United 210 - Aug 7th: Flight attendant blames pilots for delayed flight over PA
Aug 9, 2017, 12:28 pm
#31
Join Date: Jan 2017
Programs: UA
Posts: 324
Here's my experience. On an attempt to fly to Europe via EWR, two widebody IAH-EWR in a row mx'ed out.
On a flight from GDL to IAH, Three different tails assigned, TEN different mx delays.
On a flight from PVR to IAH, multiple more hours long mx issues.
I did fly without a mx delay/cancellation twice this year.
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It appears to me the extreme bad service and irrops has been concentrated out of IAH. Either that or I'm just extremely unlucky.
Aug 9, 2017, 12:33 pm
#32
Join Date: Apr 2011
Programs: WN, AA, UA, DL
Posts: 1,313
Be nice to know more of the back story, but shenanigans like this happen more often than you might think. It's just rarely called out publicly. If the pilots were indeed dragging their feet and weren't being asked to do anything crazy, I'm fine with them being called out. They don't get the blame that they sometimes deserve. There's bad apples in the pilot ranks too.
I assume they can waive some contractual limits like the FAs can. But the pilots also have some FAA limits that cannot be avoided.
I assume they can waive some contractual limits like the FAs can. But the pilots also have some FAA limits that cannot be avoided.
Aug 9, 2017, 1:04 pm
#33
Join Date: May 2014
Location: DMV
Posts: 2,092
I think it's bad form for the FA to air out their dirty laundry in public. It's unprofessional to blame your colleagues for stuff to customers - even if they did something wrong.
I have seen UA staff bickering and complaining about the company or other staff more than once, and I've never seen it on another airline. That's not to say it doesn't happen there but it does seem to be worse at UA at least post-merger.
I have seen UA staff bickering and complaining about the company or other staff more than once, and I've never seen it on another airline. That's not to say it doesn't happen there but it does seem to be worse at UA at least post-merger.
Aug 9, 2017, 1:17 pm
#34
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: RNO
Programs: AA/DL/UA
Posts: 10,774
I think it's bad form for the FA to air out their dirty laundry in public. It's unprofessional to blame your colleagues for stuff to customers - even if they did something wrong.
I have seen UA staff bickering and complaining about the company or other staff more than once, and I've never seen it on another airline. That's not to say it doesn't happen there but it does seem to be worse at UA at least post-merger.
I have seen UA staff bickering and complaining about the company or other staff more than once, and I've never seen it on another airline. That's not to say it doesn't happen there but it does seem to be worse at UA at least post-merger.
Aug 9, 2017, 1:19 pm
#35
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Florida
Programs: United 1K, Marriott Ambassador, Hilton Gold
Posts: 673
Be nice to know more of the back story, but shenanigans like this happen more often than you might think. It's just rarely called out publicly. If the pilots were indeed dragging their feet and weren't being asked to do anything crazy, I'm fine with them being called out. They don't get the blame that they sometimes deserve. There's bad apples in the pilot ranks too.
I assume they can waive some contractual limits like the FAs can. But the pilots also have some FAA limits that cannot be avoided.
I assume they can waive some contractual limits like the FAs can. But the pilots also have some FAA limits that cannot be avoided.
Aug 9, 2017, 1:21 pm
#36
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: RNO
Programs: AA/DL/UA
Posts: 10,774
If the pilots hate their job so much they would rather cancel a flight because they can't deadhead but have to WORK for two hours (horrors I know!), they need to find another line of work.
Sadly, the concept of "customer service" at UA is very faint.
Sadly, the concept of "customer service" at UA is very faint.
Aug 9, 2017, 1:40 pm
#37
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 7
Aug 9, 2017, 1:52 pm
#38
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: LFT
Programs: AA Plat, lots of AA, AS, DL, UA miles, former top level CO Elite (sigh...)
Posts: 10,795
I work in the aviation industry. The pilots at our company can actually fly a maximum of 10 hours during any given day and be on duty for no more than 14 hours during the same day.
Aug 9, 2017, 2:03 pm
#39
Join Date: Jul 2001
Posts: 2,925
In June, I had an issue with this same flight 210, MSY-IAD. I posted about it in the "Cancelled/Delayed Domestic Flights" thread. Only this time, it was a FA issue. Crew had overnighted in MSY and the next day, one of the FAs was not at the airport. They finally located her and said that she was on the way, however, she never showed. Fortunately, there was a local FA flying to IAD to work a TATL. He volunteered to work in her place, although he wouldn't be able to work his original TATL flight. Our flight was delayed about one hour.
Aug 9, 2017, 2:24 pm
#40
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: SFO/SMF
Programs: Holder of six "persona non-grata" awards
Posts: 1,914
Okay, so I'm a novice with all this insight, but the OP indicated the email sent following incident pointed to poor weather as the cause of the cancellation. Isn't this an outright lie, and if so, doesn't the FAA (or similar oversight organization) have the ability to levy large fines for overt deception?
Aug 9, 2017, 2:30 pm
#41
Join Date: May 2014
Location: DMV
Posts: 2,092
No, that is exactly what they should do for something that affects the passengers. "Dirty laundry" that should be kept away from the public is stuff like whining about the pay, hours, base, etc. But this is not dirty laundry. This is an illegal job action and the perpetrators should be fired. NEVER bite the hand that feeds you. Take your complaints to a message board.
Aug 9, 2017, 4:20 pm
#42
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: COS
Programs: UA Gold/1.5MM (several years running now!), Marriott LTTE, Hertz Prez
Posts: 1,899
Customers gain the ability to complain more effectively. Corporate image deserves to suffer, if true (and it appears to be from what I've read here - and I was around for SFH, so nothing is outside of the realm of possibility from my perspective). In fact, the prospect of injury to corporate image is one of the few things on Earth that can motivate a large corporation like UA to take action against misbehaving but expensive/valuable employees - pilots, no less.
Aug 9, 2017, 4:23 pm
#43
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: IND
Posts: 301
Customers gain the ability to complain more effectively. Corporate image deserves to suffer, if true (and it appears to be from what I've read here - and I was around for SFH, so nothing is outside of the realm of possibility from my perspective). In fact, the prospect of injury to corporate image is one of the few things on Earth that can motivate a large corporation like UA to take action against misbehaving but expensive/valuable employees - pilots, no less.
Aug 9, 2017, 8:34 pm
#45
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 205
No.. The should get a medal. And the Pilots should be fired.
Given my experience with UA this summer, it appears as if there's some sort of labor beef going on, usually concentrating on mx issues. It wouldn't surprise me that it might be the pilots behind it.
I look forward to flying more flights on the ME3 and Norweigian if they don't fix it soon.
Given my experience with UA this summer, it appears as if there's some sort of labor beef going on, usually concentrating on mx issues. It wouldn't surprise me that it might be the pilots behind it.
I look forward to flying more flights on the ME3 and Norweigian if they don't fix it soon.