the pilots union ans well as the many other unions representing airline employees,does a very good job of protecting,and representing its members,no matter what the circumstances..they do everything from legal representation,to being at all hearings which might involve termination or investigation..with many carriers it is mandatory,and the pilots do pay a membership fee..the head of the union is usually a pilot or former pilot with knowlege of any process in which they are involved..when the faa is involved,their representation is of utmost importance to the pilots..i can understand why they would be "covering",but im sure there is more involved in this than we know..i DO remember what happened in the canary islands several years back,but that was a combination of weather,nisunderstanding of instructions, and the air traffic controllers..it had tragic consequences..

(Written on 01/23/2023)(Permalink)

well, i worked for an airline for lots of years, and employees on standby ,and sometimes even executives or management,were NEVER allowed to use the presidents club,the admirals club,the sky club,or whatever the name is/was for that airlines frequent flyer lounge..there were provisions for some international flyers,and those who were NOT members, and if they had an american express card ,were referred to the AMEX clubs which also used to be found in larger aiports..employees.were not..i also might add, working as an airliine rep in those clubs was considered a sought after/desired job,required ticketing and other experience,and to boot, a lot of those who got the job wer a bit on the "snobby" side..!!

(Written on 01/17/2023)(Permalink)

at present,a lot of wn crew are thinking in that vein..however..crews arrive in a specific van provided for them from a hotel,they merely show their airline i.d. and sign a register or are checked off in the computer,and then they are given a key and a room number..no exchange of credit card or money or having to do an "expense reimbursement" report..easier for all when there are lot of crews coming and going and no severe conditions as they had..

(Written on 12/29/2022)(Permalink)

the airline pilots and flight attendants unions generally take care of their own under any circumstances..of course the airlines do have contracts with certain hotels for accommodations for their "layover" crews,but if they have a high demand form regular people trying to find a place to stay,and the crews are unable to make the layover due to weather or whatever circumstance, those rooms are opened to others..the contracts are for space in a particualr hotel,and the airlines are given a specific monthly rate,billed only if the rooms are used..the crews who had to look for their own accommodations of course will be reimbursed,but they also still get applicable discounted airline employee rates..

(Written on 12/29/2022)(Permalink)

there is an old expression.."when you are up to your neck in alligators,its hard to remember your main objective was to drain the swamp"..that seems to apply to southwest just about everyplace people were and still are stranded..management issues and plain old not knowing how to handle a "swamp" filling up with passengers at all locales,was serious..this officer,although i dont condone him saying he would "arrest" people,was doing what he was advised to do..clear the gate lobby..it was my experience in far less severe circumstances at an airport,to be advised by local supervisors to make announcements for passenegers to return to the ticket counter for assistance, as there were many more agents assisting at that area,than at the gates..in fact,often the gate positions were closed as the agents there were sent to the counter to help..if there are NO flights in or out,the people are NOT going to miss anything as people are NOT automatically rebooked,but must request that service personal

(Written on 12/29/2022)(Permalink)

southwest was anxious to keep up and running and to expand after the covid cutbacks...they have been trying to hire new personnel in all categories for several months,but even if you have enough crew for the planes,and maybe enough people who can brave the storm to work at the airport,if the planes cannot take off to get from point a to point b due to seriously inclement weather all across the u.s.,including their hubs,the flights have to be cancelled..granted,the management in a push to get the airline going,should have forseen probable issues with computer systems,reservations personnel and flight dispatch centers,and kept their system in "preparedness" mode..severe weather is NOT a new issue to any of the airlines,but this storm was an arctic blast of epic proportions, and it DID cover almost the entire u.s. as it pushed down all the way to the gulf of mexico..in truth, what can the federal government do..regulations are already in place for monetary compensation,places to stay,food,

(Written on 12/27/2022)(Permalink)

OK..WOW..seriously,just how many of the southwest management staff at DEN have been able to get to offices at the airport due to the blizzard conditions..just what kind of incentives like double time and a half or a couple of extra paid vacation days or sick leave days have been offered to try to get people to fight the conditions and possibly jeopardize themselves,to get to the airport and tell people,sorry,the weather is bad and we will have to see if we can get you out tomorrow..!weather conditions ALWAYS pose an "operational emergency", and this one happens to be the biggest arctic blast seen in weather histoy,because it has covered almost the entire county as it has pushed down..i think southwest will be sorry they threatened so many with their jobs with this..they are no longer the "little airline that could",that so many people "raved" about..they have become another major player in the sky,with all of the same issues and problems!

(Written on 12/26/2022)(Permalink)

working at the airport as an agent is sometimes fun,sometimes stressful,sometimes tiring,but it should never be a danger to your physical well being!the woman who assaulted the agent needs to be fined and do some jail time,and the CPS should be contacted regarding the well being of her children,which she seemingly cannot take care of..

(Written on 12/23/2022)(Permalink)

iah has had a whole lot of new construction going on these last several months,from a new terninal,to new roads and the like..that in itself has caused massive headaches for those travelling to and from that airport,let alone cancellations and delays due to weather or lack of flight crews..hobby is also having periodic road work and terminal improvements,plus the same issues with flight crews,delays and cancellations..people are just now getting back into the airplane travel mode for vacations and such,so misery and spending a lot of time coming,going,sitting in the terminal and such might be called "misery"!!

(Written on 12/21/2022)(Permalink)

oh well..i am "old enough to remember"before all of the major carriers started the partnerships with regionals of any livery,and changed the paint and bookings to their own..that was in the early 80's..at that time aa flew its regular jets into some smaller cities, and then eliminated that and expanded to even smaller communities by using the regionals.."progress" i guess???

(Written on 12/20/2022)(Permalink)