always has been. The rest was just a bonus. Deal with it.
We were just on a flight and when we boarded they handed us a prepacked bag with a bottle of water, cookies and a sanitizing wipe. We had already purchased drinks for the flight but I thought this was pretty nice of them. We were not expecting that at all.
The coach service is only temporary, due to Covid, and will return when things are normal. If passengers want a non alcoholic beverage, they can request one. As far as the statement made above about milk not being delivered to crying baby, sorry can’t believe it. People love to make up stuff like this all of the time. People love to hate us until they need us in an emergency, which is a real shame. I can’t wait to get the vacation and this Covid is over. It will be nice to return to normal! ❤️
Delta does not even offer soft drinks, leave alone alcoholic drinks in first class.
Passengers in coach CAN REQUEST soft drinks at any time, besides their bottle of water and pretzels received upon boarding.
If you are winning because they don’t receive an alcoholic beverage, then you may have a drinking problem. That’s not essential, and it isn’t free in most cases. Not need to touch credit cards etc. No need to explain why he ( an Ep or a main cabin extra) can get it, and you can’t. Economy is standard as of right now. It is the reality until they get the vaccine.
@JBPSP – I write regularly about United’s furloughs. Delta didn’t furlough anyone, they reassigned flight attendants to do other jobs in order to keep them on payroll. It was a creative solution! And no Southwest has not yet furloughed flight attendants. They sent WARN Act notices at the beginning of November to give them the option to do so, if the union is unwilling to negotiate on concessions to keep everyone employed.
Everyone has to remember that A.A. is no longer American Airlines. Rather, it is a confederacy of groups of former airlines that have been harboring resentments towards “merged” (read: taken over) by “A.A.”.
These include USAir, TWA, America West, Air Cal, Piedmont, PSA, etc….
Each group mostly living in the past and harboring intense resentments towards the parent company. This has yielded anything but a reasonable and productive work environment. The ad hoc “president” of A.A. is a perfect example: a transient officer who was at the helm during bankruptcies of two of the above mentioned companies and fell into A.A. by sheer circumstance. Any wonder why A.A. now looses more millions per day than any other of the big three?
@lovemyjob – The “story” about the baby not getting milk came from a AA F/A who I’ve known for over 10 years and my wife has known for over 20. She is a caring person and I’ve never known her to make up anything. So don’t call her a liar when you don’t even know her. You’re just another POS F/A that should be fired!
@ E Young – Everyone, everyday puts their life at risk to do their job. Getting in your car to go to work involves risk. My employees put their life at risk to take care of our customers and get them the products they need. They were all told at the start of this joke of a virus that if you don’t feel safe, are afraid, you can go on leave and your job will be here when you return. F/A’s for the most part are a bunch of lazy people who don’t want to do anything but sit on their ass and watch movies. If you’re afraid of the virus then you’re just a coward. Stay at home and hide under your bed, but don’t talk down to the people that allow you to live a very comfortable life doing nothing.
Do you think serving main cabin is a great idea during a major uptick in COVID cases? It’s not about not wanting to serve, it’s about keeping masks on passengers. Flight Attendant’s have enough trouble with this already. Add in alcohol and loss of inhibitions and you have a recipe for disaster and super spreader events.
@B Cameron – Bite me. Most of the F/A’s are so fat they couldn’t get themselves off the plane in an emergency. I guarantee you that in the case of an emergency it will be the passengers that get everyone off board not a bunch of lazy F/A who are too busy watching movies to even know there is an emergency. It will be the ex military, military, police, firemen, etc. that will take action. Trust me I will never put my life in the hands of a F/A.
@ B White – 10 years ago I would have agreed with you about the F/A being great professionals. But over the past 10 – 15 years the profession has gone to hell in a hand basket. You have a bunch of tired old ladies who should have retired 20 years ago but for whatever reason are still on the payroll. Then they started hiring the youngsters who are only in it for their “travel benefits” as Jetting Julia and others put it. I took my first plane ride in 1969 and it was amazing. Traveling in coach back then was better than First Class today. There are still some good ones left but maybe 10%. The rest just need to go.
The problem is really that they went from ombeing professional stewards and stewardesses to “flight attendants” which not only have a negative connotation associated with a lack of service but is also totally impersonal about the role. They are literally just there attending to the plane but not there to actually get down to business. Political correctness has no place in modern society. Bring back the stewardesses!
I don’t know where you all are getting your info? It all sounds like gossip to me.even this article. They don’t serve drinks as a whole anymore because they can’t be liable everything is sanitary. All service, drinks are on request. There is no milk on board and it’s not that no one in main cabin can drink bc you can bring your own on. Some flight attendants were saying no to service when asked but it has now been cleared that they serve when asked. First class is just served if they want something. Quit jumping to the worst conclusion s and assume they are lazy bc most of them would rather be busy than sit during a flight. They have to follow the companies policies. Also @xmarine they know cpr and can shock your heart back to life. The drink service is the least important of life saving priorities. And if parents are that stupid to rely on others when their kids are hungry or thirsty that’s just bad parenting .
I wonder what the lazy F/A’s excuse will be after the vaccine is out? They were lazy and doing next to nothing before the virus. You don’t know what the situation was with the parents was. Were they connecting? Had there been a delay? Our friend was one of the F/A’s and she said there was milk on board. To say it was bad parenting is inconsiderate. I’m lifetime platinum on AA with nearly 5 million miles. Counting all of the other airlines I’ve probably flown 6 million + miles and I’ve only seen 1 in flight emergency and that was on Delta to Orlando over 20 years ago and your life saving skills were so great the lady passed away in flight. I know CPR as well and I’m not touching you.
@OneXMarine,
We’re you burned by a FA? You sure know what’s best for everybody. I think you need to take a look at yourself. All you do is judge and spew hatred. I’m a frequent t flyer and I don’t agree with your statement that they are lazy and just want to sit on their burrs. Such a broad generalization of a workgroup. I’ve had outstanding FA’s on my flights. There are bad eggs in every workgroup. It to lump them all together and say such derogatory things about a workgroup is just stupid. And no sir, not everybody has the luxury of finding another job or staying home and it is not cowardice to be concerned, not “afraid”, about your health and possibly giving it to your 80 year old parents. Or your child who has underlying health problems. It’s not about me getting sick, I’m not afraid, it’s my loved ones that I could potentially give it to. I’m reading between the lines on all your posts and I don’t think you really care for anyone other than yourself. Maybe instead of trolling and making hateful comments, which you do a lot, you should look at yourself and stop spreading your “cheer”. Nobody wants to hear it. Stop being hateful and combative. There’s an elegant way of getting your point across without calling people names. Happy Thanksgiving sir. I hope your state hasn’t shut down and you can enjoy your loved ones on this holiday. Even if you think this is a bullshit virus it has been very real to a lot of people. Have some respect for them. I’m not going to spar with you so this is the last reply you’ll get from me but go ahead and degrade and belittle me for having an opinion. I’m a big girl. I can take it. I hope you find some joy.
@XMarine
And if you hate flying so much and you’re a Platinum on American. Not a Gold or Executive? You won’t waste many miles. Go find another airline to bitch about or drive.
@OneXMarine
That’s how you reply to somebody? Bite me? How old are you? 12? That’s how old you are acting. Actually I believe my 5 year old has better manners and respect than you do. Lifetime Platinum member? 5 million miles. Not that impressive. And I hope sir you are one of the first ones to try out that vaccine. You can be the guinea pig.
I’m lifetime Platinum and AA used to be a great airline. F/A’s like you have ruined it. Thank goodness you have a union or you’d be standing on a corner with a cardboard sign or working a truck stop parking lot.
@ E Young – I’m not going to spar with you either. I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent. Burned by a FA? Hardly, I’m married to a retired FA who is disgusted by the way people are treated these days. And for the record she is the love of my life. I’m not going to sit by while you or anyone else defends poor behavior by F/A’s. Attacking parents because for some reason unknown to any of us why they were out of milk. Our friend is an excellent F/A who wants to do a good job and give good service so that AA survives. Personally I hope it fails and all of you get replaced by people that want to do the job.
My first real job in my airline career was working for a large regional Royale Airlines (that’s another story). My second airline was Braniff #1. Braniff’s 727-2XX were configured 20 & 110 and crewed with four flight attedants 2 in first one served preflight drinks until we were airborne and first class was fed and watered, then the second went and helped the two in coach. We had 5ths in first not miniatures.
Had a good friend friend who worked in fight scheduling at DL, this is thirty years ago. There were two things that happened to first class customers as soon as they were seated, a tray with two cups (glass or plastic) of ice, two miniatures, one can of whatever you drank or mixed and two bags of peanuts. DL had “consistent mediocrity” and the customers loved it.
I said Bite Me because I shouldn’t say what I really wanted to say. You have a 5 year old? Any idea who the father is?
My first airplane flight was January 1969 when I went in the Marines. Travel back then was so different. Everyone dressed up to fly. Service in coach was better than you get in First Class these days although BA and Qatar are still amazing. I thought it was still pretty good until the late 90’s and then things started going downhill. After 9/11 they weaponized the F/A and the last 10 years it’s gotten really bad. Hopefully though bankruptcy the airlines will be able to get rid of the unions and those F/A that don’t want to work. Some passengers need to clean up their act as well.
@OneX Marine
I’m not a flight Attendant. I’m a physician but thank you for assuming that. I would be honored to be a FA. I like you fly a lot. I’m not married to a FA or been burned by one. I respect their profession and understand we are living in a pandemic. They are not lazy there are some bad ones just like you sir are a bad representation of your profession. Sorry you don’t understand anything about viruses and the transmission. And yes I have several children and I am married to their father and have been for 15 years. And I repeat, they have better manners than you. You’re married to a retired FA? She should be ashamed of you trolling these pages and always bashing flight attendants. Do you not have anything better to do with your time? I see you as a typical misogynistic man who cannot communicate or get their point across without belittling people, a workgroup that is predominantly women. Referring to them as fat. I’m sure you’re not anything to look at either sir. Once again Platinum? Not impressive. Take your miles and find another airline. And also get a life, become a productive part of society. You sir are the problem. Good day
Dumb jar head. Plenty of bad jar heads out there
@OneXMarine
Ba ha ha ha ex marine. Duh. Of course ex marine.. Did you even make it out of mommys car to cry for a day at boot camp? Obviously you should say NEVER a marine. You, little boy, are a Grade A weak tiny little pussy. And your “wife” which we all know is just the teenage boy you try to touch, only makes you seem weaker. I’d spar with you all day fool. In person. Cause fake ex marines scare me as much as this fake virus. And you baby boy are quite obviously a fake marine. I do wonder, as does everyone who read your stuff and is relentlessly making fun of you, if you’ve ever actually been on an airplane before? Its fun to play pretend isn’t it? Consider changing your screen name to something more fitting like Bieberf!@$÷r. Or DumpyBreadLoaf or the most fitting, something along the lines of, unloved lapband, dad bod, no wife, cries himself to sleep, untalented, loser? Just a thought…that would be a lot to type for you. Im excited for the fat guy liar angry rant to follow cause low self esteem small genitaled ladyboys such as yourself always “see red” and continue to entertain….get an actual wife or a fu#$ing fish little one and see if something can love you back for 10 mins. Ha ha. Fall down the stairs today. Fingers crossed.
I’ve been a long time since I’ve been with AA, and am VERY DISAPPOINTED that some of the flight attendants don’t want to serve drinks while in flight. Several of the other carriers do offer drink services during the flight, but apparently AA doesn’t want to go that way. Shame on you, AA! If this continues I will certainly take my business to other carriers.
@Gary: I remember when the union had a long, ongoing dispute with mgt. over a decade ago. I was flying from Raleigh, NC to DFW. Whatever they were doing, the cabin crew were “minimally communicative”, uncaring, and unhelpful to passengers. A few days later a road warrior explained to me that this was their response to the ongoing dispute with management.
I did not know this crew. My requests were simple, reasonable, and within he job description (like a request for some water and an ETA). Yet they decided that I, and other passengers, should endure this interpretation of “work-to-rule” in order to further their industrial dispute. They saw nothing wrong with treating passengers like this. That is the kind of people they are.
I’ve never seen anything remotely similar from Dallas’ other major airline, Southwest.
I have never forgotten this and have an abiding feeling of not caring for all their tribulations in the pandemic. They lost any support in a situation that would seem to instinctively engender support.
No one is ” getting it” from the top management to the F.As that American Airlines needs to change.
Maybe you should give up being a physician and become a F/A. Yes just a platinum and I don’t care if it impresses you or not. I was EP for several years but I bought my own business (2 of them actually) and now I don’t have to travel nearly as much. I’ve had COVID and it was like the flu. My wife had it and it was like a sinus infection. My daughter had it and it was like a head cold. So I do understand this virus. I’m not trolling these pages, I just happen to enjoy Gary’s blog and he puts out some very good information. As far as my wife goes she is disgusted with the way F/A’s conduct themselves, and this was before COVID. She was a great F/A and saw the direction AA was going and took early retirement. You may not like my opinion but I have a right to have it. I don’t share your opinion but I’d fight to the death for your right to have it. What gets me fired up is that not 1 F/A on here or any other blog admit that many of them don’t do their job, and this was pre-COVID. If I’m attacked I fight back and I’m not always polite about it. I make no apologies for that. I’ll die standing before I’ll live kneeling. I’m not a physician but I do employ people and I pay 100% of their health, dental, and life insurance. They get paid vacations, sick time, and holidays. You may not much of an opinion of me but your opinion is like a $3 bill. It isn’t worth much.
@Southwest Airline Passenger
Are you basing your opinion on the movie? and are you talking about the FA in the back of the plane that had a severe injury?
So if there’s a demand problem, cut the number of flights and lay them off.
I bet they sing a different tune then.
I would also fight for your right to have an opinion. I don’t believe in belittling people for it. I’m glad you can speak for the hundreds of thousands of flight attendants that are employed. I would like to hear what your employees have yo say about you. It’s nice you provide all those benefits but it doesn’t mean you treat them with respect. If I had to put money on it I’d say no. And don’t reply with I’m the best boss ever because I’m sure they would not tell you the truth. I’m glad you and your family survived this virus. I personally know the personal toll it’s taken on many families who weren’t as fortunate. It is not like a bad cold or just a cold for some. But again It doesn’t surprise me you don’t have compassion for those that have been forever affected by this virus. Now I’m done because you are not worth any more of my time. I’m glad you are so superior to the rest of us peons. Now continue to spread your hate. And your opinion is also like a 3 dollar bills sir.
Don’t fly American then, tired of crap unions.
Don’t be more than you can afford to lose. I would never say I’m the best employer in the world because I know I’m not. But my employees don’t quit and I’m not the highest paying game in town. Over the years they have given me gifts at Christmas and celebrated my birthday so I can’t be the worst in the world either. And your assuming that I don’t have compassion for people because I don’t buy into the “the sky is falling” story being pushed. I read the other day that 480,000 people die each year from cigarette smoke, including 41,000 from 2nd hand smoke but yet we still sell cigarettes. People chew tobacco and use Skoal which can give them cancer and yet it’s still sold in stores. It’s about choice. I am a combat vet from Vietnam with 40% disability, all of my immediate family have passed away, and it’s wrong of you to say I don’t have compassion for people. You say these things only because I disagree with you. If I go into a store, restaurant, or any place with a mask policy I put one on. If people come for meetings wearing a mask I ask them if they would be more comfortable if I put one on. Not 1 has said yes, they are happy to take theirs off. You attack me for my dislike for the poor service from F/A and speak of things you have no knowledge of. Before you call me small minded think of all the people losing their businesses. Small business got 4 weeks of PPP and the airlines got 6 months and want another 6 months. And the airline personnel have zero respect for their passengers who are the taxpayers who are going to have to pay for all of that free money they received. I don’t believe that you are a physician but I have no knowledge of that. I do know that you are a liar because you said you weren’t going to respond early this morning and here you are!
American is by far the worst of them all. I have recently flown in United, Delta, Southwest and American. Both flights on American I had broken seats, different planes. The TV went out 25 minutes before the movie ended. The FA and hate agents were not at all friendly, their announcements bordered on threatening and condescending. One flight was 2 hours late, sitting on the tarmac. I was moved to the last row after complaining about my seat and the FA was playing on her iPad the whole time. We can have water and a cookie but not a soda? I still have to take my mask off to drink the tiny water bottle. Delta and SW are the best, United was close to American but seats weren’t falling apart. These airlines made billions nickel and diming customers. They were broken long before Covid.
E Young, I don’t know what your m.d. specialty is, but I am a Doctor of Pharmacy graduate and work as a clinical pharmacist in a big University hospital that only treats very serious illnesses, 50% being malignant diseases plus I was a F.A. for 10 years with Pan Am, so believe me, I notice the difference in atitudes. Too many lazy privileged primadonnas on the plane . And with once a year recurrent training in CPR, etc. don’t depend on one to save your life.
@ CAROLYNNE – spot on!
@ X MARINES MOMMY – How did your brain get so damaged?
LT Platinum on AA isn’t exactly impressive since you could spend your way to it with expenses on a CC
@UA-NYC – It’s 3 million miles to life time platinum and that is a lot of spending. If you’re referring to my life time platinum status it wasn’t said to impress anyone.
@OneX – the fact you don’t know it’s 2MM miles to LTP…means you probably really aren’t LTP.
https://www.aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-program/elite-status/million-miler-program.jsp
Former international flight attendant! American can serve first class but not coach? Interesting conundrum. Just that one pax is all it takes, doesn’t matter what class. We are not frequent flyers on AA but have millions of miles. This airline is the worst in the industry. Get off your lazy ass and serve a drink. Passengers in coach are paying big dollars for this shitty service. We did. Don’t take it out on the people that are paying your salary. BTW, its we the passengers that are! Horrible excuse to be lazy.
@us-nyc – Put your money where your mouth is. $100K says that I am. Maybe we can get Gary to hold the money and confirm my status. Now either put up or shut up!
I am an AA flight attendant, I’m not fat, old, or lazy (thank you very much) and although our first priority is safety, we are limited to what services we can provide based on the company’s policies & procedures… and more times than not, the Company overrides our Union. So before you judge and bash us, make sure you know all the facts. There is more than just one side to a situation.
OneXMarine, thank you for defending our country in Vietnam. It was a different kind of cunning war that we had not fought previously. I have worked with several Pan Am F.As that worked the military charters to take our ” boys” to Saigon and bring our young men and body bags back from Saigon. They didn’t talk much about it- maybe PTSS a little. I can’t imagine in this day and age that a F.A. would do those charters period much less ask for special compensation.
Carolynee, thank you. It was a different kind of war for sure. I had a TWA charter to Okinawa and American charter in and out of DaNang. The F/A were kind and attentive as they knew that some would be coming home in the cargo hold. Because they were MAC flights alcohol was not served but they ran their legs off keeping the soft drinks flowing. Continental from Okinawa to California was an entirely different story. Boarding in DaNang for the flight home for many of us it was the first american female we had seen in a year and they tapped us all on the shoulder as we boarded. The one thing that stuck in my mind was how good they smelled. DaNang was a very dangerous place in those days and boarding was done from the tarmac with Marines running on and off the plane. It was their job but the pilots and F/A that flew those flights were putting their lives in danger as rockets could have been fired on to the flight line at any time. I’m not aware of any commercial planes being hit during the war but I know the military had many destroyed at DaNang. It was a long time ago and I’m pleased that the young men and women serving today are treated well. Thank you again and have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Terri W – I have not flown since the virus came to town except for a couple of flights in February. But the issues being discussed here are pre-covid. We have friends who are F/A on AA and they tell some pretty ugly stories about their fellow F/A. You sound as if you might be one of the good ones and I applaud you, but your numbers are dwindling as I would assume your customer base. You see a slap at Delta and United on here but most are about AA. The F/A that called the police on the pax to Palm Springs because he called them out for not wearing their masks is just bad optics for AA and one that might cost them a 7 figure check. Most of the F/A on here are hiding poor behavior and performance behind the COVID. It started long before COVID and it’s getting worse if you take a deep breath and read the posts. Your customers are telling you that you’re not doing a good job and you’re saying you are. The customer has the final vote.
Happy Thanksgiving.