Contact Smisek If You Don't Like Ground Staff Training Jetway Driving w/ You Onboard
#1
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 10,965
Contact Smisek If You Don't Like Ground Staff Training Jetway Driving w/ You Onboard
So, I arrived ORD today on an A319.
The door took a while to open and the pilot came on and said something like: "Our CEO's name is Jeff Smisek. If you have meetings or connecting flights and don't think we should be doing jetway training with real passengers onboard, please contact him."
The funny thing is that I was on a UA flight into ORD last year with Smisek and they could not line up the jetway right to open the door. We were stuck like 10 minutes onboard.
Maybe Smisek ordered the training
The door took a while to open and the pilot came on and said something like: "Our CEO's name is Jeff Smisek. If you have meetings or connecting flights and don't think we should be doing jetway training with real passengers onboard, please contact him."
The funny thing is that I was on a UA flight into ORD last year with Smisek and they could not line up the jetway right to open the door. We were stuck like 10 minutes onboard.
Maybe Smisek ordered the training
#2
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: London
Programs: UA GS
Posts: 2,438
So, I arrived ORD today on an A319.
The door took a while to open and the pilot came on and said something like: "Our CEO's name is Jeff Smisek. If you have meetings or connecting flights and don't think we should be doing jetway training with real passengers onboard, please contact him."
The funny thing is that I was on a UA flight into ORD last year with Smisek and they could not line up the jetway right to open the door. We were stuck like 10 minutes onboard.
Maybe Smisek ordered the training
The door took a while to open and the pilot came on and said something like: "Our CEO's name is Jeff Smisek. If you have meetings or connecting flights and don't think we should be doing jetway training with real passengers onboard, please contact him."
The funny thing is that I was on a UA flight into ORD last year with Smisek and they could not line up the jetway right to open the door. We were stuck like 10 minutes onboard.
Maybe Smisek ordered the training
#3
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: NYC
Programs: UA GS, SPG Plat, National EC Executive (Replaced Hertz), Hertz PC (Retired)
Posts: 724
This.
Had a pilot the other day when coming into EWR state "our gate will be C113. That's C, like Continental, the airline. C113. Continental"
I couldn't believe it.
Had a pilot the other day when coming into EWR state "our gate will be C113. That's C, like Continental, the airline. C113. Continental"
I couldn't believe it.
#4
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: DEN
Programs: United Premier 1K, Marriott Platinum, Frontier, Delta, Hertz Gold, National Emerald Club
Posts: 928
So, I arrived ORD today on an A319.
The door took a while to open and the pilot came on and said something like: "Our CEO's name is Jeff Smisek. If you have meetings or connecting flights and don't think we should be doing jetway training with real passengers onboard, please contact him."
The funny thing is that I was on a UA flight into ORD last year with Smisek and they could not line up the jetway right to open the door. We were stuck like 10 minutes onboard.
Maybe Smisek ordered the training
The door took a while to open and the pilot came on and said something like: "Our CEO's name is Jeff Smisek. If you have meetings or connecting flights and don't think we should be doing jetway training with real passengers onboard, please contact him."
The funny thing is that I was on a UA flight into ORD last year with Smisek and they could not line up the jetway right to open the door. We were stuck like 10 minutes onboard.
Maybe Smisek ordered the training
I was on a flight and a pilot openly complained about a refueling process. But then again, the flight was 45+ minutes late leaving, so he had a sympathetic ear from the pax. He was frustrated, and so were we.
#5
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2003
Programs: UA 1K 1MM (finally!), IHG AMB-Spire, HH Diamond
Posts: 60,172
Contact Smisek If You Don't Like Ground Staff Training Jetway Driving w/ You Onboard
This is why I still keep a few "classic" GTEMs buried in my backpack.
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 10,965
How long and disruptive was the delay? Sounds like overkill from the pilot and definitely should keep his opinions to himself.
I was on a flight and a pilot openly complained about a refueling process. But then again, the flight was 45+ minutes late leaving, so he had a sympathetic ear from the pax. He was frustrated, and so were we.
I was on a flight and a pilot openly complained about a refueling process. But then again, the flight was 45+ minutes late leaving, so he had a sympathetic ear from the pax. He was frustrated, and so were we.
He also decided to depart with an inop lav in F so you know he is probably not a problem employee...he wanted to do the company right...
Last edited by username; Mar 10, 2014 at 4:42 pm
#7
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: LAS HNL
Programs: DL DM, 5.7 MM, UA 3.1 MM, MARRIOTT PLATINUM, AVIS FIRST, Amex Black Card
Posts: 4,479
That pilot is the one that needs training.
The pilot should have used "Charlie" C113. I wonder if a plane parks at D gates if he/she would say "Delta", like the airline Delta D113?
This is two cases of very unprofessional workers that get away with this cr*p as they know they are protected by a group of thugs they pay dues to each month.
Question. Do the Pilots and FA's get paid from when the plane arrives at the gate or when the door is opened?
This is two cases of very unprofessional workers that get away with this cr*p as they know they are protected by a group of thugs they pay dues to each month.
Question. Do the Pilots and FA's get paid from when the plane arrives at the gate or when the door is opened?
Last edited by kettle1; Mar 10, 2014 at 7:20 pm Reason: remove text.
#8
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: What I write is my opinion alone..don't read into it anything not written.
Posts: 9,686
Wow....and all the time they spend in the right seat training to sit in the left seat...should it be without passengers on board?
#9
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: ORD / DUB / LHR
Programs: UA 1K MM; BA Silver; Marriott Plat
Posts: 8,243
#10
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: HNL
Programs: United Gold
Posts: 1,581
I agree this is slightly unprofessional, but still... it's funny
#11
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Las Vegas
Programs: DL Platinum, AA Lifetime Gold, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Platinum, Radisson Premium
Posts: 6,638
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 7_0_6 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/537.51.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/7.0 Mobile/11B651 Safari/9537.53)
Good for the pilot because This is happening a lot lately. Sorry if the Smisek fan club is offended
Good for the pilot because This is happening a lot lately. Sorry if the Smisek fan club is offended
#13
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: DFW
Posts: 270
$10 at Home Depot and I will construct you a way to practice this procedure. However with the financials that UA is showing (and the fab 5 keep defending) it may be too expensive.
#14
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: What I write is my opinion alone..don't read into it anything not written.
Posts: 9,686
No, a new year, a new bid, a new schedule. People working areas they hadn't before or have expired on their training. New bid started a couple of weeks ago, many peoplpe to requalify on different equipment. A few stations outsourced their work. Some of those people choose to move to ORD (and other places) vs collect UAL/taxpayer funded unemployment.
Pilots get to go to DEN (I'm guessing alson HOU) to work for weeks in the simulator when they bid a new piece of equipment. CSR's get run around to meet inbound aircraft of differing types at different jetbridge types to train. The CS method is much cheaper than taking us out of service for weeks and paying for sim/hotel/meal time. I'm betting our trainers are cheaper than theirs too, but if the pilot would like, I would be happy to take a few weeks off with pay, go to DEN, and train on a jetbridge simulator. I'd venture we have more types of jetbridges than types of aircraft, and we'd like to meet at least one of each type on 1 of each type. You know, a single successful meeting ensures no aircraft damage ever (/sarcasm)
...and we pass the savings on to you!
Pilots get to go to DEN (I'm guessing alson HOU) to work for weeks in the simulator when they bid a new piece of equipment. CSR's get run around to meet inbound aircraft of differing types at different jetbridge types to train. The CS method is much cheaper than taking us out of service for weeks and paying for sim/hotel/meal time. I'm betting our trainers are cheaper than theirs too, but if the pilot would like, I would be happy to take a few weeks off with pay, go to DEN, and train on a jetbridge simulator. I'd venture we have more types of jetbridges than types of aircraft, and we'd like to meet at least one of each type on 1 of each type. You know, a single successful meeting ensures no aircraft damage ever (/sarcasm)
...and we pass the savings on to you!
Last edited by fastair; Mar 10, 2014 at 5:30 pm
#15
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: DFW
Posts: 270
It takes weeks to learn jetbridge operation? Is that a serious response or sarcasm?