Cream of the crap!

[dsee8driver]

Last week I arrived in PHL and had to wait 1.5 hrs for the van to show up because, "The Delta Crew cannot ride with anyone else in van." Heard the same from a Continental crew a while back. What's with this practice? I bet your crap still stinks and you button your pants same as me.

 

[warbirdfinder]

Don't fall for that old story, crap like that has been floating around for years and the story always involved a Delta crew. The only time in 39 years of flying that I know of a crew not wanting to ride with another, was at Western when my crew refused to ride in a hotel van with a Continental scab crew.

 

[Andy]

The only time in 39 years of flying that I know of a crew not wanting to ride with another, was at Western when my crew refused to ride in a hotel van with a Continental scab crew.

Yeah, I'd also wait for the next van.

 

[acarpe3448]

No offense but you sound like an idiot! You allow a Delta crew to tell you that you are not allowed on a bus that they do not own? Why did'nt you tell them them "fine you try to keep me off this van"? What do you think a police officer would have said? You actually think that anyone has the right to tell you that you do not have the right to get on a hotel bus? Second, why the hell did you wait around for an hour and a half? Have you ever heard of a taxi? I think this thread stinks of an attempt to attack these two pilot groups, nothing more! I encourage everyone to spit this hook out! I call B.S. on this guys post!

 

[AA717driver]

I've seen both an AA crew and a Delta crew do it. I've seen some not do it. Possibly, if they didn't want to cram into a van and were willing to wait for another one, I can see it happening.

I will give dsee8 the award for best thread title, though. TC

P.S.--One of the best lines I've heard in aviation was by Golden Falcon many years ago when he had an altercation with an uppity Delta crew: "Those a$$holes think they $h!t Haagen-Dasz". LMAO.

 

[MD11Drvr]

Had this happen in Dayton, OH. The Holiday Inn Driver tells me he will have to ask the Capt. if I can ride in the van. I liked this driver as I had been going to this Hotel many years. I said to him "Top" ask away, I am going to sit right here in the front seat and as long as it does not get you into any real trouble to hell with him. The Capt had this sour puss look on his face the whole ride to the airport. I am not sure what it is but I have had this happen twice and both times Delta. And to say I have a bone to pick is wrong my father is retired 32yrs from delta and he still bleeds Delta colors. He has been retired since 1988 and still misses the place. I have an affection for Delta that I can't shake because it is not the C.E. Woolman's delta anymore. So this is not a Delta bash just an observation. This may be left over from the days when all wanted to work for Delta and they were acosted like rock stars in hotel vans for recomendations. I have seen guys who think you can get letter out of a guy from a van ride to the airport. I have never asked and do not even strike a conversation unless it feels riight. By the way I'm sure Delta like all others have thier 10% +/- jerks as the world is saddled with them to make the rest look good. Good Luck to us all..........

 

[Jim Smyth]

Certain airlines contract with there hotel, vans that are dedicated/paid for the flight crews and specific flight numbers. This means a dedicated van just for them per there contract.

Now with that being said I would never leave another crew or passangers for that matter at the airport or hotel if there was room on the van. Delta over the years was the worst in this matter but over the last few years and the money problems they have had it seems they are now mostly willing to split vans with other airlines. I know I have rode with them on a few occasions in the last year or so which in the past would have never happened.

 

[clickclickboom]

Just ask any JB pilot if that happens in PHX with Us Air who uses the same hotel.

 

[MD11Drvr]

I hear what you are saying about contract with hotel and all, But like you I would not leave someone behind for the next van. With that said I thinks its fair to say if various crew members feel strongly that they rate a private ride then I would suggest a contract with one of the many limosine services. For that matter, some I am sure feel they would rate a stretched Hummer. As long as the van says the hotels name on the side it should take all to its capacity. And I agree the Hotels should not sign a contract of this nature just to lure the business. In Fact ATI does (did) all of thier training in Dayton and stayed at this very hotel. World had anywhere from 6 to 18 plus crewmembers there any given night and could have asked for this provision in thier contract with the hotel. I am quite sure it never crossed anyones mind to ask for a private ride. Maybe it just a different mind set.

 

[flatspin7]

I can assure that CAL has no such "own van" rule in regular hotel vans. And I have never seen anyone have a problem picking up another crew on the way to the hotel.

We do on occasion (normally international) use a private van service to get to the hotel and that is just CAL crew only because that is specifically contracted by the airline.

 

[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.