How Paper Receipts are Going to Save the American Airlines Flight Attendants Union

by Gary Leff

News notes from around the interweb:

  • The best and worst airports for clearing U.S. immigration and customs

    The top airports for the quickest clear time for U.S. citizens are Phoenix Sky Harbor, San Jose, BWI Marshall and Charlotte Douglas International.

    The worst airports, based on 2018 data, are Newark Liberty, Miami International and San Francisco International.

  • Boeing 777X’s fuselage split dramatically during September stress test (HT: @SavageViv) Since they came within 1% of government requirements Boeing should be allowed to reinforce the one spit that’s at issue and not re-test.

    Boeing got an unexpected jolt in September when engineers in Everett put the new 777X airframe through an extreme test of its structural strength. Just as the test approached its target stress level, an explosive depressurization tore through the fuselage.

  • How Denver airport melts snow.

  • Here’s how much money Warren Buffett has lost investing in American Airlines

  • The American Airlines flight attendants union is not well-positioned to be entering negotiations. The Association of Professional Flight Attendants is so badly run that Friday they’re voting on a package of spending reductions to try to balance their budget including moving back to paper expense reports.

    They invested tens of thousands of dollars on Concur, only to find out they couldn’t get it to integrate with their accounting system. So they spend thousands more on a new system, but that has monthly fees. Maybe they should just try expensify.com?

    Their President recently hosted a Facebook live that was such a disaster it’s been taken down. She blamed her board for most decisions, deflecting blame for most of what members were angry about. The union’s officers got a raise, but they can’t raise dues without a vote of the membership and proposing that could cost officers their positions. Overall the union appears to have too many fiefdoms, and too little expertise. American’s negotiator Jerry Glass must be salivating…

  • American’s Flagship First Check-in at London Heathrow has moved.

  • India is willing to assume Air India debt as part of the privatization process but they’re threatening to shut down the airline if they cannot find takers.

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  2. “The worst airports, based on 2018 data, are Newark Liberty, Miami International and San Francisco International.”

    Have to assume they’re not including preclearance locations because Toronto Pearson is far worse than those 3 airports.

  3. There was a reason we set up
    the APFA Constitution the way we did in 1977 – to protect its members from greedy totalitarian Union officials – the APFA must return to its roots the power of APFA rests with its members not elected union high-brows

  4. Thank you Colleen! As a member of APFA, I feel we have been manipulated by the last 2 APFA administrations. Laura Glading used her position to feather her own nest, as did Leslie Mayo, our National Communications officer, until she jumped ship in the middle of the merger negotiations to work for the company. I have done my best to be a loyal APFA member, only to be victimized by the very officers who are suppose to protect our working lives.

  5. As an infrequent, yet exclusively, AA Advantage flyer, who ever since the big event with my then constant use of TWA, I must be completely honest & tell all of you, wherever you are in your service to me – that I Always have had great experiences flying with what I tell others is “my airline, American Airlines!” Only one small exception being yrs ago one bag of the two missed my second flight, or went elsewhere, for a day or two. No big deal, actually, as your service, in this little bump on the my trip to visit my large family, was fantastic. Thanks AA!

  6. The APFA is no longer relevant or beneficial to The Flight attendants they “represent.” It based off “ we had to do it, so you must do it.” Lori has said the APFA is a seniority based union… meaning they only care about those with 25+ years. They allow for flight attendants to ignore company policy And keep their jobs and allow the flight attendants who follow policy get fired. They only seven them selves, and those who drink their cool aid. Anyone who questions them is ignored or not given proper support in the event they need it. This union is not fit for flight, and unable to organize 28,000 FAs, much less protect them from a multi Billion dollar company…

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