I have seen NW pilots deadheading in coach, sometimes even in the middle seat. I doubt the FAs have a better contract than the pilots. :)

It is obvious the GA was doing a favor for a friend at the expense of returning customers.

I Would Say
 

I would have to say you are right on this one. It sounds like the GA was being overly ambiguous in their replies regarding the F seat. She was treating the upgrade list as if there was no list and was protecting the last seat for the FA. :rolleyes: :td:

-Alan

The last person who can "rightfully" place you in an FC seat is the GA, and you struck out with her. You had no business sitting in F with a Y boarding pass. Your only recourse is bring this up with NW via "Talk to Us" or snail-mail.

These stats tend to exaggerate things. I know many women who make more than their counterparts (male or female), because they're aggressive, seek out opportunity, and perform well.

And then there are those who took months off to have kids, leave at 4 everyday to pick up the kids from daycare, take the day off every time Junior gets a cold, and refuse to travel. Sure, they technically get the baseline job done but complain when Bob gets the big raise or bonus for sacrificing evenings, taking on extra projects, making extra client visits, and working long hours. :rolleyes:

I has nothing to do with sex, it has to do with performance and productivity.

Deadheaders in uniform are not necessarily off-duty. Some might be commuting, but many are heading to/from their base to their assigned flights for the day.

FA vs silver elite
 

I guess I'm in the minority on this one.

Elite or not, we (passenger and the airline) empower the gate agents to handle various issues. Northwest empowers them to make a decision of best interest for the airline. If a gate agent decide that non-accompanied minor could be best monitored in first class, that was his/her call and I would support it. If an elite who had missed an earlier connection and had to endure 6 hours of waiting for the next available flight, maybe a gate agent felt sorry for that passenger. We are thrilled when we get an unexpected upgrade. Maybe this flight attendant was called in at the last minute during his/her day-off so that another flight could be staffed and operated. There are endless reason how flight attendant could save the day for the airline and its passengers. Who knows what your flight attendant's situation was.

My point is this. Whether it's a fare paying passenger or not, I believe that gate agents is well aware of the situation and should be empowered to make the upgrade call. Upgrade makes people happy, and an airline is a people business. (If employees are happy, typically its customers are treated well).
...maybe that's why us elites see more frequent upgrade than most other airlines?!

I'm sorry you didn't get an upgrade, but please understand, we will be treated better in the long run..... and you will also have your lucky day some day....

Jiburi

I am not sure where you are getting your information but you are off on NWA policy in all catagories. We travel for free in coach, $25 in FC, and we are allowed to join the WorldClub for a annual fee. We do not have priority over revenue passengers except in extreme situations. Employees in uniform are not neccessarily deadheading. Deadheading is only for employees who are on duty. This person could have been commuting or traveling on an emergency. Uniformed employees can go the front of the line for security and have a larger carryon allowance per FAA. I was put in FC ahead of revenue passengers on 2 occassions. This was for the death of my grandmother when I was in Tokyo and my father when I was in Honolulu.

I commute. I do not use my pass travel benefits. I pay just like a normal person. I am one of the most frequent flyers for another airline. I have reached an elite status so it is possible that an employee could be elite.

However, write to customer service. I do it all the time when I feel that I have not been boarded correctly on my airline and the one I commute on.

The statistics don't lie. Women make less than men for similar job positions. Sure some women make more than their counterparts, but that is the exception. Also, your comment about women taking time off because "junior gets a cold" is offensive. Why doesn't dad take the time off to care for his kids? Yes, it has all to do about sex and some men can't live with that!

The comment is not offensive, it's reflective of our society. I see it every day -- women tend to put more effort into raising kids. Sure dad can take the time off, but I'm not seeing that that much. It's not my job to tell a family how to divide responsibilities. Each family works it out themselves, but in most cases, it's mom who takes the time off. If you don't think that reflects in her work performance, you're misguided.

There are whole books on how to lie with statistics. The statistics will tell you that women earn 76 cents for every dollar men earn. What they won't tell you is that the labor force of women is smaller than that of men. They also won't tell you that women tend to select lower-paying fields than men. A social worker makes less than an software developer. The majority of social workers are women. The majority of software developers are men. Not sure why the split is this way, but it is the way it is. Though the female software developers I know earn quite a good salary.

It's interesting that you assume everything was done correctly and there was a legitimate reason for everything that happened.

If that was the case, there really wouldn't be a need for a Customer Service/Relations department, would there?

Employees do make mistakes. Favours can be done. Policy/procedures can be ignored. In this case, it does seem like one of these things happened. It is possible that there was a leigitmate reason for what happened, but to rule out otherwise is ridiculous.

How does not getting an upgrade one day means better treatment in the long run? This sounds like vague, nonsensical, "don't worry, be happy" reasoning...

I know for a fact that the fare is $20Y/$50F for NWA corp employees, maybe it's different for crew. And I never said anything about whether this person was a deadheader. If you want to know how I know this information then you shouldn't ask (hint hint).

You have it backwards here. Women do not "tend to select lower-paying fields than men". Lower pay selects field where more women work. The discrimination follows the women, not vice-versa. When a field gets more women over time, the pay begins to decrease. True, in the past few years our society has promoted the ideology that opportunity is open to all regardless of sex. How many office assistants and teachers and nurses are men (yes, I know SOME are, but I'm talking about the vast majority. And why are more prestigious teachers (called Professors) mostly men, and why are less prestigious teachers (called Elementary and Secondary Teachers) mostly women. And why is my wife, a full professor, paid less than some men hired after her, despite having a more impressive portfolio? Sexism. So I;m not sure either why the majority of social workers are women and the majority of software developers are men, but I know why there is a big pay differential between the two fields.

I think I've made my point that if the employees are happy, then customer/passengers are typically also treated well.... through extra attention and service. Is this nonsensical?

jiburi

Does this mean that they bumped paying WBC passengers out for you on a Tokyo flight, or that they didn't upgrade a Plat, but you instead?


WOW! Another airline?! :D

Hmm...interesting chicken and egg theory.

Though I subscribe to a more supply and demand theory. Nursing is a great example. While it's traditionally been a woman-dominated field, there is a severe shortage of nurses these days, and the pay has shot up, regardless of sex. We've seen also modest adjustments to schoolteacher salaries in the past several years, particularly in growing districts as demand has risen. I have a feeling people would be surprised if they knew how much their schoolteachers were paid, especially in urban/suburban areas, and when accounting for the summers off.