Originally Posted by
ITRADE
Holy crap, did you just lecture us on time management and work ethics? Take a hint - the European economy is currently in the $hitter because they take a very lax worth ethic. Just look at the recent article about a major tire producer that refused to continue operating a French tire factory because the French workers spent well over 50% of their time not working (not to mention the 35 hour work week).
It's true that labor supply is generally lower in Europe than in the US, mostly because of less working post age 60 or so; less female labor in some countries; and, yes, in France, a shorter work week for those for whom it is regulated.
But the evidence for lack of productivity during work is slim, and as Europeans go, the French are among the most productive per hour worked. It's a bit old, and you can Google for your own data, but check out
this or, for some propaganda that the
WSJ was willing to countenance
,
this.
Now, back on-topic: There are great points about wanting to get work done, the silliness of specific rules, and so on. Still, I prefer to look at (what I think is) the bigger picture: An airline is a complex organization tasked with a job that, when not done right, can have absolutely disastrous consequences. Although I do not think that powering up or down a machine will precipitate those disastrous consequences -- please don't draw me into that argument -- I am sympathetic to the idea that people tasked with a lot of things to do might make some decisions and requests that are sub-optimal locally. But, they are in charge, at least at that point, and I would prefer that we not distract folks from the crucial issues...
Such as: Restoring the PHL envoy club; a US (or AA) club at LAS; getting the cards to us on time; and not upgrading everybody automatically to row 1.