The truth is that other flight attendants are compensated based on flight length, and that’s meant to cover work done during boarding. And this how how union contracts have been designed – it’s what flight attendant representatives wanted. But there’s another element that most flight attendants don’t realize, and it’s how their own union is sticking it to them.
Airlines
Category Archives for Airlines.
Qantas Will Announce Non-Stop New York And London Flights, New First Class And Other Cabins
May
01
2022
Qantas is poised to announce its largest aircraft order ever, including the ultra long range Airbus A350-1000 which will fly non-stop to both London and New York. The planes will be outfit with four classes of service, including new seats. That means first class will survive. And Qantas will have one of the most generous economy products in the world.
United Flight Attendants Union Gaslights Delta’s Cabin Crew Pay Increase
Apr
30
2022
Delta’s decision to pay flight attendants for the time boarding aircraft sent shockwaves through the industry. Traditionally flight attendant union-bargained contracts pay flight attendants a higher wage for the flight itself, and don’t calculate time spent boarding. Thus, many flight attendants feel they ‘don’t get paid’ for that time.
I’ve heard from cabin crew at several airlines envious of their counterparts at Delta, who are seeing this new pay on top of raises that started right before the pandemic, on top of special profit sharing bonuses announced earlier this year, and on top of raises that go into effect May 1.
Federal Judge Upholds Transportation Mask Mandate
Apr
29
2022
The April 18th ruling vacated the mask mandate. The Biden administration did not seek to stay that decision pending an appeal, so the mandate is no longer in place. This new ruling then, from another district court judge, has no real effect. It also does not appear to be a serious decision.
Spirit, Possibly Being Acquired By JetBlue, Showcases New Lie Flat Seat
Apr
29
2022
With JetBlue looking to acquire Spirit Airlines, trumping Frontier’s offer, many observers have pointed out how different their business model, product, and cultures are – wondering if his acquisition could make any sense. Others disagree, suggesting that JetBlue buying Spirit ‘for parts’ – planes, gates, pilots, – will allow for more rapid expansion.
But are the products really that different? JetBlue has Mint business class, but in the premium category Spirit has more than just the Big Front Seat.
With A Shortage Of Pilots, Should We Revisit The 1500 Hour Rule That’s Choking Off Supply?
Apr
29
2022
We want pilots who know what they’re doing, but the 1500 hour rule itself doesn’t weed out those who don’t. European regulators and Canadian regulators don’t see a need for 1500 flight hours on top of licensing and type-rating. We want to focus on measures that actually improve safety, and so pilot flight hour requirements can probably be greatly improved. Instead we’ve got rules that primarily make it tough to become a pilot, increasing the bargaining strength of those already in the profession.
Moonlighting Airline Pilot-Congressman Rumored To Be Stepping Down To Run For Governor
Apr
28
2022
Hawaii Congressman Kai Kahele rarely visits Washington DC. He hasn’t cast an in-person vote since January. Kahele, who took Tulsi Gabbard’s seat in the House of Representatives, is busy flying around his home state as a pilot for Hawaiian Airlines. Now word is he’s leaving Congress… to run for Governor.
American Airlines Fires 50 Flight Attendants For Leaving Their Bases While On Reserve
Apr
28
2022
Earlier this month I covered a memo from American Airlines to its flight attendants threatening to fire them if they aren’t near the airport when called to work a flight while on reserve. It turns out, according to the flight attendants union at the airline, that they’ve already terminated 50 cabin crew over this.
Airline Is Getting A Flight Attendants Union – After Only 8 Crew Voted For It
Apr
28
2022
Houston-based Avelo is a startup. They’re scheduled to operate 630 flights this month, an average of just 21 a day, using 8 Boeing 737s. The same number of flight attendants voted to form a union as Avelo has planes.
Your Flight Has Been Cleaned & Sanitized, But Paper Towels On The Ceiling Are From The Last Flight
Apr
27
2022
When we see dirty planes we wonder whether the things we can’t see are being being handled well. When we see broken planes we wonder whether maintenance we can’t see is being handled well. The connection isn’t always true but reasonable.
One of the odder dirty plane photos I’ve seen on twitter lately is paper towels stuffed into the aircraft ceiling on Delta. Condensation was leaking, and this is the airline’s solution to keep it from dripping on passengers. They didn’t want to take a plane out of service and cancel flights, and it wasn’t a mechanical issue that raised safety concerns. But, as the passenger posting on twitter notes, they also weren’t… changing the paper towels between flights.
