New ASA Boarding Procedure w/o Pilots!

[ACL65PILOT]

It is about time. It makes a 40 minute turn with a swap doable. We do it at DAL every day. We show up 15 min before departure and normally make it out on time.

 

[www.]

Maybe you missed the part about the ONE flight attendant we have on our aircraft. That means that ONE FA is going to be telling 50 panicked people what to do alone. How many passengers will totally lose their poop? Our FA is going to have to ask one of them to do this and another to do that, because our FA can't leave the aircraft?

This whole procedure is silly. It invites trouble and clearly was not designed for us. Comparing our plane to Delta's is not valid-they always have at least 3 or more Flight attendants available to handle things.

If anything happens, just wait and see what a legal poop storm comes up!

Once again, you fly airplanes, you don't manage the airline. Your not on the aircraft means you have no liability. Who cares about the legal storm. It's not your problem.

 

[John Pennekamp]

I'd be curious to hear from some ASA F/A's about this.

Here's what one FA had to say... forwarded message below:

Dear Anthony,
I have a few questions regarding the new turn regulations that were not addressed in the FAQ's email: To begin with, in some cases the F/A will be performing many service duties while waiting for the pilots to show up such as serving water to PAX's who take medication and serving food to PAX's who have low blood-sugar levels - that is, if the F/A doesn't just initially decide to do a full water and snack service to everyone as a way of distracting the PAX's from the delay which would be the act of a good hostess/host. These are duties that are typically reserved for block-time pay. Will the F/A receive block pay while on the ground entertaining the PAX's and waiting for the pilots? If not and the F/A refuses to do extra work for no extra pay, then do you think the PAX's will be happy waiting on a potentially hot, small-enclosed A/C with a smelly one-person bathroom that stinks to high-heaven when it's flushed and no access to food and drink, or do you think they'd be more comfortable waiting in the gate area where they would have access to all of the above in more abundance and higher quality?
On the same note, I know that there's supposed to be a working air cart hooked up, but what if there's not? Sure we can try to notify someone, but, in reality, every ATL employee is super-busy with just their basic duties, and it could take a while to actually get a hold of someone, and then it could take an even longer while for someone to actually hook up the cart. That's a lot of time in a tightly-enclosed area with 50 hot and disgruntled strangers. Furthermore, since the F/A is not allowed to deplane for any reason while there are PAX's on board, are we expected to force a PAX to call someone on the jet way phone about the lack of air or force a PAX to go all the way back up the jet bridge and inform a gate agent? I don't think the PAX's want to feel as if they are being forced to work for their own flight - not to mention the fact that I have no clue how to operate that jet way phone - let alone instruct someone else on it. Are we going to be trained on it?
Plus, maybe the caterers and cleaners are faster in concourses A & B, but in C & D they can be as slow as Christmas. Just because the PAX's are ready to board, doesn't mean that the flight will depart any sooner. We all may still have to wait for those departments to perform their duties in order to go, and it's more difficult and time-consuming for them and the F/A to do their job if there are 50 people in the way. I know that I can never delay a flight due to trash in the cabin or lack of catering, but it's pretty "ghetto" when the flight has to go without one or both of those elements being achieved. I'm sure I don't have to remind you that PAX's remeber the cleanliness and options of food and drink when booking another flight in the future.
In conclusion, please don't think these questions are coming from a lazy employee who only wants to do as little work as possible. On the contrary, as a F/A who takes a lot of pride in the above-and-beyond service that I provide, I prefer to have the opportunity to fully prepare the A/C for our valuable customers from whom we are all trying to get repeat business. For example, I lay out water on every PAX's seat before they board, and I walk through the cabin offering snacks from the serving basket before the flight ever departs. And I execute all this and the typical cleaning and catering duties that every ASA F/A has to do - and I do it without ever delaying a flight. I find nothing more important in the field of commercial aviation than transporting our PAX's as fast as possible so they can all make their connecting flights or other engagements. I feel like this new system is punishing those that already work very hard to turn A/C's in an extremely minute amount of time. Most ASA employees in the in-flight department are already very disgruntled for reasons pertaining to an appearance of lack of company appreciation. Putting more stress on an already stressful job that pays very little is not a good company-morale boosting move. I believe in this company, though, and I believe that we, operating in smaller A/C's, can offer better customer service and give more personal attention to our PAX's. The safety, quality and speed of our operation is what will make us great. The F/A's are doing all that we can. Please don't punish us for a job already well-done.
Thank you for your time,

******

 

[ASARJMan]

Great letter, but again, for now this only applies at concourses A and B. Please read the memo!

 

[Smacktard]

Also, let's face it, the FAs who will be babysitting these aircraft will more than likely be the most junior FAs.

I didn't realize we had the ability to bid for trips that go in and out of A and B... Are they only sending airplanes with reserve FAs over to concourse A/B?

 

[John Pennekamp]

I didn't realize we had the ability to bid for trips that go in and out of A and B... Are they only sending airplanes with reserve FAs over to concourse A/B?

Uh, no, they will be calling reserve FAs to go sit on these planes until the real crews show up. Or extending more senior FAs to do it.

 

[Stifler's Mom]

Don't worry everybody. This is just a warm up for next week. For all you non-ASAers, we have another round of contract negotiations next week, and when they're over, you're all gonna wish we were still on this new boarding policy.

Until then, keep warming up with this topic so we're all in midseason form come next week.:uzi:

 

[John Pennekamp]

In other words, if you commute to work, it would be a bad idea to rely on ASA for the next few weeks.

 

[Stifler's Mom]

In other words, if you commute to work, it would be a bad idea to rely on ASA for the next few weeks.

Doesn't it say something about your company if your own pilots avoid commuting on you?

 

[701EV]

Man you guys can't see the forest because the trees are in the way! Who do you think wants it
this way? DELTA. Who is telling ASA to park at every concourse in ATL? DELTA. Who is involved in every decision that is made at ASA lately? DELTA. When was the last time we heard from Uncle Jerry? Can you read between the lines. A man in the ramp tower recentlly told me, Sir Delta does this everyday. We know that Delta is a fine tuned machine in many ways. Read between the lines!

701EV