tsz

I do the short PIT-PHL hop a lot and the flights are almost always at least 15% FAs (perhaps because PIT used to be a US hub?), most are usually pretty good about fitting as much as they can under the seat.

wetrat0

It depends. You know in advance that you're going to Europe. FAs who are on reserve have to be available on a moment's notice to go anywhere for up to 4 days. They would need to pack both warm weather and cold weather clothes, since it might be freezing in northern Europe and sunny/warm in the Caribbean. They do not wear their uniforms during a layover, so they would need street clothes suitable to wear during the off hours (again, potentially in both warm and cold weather locations) in addition to the uniform pieces.

theddo

It sounds to me like your bosses shouldn't be in the transportation industry. Maybe actually they should all be fired, shamed and people who know how to run a transportation company should.

All the rest sounds an awful lot like your problem. Do you think everyone else travel for fun and has nowhere to be when they land and hasn't already suffered through your delays? We have.

If you have so little trust in your employers ability to actually perform their job that's a bit worrying.

I see, so FA's do not believe their airlines will have an ontime arrival and get the bags to the gate ASAP. Only fast enough for the other guys.

tuphat

+1000

GalleyWench

That's interesting. I've always noticed the exact opposite. Pilots are usually clueless about carry on space issues and I can't tell you how many I've made move their bags out of the bulkhead overheads when they're sitting in the back, or asked them to put their smaller bags under the seat. They're usually good about moving them, stating they really had no idea. On the other hand, f/as are much more sensitive to putting things under their seats and putting their bags farther back. Over the years I've seen a lot of f/as offer to put other passengers bags under their seats too.

Often1

The bottom line here is that if peeves you so much that US chooses to functionally allocate more OH space to crew than to you, you should fly a carrier which doesn't do this.

US is a private company and can do what it wants. You are a customer and you can take your custom where you want.

You don't have to accept the rationale for the distinction, but the rationale is pretty well explained in this thread.

justhere

It's their problem inasmuch that it is a government requirement and their employer is required to follow those rules.

I don't think anyone is saying that anyone else's time isn't important and when an airline can do things that minimize potential future delays for its customers, it shows that they do recognize that time is valuable.

I absolutely trust in my employer's ability to actually perform their job. However, I would be very concerned if they did not have systems and processes in place to prevent issues and to solve problems in case something went wrong.

theddo

"I absolutely trust in my employer's ability to actually perform their job".

Their job is a transportation company. You, and several other posters have stated that you do not have faith your company bags will get to the destination or get there on time. That is your employer's job.

Your employers job isn't to allow staff to gossip in the aft galley, whatever the employees might think and it's not about making sure the FAs see the world.

justhere

Just to clarify something, when you said "all the rest", I misread that and thought you were simply talking about the required rest period. You didn't, and neither did I, mention anything about gossip or seeing the world.

As far as the ability to do their job, I also didn't say that I didn't have faith an airline will get the bags of its employees (or its customers for that matter) to the destination on time.

Anecdotal and factual data both show that the vast majority of bags do get there on time so why wouldn't I have faith in those statistics?

What I was implying was that even with the vast majority of bags getting there on time, why even take a chance that downline customers could be delayed by one employee's bags being delayed? Why not simply ensure that employees always have their bags with them? That doesn't mean an airline thinks their employees' bags or time is more valuable than their customers, it's simply a protocol in place to minimize disruptions and provide better customer service.

I also understand that not having the employees' bags take up bin space would also improve customer service but you can't have your cake and eat it too, so which scenario negatively impacts the least amount of customers and which scenario positively impacts the largest amount of customers?

theddo

Yet several posters before you have stated that since they cannot be certain the bags will be on the flight and they may have to wait for them staff members feel uncomfortable with checking any of their several bags.

That's an issue with cramped seating and small OH bins. The airline isn't there to fly the staff around the world comfortably, nor to make sure they have the maximum amount of time at the destination. They are there to transport paying customers, and maybe the would do well to remember that.

Of course it means the airline doesn't actually think they can get the bags there on time, or else they wouldn't mind checking them. You cannot have it both ways, either employees believe their airline is capable of performing their job or they don't - if the do they won't mind checking their bags. They do mind, so I'm assuming that means they don't put all too much faith in the airlines either.

If you say "our staff needs 12 oversized bags, you can check you bag and wait at the destination" you do value your time more than your customers. It is obviously okay for the airline to lose someone else's bags, but not yours, and it's okay for everyone else to have to wait for handling to be delayed.

Delayed connection flights? Well, we're back at airlines and their staff not being competent enough to do their jobs again. If that doesn't work, pack light. Or build a "since we're uncertain any bags will make it this is our designated staff"-cargo hold.

The rest isn't my problem. Sounds like maybe the airlines should actually get back to their business, which again isn't gossiping or buying gifts in foreign countries. It isn't even making sure staff get cheap food, you charge me $8 for a coke you want me to feel sympathy for you not being able to cook when you get to where your going? No.

JDiver

Perspective: LA flight SCL-PMC-PUQ-USH (shortest sector 165 miles, longest 806).

FAs used some of the overhead bins space for some of their items, then stuffed one of the two laws full of their carry on bags (essentially making it inoperable) and then prohibited pax from occupying exit row seats so they could use them as rest seats.

How is this related? In both cases cabin crew seem to have the sanction of the airlines to bring as much as they want and put it where they wish. Some FAs are thoughtful about this and related issues, others not so caring.

justhere

They may say they can't be certain but how they feel and what actually happens aren't necessarily the same thing. The numbers show that most bags do make it on time so they could comfortably check their bag.

There are still at least a couple of problems with crew checking bags. First, if they are flying last flight in and first flight out, they may be getting only the minimum mandated rest. Add 30 minutes to that to wait for their bag and now the first flight out is 30 minutes late and you inconvenience at least that plane load of passengers, if not more. Not checking their bag and you maybe inconvenience one or two passengers.

Another problem is if they are flying multiple legs during the day. They check their bag to city DDD as they are scheduled to fly AAA-BBB-CCC-DDD. Except when they get to BBB there is a weather delay, some crew shuffling is done and now they are going to fly BBB-EEE-FFF. Sure they could not inconvenience one or two customers by checking their bag and instead inconvenience all the people flying BBB-EEE, and possibly more, while someone tries to find their checked bag and reroute it.

You mean "remember that" as in, have crew ready to go when needed so that flights operate as close to on time as possible? I would agree with that. The airline does need to make sure the crew has the minimum amount of time at the destination and I would think waiting for checked bags eats into that minimum amount of time.

If only it were that simple. The airlines know that they get most bags to the right destination on time. That's not the point.

You don't seem to be looking at the big picture. This isn't about one customer. It's about all of them and how do you minimize any inconvenience to most of them.

Not all delays are within the airlines' control. How do you minimize delays to as many customers as possible regardless of the reason for the delay?

Which airline charges $8 for a coke?

Segments

If my employer provides only a minimal per diem for meals, can I carry on an extra bag to bring along 6 days worth of food? Not buying expensive airport and hotel food sounds like a good idea. And my airport meals are even more expensive since I don't get the discounts offered to airport/airline staff.

TBD

I love how the industry points back to crew rest. No one else in the world has the ability to point to a rule and declare that an issue is out of his/her hands. And yet - somehow - every other industry in the world functions.....

theddo

Sounds like a management issue, maybe give the staff 30 more minutes in that case since it's obviously okay to force the paying passengers to wait.

So the airline I entrust my life upon cannot go down and find a marked crew-bag to move to another plane? Seems trutsworthy enough.


So do I? So do a lot of people, we cannot just change the rules for everyone else because of it. I need my rest, too, but guess what. My work ends when I leave work, not when I arrive home regardless of how I got there.

Well, then why is it an issue only for staff bags?

The big picture is that I'm paying your salary, why are you more important again?

Most are, though.

What does United charge for a coke these days?