Tag Archives for flight attendants.
ESPN Sportscenter anchor Ashley Brewer chronicled drama between flight attendants on an American Eagle regional jet operated by SkyWest. Flying to see her fiance for 24 hours, the moments of her short visit ticked away as two cabin crew members got into a fight over a passenger’s seating request. In the end they refused to work together, one left, and the flight took a delay to try to replace crew.
American Airlines isn’t just negotiating with its pilots. They have an amendable contract with flight attendants as well, and have for years. Negotiations have progressed slowly but the Association of Professional Flight Attendants has now presented their economic proposal to the company. And as some in Dallas might say, bless their hearts?
A taser wouldn’t have prevented the attack. Unless cabin crew have their tasers out at all times, they won’t be protection against a passenger coming at them by surprise.
And the taser won’t be a deterrent either because an attack like this one is done by a passenger who is mentally unbalanced, not someone making a rational calculation.
American Airlines flight attendants have taken the first step towards a strike in requesting a federal mediator to assist in negotiations that have dragged on for years.
At the same time, the union has updated its members on the status of contract discussions.
United Airlines flight attendants, represented by the AFA-CWA union, have been working on a contract over the past year and a half and report very little progress. Direct negotiations began in January 2022, yet there’s been resolution on just one section out of 34 in their contract – dealing with flight attendants taken hostage.
Here’s what they’re demanding, and why negotiations are stuck.
American Airlines re-assures crew that the audits are being performed by “non-threatening” employees riding in the jumpseat and taking notes on their behavior.
However some crew find working in new domestic ‘Oasis’ galleys, that have limited workspace (because it’s been condensed to make room for more seats) challenging enough as it is. American highlights that it hopes to see lower insurance costs out of the program, improved employee morale (?), and lower costs from workplace injuries.
It seems like tattoos is something that might come up during a flight attendant’s initial interview, rather than waiting until training to be kicked out over it. It’s also an odd place for Southwest to make a stand, considering the informality of their crew compared to some other airlines. However flight attendants with certain tattoos may find a more welcoming home in training with other carriers.
Telling employees you appreciate them is great. Doing so in advance of their protests is great as well. But is it wrong to say that serving chili to people about to work inside a pressurized aircraft might not be the best idea?
On January 24th, American Airlines flight attendants will be conducting ‘informational picketing’ at the airline’s hubs and also in Boston and San Francisco. They’re unhappy with the time it’s taken to get a new contract, and that American Airlines flat out rejects many of the changes to work rules their union proposes.
American, for its part, has been telling cabin crew that on the same day as the picketing they’ll be serving free chili inside the airport instead.
Now that American Airlines has rolled out new iPhones and iPads to frontline employees they’ve been given a new tool. The airline has been talking up how they’ll use ConnectMe for four years.
It’s now been extended to 17 airports (including all of the airline’s hubs) to improve communication between the gate and crew on board an aircraft that’s getting ready to depart. This way flight attendants don’t have to pick up the phone and gate agents don’t come running down the jetbridge. There are two new things cabin crew are using it for.
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 »
