UPDATE: American Airlines has kowtowed to the demands of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) and will reduce service onboard in all cabins.
As noted by AA insider JonNYC, the following cuts will be introduced effective January 26, 2022 for an unspecified duration:
- Flagship Routes
- First Class – the first three courses (appetizer, salad, soup) will be delivered in one step
- Business Class – meal service remains unchanged
- Economy Class – beverage and beverage accompaniments will be offered in conjunction with the meal cart
- Domestic Routes
- Premium Cabin – no “immediate” changes
- Main Cabin – on flights of 1,500 miles or more, the second beverage service is eliminated, but additional drinks will be offered on-demand
Let me start by saying the union does not represent all flight attendants and I have flown with some absolutely amazing FAs over the last year who work so hard to provide excellent service to their passengers.
Second, charges of being “lazy” are not totally unfounded. It seems to me the primary goal of this initiative is to reduce (and already reduced) workload for flight attendants, which the APFA hopes will make flight attendants feel like their union dues are actually paying off.
That’s because we are already appear to be over the omicron curve and there are far more effective ways to protect flights attendants, like for the union to require (and provide) N95 masks for each FA.
Furthermore, won’t making additional beverage service on-demand create many more back-and-forth trips down the aisles (or congregation in the galley)? Won’t that directly undermine precisely what the union is supposedly protecting the flight attendants from? Or are passengers going to be scowled out if they dare request a second cup of water on a six hour transcontinental flight?
I believe these changes are regrettable and have little do with flight attendant safety. I am sorry to see that AA kowtowed to the union wishes in this matter.
The original article is below.
As airlines have slowly restored in-flight service to pre-pandemic levels, the omicron surge has pushed a number of flight attendants, via their unions, to demand reductions in service. The latest is American Airlines, which is asking that meal service be consolidated and beverage service reduced.
Blaming Omicron, American Airlines Flight Attendants Want Service Cuts In All Cabins
A brief memo from the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA), the union which represents flight attendants at American Airlines, notes the highly contagious omicron variant and how the APFA is trying to reduce service onboard:
With the continued spread of the Omicron variant, APFA has proposed a temporary reduction to onboard service levels and customer touchpoints. Our goal is to maintain the highest level of Flight Attendant and passenger safety as possible onboard the aircraft. These proposed changes lessen the time that a passenger will not be wearing a mask and, in turn, limit Flight Attendant exposure.
APFA proposals include serving entreés with salad/soup/appetizers in premium cabins when possible and reducing main cabin beverage services on domestic and IPD flights. We have asked that these reductions in service be implemented immediately.
(when did “flight attendant” become a proper noun?)
IPD stands for “international premium destinations” which includes longhaul service.
The union is proposing appetizers and main courses be served on single tray instead of course-by-course (which only recently returned to American Airlines) and additional drink services be eliminated in economy class.
Already, American Airlines does not serve alcohol in economy class and I’m of the opinion that cutting back service has the potential to create even unsafer conditions for flight attendants. While passengers briefly remove masks to eat or drink, when drinks are eliminated, passengers become more agitated, which leads to the sort of onboard masks incidents that have made headlines over the last year. It also encourages passengers to bring their own drinks, including illicit alcohol in larger quantities than the portion-controlled servings onboard.
It’s also alarming that APFA puts so much faith in masks when so many passengers wear improper masks, like flimsy cloth ones. It underscores what a fight it will be once (if?) the federal mask mandate is lifted and airlines must battle flight attendants over whether to voluntarily eliminate their own mask mandates, which were present before the federal mandate.
The APFA would be better off advocating for mandatory N95 or KN95 masks onboard instead of trying to reduce beverage service.
CONCLUSION
The union representing flight attendants at American Airlines is demanding “temporary” service cuts it says will protect flight attendants. Beyond my disgust for cost-cutting masquerading as COVID-19 protection (“hygiene theatre”) on the airline side, I genuinely think eliminating additional beverage services in economy class may have precisely the opposite effect the union wants: it will lead to more bad behavior, more mask incidents, and also move passengers to bring their own (perhaps illicit) drinks onboard.
What are your thoughts about the proposed American Airlines omicron service cuts?
Disgruntled AA FA’s should just jump ship to DL. They already do the limited service that the union wants, and they don’t even have to pay union dues!
Also there is no stopping Omicron, even their lord Fauci admitted as much (but he can also change his opinion tomorrow)
The reasons to not travel by air are multiplying almost as quickly as the covid variants. Delta, omicron, 5G rollout, union demands to airline management, unruly passengers to/from FL, you name it. Honestly, if the journey is CONUS and under 1000 miles or so, just drive. If over that distance, stay home, of if intercontinental travel must be accomplished, avoid U.S. carriers.
You forgot the train. Genuinely friendly service, and you can drink what you want in your room. Just don’t walk around drunk on the train or they’ll toss you off at the next grade crossing with no alternate transportation.
I think the title here is misleading. The APFA is advocating for this. I don’t think this represents the opinions of most rank and file FAs.
And it’s terrible business.
How about not having FA’s at all. They are basically useless. Most of the safety information is already pre-recorded so they don’t do much other than sit in the front and gossip all the time. I doubt any of them would do anything useful in case if an emergency.
If you really think flight attendants are useless, think again. Ask the survivors from Sully’s famous landing in the Hudson if they think flight attendants are useless. We are updated constantly on emergency situations, including medical, and we attend 2 full days of intense training at the flight academy annually where we actually perform emergency drills. Our job relates to safety on board in all situations, some of which you are not even aware. Beverage service is just an extra. Bring your own snacks if eating is your priority. No one has ever died because they didn’t get pretzels.
Why so much negativity? Flight attendants used to serve meals on 35 min flights, and now they throw a water bottle at you if you’re lucky. Keep ‘em happy, and they won’t bother you.
In most of the rest of the world in flight service is back to normal and there are very rarely reports of in flight incidents regarding masks. Over the last two years, I have seen one in Europe which was dealt with at the gate by the ground staff and the passenger was off loaded because they rightly believed that problems would arise soon after take off give the level of strop from the passenger.
Perhaps US flight attendants should stop worrying about policing masks and more worry about getting their roles back to normal and stop p*ssing off passengers because passengers will have long memories after all this is over and if enough choose the competition some airlines might start feeling a very cold wind blowing.
The reasons to nut travel by air multiply almost as quickly as covid variants. Delta, omicron, forced mask wearing so as to jam airplanes full, employee sick outs, union demands to management, 5G rollout and no one takes the blame, unruly passengers starting fights aboard aircraft and in airports. Honestly, if the journey is CONUS and under 1000 miles just drive. If longer, stay home.
Cool. Eliminate them completely and then we can fly without these dumb mask reprimands, No one to constantly blab over the PA about federal regulations and credit card pushes etc…
Sounds good.
100% agree
Any excuse not to do their job. COVID now is very different from the onset of the pandemic. Move on.
I am real confused here. One of them are lying:
1. American Airlines announced last year, it’s very SAFE to travel in the air during COVID-19.
OR
2. Flight attendants are telling us that flying are very DANGEROUS by getting COVID-19.
I flew with Qatar Airways few months ago from Dubai to Doha (45 minutes flight) I got the full service with hot meal. They were so super happy to do their jobs. If AA doesn’t, I have four letters for them: Q.U.I.T.!
What a such downfall of our legacy US carriers!
I think the union should change the Professional in their name to Professional-ish.
This seems like it’s about two months too late. Who hasn’t had Omicron at this point. Seriously, that’s not hyperbole, who hasn’t had it?!
AA is a disaster, I’m glad you no longer have status with them Matthew. I always felt bad when I read one of your American trip reports for that fact that you were flying on American. Horrible airline, horrible product. Feel bad for everyone who is unfortunate enough to have American status.
Reduce it further? I flew in November from MIA to MEX and return. Flying time about 3 hours 40 minutes. The coach service…..1 beverage service with pretzels……the same as a 50 min flight from CLT-DCA. At first I thought “lazy crew”. But then on the way back, the same. Funny that….the FAs were nice and comfy in the last row on their laptops right til final cabin prep.
They don’t have time to serve customers, they are too busy pitching the Credit Card for 3/4 of the average flight.
Maybe it’s time to change their title to “Passenger Safety Attendant”, dress them in bright yellow or orange jumpsuits and have them strictly for safety reasons and to facilitate emergency evacuations. Just pass out bags with Cheez-its and Dasani water a-la-Delta…oh, and don’t forget to have all the great unwashed take off their water bottle and empty Cheez-it bags because they are not janitors after all.
What a way to jeopardize the viability of their future benefits by making the product less desirable for profitable premium passengers
I agree with everyone. Here is an idea. Don’t hire flight attendants, instead hire strippers who do the role of fight attendants for free and once the plane is cruising the show begins in the back 1/3 of the plane. Their pay is the tips they make. Airlines save money, single mothers make more and get to travel around with their kids who get free tickets, and passengers are happy.
For all the uptight religious church going women, they can get pole dancing classes instead and feel good they haven’t strayed too far from god.
I would fly without needing to go anywhere.
Sounds like a win, win, win.
let’s please stop using Covid as a cop-out excuse to stop working
First , flew 243,000 miles on AA in 2021 , so the laziest , most contentious group of flight attendants want to cut service , was there service ? Fares went up no problem – I do not think they want us ( business travelers back , hope AA team is reading , best Turkey slab in first class ,absolute joke – food taken from AdmiralsClub club !! So they take away is AA flight attendants say air travel is not safe – thx
One of my managers gave me a great tip in how to engage customer service. A customer makes a large demand. “Don’t say no!” he suggested but rather:
“This is what it’s going to cost you.”
It’s easy to make more demands from someone whose going to do the work at a set cost. Why not? I was irked when another blogger once remarked “Good customer service shouldn’t cost anything more” but then what incentive does someone have to provide better customer service than someone else?
FA’s could argue that they have safety concerns WITH CURRENT STAFFING or they could meet them with more. Have multiple drink services at alternate rows for social distancing purposes, for example. Figure out how to get it done, and charge ’em.
Then if they don’t want to pay, tell ’em “Sorry, you haven’t given me the resources to do that.”
I hope the ban on alcohol on flights will be permanent. The only thing worse than getting seated next to a loud and obnoxious drunk is having a flight diverted because of a loud and obnoxious drunk. If someone can’t stay sober on a flight then he is a danger to his own liver.
Perhaps ban food too, in case of sloppy eaters. Punishing everyone for the misbehavior of a few adds to resentment and disruptive incidents by non-intoxicated people, and those with a serious problem will simply bring their own booze.
Enough of the flight attendants at AA or any carrier wanting service cuts. Those not wanting to do the job they were hired to do should quit or be terminated and replaced with new hires that are willing to do the job. The majority of flight attendants at AA are lazy. Upon boarding, during the flight and also when deplaning they spend their time gossiping with each other about trips, pay, the company, whatever instead of greeting passengers, thanking them for flying AA or being of service to the passenger. Quit and find another career if you don’t want to do your job. The company will save a lot of money replacing them with new hires willing to do a great job! QUIT OR BE REPLACED!
I believe the intent is reasonable; the suggestion solution is not. Instead…
1. Consolidating meal service to 1 tray is ideal. Makes perfect sense. Guests should not complain about this.
2. Reducing/eliminating drink service is a no go. AA should copy Delta (actual all airlines should). Attendants aren’t lingering in the aisle with guests. No lengthy conversations. 1 attendant gives snacks to guests (no choice for what you get). A second attendant hands out full can (tiny size) of drink (no ice, no fluff, drops it and moves). Attendant comes back for trash much later (1 time). Done.
I took a recent Delta flight to Vegas on a larger than normal plane. They finished service in under 15 minutes for a full flight. Not 1 guest complained or asked for more.
Erica,
I’d bet you would be pretty good at shoving food trays through cell doors. My county is hiring.
Perfect opportunity to fire the lot, we never needed these lazy, self-important Flight Waitresses anyway.
Erica I’ll bet you are one of the lazy flight attendants that linger in the galley talking during flights and or on the jumpseat and on your pad/phone wanting a big salary to do nothing.
Bottom line they are hired to do a job and if they are fearful of doing it quit and find another career. There is someone else waiting to replace you. If you are a guest not wanting service be quiet and read your book or take a nap.
After just using American Airlines for a long trip I can tell you service should NOT stop ! After waiting in long lines, flights cancelled I needed that drink (juice, soft drink water and a snack). We were rushed through airports to gates only to be told our gate was changed. No time to even to get a drink ; when I got on plane I could barely speak my mouth was so dry. Please don’t stop drink and snack service. You don’t need to save that money and what are attendants to do but talk amount themselves for the flight. They act like they do us a favor, pilot’s are the ones that should be rewarded
Flight attendants are correct, I am surprised these cutbacks weren’t imposed when the pandemic started. For the Safe and Secure trip of all passengers onboard, Safety measures have to be imposed.
Flight attendants are 100% correct.
Flight Attendants are delusional, I mean they literally think they’re as important as the pilot. You’re an overglorified waiter/waitress.
Why can medical personnel use PPE and stay safe and FA’s cannot? I grant that risk profiles are different for both service providers and receivers in those cases but pax are also taking risks. Can’t there be some ways to mitigate? Stagger meal services within cabins, Let crews do one tray service with refills on request or something? Come on people, there is a solution somewhere, a middle ground. As airline consumers, we can be less entitled and the airlines can make life a bit better for us, Let’s evoke Rodney King. Except for unwilling to work crews, That’s less easily addressed. And, sad. I remember the old AA.
I have a better idea. The flight attendants should work their effing contract and leave managing to management.
Palmolive softens hands while you do dishes.
You’re soaking in it.
I have yet to see a WORSE “union” than APFU, and the FA group is not the ones complaining about the services we provide. And IF the FA group are REALLY the ones complaining, then maybe they should find a new job! I am a Flight Attendant and I seriously dislike the lazy ones that don’t want to do anything!! The number of services we provide on a flight has no bearing on whether or not we get sick!
Suck it up buttercup!!!
I think flight attendants need to recognize that they have a legitimacy problem. They have lost public trust. They’re so desperate for control and acknowledgment of their role, that they overreact, fail to use data, and fail to present themselves as safety professionals. Mask obsessions detract from attention to safety and service. (The science of masks and their necessity is another story.)
To me, it’s a dreadful job: dirty, chaotic, filled with unpredictability and angry people. The pay is dismal and the benefits are not what they used to be. Instead of begging to do less, why not move on to another career?
I was always taught that, “a calm plane is a safe plane.” But the screaming announcements about federal mandates (followed by rules about “congregating” and “reporting unwanted behavior”) are schoolmarmish, rude, and patheticaly desperate. It’s like watching a naive substitute grade three teacher with mayhem in the classroom. “We have to be threatening or people won’t listen.” (Pro tip: they aren’t listening anyway.)
If one’s approach is to snap with rage with endless announcements, how will that pan out if it is necessary to evacuate a plane within 90 seconds with half of the exits blocked?
If a crew member is so paranoid about Omicron, will he or she be able to use the correct fire extinguisher? Respond appropriately to a passenger showing signs of a stroke? Calmly orchestrate passengers to remove a raft from an overhead locker, inflate it, and get in it?
All of this is also unfair to the many incredible flight attendants I’ve flown with over the years (even at American and United), who are passionate about their jobs, and will go the extra mile every time to take care of customers. Their image isn’t just besmirched, it’s wrecked.
As for onboard service, the unions should be fighting for staffing levels not service cuts. Flying with FAA minimums guarantees cuts in service to all cabins, but especially the most expensive and most lucrative premium cabins.
When the premium passengers start spending their money elsewhere, we might have a chance at reviving safe, kind, and generous service.
I’m baffled by the business model leading to all the troubles with flying AA. I have avoided AA for years because of the condition of their seats when I did fly them, but the recent horror stories from our friends who were AA loyalists up until recently have convinced us that we made the right choice. We now travel the world half the year and primarily stick to Star Alliance carriers, with a few others thrown in where needed to fill in the gaps. Apart from an occasional disengaged flight attendant having a bad day (probably before they arrived at work), all of the crews and service have been professional and enjoyable. We have a huge load of Alaska miles that we can’t spend for international travel because Alaska keeps trying to put us on multi-connection American itineraries. That’s never going to happen.
I’m an AA FA and I do NOT support these service cuts. Covid numbers have already started to drop. Passengers already remind us daily about our lack of service standards. My coworkers are lazy. If they don’t feel safe then they need to find another job that allows them to stay at home.
Thanks for your comment. I hope to fly with you one day!
This is pretty disappointing, and that’s being polite about it. As anyone who has flown American over the past few years knows–even just before COVID–there is not a lot of what they call “service.” I wouldn’t know where to start with my examples.
Just simply re-paint all aircraft to APFA
And those lazy FA must be smiling now, sit around and do nothing
Please wake up AA
Won’t notice the difference LOL. American Airlines cuts service is more ridiculous that saying we can’t spread the virus if we’re vaccinated ( take note Brandon ). They are without a doubt the laziest, woke flight hostess’ in America and probably the world. Glorified waitresses is all I can say. Whatever happened to Customer Service first? Oh wait, the AA Hosties are there for our safety LOL. Have you seen the size of them. They couldn’t save anything, let alone themselves and especially not me.
If there is one thing in this world that Matt really really hates, it is unions.
And if there is one thing, and only one thing, that he hates more than unions, it’s Sara Nelson.
You just don’t see words like “lazy” ” do nothing” “delusional” “control freaks” “fire them all” “worthless” “self-important” “overstuffed waiters/waitresses” etc, etc, etc except when Matt is writing about the horrible, horrible service he gets on his travels all over the world.
The same harsh comments here should also apply to all the other industries that have had slow production and delivery issues due to workers being sick for COVID… you can say these workers are lazy, delusional, etc., and are taking advantage of the “COVID” situation, by not coming to work and taking time off. These industries should fire them all and replace them with those that want to work…. the same goes for restaurants that are short-staffed due to personnel calling in sick due to omicron variant… lazy, lazy… fire them and replace them for those that do need work.
And no, I’m not an airline employee. Just know some in the airline industry that DO want to bring service levels up, as it has been 2 yrs since the cutbacks began, and it’s time bring services back and not cut them.
As a flight attendant for the past 18 years, I agree with many of you. The service needs to go back to what it was, then in the next year or two, when the airlines are making what they were pre-Covid, needs to be enhanced.
I don’t consider myself a Mask Nazi, [redacted by admin] happens, people forget, hell, even I have forgotten about putting it back on, but I have had to go in on my days off 4 times now, to write a report, and address a passenger complaint about not enforcing the mask policy. It sucks being on this side of it, because we are either the asshole for enforcing it, or having our career threatened by management because someone says we didn’t enforce it. Damned if you do, and damned if you dont.
I’m honestly surprised AA management is onboard with the service cuts. Though how many passengers are booking their trip based on the inflight service?