quant_93

I was on 997 DFW - EZE on Sunday 9/27, and the average age of the FA's was well above 60.

JDiver

And... (As long as they are capable of doing the job, and it's verified by practical testing, so what? Performance in the cabin and evaluating the same, that's a whole different animal.)

I flew with seniority number 2 (two) DFW-SMF a year or two ago; she was capable of doing what needs to be done in emergency - and performed cabin duties like any other FA.

I understand why younger FAs would like to see an age cap - it allows them to move up the seniority ladder, much like younger pilots were among those who opposed extending pilot mandatory retirement from 60 to 65. Those pilots still have to pass their flight physical and other practical tests at least every six months, a much better indicator of fitness for duty than chronological age.

Then again, the entire whingeing mess posted by the blogger sounds like more like an "ode to me" and entitlement drivel.

SafeFlyer

In the spirit of this thread title. …I am a senior Airbus executive and American Airlines is going to order A380s to replace their aging MD80 fleet.

Disclaimer: Do I really have to?????

oklAAhoma

Exactly!

scubadu

Why do we care about this again? These threads keep getting started by folks regarding the age of FAs, much frivolity ensues, the thread eventually gets locked, and then we do it again. But, unfortunately, I can never remember why people care about this?

I have a ways to go before I'm 60, but I sure hope I have the opportunity to continue earning a living when I get there...

Regards

emma dog

Overall I'm pretty sympathetic to the airline employees but this whine is a few octaves too high for me.

To the alleged flight attendant:

1) Every career path has its dues. It's the way it is. I'm a board certified physician... I've worked 60+ hours a week for most of my adult life. When I was an intern and resident I routinely worked 80+ hours/week with only 2 weeks off a year. I still don't get all of the holidays off despite being mid-career.
2) Use your weeks off of work to get a degree in something that will pay you more. Or give you holidays. Become a school teacher. Become an RN. Do something else. Your future isn't going to be a whole lot different.
3) I call BUNK on the 60 year old theory. I could buy into 50-ish. But as others pointed out, what difference does it make? From my perspective the only thing I think of when I hear people complaining about FA age is that they want a hot <redacted> to look at during the flight.
4) Age cap. Ugh. I promise you that when you're 65 and your pension/401(k) just got whacked due to the economy, you'll be glad you can hang in there for another year or two to make the difference between an impoverished retirement and a pleasant one.

Full disclosure: I'm in "mid life" and hope to have the opportunity to work past 65 if I so desire.

N965VJ

It ain't easy being a Crazy Cat Lady.

fanch26

And nurses, and bus drivers, and doctors, and engineers, and EMTs and artists, and tuba players, maintenance men, ..... So what?

This fact is not the least bit amazing.

sukn

We can all sit around and dismiss this FA's letter but an interesting point is raised. Would it not benefit the FAs themselves, AA as an airline and its passengers if it were able to successfully move away from a seniority based hierarchy and move to a structure that rewarded job performance?

Yes there are plenty of terrific FAs, some on this board even claim to have never had a lousy FA, but I think we can all agree that overall, there is room for improvement.

brp

I agree, but the promotion and seniority scheme is a separate argument from average age. The whole notion of the seniority scheme is a discussion we've had many, many times under another basic topic- one that doesn't fit here, and is sure to get the thread locked if we go down that path.

Hmmm...on second thought, let's talk about it

Cheers.

WrLdTrvLnIndian

definitely agree with you there Wilbur. The JFK-NRT is definitely a crew with an avg age of 60 if not more. fly that route all the time and i just can't believe how old they are.

However, i also do agree that it is really hard to believe that the enitre population of FA's at AA sum up to an average age of 60. Definitely something wrong there.

Hammer0425

Most of the legacy airlines are staffed by dinosaurs right now. Can't confirm it but I've heard several times now that there are no active (non-furloughed) pilots at American who are younger than 40 at this point.

MiamiAirport Formerly NY George

I don't have emperical evidence by no way. I say somewhere in their 40s.

magic111

Someone in their 40s is now a dinosaur. What is someone in their sixties, a one-cell protozoa?

As facts seemed to be missing from reality here we will close as there seems to be very little that is redeeming within the thread. Unless a ground swell for "alerts" are sent to the moderators to reopen than it will remain closed.

Thanks to everyone for your contributions. As Randy always states you are only as good as your last post.

~magic111