PSA good and bad please!

[jeff99gr]

interviews

Just wondered if anyone has an idea if PSA is interviewing. Got an email last week and application packet. Filled it out and overnighted it back but haven't heard anything for a couple of days.

 

[sidekix01]

give them a break

I have to comment on this one...I work side by side with scheduling and I think they are one of the most valuable parts of an airline. I am constantly hearing of a crew member calling off sick 5 mins prior to show. Where is the respect in that? Respect to the passengers, scheduling, and the company as a whole?? For some reason everyone thinks that the scheduling department are all incompetent. I would love to see one of you "high and mighty" pilots work one day as a scheduler and see what goes on. Lets see if you can do a better job, I doubt it. I will be the first to admit, there are some great crewmembers out there, ones that always are willing to help, return phone calls, and cooperate. The reason scheduling has to hold releases is b/c crewmembers won't call back, but yet they would be the first to complain if they had a family emergency and wasn't notified...Come on, we all work for the same company, lets act like it!

ABC,

Dispatch routinely withholds flight paperwork from captains because a crew scheduler needs someone in his crew to call them. Why would any professional dispatcher, deserving respect, be influenced in this way? Is the dispatch department now a subsidiary of crew scheduling?

It hasn't happened to me yet....and as far as I am concerned, if the paperwork doesn't get to me, it's a dispatch delay, or even worse, a cancellation.

 

[ex j-41]

Respect

have to comment on this one...I work side by side with scheduling and I think they are one of the most valuable parts of an airline. I am constantly hearing of a crew member calling off sick 5 mins prior to show. Where is the respect in that? Respect to the passengers, scheduling, and the company as a whole?? For some reason everyone thinks that the scheduling department are all incompetent. I would love to see one of you "high and mighty" pilots work one day as a scheduler and see what goes on. Lets see if you can do a better job, I doubt it. I will be the first to admit, there are some great crewmembers out there, ones that always are willing to help, return phone calls, and cooperate. The reason scheduling has to hold releases is b/c crewmembers won't call back, but yet they would be the first to complain if they had a family emergency and wasn't notified...Come on, we all work for the same company, lets act like it!

I agree and it comes down to respect. Respect for co-workers and customers.
If not for the passengers we would not have a job.
Why do we hire flight attendents that hate people? (Save this for
another time).

I would like to see a scheduler sit a 4 day with a crew in the flightdeck.
Our job is tough too. Wake up at 4:30 for a 5:00 show. 4 days straight.
Take a shower with some old bar of soap left behind. Stains on the
towels. Hair on the bathroom floor and urine all around the toilet. And all
crews know that i am not exagerating. No breakfast, crappy coffee in an
industrial park. Walk on the streets and you are risking your life.
Work 6hrs (NO breakfast yet). Argue with Crew Scheduling why
you need a crew meal. Sir your layover time was 47 min we only have to
give you a crew meal if it is 45 min or less....
Get back into the airplane, fly some more.
Wait 30 min for a crew van to take you to the next industrial park.
Crew van will only take you to the airport so you must walk to a restaurant.
Walk beside a highway. Through a field. No crosswalks....To finally get to
a IHOP.
HOw about those lucky times when you have a 18hr overnight in Dayton Ohio.
What can you possibly do for 18hrs in the Dayton hotel?
Has anyone in scheduling actually spend a night in the Dayton hotel?

After 4 days of this you wonder why crews cringe when they know that
crew scheduling is trying to get a hold of them.
At the end of 4 days we want to see our families sleep in a bed without
bugs, and eat a good meal. I understand that the schedulers have
a tough job. Maybe if crew planning didn't make a 4 day worth 11 hrs you
would not have to worry about so many sick calls.
Please join us. Sit up front and see what we do for 4 days or more at a time.
I would be more than happy to do the same.

 

[sidekix01]

here we go again....

Okay, first of all I am not putting crewmembers down by any means. It comes down to one thing you chose your job, I chose mine. When choosing mine, I realize I have to get up at 3a, come to work for 11 hours with no lunch break, and sometimes get chewed out more than once in a day. Also being there for my family is important that is why I don't have a job that requires time away from home..I understand that the hotel accomadations are probably crappy, but you know scheduling has absolutely nothing to do with that. Also the crew meal issue, the pilot union came up with your contract not scheduling, we try and follow your contract, but it seems as though you only want to follow it, when it is convenient for you, i.e., extension one minute over the 5 hour extension rule, scheduled duty over 15 minutes.
I will be the first to admit there is nothing to do in Dayton, but what can you do, but deal with it. Right? I think there are things we both can do and try and make things run smoother. For example, if you know there is going to be old soap, bring your own, if you know you have a short turn pack a lunch, if you know you will bored out your mind in dayton.....call crew scheduling and take them out.....j/k lol...no but really we can go on and on, we all just need to realize like I said before we do work for the same company! I do agree crew planning makes the schedules that are considered so crappy, pilots bid for them, and then scheduling gets blamed and yelled at for them....

I agree and it comes down to respect. Respect for co-workers and customers.
If not for the passengers we would not have a job.
Why do we hire flight attendents that hate people? (Save this for
another time).

I would like to see a scheduler sit a 4 day with a crew in the flightdeck.
Our job is tough too. Wake up at 4:30 for a 5:00 show. 4 days straight.
Take a shower with some old bar of soap left behind. Stains on the
towels. Hair on the bathroom floor and urine all around the toilet. And all
crews know that i am not exagerating. No breakfast, crappy coffee in an
industrial park. Walk on the streets and you are risking your life.
Work 6hrs (NO breakfast yet). Argue with Crew Scheduling why
you need a crew meal. Sir your layover time was 47 min we only have to
give you a crew meal if it is 45 min or less....
Get back into the airplane, fly some more.
Wait 30 min for a crew van to take you to the next industrial park.
Crew van will only take you to the airport so you must walk to a restaurant.
Walk beside a highway. Through a field. No crosswalks....To finally get to
a IHOP.
HOw about those lucky times when you have a 18hr overnight in Dayton Ohio.
What can you possibly do for 18hrs in the Dayton hotel?
Has anyone in scheduling actually spend a night in the Dayton hotel?

After 4 days of this you wonder why crews cringe when they know that
crew scheduling is trying to get a hold of them.
At the end of 4 days we want to see our families sleep in a bed without
bugs, and eat a good meal. I understand that the schedulers have
a tough job. Maybe if crew planning didn't make a 4 day worth 11 hrs you
would not have to worry about so many sick calls.
Please join us. Sit up front and see what we do for 4 days or more at a time.
I would be more than happy to do the same.

 

[ex j-41]

Lunch

I do agree crew planning makes the schedules that are considered so crappy, pilots bid for them, and then scheduling gets blamed and yelled at for them....

We have to bid....or we get given the leftovers....

call crew scheduling and take them out.....j/k lol...

Ok.....Meet you at the Dayton Airport Hotel for the Buffet.

ewwwwwwwweeeee

Then we call all call in sick at the same time...Heh Heh

 

[Smoking Man]

I have to comment on this one...I work side by side with scheduling and I think they are one of the most valuable parts of an airline. I am constantly hearing of a crew member calling off sick 5 mins prior to show. Where is the respect in that? Respect to the passengers, scheduling, and the company as a whole?? For some reason everyone thinks that the scheduling department are all incompetent. I would love to see one of you "high and mighty" pilots work one day as a scheduler and see what goes on. Lets see if you can do a better job, I doubt it. I will be the first to admit, there are some great crewmembers out there, ones that always are willing to help, return phone calls, and cooperate. The reason scheduling has to hold releases is b/c crewmembers won't call back, but yet they would be the first to complain if they had a family emergency and wasn't notified...Come on, we all work for the same company, lets act like it!

The scheduling/flight crew relationship is a result of years of a spiteful culture. If you truely think the high and mighty could not do a better job, you are sadly blinded by the tree infront of you.

The crew dependibility program was born from the amount of sick calls that flight crews produce in a given period of time. The amount of sick calls was a direct result of the poor productivity in trips and crews being unable to trip trade. Does the phrase "request denied" ring a bell? With people having lives outside of a start early finish late 4 day trip worth 18-19hrs of credit, could you imagaine a soccer game, the wiggles concert or something that your children has that you are not going to miss!!!! So attempts to "do the right thing" and trip trade, results in "request denied". So after years of getting this....(I still have the fax). You raise the middle finger and call in sick.

So approving trip trades is one,

Also have the forsight to check DH crew's before you call out a reserve. More than once it was a waste of peoples time.

Wow I am doing a better job over a laptop already.

As far as this old choosing your job argument, cram that from the start:angryfire . We did choose our job, but the poor schedules, the incorrect hotel, information, 9 am tuna sandwich crew meals, request denied trip trade forms, 9 credit hour start early finish late 4 day trips, only to be extended or junior manned due to being properly staffed is something that was decided for them.

I can tell you that at other airlines that value there employees( ) and has a system that allows the crews the flexibility to trade drop and swap makes for an environment that does not require a crew dependability uzi: ) program.

Sounds crazy right?

Note all of the above is IMHO.

 

[boomer71]

Just thought I would jump in here. I work in dispatch. Where to begin. I would love to go out on a 4 day trip with a crew, but there is just one problem I have with that. I will NOT receive any pay, get a hotel room provided for me or get fed during this time....I will be out of pocket for all of that...dispatchers don't make alot of money so I guess that is out for the time being. By the way, I stayed at the Dayon Airport Hotel...it's a dump...and guess whatelse...PSA owns part of that gem. Go Figure.

Next, the reason why dispatch hold releases for crew scheduling is because certain indiviuals, mainly flight attendants, in recent times have refused to call back. I had a dicussion with a capt., during the recent holidays, that his two FAs need to call crew schedule at there next stop. He told me that he will let them know, and I also gave him a heads-up that when he got to his next stop I would be hold his release. He said OK and that was that. No fuss/No muss. Now I hear on this board that is dispatch's fault. Yes, we are holding your realase. Do I agreed with that method....NO, but I do as instructed to do by my superiors....YES. I follow those instructions or I could be on the mat for insubordination. I do not have a union to protect me and to save my job!!!!!!!!!!!

Last, I would like to address. Some myths that some may have about dispatch.

1. Dispatch does not control crew meals......that is done by a person in crew sked. Who is Mon-Thur 10 hours a days.

2. The reason why sometimes you are not answered on the ACARS is simple...we are busy!!!! I work the 700s, and if you work 700s you are going to get alot of msg traffic. I try to answer everyone of those msgs, but it gets to be to much when you are dealing atc, weather, and maint. issues. Example: Last Week we had fog in CLT....I had multi. a/c holding for CLT. I get a msg about a crew meal, so I printed that msg and gave to someone in crw sked. Whether or not you recieve your meal is out of my hands. Also, low on my priority list to response to that msg., escpecially when a/c are holding for a field. By the way, we had 8 diverts that day in a period of one hour.

Well, that's all I have to say so far.

Blue Skies

B

 

[nethan]

I can tell you that at other airlines that value there employees( ) and has a system that allows the crews the flexibility to trade drop and swap makes for an environment that does not require a crew dependability uzi: ) program.

I've said it before... my biggest complaint (and one of my only really) with the whole deal here, especially sitting reserve, is that there is no transparency as far as scheduling is concerned. There is no way to pick up (or even see) open time in real time. There is no way to know if the really are at minimum crew coverage when asking to drop a day. There is no way to tell if a trip you are trying to pick up is really gone or they just found a cheaper way to assign it. I know software costs money, but it's the small things that would make the crews happier, at least in my opinion.

 

[PSAChiefPilots]

the wiggles concert or something that your children has that you are not going to miss!!!!

Is this what I have to look forward to??? Smoking, If my kid wants to see a Wiggles concert, You're taking a paternity test! And next time your at my house, Don't let my kids watch that Purple Dinosaur either.

PSACPSP

 

[eaglehaslanded]

Bluestreakers:
take a look at pilot employee handbook (blue cover) sec 5 standards of conduct and i.t. policy sec 7, 8, 9.

Take care