Many junior flight attendants at American Airlines are livid. They need to stop and count their blessings. I know, so easy for me to say from the comfort of my armchair. But hear me out.
Why Junior American Airlines Flight Attendants Are Angry
The CARES Act guarantees that flight attendants will be paid for the minimum monthly hours they usually get for flying whether they fly or not. With AA planning a May schedule that has been cut by more than 75% versus May 2019, there is simply not enough work to go around.
American Airlines’ antiquated flight bidding system is (allegedly) unable to accommodate “opt-in” bidding or reduced hours for flight attendants. While that sounds suspicious, the fact that so many airline systems are still operating with antiquated 1970s and 1980s technology does not make this a surprise. As such, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA), the union representing AA flight attendants, was forced to develop a solution.
APFA decided that May flights would only be assigned to the most junior flight attendants, explaining its reasoning here. Junior flight attendants will bid while senior flight attendants will get the entire month off.
In other words, senior flight attendants will be paid more to sit at home while junior flight attendants will continue to work for lower pay. Unsurprisingly, there is anger among junior flight attendants for this union decision.
Indeed, The Situation Isn’t Fair For Junior American AA Attendants
There is no question there are problems to this approach. American’s junior flight attendants are understandably upset. Lines (routes) are awarded based upon seniority. Senior flight attendants are given preferential lines and junior flight attendants get the leftovers or fly reserve, not even sure where they will fly until they receive a phone call in the middle of the night. Now, instead of also awarding routes based upon seniority, the opposite is occurring: juniors are assigned while seniors stay home.
The idea that your senior colleagues are paid far more than you to sit home and do nothing must be upsetting.
Be Thankful, Be Thankful, Be Thankful
Junior AA flight attendants have taken to the APFA Facebook group to express their outrage. Much of the anger is directed at the union itself. Here are some samples:
“Having a policy that forces part of the workgroup to bear the entire burden of working during a pandemic is a financial and divisive disaster! What were y’all thinking? You need to come up with a more equitable solution. This is 100% not ok!!!”
Anger:
“This is the same union that submits tons of grievances for contract violations but then turns around and does the EXACT SAME THING the company does.”
More anger:
“You guys don’t deserve any of our money. A sham of a ‘union’.”
More:
“The APFA has proven to us time and time again that they could careless about the lives of those bellow 18000 seniority. We are nothing but voiceless due payers to them. Today they not only threw us under the bus, as would be expected, but they also chose to blatantly violate our contract.”
And some sardonic humor:
“Will furloughs be handled in inverse seniority order too?”
* * *
Ok junior AA flight attendants, let me ask you this. How can you be upset for being paid to do the work you signed up for when you took the job? Are you being asked to work more? No. In fact, with most in-flight service cut, your job becomes much easier than it was before.
And is there any other solution? Your union system is based upon seniority. It always has been, and likely always will be. Let’s say there was a bidding system that asked if you wanted to fly during the month of May. Would any of you say yes? And if not, wouldn’t the same result occur anyway, with those most senior able to choose their preferred route, in this case, staying at home?
I realize that you are bearing the brunt of the risk, but do you really want your older colleagues in higher-risk groups to suffer during this temporary time of uncertainty? Isn’t the spirit of camaraderie more than just everyone pulls their equal share but about selfless sacrifice to protect the most vulnerable? I’m speaking generally, of course.
And finally, U.S. taxpayers, including me, bailed you out. My business has had no bailout. I have received no personal bailout and my monthly income has cratered. I would be forever grateful if I could just continue to write this blog or consult clients and still receive payment approaching previous months. Heck, I’d work even harder out of thankfulness for such an opportunity. Look at the world around you not just your senior colleagues. You’re very fortunate. Be thankful you still have your jobs.
Hospital Work Instead For Flight Attendants?
Earlier today, I wrote about how Singapore Airlines is redeploying some cabin crew members to assist in a large public hospital in Singapore. I’d like to see that here. Would you be in favor of that? I’m sure that would send senior flight attendants back to work if they had a choice between flying or lifting patients, changing diapers, and serving drinks and meals in hospitals five days per week, nine hours per day.
> Read More: Singapore Airlines Cabin Crew Will Serve Hospital Patients
CONCLUSION
The idea that flight attendants are paid handsomely to sit at home while those that work are paid less does seem unfair. In fact, it is unfair. But junior flight attendants, it seems to me, are not in a position to complain considering their salaries are guaranteed (for now) and they are not being asked to do any additional work, just their normal work.
I hope AA and APFA can come up with a better solution. Maybe a lottery is fair during this time. But whatever that solution is, I doubt we will see senior flight attendants working while junior flight attendants are paid to sit at home. The system just wasn’t designed that way.
Am I way off in my analysis? Join the conversation below.
(H/T: One Mile at a Time // image: AA)
I liked your blog up until now. Happy now?
I’m happy to understand why I’m wrong. Help me understand.
One of the issues that the Juniors have is that while the Seniors are on furlough, they are still able to bid on the high ticket trips.
The whole purpose of the furlough was to decrease exposure to the virus while maintaining the work force.
The Juniors are not able to bid on the trips because the Seniors that are on furlough are still able to bid on and retain the bonus pay trips. So, they are getting furlough pay, then getting time and a half for picking up the bonus incentives.
Superb point.
The purpose of the “furloughs “ has nothing to do with exposure to the virus. The reason is because of the 80% reduction in the flying.
The senior FA’s were not on furlough which means you are currently not employed or receiving pay from the airlines. They were given lines with zero flying and guaranteed pay.
All FA’s currently employees are able to pick up trios in open time in accordance with your contract.
The JR FAS are correct and you’re an A-hole !!
Not sure why you would endorse any kind of old economy system where seniority determines pay and working conditions. Your assumption that seniority based pay and benefits “always has been, and likely always will be” ignores the fact that most of the innovation of the last 40 years has come from industries that chose to ignore this anachronistic method of allocating pay and benefits. Imagine if Jobs, Gates, and Zuck were told they weren’t senior enough to invent and innovate. Seniority based pay and benefits can’t die soon enough.
That may well be, but that’s not the century that flight attendant unions live in.
Junior flight attendants on reserve rarely fly and get paid full guarantee, plus they can pick up extra time on days off. They sit most of the month and now are whining because they have to work.
This is such an uninformed post. It’s clear that you don’t understand the issue. This is a contract violation. Those junior flight attendants will be exposed WITHOUT hazard pay AND will likely be furloughed in September. The airlines only promised not to furlough until then. Flight attendants are also tax payers, in case you forgot. If you’re upset your company didn’t get a bailout — maybe focus your energy there. If this blog is the only thing you’ve got going for yourself, you should use it for more important things, as opposed to telling people they should be grateful without knowing the full story. Why don’t you take your own advise and be grateful that you’re alive and have the energy and time and privilege to be wasting your time talking about things you clearly know nothing about for seemingly no purpose. Also — does the girl on the cover know you’re using her picture without permission? Get a life
Yes girl! When he said tax payers like him. Like I’m sorry I though I was a flight attendant and also paid taxes which mean I also paid to bail my airline out.
Yes. You are way off the mark on this situation. APFA is not a Flight Attendant Union; rather, it is an AA Union. You are speaking from the passenger point-of-view and do not understand they dynamic relationship between AA Flight Attendants-APFA-AA.
As a former AA Flight Attendant/International Purser, I can honestly say that APFA is as effective as bicycle tires on a 777 aircraft
Or about as effective in providing service as a senior intl. American flight attendant.
It’s not about not working, but violating the contract, that they always remind us on. That’s what the Union is there to protect. But instead and looking at solution it betrayed us.
We don’t mind working, we here working right, under and following the contract and points during a Pandemic.
I noted you said the senior are at a higher risk group, we have junior flight attendants who in a higher risk group, cancer, asthma, diabetes, blood pressure, respiratory issues and not all junior flight attendants are young some are actually older, unless your suggesting American Airlines violates civil rights and does not hire older people? Yes you can say whatever you want from your comfort of your couch and write your blog your not enclosed with people who may be potentially at risk, your not considered an exception in bypassing clearing customs and Exempt from gauging your temperature taken, you haven’t flown a flight with passengers who were on a cruise ship that had exposure to Cornavirus, your not packed on a plane full of people with no social distancing available. You’ve got your hand sanitizers and your wipes as we do not because they are on back order.
You aren’t getting the full story unfortunately. Seniority is everything in the airline industry. The most junior gets to bid last. I know this first hand after 21 years with AA and still be considered ‘junior’s. Flight Attendants my seniority stayed at the bottom of the seniority list for 13 years straight after 911 when everyone below us was furloughed and the company stopped hiring while they recovered. We suffered payouts, crammed, schedules and almost unbearable short layovers. All while the company recovered its losses and then some. These juniors who are complaining have only been hired a few years and are next to my seniority even though there is alot of years between us.
The union attempted to prevent as many furloughs as they could by offering early outs and’ semi paid leaves . The conditions of the bailout said they had to keep employees on the payroll so after early outs leaves were offered again in seniority for 6-24mths paying us approx 20hr per mth. The more FAs that took these options the more juniors would have been saved from furloughed. So yes I am home but making 1/4 of what they make which in turn saved their job. After all the leaves were issued the company still had money they had to issue for payroll per contract,and because there was less work available
there was a very small percent of FAs who were going to end up getting paid without actually having to fly and of course this goes to the most seniors who bid first in the job pool.
I also wish flight attendants who are currently not flying right now or within next 4-6 weeks could perhaps be trained as call center reps to help alleviate the long wait time customers are experiencing right now.
Tremendous idea.
Ok let’s get real here– I was one of the senior f/as taking the 70 hr pay during the months apr-septfrom govt which didnt cover my expenses as many f/as fly over 100 hrs a month incl. Me-then I took AA retirement–the junior people worked–but that is seniority!!I worked w alot of these junior people and how do y spell BAD ATTITUDE?? Not all of course but let’s just say they do not have the same work ethic that was instilled in the seniors–yes that’s right seniority is everything–why? Cause like in every job–y must pay y dues!!the only reason many of us retired is cause AA decided to make an offer we couldn’t refuse–the healthcare card–thats the way they got thousands to do this.
So let’s see how the next 39-40 years treats you who are flying–yes and stop griping-there are many many people doing alot worse— be grateful y have a job!!
I agree with your general view we are in this together and all have reasons to be grateful, however please note how easily we let the airline off the fishy computer system, why do they use old tech, to save money and make enormous profit for shareholders ignoring customers and workers , you don’t ask the company to reinvest itself or even look to their own profits before asking for a bailout. The attendants didnt tun to the company and beg then to beg the U.S. government Likewise the union isn’t helping paying members but you slide right by that. Here you don’t ask if any seniors employees maybe not in a danger group if they want to volunteer and join the team effort you assume they don’t you dont ask them to volunteer at hospitals so why must the least paid person be forced to do it? Cleverly or accidentally you make the poorer person the one who must be at the front of risk. By complaing they dont sound grateful but they may in deed be grateful. By voicing their concern they help rewrite the system so next time it is more fair and to prompt the union to ask the company to be a more fair part of the team effort and to realize they have more resources in the first place and then maybe there would be more bailout money for your company which you seem to be bothered by but you are working too so there’s reasons to be grateful and every reason to be fair.
A lot of companies use old systems because it can be a major problem to transition. For example AC changing it reservation system. There are reasons why companies defer system upgrades.
You’re exactly right. Not to mention the possibility of the loss of years of historical data, or difficulty in accessing it with a new system.
Any decent training takes about 6-7 weeks….. you can’t just throw people on unfamiliar computer systems (even with their own airline) and expect them to learn in 3-4 days how to fix, change, and rebook reservations let alone make decisions about refunds, vouchers, exceptions and the like. Would you take the file clerk in your business and just put them on a phone system to answer involved questions ??
Stupid post from someone who is not a flight attendant. Putting someone in harm’s way is a difficult decision which shouldn’t be based on seniority. Health and other factors should be taken into consideration.
I don’t fully agree with Matthew’s post but if what you say is true this decision could be considered one that did take into consideration the health of others. Have you seen the senior F/A’s at AA?
Uhm yeah and that’s ANOTHER problem. We go to training once a year to practice emergency drills and there are many senior flight attendants that are not fit enough to even open/close the door. The FAA should be at these trainings because many of them are being passed without being capable of doing these required tasks because of their sEniOrITy. Once you’re too frail to do the basic tasks your job requires you to do — you need to retire. That’s unsafe and NOT allowed in this industry, yet American keeps on allowing it. We aren’t there to look pretty and serve you drinks. We’re there to save your [redacted by admin] if we have an emergency.
Ahh jealousy, the cornerstone of socialism. This is what happens when government intervention disrupts the free market. Greed is not just for evil billionaires.
It was not an airline bailout, it was an airline employee bailout. The people who should be pissed are a) taxpayers, and b) the 10M who lost their jobs but weren’t fortunate to work either at an airline or the kennedy center.
Enjoy your final 7 months of Drumpf! Must be hard seeing the end so near all of a sudden.
Then the grown-ups can take government back over again.
This was so unfair to the junior flight attendant. As an employee at Detroit metropolitan airport we are sharing the duties with the senior and junior employees doing the time of the virus. Any Union member in good standing should be treated fairly . The Union needs to remember they collect dues from both senior and junior employees, Their sisters and brothers in the Union together treat them fairly.
Just for fun, how about not turning everything into politics? This isn’t about taking cheap shots, it’s about people’s lives and livelihoods. Businesses too. The government (both parties) would not be making these giant efforts if free market economics wouldn’t leave the country in such a disastrous circumstance. I suppose you could go true free market and say that we should just allow catastrophic damage to our economy as a whole and people in particular, but allowing massive damage in order to uphold principles is easier said than done for most people. If you’re anti-vax, will you allow your family to die rather than see them vaccinated? Same premise.
@WR2
You’re not supposed to drink the hand sanitizer…
I think it is not so much the work aspect as much as the hazardous work aspect. Rather than give all flight attendants 25% of the exposure to COVID in public places, they are giving 25% of the FAs 100% of the exposure. That seems patently wrong to me. Building reduced-hour lines out to all FAs could even allow them to better time lines in accordance with incubation periods. If most people who get the virus become contagious 3-7 days after becoming infected, it would be smart to have FAs work 2 days on, 7-8 days off wherever possible.
Also, while age and seniority are fairly correlated with FAs, it’s not 100%. Did AA put in a provision that junior FAs over a certain age are exempt from bidding, or was the “do you really want your older colleagues in higher-risk groups to suffer during this temporary time of uncertainty” just you making up a strawman argument?
Do your really have nothing better to do with your time in quarantine than bash people that are still going to work? I mean I get it you need to make money but berating a work group that is struggling in the midst of a pandemic is pretty low. We can gladly switch places, you can collect they pay check and take the risk and I will blog about all the ungrateful people that are still being forced to work. I don’t work for American and our system to bid is much different, but I get the frustration with the seniority system. Granted the flight attendants have put in their own fair share of risk through Ebola or SARS or 9/11, yet it is still frustrating. Maybe people just need to vent without people jumping all over them about how they good they have it. I saw some nurses on TV complaining about their work conditions, please write an article about how they should just be happy to have a job and that is what they signed up for. I get the point your trying to make, but it’s done in the most capitalistic, ignorant and belittling way.
I’m really not sure how the argument is “capitalistic” or “belittling”. I do understand that I’ve taken a position that many find objectionable.
For the record, I think there should be a lottery system. I just don’t like the complaints.
You’re a Trumpian ace-hole who is talking out of his wazoo. You’ve never been a FA, yet you somehow feel compelled to criticize them, based on your erroneous perceptions that they should be “grateful” to have a job through this pandemic.
You’re not as clever as you think you are, in fact, you’re an ignorant fool.
I’m Trumpian? Really?
Oh but if there weren’t these complaints you don’t like, wouldn’t your little blog be obsolete? Whatever could you write about except how unbecoming you find it that they don’t just swallow an injustice of epic proportions that could result in their illness or death or that of their loved ones? The other airlines spread the flying out equally among all employees because while yes, seniority is to be expected and should get you better trips, better layovers, better pay, better days off, better vacations and better almost anything, it should NOT violate basic human rights by over-exposing one portion of the work group to a deadly pandemic while paying the other group over double to stay in the safety of their homes. Your position is dead-wrong. And you should be embarrassed that anyone has to tell you that.
Your position isn’t “objectionable” it’s uncalled for. Do you think some junior flight attendants don’t have underlying health conditions, or family members to go home to that they could infect? To say they’re complaining and ungrateful is completely out of touch. I’d like to see you compromise your health and safety during a global pandemic. Watching the rest of your coworkers sit at home and get paid 3x the amount that you are to be on the frontline is unjust. They’re not complaining about going to work, they’re standing up to a union and company who won’t protect them during this crisis.
“Watching the rest of your coworkers sit at home and get paid 3x the amount that you are to be on the frontline is unjust.”
Is it about fairness or is about health/safety? If everyone was out there, would it be any better?
Because I’m hearing one stream of complaints that no FA should be risking their life during this time and another that simply focuses on the imbalance you note above (which I agree is unfair).
Junior flight attendants are not paid terribly well, and with being paid minimums i’d guess might be struggling a bit to make ends meet. Being able to work a second job at one of the companies AA partnered with would be a huge help but not much of an option with an unpredictable work schedule.
More senior flight attendants may arguably be better off financially and able to weather the storm without needing a second job.
Your tax money gave AA enough to cover their potentially full workload salary but they are getting substantially less. But arguably still better spent than paying to build a wall.
OMG. @WR2 -you are so right!
@ Everyone: if not for free market capitalism all of us (and I mean both employees as well as flying public) would have had NADA! I grew up in a country where Aeroflot was the sole carrier so I know what I am talking about.
@ Mark re:” Your tax money gave AA enough to cover their potentially full workload salary but they are getting substantially less. But arguably still better spent than paying to build a wall.” You should have lived in my apartment when I was growing up to truly embrace the beauty of socialism.
Most people have it so made here………………………….
I am currently taking a break from a 60 hour rotation in the ER at a hospital in Philadelphia- lets forgot about bailout and all this other nonsense- every pundit on TV is screaming who is going to pay for this and who is going to pay for that- the fact is the US government is borrowing money from the de facto US Government (Central Banks and Treasury Departments) so the bill will be punted to the next generation- the way it has been for generations….The central and more pressing issue is- planes should not being flying- minus cargo planes or extreme situations, to lament at the fact that flight attendants to not want to fly during a pandemic is a sad commentary for our society, people are dying, I’m not watching passively on TV and the images of sick are flashing on my screen, Im actively fighting this virus, flight crews should not have to choose between their lives and their jobs- people that argue for working- clearly dont understand what is happening in hospitals and in cities- In my 15 years working in the ER I had maybe 3 people die a month- yesterday I have 18 virus related deaths- I enjoy this blog, which is the reason I came here for a little mental break from my current situation- but this line of thinking is reckless and to be honestly disheartening to read, in a time a global crisis- we well folks and focus on your family and personal health during this time.
Your baseline is 3 people die per month? In the ED? Is your facility not a level 1 trauma center. Back when I was in the ED at my facility it was common to have 1-2 per shift.
In any event, thank you for being on the front line. You’re the people we should be blogging about.
“Your union system is based upon seniority. It always has been, and likely always will be.”
Disagree, that’s not what’s going on here. The APFA entered into a side letter agreement with the airline that is inconsistent with the collective bargaining agreement. The contract doesn’t permit creating separate groups of opt-in and opt-out schedule bidders.
With the language of the contract the number of hours each flight attendant could bid on could have been reduced uniformly, but not creating a full schedule bid group and a 0 hours group.
Was there any other viable option based upon the limitations of the software? Isn’t that the point?
Any more broadly, do you agree with some who thinks AA is deliberately blaming software as a way to drive a wedge between workers?
It isn’t clear to me that the software limitation is as severe as has been explained – supposedly it builds schedules at 75-85 hours, but flight attendants already can bid 40-110 hours (and 0).
I’d like to have seen either a low # of hour schedules divided out between flight attendants, or those working getting hazard pay funded with ~ 5% of nonworking FA pay.
I do not think American is intentionally dividing workers, this was done in concert with the union, with the union’s blessing.
However I do think that the APFA is generally poorly run. They’re setting themselves up to be displaced by AFA-CWA. And they’ve also more or less signaled a willingness to go along with B-scales.
@Gary Leff – There is no side letter and your interpretation of the collective bargain agreement is incorrect. The union offered many solutions to the company that were rejected. The company’s stance was either the most senior would be non bid line-holders or the most junior. This scenario falls under 10.D.16.c. ‘Infeasible Solutions’ so no side letter was necessary. Because the senior flight attendants will be removed from the bidding pool, the bidding language does not apply under these conditions.
Seniority has its benefits especially in unionized environment. Junior polices have to work patrol while senior police officers are detective and work office jobs. Fair? I don’t know but that is the way it is. Also, as a whole the junior FA’s will be a younger groups and at a lower risk. I love how people apply for a job in a unionized seniority system and then complain about the system. It’s a free country you could choose a non-union job but you didn’t.
Your opinion is probably based on the fact that you are not an FA and neither do you have a Union job. These employees’ contract was arbitrarily violated to allow such a situation to occur. Yes, it is a free country and not one of uniformed people, find out more before giving your opinion on a subject of which you are obviously not aware.
I think that they should schedule in 2 week blocks. Why expose your entire crew at one time? Then, if flight attendants are worried about infecting their families, they could self quarantine for 2 weeks before returning home.
“STAY HOME” Life is Beautiful.
seems to me their issue is with their union, it has failed them. Yeah, the fair way would be to assign everyone an equal number of hours. Its not the job of the junior attendants to bear the risk so the senior ones don’t.
My personal take is that it should be a lottery system where it excludes F/A’s over the age of 60. From there, anyone who does have to work should receive an additional “hazard” pay over their normal salary.
And I don’t buy for a second that their software is the issue. My god, AA has so few flights now in comparison that they could do things manually if they had to!
The senior flight attendants should show up for work and do other things, like clean the toilet, yard work, sell company property that is not needed on ebay (put up ads), etc. AA should enter the yard work business. Come do my lawn for $25.
If one flies on All Nippon Airways, Japan Air Lines, Cathay Pacific, or Singapore Airlines, their flight attendants will walk up and down the aisles, and keep asking passengers, what they can do for them. Also, if one rings the overhead button, those same Asian flight attendants will come immediately, and cheerfully look to assist you. What a difference between them and the American flight attendants, who have a chip on their shoulders, from the minute they get up in the morning. According to them, every passengers (even before this current pandemic started) is the enemy, and is to be treated with contempt. In the glory days of flying, back in the 1950’s and 1960’s, it was different, as the American flight attendants then, had the same cheerful and helping attitude that the Asian flight attendants have today. At that time, everybody was well dressed on the plane, and the flight attendants all wore fancy uniforms. Before flying was opened to the masses, a more civilized and better educated public would occupy seats on a commercial airliner. Those days are gone; as I’ve stated in the past, to fly on any commercial airliner in the USA today, is tantamount to riding the NYC subway!
What a silly comment about passengers from years gone by being more educated. The average flier nowadays is MUCH more educated than in the 50s-60s. Full stop.
One could argue its much less informal but education level has nothing to do with it. We always don’t wear suits just because with hats etc.
It’s a different time.
Yes. You are way off the mark on this situation. APFA is not a Flight Attendant Union; rather, it is an AA Union. You are speaking from the passenger point-of-view and do not understand they dynamic relationship between AA Flight Attendants-APFA-AA.
As a former AA Flight Attendant/International Purser, I can honestly say that APFA is as effective as bicycle tires on a 777 aircraft
Yes. You are way off the mark on this situation. APFA is not a Flight Attendant Union; rather, it is an AA Union. You are speaking from the passenger point-of-view and do not understand the dynamic relationship between AA Flight Attendants-APFA-AA.
As a former AA Flight Attendant/International Purser, I can honestly say that APFA is as effective as bicycle tires on a 777 aircraft
Basic seniority 101 which may not be fair is that the seniors get the cream while the junior people get the leftovers. So if your going to have a group of people who get paid to sit at home and another group who has to come to work then obviously the senior group is going to be the one who gets paid to sit at home.
Does anyone really think that if everyone had to bid full pay sit at home lines would go junior? Yeah I thought not.
There might be more empathy for senior FA’s if the majority actually took pride in their jobs and equated their experience and position to providing a quality experience. Much of them could care less for whatever reason. I often wish I traveled with multiple copies of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance to hand out so that they might relearn passion for their job instead of bored entitlement. Is it any wonder the junior FA’s are angry? They witness them endlessly berating passengers, angry at life, hating their jobs, and in the end get to go sit on their butts when the stuff hits the fan.
Matthew….I have flown every week with AA for 15 years. I believe your comments to be spot on. Now with that said, I am sure that I will be crucified by our younger generation (which I love and have two teenagers) for my following comments. Why do you seem a little surprised by this stance by junior flight attendants? Is this not a consistent stance that our younger generation takes on every topic? Entitlement, no acknowledgement for those who came before them (aka CARES act), and blame others for their decisions (there are exceptions to every stereotype). Again I am sure I will be shamed by those that I just described but we as parents need to educate our children on history, accountabilityand respect much like our parents and grandparents did for us.
Again thank you for providing your opinion and a platform to have a civil discussion
Respectfully
Me Me Me
The whole COVID-19 situation is presenting the private and public sector with major upheavals which we all need to address creatively and with some thoughtfulness. The junior FAs have to work, got it. They earn retention and experience and continue to draw a salary – something millions of Americans would be grateful to be able to do. Senior FAs get to sit at home; got it. They have also sacrificed throughout the years (its what makes them senior FAs) to keep the airline(s) flying and to maintain what benefits FAs across the system still have by way of benefits. Life is not “fair” it is what it is at the moment it occurs. After 9/11 FAs, who lost colleagues and loved ones, banded together and sacrificed to keep the airlines going; in a way, they continue to do that by enabling the junior FAs to work and to build their own legacies of professionalism and commitment to the industry.
Umm, AA senior FA’s have commitment to their industry and professionalism? Nah, they have Candy Crush in the galley as they complain about their dreary lives and those horrid people sitting in their cramped seats looking so desperate for water.
Not everyone. Not ME… I started with Eastern Airlines in 1966. Customer service is everything even for those who probably act like you probably act given your response..
When the government approves the $25000 hazard pay for essential workers, including transportation workers those senior FAs that stay home with pay better not be receiving any of those $25000! It should only go to those that physically work a certain amount of hours each month.
I am an American Airlines flight attendant. Get over it folks. Every airline on the planet is seniority driven. Period. End.
Clearly ignorant and misinformed
Junior flight attendants are annoyed because the contract was violated
Also seniors can pick up trips and get paid above their hours in May. Currently in April flight attendants extra hours count toward their guaranteed hours thus flying for free
Seniors literally make double the money with half the work
The author makes the point that the airline took tax dollars to survive, yet comes to the conclusion that junior FAs should be grateful? The logic here is skewed. The decision to allow senior FAs at top pay to pick up at time and a half over their guarantee was actually quite irresponsible use of tax payer money.
Michelle, I agree with you. The situation is unfair. My point is simply that junior FAs are still gainfully employed while millions have lost their jobs and are struggling to even apply for unemployment insurance.
Do you know the seniority of some of the “junior” flights attendants that will be flying in May? In most bases it will be close to 30 years. Yet, it seems that it only hurts if you have less than 5-10 years. I haven’t seen a single complaint from folks in that 2 to 3 decade seniority range, just those with less than 10. Come October, when the airlines lose the no furlough restrictions of the CARES package, they better hope all those they are wailing against are willing to take a voluntary furlough because otherwise they are going to be on the street. If I were in their place I’d be flying and banking what I could.
Also to add, we are also upset that on top of that 70 hr guarantee the seniors are allowed to pickup more trips to fly in addition to a free 70 hrs while the others are required to work for each and every hour we get. While the CARE Act was to help the aviation industry it seems the funds aren’t being managed properly. These are race payers dollars that are paying flight attendants that make $68 a hour to sit home and simply do nothing while the bottom tier is forced to work. So for those that don’t understand
70 hour advance + (ex: Picks up 40 hours ) = 110 hours = $7,480
Who wrote your BIO matthew??
All employees currently working with the public think they are wronged. In fact, lower seniority, lower tiered workers have always complained about these things. This virus just brings it home a lot more. I know MANY of my friends would gladly take their place to jet have a job with income coming in. Many laid off employees are not getting paid to sit at home, and /or are not eligible for unemployment. Where you are in life depends on your outlook on this entire scenario
In one breath you say “Indeed, The Situation Isn’t Fair For Junior American AA Attendants” and in the next you say “ Be Thankful, Be Thankful, Be Thankful”. It’s easy for you to say Matthew because your at home in a office where your not under a contract . Your still receiving pay for stories that you release at an “attempt” to make catchy hand lines with stories filled with satire in order to gain a few bucks. The junior flight attendants aren’t upset that we have to work. We are upset that there was a blatant seniority violation. The contract states that trips are to be assigned in seniority order amongst the flight attendants. For the union to change the contract and twist it for their benefit is completely horrible . This is the same union that hounds the company and management for doing the same exact thing they are doing now . So before you day “we need to stop gripping” , please do your research and put together a better article next time . With the quarantine and social distancing going on I would advise taking more journalism classes and also doing your research on how contracts and unions work. Thank you. Enjoy your coffee
I am one of those junior flight attendants you say should be “thankful” and to stop “griping.” My question to you is, have you ever been a flight attendant? Have you ever been asked to work during a PANDEMIC while your coworkers just sit at home? Also, you contradicted yourself, sir. “Yes it is unfair” but these junior FA’s should be “grateful?” How daré you even step into our shoes. Are you still flying right now? That’s right, probably not. Why not? Oh, because every health professional says that it isn’t safe to fly during this pandemic. So with this in mind, how did you feel compelled to write such a misinformed article about something that you fully don’t understand? Maybe you should be thankful… thankful that YOU do not have to be on the frontlines of this pandemic with the smallest amount of PPE. I have always enjoyed reading your content, but after this selfish, misinformed, and outright appalling article, I don’t care to ever come back to your blogs… super disappointed Matthew.
70 free hours and the chance to pick up hours on top of that?
You don’t see that as an issue? Because that is an issue for JR FAs.
Especially for some of us trying to pay a mortgage and expecting furloughs to occur.
But yeah we need to stop “griping”.
Thanks for this article, further dividing our workforce.
John above… do not worry there will no trips for them to pick up. No planes, no flights. Have you seen the airports and the parked planes? How about 80% of the flight attendant workforce still available and only 20% of the normally available flights that will be placed in blocks bid by seniority The only trips that will be open are the ones that open up because those who held the bidding line are not flying those trips. Just FYI
You are right on. There are JR people out there that bid reserve to actually not fly and get paid 70 hours. They may fly once or twice a month or not at all. No matter they get paid a guarantee of 70 flight hours a month. It is based on seniority and there are situations where seniority goes in reverse order working from the bottom up. Those JR flight attendants should be thankful for the salary they have been given by the government to help and also thank those thousands of flight attendants that took leaves so they (jr. people) could work. In other times like 9-11, and in other industries as well, base furloughs on seniority meaning last hired, first to go. I find it funny that the majority of flight attendants that took leaves were the Jr ones that did not want to have to work. They were perfectly happy all these years getting paid to NOT work while waiting for an opportunity to work, Thank you Mathew for giving these milenials a view of what it is like to actually work.
Hi LEE ,I love what you wrote ,is the reality of the millennium generation, they only like to fly international trips ,always on the phone ,now the world will show to them the new normal ,I was furlough during the September 11,was not out there to work ,now is worst,so good luck to them !!!!
You couldn’t be more incorrect. I MAX OUT ON RESERVE MONTHS! Honestly, unemployment would pay just as much as I make anyway. What a waste of tax payer money to pay these candy crush addicted old farts to stay at home! Also, I’m not a millennial, I’m Generation Z. Before you disparage a work group, you should re-evaluate your own morals. This article is trash. This comes from a guy that gets upset if a flight attendant doesn’t acknowledge him when he walks on board.
I am not disparaging anyone. I just was trying to point out that many who are unemployed and desperate would gladly switch places.
One big thing you are missing is that while senior flight attendants are allowed to sit at home and get paid, they also get first dibs at picking up trips on top of that guarantee. So like usual, junior flight attendants have to work these lines and have to fight to pick up extra hours, since trips are senior to junior when trying to pick up. So not only are they getting paid to sit around, but they also have the opportunity to fly on top on the 70 hours. So while we’re working 10+ trips for 70 hours they get 70+ hours for maybe 1-2 trips. Tell me how that is fair. If the system is going to be reversed to work in seniors favor to sit at home then the trip pick up system should work in juniors favor to pick up additional hours since we are the ones actually working during a pandemic.
It is totally unfair.
But I guess my question is that if they were out of the question and you simply had the work you were doing for the pay you receive, would it be okay? Is the problem the unfairness or the work itself?
I think you forgot to mention one very very important issue with this whole new way to get trips in May.
The senior people who have no trips but get paid 70 hours to sit at home and do nothing, they can pick up trips either from another flight attendant who’s dropping a trip or from the company, meaning someone called in sick or can’t work the trip from some reason. That trip they pick up goes on top of the 70 hours.
So to explain further, a junior person drops a trip that was worth 15 hours of pay, they now have 55 hours for the month. A senior person picks up that trip, they now have 85 hours for the month. At top pay. How is this a good systems for the company? That’s driving the company deeper in the dirt. It’s great for seniors clearly but not for anyone else. Juniors have many reasons to be mad. The reason they’ll get furloughed is because the company flew empty flights, staffed by the highest payed workers get payment on top of payment. Why? Well, seniority.
First of all the senior flight attendants are not furloughed. They are getting zero hour lines for May and being paid 70 hrs. Had these zero hr lines been part of our bid package the seniors would have bid them and then the rest of the trips would have been awarded in seniority order for the remaining flight attendants. This, in essence, is exactly what will happen. The union was given two choices. Either allow the senior flight attendants to have the zero lines or let the junior flight attendants have the zero hr lines. There is no way the union could have given the junior flight attendants zero hr lines while the senior flight attendants worked. This would never happen in a seniority driven industry. The company offered many options of leaves for all flight attendants (some with pay and the option to collect unemployment) and any flight attendant could have taken a leave if they did not want to fly. Everyone else, senior and junior, has been flying and exposing themselves to the virus. For one month the senior Flight attendants will have an award of 70 hrs and some will continue to fly to obtain more than those 70 hrs.
Matthew, your article suggests a falsehood that junior flight attendants expect to receive free government funded income and is clearly an attempt to pin tax payers against us. The reality is, we junior flight attendants will be working to receive our pay and are absolutely grateful for the continued opportunity, so do not berate us claiming we are not thankful. All AA flight attendants were offered leaves to avoid putting ourselves at risk. Those juniors who stayed, stayed to work. The wasted tax lies with those who stayed to be paid at home, not those risking our health for what will surely be less.
as a 32 yr flight attendant we work harder than these self absorbed junior flight attendants ever have and we transformed history in so many ways and they are thinking it was always a right of passage!! they are so boring and self absorbed, they dont know anything about history! and i dont feel sorry for them, do the numbers 8000 gone in october, so such is life learn it and get over it
Alright here we go, it’s not about the fact that junior FA’s have to work while senior FA’s get to sit at home. It’s also not about the fact that if they had to bid on a paid leave mostly senior flight attendants would of held it vs junior flight attendants. It’s about the fact that they didn’t even give an option, not even a chance to get to be the one who sits at home. Also, suggesting that FA’s with a higher seniority number are at a higher risk than junior FA’s shows you are talking about something you’re so out of touch with. Everyone signs up to do the same job and ANYONE can be at a higher risk regardless of age, or seniority number as you’re trying to imply. Age does not equal seniority and vice versa. It’s also not a selfless sacrifice when they were even given the choice, it’s a forced sacrifice. You’re also implying that junior FA’s should sacrifice their health for the senior FA’s because why? Their lives aren’t as important orrrr??? Not sure what point you were trying to make there but it wasn’t good any way you spin it. In case you forgot flight attendants are also taxpayers meaning they also paid to bailout the airlines and other business. Instead of sitting in your comfy arm chair telling other people how they should feel and that they should be grateful maybe stop, pause, and think about how you should also be grateful to do your job regardless of a pandemic or not.