Stupid Flight Crew tricks

[Homer Jay]

That's exactly the point! Airline management took my passion and turned it into nothing more than a job. I love to fly, I don't love being treated like a piece of cr@p. And I am a happy person, just unhappy with my pay, qol, and schedule going down the drain.

 

[405]

.......

 

[canyonblue737]

I love the crew members that swap for a trip and then call in sick for it. I'm especially thrilled at all the ones that think that they have a god given right to be off on the holidays while the rest of us are working.

there is abuse no doubt but this new years i was dying sick, 103.5 fever for days and couldn't get out of bed. i *had* to call is sick and frankly was "sick" over having to do it. sometimes stuff happens.

 

[405]

.......

 

[rvsm410]

NOthing is stopping you..

Well, I hate dispatching. It's a thankless job where I work. Our computers suck and we have to type every crew name on every release by hand. Almost every way we do business is absolutely absurd.

I understand what you say, I have been in either from visits, interviews, or work in most dispatch offices, know many many dispatchers from most of them, your not alone... BUt nothing is keeping you there, the pay is certainly replaceable, the hours are instantly improved over airline schedules..leave..to be excellent at anything you have to love it.....

Dispatching is not for everyone, it is thankless, most dont know we even exist, and those that due have little respect for those doing the work..I say you have to go out of your way to make other notice you by work excellence above and beyond the normal...JMHO and not aimed at anyone in peticular, just in general...


I happen to have always thought that the pay for dispatchers, was really terrible for the resonsibility the FAA and our respective airlines demand of us...but so are the pays for cops and fireman too...I knew it when I went into the business, turned down many offers over the years and nicely let them know I could and would not perform my craft for the pay offered...it did not halp me, but it was my own way to maybe help the dispatchers of the future..

Good luck to you dispatchers, and keep them safe, make yourself know to your crews and should your value to them every day..

 

[DX Jake]

"...Dispatching is not for everyone, it is thankless, most dont know we even exist, and those that due have little respect for those doing the work."

actually, that's the reason I love my job... no one knows about it. It's the best kept secret, and I'd like to keep it that way. And my pay... I don't deserve this much for what I do, I worked 5 times as hard on the ramp.

 

[Gorilla]

I called in sick two days ago. I'm still on the sick list. I flew Thanksgiving, Xmas eve, Xmas day, the 26th of Dec, Dec 30 and 31. Made it through 3 months of holiday flying.

When I called the crew scheduler, I politely introduced myself, and started to say "I'm on a prescription which prohibits flying..." At that point, I was rudely cut off with "SO... WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO SAY IS YOU'RE CALLING IN SICK? OK BYE" <click> Totally rude tone and attitude.

The FAR's are explicit. The typical person gets 2 to 4 common head colds a year which last about a week. I will NOT fly with a cold; it hurts me badly due to pressurization, and it is totally unfair to the other guy stuck 1 foot away from me for 3 days. There are a LARGE number of sicknesses which you guys can show up for work with, which we cannot. Think of medications - about the only thing we can take is aspirin and sudafed, everything else is pretty much forbidden by name. Taking a narcotic painkiller for a bad back? No fly. An antihistamine? No fly. Depression? BIG TIME no fly, etc etc.

This is a sore spot for me and most other crew. Frankly I am amazed at how healthy pilots are. I understand how minimum manning causes crew sched big time grief... take that up with management.

 

[rvsm410]

You are in Rare territory Jake

I am real happy for your financial success in the dispatch field...owever for the Vast Majority of dispatchers in the regional ranks, its tough to make ends meet, most pay averaging well below the $20 an hour mark with a long way to get there..

It was always strange to me that working for supplemental carriers flying boxes around paid much better than do the Pax...even before todays industry crisis.

Getting hired by the new age Major carriers like SWA, JB, Airtran, Spirit and World, to name a few will prove to be impossible for most and it is there where the possibility of making a really good living exists within 5 years of DOH...at the larger regionals like Skywest, and former ASA it would take a dispatcher 10 + years to get up to the $50k mark (without working OT)...

So I am glad for you, you have your cake and seem to be eating it too! ::beer:

 

[El Ocho]

OK... What I don't get is why the dispatchers take all this stuff personal?

If I call in sick it is not to spite my dispatcher!

If I have a miserable schedule that gives me no allowance to take a personal day off, or makes no attempt to have commutable lines, so I have to call in sick occasionally, it is not to spite my dispatcher!

Just do your job, the best you can, and don't take it all so personal!

AND, why can't we work together rather than at odds? If I call and ask for something, it is not because I want to make more work for you. I probably just need it!

I'm not against you, please don't be against me.

Believe me, any stupid flight crew tricks are not intended to harm you, only to get a little occasional breathing room!

Just let it be! Don't fight it, because it is not ment to spite you!

 

[rvsm410]

El Ocho,

I never took a flight crews call in personal as a dispatcher, frankly, it usualy something we would not even know about...when a release is worked out, a crew shows up on the program which was populated by the screw sched department...the only thing of interest to a dispatcher on a normal daliy basis would be if the CPT is low mins....

As for working with my crews, I can only speak for the way I did it, I never ever argued with my crews, when they needed something, I took it personally to understand the request and evaluate the situation, if I could not approve or agree with a crew, I would always have an alternative solution allon with a reason for not agreeing with the original reguest...

My job as a dispatcher is to be your eyes on the ground and a backup and oversight system to the flight you are about to embark...my job IS to make the flight safe and provide you the crew the relief of doing much of the preflight planning...

If you are having trouble with your dispatchers, eval the reasons why, are they young, is there a corporate culture that allows poor communications ec...I would suggest paying the dispatch office a visit, meet the dispatchers, talk with the CP and DX mgr, maybe start a process improvment program yourself...some one has too..good luck..