MEM-AMS
 

I saw on the KLM forum that NW was going to start the AMS run from MEM starting June 6. Is this true?

On NWA.COM, it looks like the flight just arrives into MEM at 4:10 instead of 6:30. The flight doesn't leave MEM until 9:00, as is currently scheduled. It still shows as a KLM flight though - on an MD-11 vs. 767.

If NW takes over the flight, will MEM based FAs be flying these flights? I don't think they currently have any int'l patterns (according to one FA I spoke to on a flight recently). I assume no MEM based pilots could fly the route b/c DC-10s aren't based in MEM.



[This message has been edited by DCAGOLD (edited 04-23-2003).]

Complete speculation.... but considering NW did DC10s PHL-AMS and they currently do IAD-AMS, I bet they either have a small int'l crew base in IAD, or the crew flies in from DTW. This may be the case when they do MEM-AMS.

I myself am sad to hear this-- that means this summer, all flights at NW hubs will be NW operated. I prefer KLM IFE much more-- better music selections.

[This message has been edited by Viajero Joven (edited 04-23-2003).]

Me thinks they rotate the crew out of AMS since they have plenty of DC10 service there.

The BOS and IAD flights are BOS based crews - they fly BOS-AMS-IAD-AMS-BOS (6 day).

There isn't a FA crew base at IAD or AMS.

DC-10 pilots are based in either MSP or DTW. If you fly on a DC-10....the pilots are from one of those two bases. A normal pattern for pilots would be DTW-AMS-IAD-AMS-SEA-AMS-DTW...for instance, which is a 9 day trip. Or, DTW-AMS-BOS-AMS-DTW. Normally we'll do 2,4, or 6 crossings per trip. Any DC-10s flying out of MEM internationally would be built into such a pattern.

Rally interesting info doobierw, thanks for sharing it. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starsmilie.gif

Flights to out stations are part of a 6+ day pattern for pilots and FA's. And just a correction for you. The ams-iad-ams flight has MSP based FA's. They took over the flight from DTW when the AMS-MIA was given to KLM. And the AMS-BOM has a mixed crew of DTW and BOS based FA's.

The multi dat pattern is common for both pilots and FA's, the MSP-NRT is often part of a 12 dat pattern for the 400 pilots as they are only based out of DTW.

If you saw some of the patterns that they give us pursers and pilots that go into the pacific, your jaws would just drop.

Ok, your teaser did its job. I'm curious, can you post a few examples?

Yes, very interesting. I really thought that they would have had an AMS base by now, but I guess they don't. Do the flight attendants have a base at AMS?

Here is an example of a purser trip in DTW

Day 1 DTW-NRT (layover 26.20)
2 NRT-SIN (29.00)
3 SIN-NRT (28.00)
5 NRT-PVG (13.00)
7 PVG-NRT (26.00)
8 NRT-DTW

There are no foreign bases because they would be too expensive to operate. Also, we don't have to frequency (currently) to justify it.

[This message has been edited by heasdstrong (edited 04-24-2003).]

No. There are no NW crews based in AMS. All flights are staffed with crews from US bases. If there is a crewmember in AMS who can't show (ill, etc.) they'll do some fancy juggling of bodies over at the hotel and ensure that the flights are staffed. Sometimes you think you're going to SEA and you end up in BOM......

I really thought I had heard about a NRT FA base... but I trust you.

There is a NRT base but those flight attendants are not American and do not work flights to and from the States. There are a few more bases in Asia but I cannot think of how many right now.

All flights within Asia have 2 U.S. based flight attendants and the rest of the crew is Asia based flight attendant.

Does Northwest have a translator on board every flight from the US to Asia?

And the Purser have to be bilingual?

Radiocycle

No, Pursers do not have to be bilingual. Infact only the IFSR's are allowed to do translating on trans pacific and India flights. On Asia Interport, the Main Cabin Lead does it.

They have just started this Language Qualification program, so that there may possibly be announcements in other languages on other flights such as US-AMS, CDG, FRA, YUL, and Mexico.

The Asia based Flight Attendants are:
NRT, PEK, ICN, HKG, TPE, MNL, BKK, SIN, and KIX.

IFSR's (Interpretor's)are based in:
NRT, KIX, NGO, and BOM
*note PEK and TPE Flight Attendants also work as Interpretors for KLM to AMS from BKK and PEK. For the most part they are part of a mixed pattern. So they are packing several uniforms.

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Changed my Internet service provider and had a major system crash and lost my onld user name and password. "jjvan" is "upwardadjust", furloughed NWA Purser.

[This message has been edited by jjvan (edited 04-27-2003).]