Cream of the crap!

[DAL737FO]

dsee8driver,

If you don't mind, I'd like a little more information before I yell BS at you. First off were you standing there and denied a ride on the hotel shuttle (if this is the case maybe you should have a gut check) or were given the sob story from the van driver when he picked you up. The story goes like this:

Van driver picks up a crew and is about half way to the hotel when the front desk calls and says there is another crew to pick up at the airport. The van driver continues to the hotel and returns for said crew. When he gets there he tells the crew that has been waiting that the previous crew wouldn't let him either A. turn around or B. share the van. Either way he is sorry for what the pilots at XYZ airline did to you.

Like someone said earlier in the thread, sometimes the van is contracted. I know that Boston is contracted and THE VAN DRIVER, not the crews, leaves people behind. It wasn't personal he just didn't want to give his companies service up for free.

If you give me a time, date and hotel name I can give you any specifics you want, that is of course you actually want information and not just a rant against those evil legacy guys.

 

[On Your Six]

I've seen SWA and Delta crews in the same van. Sounds like a bogus exucse from a lazy van driver.

 

[Rook]

I've seen SWA and Delta crews in the same van. Sounds like a bogus exucse from a lazy van driver.

Yeah 6 you'd think so, but I also had it happen to my crew at the D-Tree in LIT.

But in DAL's defense they let us ride with them to the hotel to LIT the next time we flew in.

 

[Bavarian Chef]

I've seen SWA and Delta crews in the same van. Sounds like a bogus exucse from a lazy van driver.

Gee wonder why. Free chics or cheap(er) booze? I always belly up to the luv crews.

 

[JohnQ]

It depends on the situation. If it is a hotel van with the hotel's name on it, I cannot imagine any DAL (or any other) crew trying to claim the van just for themselves. If they do they are jerks.

That said at many stations (JFK and LGA come to mind, but there are many others) we have specific PAID FOR vans that are "limo" services that are paid for by DAL, for DAL crews--just like many other airlines also have. Then you occasionally have freeloaders who think that just because they are airline crew (not necessarily on duty!) who think they have a right to a free ride into town.

Here are two good examples. We were staying in Manhattan and had a van just for us two pilots over to JFK. Another guy (in civvies) was waiting for the van and just hopped on board. He told me that he was in town for a few days and was a DAL pilot (he was, by the way). I just assumed he was on company business. It wasn't until halfway to JFK that he told us he was just in town to "have fun." The more he talked, the more evident it was that he was his own greatest fan.

The think that blew us away was his arrogance in not even requesting a free ride. Would we have been happy to do it. Absolutely! There was plenty of room and he was a fellow DAL pilot. We could not conceive of any other option. But he never asked--just took the free van ride because he felt he could. It would be like a jumpseater just hopping on board and saying, "hey captain, I'm on the jumpseat, I'll take a seat in the back, see ya later."

Even worse was a couple of years ago when I flew a charter flight to Cabo (yes, someone has to do it). We had this non-rev couple wondering if they could please hop on the crew van because they were a pilot/FA couple and they would sure appreciate it....turns out they weren't even DAL! The captain should have told them to go stuff themselves, but he didn't, so we were very cramped in a somewhat small van (the whole crew, pilots and FAs) so these freeloaders could avoid a taxi fee.

Make sure you get the whole story before you just bash the accused...and sometimes they too are wrong.

 

[Soccer Stud]

I was in FLL on vacation in the lobby of a hotel, Monday. The DAL Capt and crew offered a ride to a SWA passenger to the airport on their contract van.

 

[geshields]

It's all about helping each other out. About 9-10 months ago in Columbus, we were waiting on a van. One driver said he was waiting for XXX airline. These were private companies but it still had our limo name on the side. He refused to take us. An AWA crew was in the next van over and offered us a ride to our hotel. Of course we said yes.

Best part of all is one of the AWA F/A's (female and cute) rode on my lap all the way to the downtown hotel. The AWA captain even remarked that the smile never left my face all the way to the hotel...

 

[blzr]

I would get on the van and fart all the way to the airport just to piss someone like that off.

 

[Lear70]

Had this happen in PHL with an AA crew. We were already on the van and they were P.O.'d and wouldn't get in.

It would have filled every seat, but no one would have had to sit double or be unsafe, but they still refused to get in and gave the driver a rash of crap for not picking them up first.

Next week, same thing, except THAT crew went ahead and piled in, amongst disgusted looks from one or two of the crew (most were fine, and just wanted to get to the hotel).

I'd have preferred they DID take the next van, as their hotel was out of the way through bumper to bumper traffic and took us 15 extra minutes to get to the hotel, but I digress...

It happens, just that most of the time the crews are cool enough not to give a sh*t.

 

[crashpad]

I support van segregation. These are airline professionals who have the right to remain well-rested, focused and stress-free as much as possible.
How many times have you gotten in the van before the sun rises, only to be crammed in with a low cost crew who are late and then start yammering like it's the shank of the day? The Captain has no authority over this crew, their own Captain is too wet behind the ears to know proper van ediquette.