I am now more inclined to believe that you are a troll!

OT, but I think they're worse. The only "screening" I've had happen since 9/11 was their militant attitude about removing my tennis shoes. I don't wear boots, dress shoes, or anything resembling metal when I travel, but boy are they militant about it. Even after the new regulation stating you're not required to remove your shoes; most TSA screeners don't know about this, except apparently at LAX.

Before 9/11 I did receive secondary screenings and the occasional patdown from time to time. Nothing since 9/11, even when I tote my big backpack.

In addition to being a NW FA, it appears that our OP is also a "United Sates Air Marshall" (sic). See thread below...

Cell phone FA call buttoned!!!

I agree with you on that completely; I was trying to point out the "simplicity" of how South Park puts it, "They took our jawbs!" cry seems. And to point out there is something else besides lost jobs. Those service jobs that are removed will result in retraining in other professions, which may very well provide the service infrastructure needed for another American industry... adaptability and flexibility in today's global environment.

I am, and people very close to me, also subject to losing jobs due to outsourcing. Some of them are too old to retrain and be productive at a pay rate that they're currently at. As much as I'd hate to see myself or anyone else lose their job and not find a better one, I really don't see a realistic way to avoid that... it's just the world we live in. And I have to say the world I live in is still a hundred times better than the other parts of the world where they are trying to get my job.

When you separate the wheat from the chaff, the core points in the original post have considerable merit. Let's discuss them; not bangup on the poster.

Two nit-picky points:

1. Hiring foreigners to work as FAs technically isn't "outsourcing" if the foreign nationals become employees of the airline. Outsourcing is where a company hires another company to do work its own employees could do. Examples include a department store hiring a cleaning company to clean its store instead of hiring janitors directly, or where a bank hires another company to answer its phones instead of using its own receptionists. Outsourcing has nothing to do with the nationality of the workers or where they are located.
2. While I agree that the demise of the Middle Class American FA is sad, I'm not sure it's something that can be avoided, just as the demise of the Middle Class American Manufacturer is virtually inevitable at this point. And I don't think NW Management actually WANTS to eliminate jobs for Americans. Rather, I think they're simply looking to hire the cheapest labor that can do the job well. Current FAs may be willing to take a slight pay cut to protect their jobs, but not to the degree that NW needs. There are millions of competent, intelligent, English-speaking foreign nationals who will jump at the chance to earn $10,000/year as an FA. I don't know too many Americans who would be willing to do the same.

Which points have merit? I didn't read any.

As for the Asian routes getting sourced to Asians, I'm perfectly happy with that. If it saves NW money, and puts people to work who really WANT to work and who act like they WANT to work and treat the customer like they're the reason they come to work every day -- I'm all for it!

There's nothing I hate more than sitting too close to the boarding door or a galley and overhearing flight attendants. It's alway the same "us v. the stupid people" conversations. And to ask for something and being treated like we're bothering them. I mean c'mon -- they are flight attendants. While their stated purpose is to ensure flight safety, the other 99% of the time they ensure customer satisfaction and comfort. The two run hand-in-hand. Why FAs seem to think that with 10 years experience that they no longer have to be nice is beyond me.

If outsourcing means better in-flight service, I say get rid of anyone who acts like they don't want to be there. They really don't. Start over new.

Thom

Hiring Asian FA's?...maybe I'll stay with NW after all
 

I've got news for anybody who wants to discuss it...the FA's currently flying the transpac routes (especially US-NRT) are horrendous and shouldn've been fired or replaced years ago. This is the best news I've heard in a long time. My last post (a few days ago) was made after arriving from BKK and stated how my wife and I are looking for another carrier to Asia because of the lack of service, lack of smiles, lack of caring from NW's FA's. Particularly, the old, haggard, fat, 50 something grandma's roaming the isleways. It is a joke! I fly again to BKK in Nov. and I'll here a crude remark about a passenger or their job and I will let them know I won't miss them when they are replaced! Learning that these grumpy, menopausal FA's are on their way out the door is the best news I've heard in a long time. I signed up for SIA's Krisflyer a couple of days ago but I will see if this transpires as advertised; with caring, professional FA's on NWA's transpac flights I may consider staying.

The question of the OP is simply, how much more are you willing to pay for "American" FA's?

How much more is the average passenger willing to pay?

I'm guessing not much.

What NWA (and Delpi, and G.M., and any other company who has blue collar workers) needs is for workers to work for no salary at all.

Let's go back to the days of scrip and being in debt to the company store!

The American middle class is being stripped away rapidly. It really doesn't matter if customers go to WalMart or always buy the lowest priced ticket from NWA or Southworst -- these changes were going to happen regardless, thanks to the shortsightedness and greed of company managers (and not just at NWA).

Where are the mid 40 + mid 50 year old furloughed flight attendants (and mechanics, and gate agents) going to go? Are they going to have equivalent incomes in any new job they get? Will they be able to afford to buy stuff and help keep the cycle of the economy going? Maybe, but it certainly isn't going to be easy or enjoyable at all.

There has to be a compassionate balance to this madness on both sides, union / workers and management.

Whoa ... you said it better than I did. As I posted in another thread, I just got back from my first MR from SNA to LGW. The London legs, while nothing bad happened, they were not especially great. No one even tried to make people feel welcomed, special, to go the extra mile .. nothing. The FAs were like robots doing exactly what they were programmed to do. Anything else was unacceptable.

When I fly VS LAX-LHR-LAX, the FAs on board, while young, are very professional and try to do everything they can to make the flight enjoyable. More than WHAT they do is HOW they do it. They smile. They look interested. They ask if there's anything else they can do. Sure the massages in Upper Class are nice, but even in Economy, the service is always great.

NW and the other US carriers could do a great service to their products by simply improving the service of the FAs. While that is unlikely to happen due to pissed off people in the union, get rid of their jobs and start fresh.

Thom

Here's another post by the OP today (in the UA forum):

:D

I'm guessing there's a school holiday somewhere today. ;)

I seriously question whether or not agency protocol would allow this guy to out himself on a public message board when his IP address (and therefore other information) could be traced by the FT people. I'm just not thinking he's legit.

Thom :confused:

Is this serious? You really hold your breath every time you take off? I find this hard to believe, and if it is true I feel quite sorry for you.

FWIW, the Asian routes are currently serviced with contract FA's, a friend of mine being one. She said that there are a few "NW Ccompany FA's" still based at NRT, but the company is trying to buy them out. My friend is on a one year contract, with the hope that she will be re-hired in ~9 mo. Asian flights typically have an America based Purser or Lead, and the rest is Native language crew (eg. NRT-HKG would have Chinese and Japanese FA's, NRT-PUS would have Korean and Japanese FA's, etc.) If utilizing Asian/European based FA's helps lower the bottom line, so be it, though I dont think they should staff domestic flights exclusively with them. Also, the foreign based FA's have to get US visa's so I'm guessing they've been vetted by DHS or BICE before they get it. So in that regard, I feel safe traveling with them on an airplane. Its a changing world and industry, I think everyone in all jobs will need to change their way of thinking concerning employment in the next 10-20 years, no matter where they work or live.