Will UA use Purser, Lead or Service Mgr? - UA to standardize on "Purser" post-Oct2018
Jun 12, 2015, 9:34 pm
#76
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Call me old (UA) school but I still prefer Purser......Anything with the word "manager" in it makes me think of someone sitting behind a desk, i.e, Station Manager.
Somehow a lot of confusing CO lingo took hold at the merger. Took us weeks to figure out what "redisplay the bags" meant. This was used in conjunction with bags being returned to the baggage claim (ie., a cancelled flights and all bags offloaded and returned to the baggage claim area for passengers to retrieve). Redisplay ?? the bags ??.....sounds like a new window display at Macys.
At United we would be told the bags were being "dumped" back to baggage claim.....simple. All ramp and customer service agents knew what it meant by that one word. Yes, kind of a "crude" term but it was an internal term and passengers were simply told to retrieve their bags at baggage claim.
Back to the subject at hand.....I find CO's terminology confusing and why are there two different terms for this person (on international flights they are ...managers and on domestic flights they are ....coordinators)? I know passengers probably don't give it a second thought (or even remember the terms) but purser sounds familiar to most people and can be incorporated as "Your purser or lead FA on our flight today is ....." if they even need a definition in this 21st century.
Somehow a lot of confusing CO lingo took hold at the merger. Took us weeks to figure out what "redisplay the bags" meant. This was used in conjunction with bags being returned to the baggage claim (ie., a cancelled flights and all bags offloaded and returned to the baggage claim area for passengers to retrieve). Redisplay ?? the bags ??.....sounds like a new window display at Macys.
At United we would be told the bags were being "dumped" back to baggage claim.....simple. All ramp and customer service agents knew what it meant by that one word. Yes, kind of a "crude" term but it was an internal term and passengers were simply told to retrieve their bags at baggage claim.
Back to the subject at hand.....I find CO's terminology confusing and why are there two different terms for this person (on international flights they are ...managers and on domestic flights they are ....coordinators)? I know passengers probably don't give it a second thought (or even remember the terms) but purser sounds familiar to most people and can be incorporated as "Your purser or lead FA on our flight today is ....." if they even need a definition in this 21st century.
Domestic flights (including Caribbean, Latin America,Mexico & Canada) the lead FA position is Flight Service Coordinator (FSC)
Jun 12, 2015, 10:25 pm
#77
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Yup, yet domestic flights have a different name for the front cabin then those to the Carribean, Mexico, Canada, etc. Wonder who makes the decisions of what parts of the narrowbody, 2-cabin, shorter international routes stays consistent with domestic, and which ones don't.
Jun 12, 2015, 10:48 pm
#78
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Keep it "short, sweet and to the point".
Jun 13, 2015, 4:48 am
#79
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Sorry, but in IMO, that is just too many words or acronyms to have to remember and, throw in the fact that two different terms are used depending on whether you're on a domestic or international flight. The terms "service manager" or "service coordinator" sound like those people are working at an auto dealership or a call center in Asia. Give us a break! The executive suite needs to read "The K.I.S.S. Principle".
Keep it "short, sweet and to the point".
Keep it "short, sweet and to the point".
Never had a reason to use any crew members " title"
Jun 13, 2015, 9:32 am
#80
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Right, but why call it TWO DIFFERENT THINGS (is my point)? A manager, a coordinator and now possibly a "lead" ? Just another convoluted bunch of words that passengers don't even understand (or probably don't care about).
Sorry, but in IMO, that is just too many words or acronyms to have to remember and, throw in the fact that two different terms are used depending on whether you're on a domestic or international flight. The terms "service manager" or "service coordinator" sound like those people are working at an auto dealership or a call center in Asia. Give us a break! The executive suite needs to read "The K.I.S.S. Principle".
Keep it "short, sweet and to the point".
Keep it "short, sweet and to the point".
Thanks, you get it !!
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Jun 13, 2015 at 10:43 am Reason: merging consecutive posts by same member -- please use multi-quote
Jun 13, 2015, 12:24 pm
#81
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It couldn't be because Purser was the pmUA term, correct?
Jun 13, 2015, 12:31 pm
#82
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Probably because Purser does not really define the duties of the lead FA. It is an old, antiquated word. But yes, they should come up with one name and stick to that.
Full Definition of PURSER
1: an official on a ship responsible for papers and accounts and on a passenger ship also for the comfort and welfare of passengers
2: a steward on an airliner
Full Definition of STEWARD
1: one employed in a large household or estate to manage domestic concerns (as the supervision of servants, collection of rents, and keeping of accounts)
2: shop steward
3: a fiscal agent
4a : an employee on a ship, airplane, bus, or train who manages the provisioning of food and attends passengers
b : one appointed to supervise the provision and distribution of food and drink in an institution
5: one who actively directs affairs : manager
Full Definition of PURSER
1: an official on a ship responsible for papers and accounts and on a passenger ship also for the comfort and welfare of passengers
2: a steward on an airliner
Full Definition of STEWARD
1: one employed in a large household or estate to manage domestic concerns (as the supervision of servants, collection of rents, and keeping of accounts)
2: shop steward
3: a fiscal agent
4a : an employee on a ship, airplane, bus, or train who manages the provisioning of food and attends passengers
b : one appointed to supervise the provision and distribution of food and drink in an institution
5: one who actively directs affairs : manager
Jun 13, 2015, 2:27 pm
#83
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And I still believe the term was dropped by management because it is a pmUA term.
Jun 13, 2015, 2:39 pm
#84
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Jun 13, 2015, 5:18 pm
#85
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You all do realize it's just a title right? It isn't going to affect your life in any traumatic way on what the lead FA is called. Several other airlines use terms other then purser to identify their lead FAs does it affect the people who travel those airlines? I seriously doubt it so what United calls its lead FAs shouldn't affect anyone here either.
Jun 13, 2015, 5:34 pm
#86
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You all do realize it's just a title right? It isn't going to affect your life in any traumatic way on what the lead FA is called. Several other airlines use terms other then purser to identify their lead FAs does it affect the people who travel those airlines? I seriously doubt it so what United calls its lead FAs shouldn't affect anyone here either.
Jun 13, 2015, 5:34 pm
#87
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I have to admit, I've never in all my decades of flying CO and then UA paid any attention to which FA is in charge of the plane, and have only vaguely noticed what they are called. Under what circumstances would it matter to a passenger which FA is in charge?
Jun 14, 2015, 11:01 am
#88
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You all do realize it's just a title right? It isn't going to affect your life in any traumatic way on what the lead FA is called. Several other airlines use terms other then purser to identify their lead FAs does it affect the people who travel those airlines? I seriously doubt it so what United calls its lead FAs shouldn't affect anyone here either.
Jun 14, 2015, 11:28 am
#89
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Here's why it matters to me. It's not about the title, but about how the responsibilities are split. I mostly fly domestically, and when I'm in first, I expect a higher level of service (I know, silly me). When flying PMUA, the purser/lead FA works the first class cabin, and when flying PMCO, the purser/lead FA generally doesn't. My experience, based on hundreds of flights over the last few years, is that I get better service when the purser/lead FA is providing the service. In PMUA, the purser tends to be attentive throughout the flight. In PMCO, the FA tends to do the minimum and then disappear to his or her seat.
Jun 14, 2015, 11:32 am
#90
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