ASA to Commit Schedule Suicide for June

[ASApuppy]

Anyone gander at their June schedule on SkedPlus+? In case you haven't, I'll let you in one a little tidbit... Apperantly, crew planning got some idea that our F/A's need to be on a different planet. Just about every time I come through ATL next month, I swap F/A's. Some trips I have them for only one leg. Swaps in outstations too. I have one 4 day trip with 12 total legs and 8 different F/A's. I would love to know what metric they are trying to optimize by doing this.

Clearly this will go as smooth as a baby's butt as I sit around at D36 waiting for the rest of my crew that just parked at C57 with a 40 min turn. Glad we are in the new lounge as we will need it to park all the ready reserves that will need to be called in.

It is May 19th, and I'd like to be the first to declare we will not meet our on-time goals for June. Worst part is, we, who actually run the flights, can do absolutely nothing about this. Our hands are tied, hog-style.

 

[SLUF4]

people on here will bash you if you say crew planning isn't doing a good job. we are being cheap afterall!

 

[Stifler's Mom]

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would love to see who came up with this idea and what their explanation is. No need to reinvent the wheel.

On a side note, I know we all hate Captain's that say they "fly standard" in their briefing, but I will be sick to death if I have to brief FA's 10 different times over a 4-day period.

I'm really seeing the benefits of saying, "1:15 to ge there, no weather in the area, everything else standard." (or something like that).

 

[Broke in CVG]

you forgot.... "I'm not your best friend, your Shrink, or your Daddy, so I don't want to hear about it."

 

[regionalcap]

Just as a side note, we do this everyday at Delta. It can actually help sometimes. You can be running a few minutes late and the flight attendants are already there boarding.

 

[DoinTime]

We used to do that years ago at Pinnacle. Its definitely cheaper as the flight attendants can be worked harder due to a lack of flight time restrictions but throw in a bad weather day and you are screwed when everyone misconnects due to delayed flights. Expect your on-time and completion numbers to take a hit.

 

[WMUSIGPI]

We used to do that years ago at Pinnacle. Its definitely cheaper as the flight attendants can be worked harder due to a lack of flight time restrictions but throw in a bad weather day and you are screwed when everyone misconnects due to delayed flights. Expect your on-time and completion numbers to take a hit.

That is the exact reason given why the company will still build the pairings when we go to PBS. It works fine at a major where they control their schedule and generally have longer turns involved. It doesn't work as well at a regional where it is not in control of when it is scheduled to come and go.
Not sure if I totally buy it but if there is ANY part of our crew planning involved, efficency drops dramatically..... I'm going to go with PBS will really suck because of this.

 

[Oakum_Boy]

Just as a side note, we do this everyday at Delta. It can actually help sometimes. You can be running a few minutes late and the flight attendants are already there boarding.

,
That'll work well when you factor in the airplane will probably require some maintenance action, the gate will not have respected the MAX, dispatch will have probably hosed up the release, etc. This isn't mainline and will never operate like it no matter how hard the G.O. likes to think it can.

 

[ACL65PILOT]

It will work. You will have quick turns, show up to an airplane and it will be boarded and go. They will come to ATL have a three to five hr sit and then have every thing ready and in the middle of the boarding process when you show up.

I have been able to do a 20 min turn in a 767 with a plane change and a different concourse because of this. It works out well for us, but not so efficient for them.
IMHO I bed with the jetways on C you will see a change in policy in regards to needing a pilot on board prior to boarding. You will just leave it powered up and on ground power so they can board.

 

[Oakum_Boy]

Oh wait, pilots will now be deferring equipment in Atlanta. Sounds like a serious commitment to safety.

 

[Brasilia Pup]

Everyone, now wait just a minute!!! You forgot one important thing...

Mesa Sucks!!!

Ok, now back to our original discussion...

 

[1080P]

Going to be a blast doing a 20 min turn at an outstation while swapping fa's.
I can here it now talk talk talk talk......... "oh my god how have you been...... you know who I saw the other day...........have you seen ..... from our new hire class............ what are flying next month...............................................
Bad idea just b/c they are short staffed.

 

[Tarzan]

It will work. You will have quick turns, show up to an airplane and it will be boarded and go. They will come to ATL have a three to five hr sit and then have every thing ready and in the middle of the boarding process when you show up.

I have been able to do a 20 min turn in a 767 with a plane change and a different concourse because of this. It works out well for us, but not so efficient for them.
IMHO I bed with the jetways on C you will see a change in policy in regards to needing a pilot on board prior to boarding. You will just leave it powered up and on ground power so they can board.

What? You gotta be sh1ttin me. We sit for three hours with a plane and these buffoons on C or D still can't get us out on time.

Me: Ops, we need fuel, lav dump, catering, cleaning.
Ops: Dats a gud copy.

45 minutes later.....
Me: Ops, we still need everything and the pax are about to be boarded. Can't board if the plane is dirty.
Ops: Copy.

20 minutes later....
Me: Ops, we need fuel and send catering back to the plane. We still need the lavs dumped.



Later, we check to see who the delay was on and you guessed it: Crew, late checklist.

How in the ******************** is this supposed to work when Delta can't get the rest of their ducks in a row?

 

[Oakum_Boy]

Delta and ASA always dump their problems on the front-line people. They cut the staffing and say- make it work. At mainline, it's not the pilots' problem. At ASA and other DCI "airlines" it all winds up on the pilots and flight attendants. As they say, ******************** rolls downhill.

 

[SLUF4]

We did for a while have boarding with just the FA's, but I think it went away or never really got off the ground

 

[spudskier]

but that's the problem, typically the airplane stays with the CA if not the CA and FO. They try to keep the airplane with the pilots, not the FA, so the FA cannot pre-board without us since we also have the plane...

scenario:
pull into D36T, off load the pax, 3 wheel chairs, no one shows up for the meet and assist for at least 15 minutes, oops, one is a straight back chair, I think they have one on the C-concourse... finally everyone is off 30 minutes after we got there. FAs swap out 10 mins later since new FA's previous flight was late. She throws her stuff on board and we're ready for the pax 10 mins before D-0... gate agent starts sending the pax one by one, a few get lost and try to board other airplanes, some put their pink tags on the wrong baggage thingy... finally we get everyone on by 5 mins past D-0 and the fueler has finally showed up. D-0+15 we're ready for pushback but it's shift-change in da ATL-hole and the ramp is clogged with the afternoon rush. D-0+30 we're finally rolling backwards... let's go play in traffic. Metering on the south-side and we're assigned Rwy28.

A-14!? fughedaboutiiiit

 

[Plainsman]

I'd like to see that slick haired Dick Anderson get his ass over to the bottom of D27 and see how his company treats persons with disabilities and um's in that freaking holding cage. I bet those parents wonder where their kids pick up the f bomb and ebonics speech after 30 minutes in that joint. Delta you can do better than that!

 

[LazyLightnin']

I'd like to see that slick haired Dick Anderson get his ass over to the bottom of D27 and see how his company treats persons with disabilities and um's in that freaking holding cage. I bet those parents wonder where their kids pick up the f bomb and ebonics speech after 30 minutes in that joint. Delta you can do better than that!

Delta's not totally to blame. The blame lies with affirmative action. An unnecessary relic of a by-gone age.

 

[Oakum_Boy]

those poor UM's look shell shocked. Like they're sitting on death row...

 

[atlcrjdriver]

The actions the company is taking are in-line to try and get the summer skd done w/ as few disruptions as possible. While building pairings that keep the entire crew together for the whole month was convenient for us it never was efficient. When you have a different number of F/A vs F/O and CA positions by seperating them it gives the company and crewmembers more options. While we may be swapping out crewmembers more often, as stated, this has been done at other carriers for a long time now so we are simply catching up and not breaking new ground here. The auto-board process w/o pilots onboard can only be done on gate w/ ground power and air (for the summer months). On occassion I would expect tho see RR F/As fill in to expedite boarding if the skd F/A was running late.

As for the new MTC procedure in ATL, what do you do at an outstation when a deferable item breaks. You call MCC and have it defered. Why can't you follow the same process in ATL? Why should I pull a mechanic off an A/C with an item that cannot be defered just to fill out paperwork that I can do myself?

As for the room on D-conc for WC and UMs, this is only a transfer room and not a "holding pin". They are only there long enough to confirm a gate and have someone take them out. If a child has a lengthy L/O then they are taken to Dusty's Den. This job has nothing to do with AA as I have been there and done that years ago. It is a low paying thank-less job that many people simply don't want yet these people do and they have gotten better.

While it is not a perfect system it is a viable system.