A day in the life of an American 737 FO

In answering that original story... either that was a new agent they were talking to, or the story isn't true. If you're deadheading on AA you're an A1, which means you HAVE to get on that plane. So, either the agent didn't know what he/she was doing, or false story. Either way, interesting perspective, good insight, and I feel bad for the AA guys.
 
KHanson said:
In answering that original story... either that was a new agent they were talking to, or the story isn't true. If you're deadheading on AA you're an A1, which means you HAVE to get on that plane. So, either the agent didn't know what he/she was doing, or false story. Either way, interesting perspective, good insight, and I feel bad for the AA guys.
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That is the whole point of that story. Watching the excrement show instead of getting all fired up over a bunch of people who don't know how to do their job.
 
KHanson said:
In answering that original story... either that was a new agent they were talking to, or the story isn't true. If you're deadheading on AA you're an A1, which means you HAVE to get on that plane. So, either the agent didn't know what he/she was doing, or false story. Either way, interesting perspective, good insight, and I feel bad for the AA guys.
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Not always, you could be a A3 or even a A12.
 
I showed up to the gate in MSN one morning to DH MSN to DTW. Gate agent was flipping out. It was just me and the FA since the FO was on reserve and DHing on a later flight to do something completely different. We were told "OMG! We're oversold and don't have seats for you. Uh....sit down and I'll call you back up." Now the FA starts flipping out because we might not make it to DTW. Well, we didn't. Gate agent put revenue passengers on before us, even though we were positive space. Missed the connection in DTW, and they wound up delaying the flight 3 hours. Basically, when the wheels fall off at any airline, there's only so much you can do. When morale is in the toilet, management is ripping pay and benefits away like they're opening their Xmas presents and they still want the pilots to step up and save the operations, we just say "No." and watch the chaos. That's not just at AA.
 
I had one of those experiences during BK as well.

The skipper and I were deadheading, never got called for a seat, I talked to the gate agent and told her that he and I were PS to to DCA and I got a face-full of "GET DA HELL OUTTA MY SPACE!", talked to a supervisor, got the same reaction including a finger-wagging lecture about how "you pilots drove my airline into bankruptcy, blah blah BLEEEEERG!", called crew scheduling, they hung up and told me to call crew tracking. Called crew tracking and sat on hold for 30 minutes as the flight pushed back and we were left at the gate.
 
Derg said:
I had one of those experiences during BK as well.

The skipper and I were deadheading, never got called for a seat, I talked to the gate agent and told her that he and I were PS to to DCA and I got a face-full of "GET DA HELL OUTTA MY SPACE!", talked to a supervisor, got the same reaction including a finger-wagging lecture about how "you pilots drove my airline into bankruptcy, blah blah BLEEEEERG!", called crew scheduling, they hung up and told me to call crew tracking. Called crew tracking and sat on hold for 30 minutes as the flight pushed back and we were left at the gate.
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You can't just leave the story as a cliff hanger! Do tell more!
 
kellwolf said:
I showed up to the gate in MSN one morning to DH MSN to DTW. Gate agent was flipping out. It was just me and the FA since the FO was on reserve and DHing on a later flight to do something completely different. We were told "OMG! We're oversold and don't have seats for you. Uh....sit down and I'll call you back up." Now the FA starts flipping out because we might not make it to DTW. Well, we didn't. Gate agent put revenue passengers on before us, even though we were positive space. Missed the connection in DTW, and they wound up delaying the flight 3 hours. Basically, when the wheels fall off at any airline, there's only so much you can do. When morale is in the toilet, management is ripping pay and benefits away like they're opening their Xmas presents and they still want the pilots to step up and save the operations, we just say "No." and watch the chaos. That's not just at AA.
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I actually had one of your airline's flights do a gate return from the hold short line so my crew could get on. That's a story for beer time. Still never seen anything like it and it ended up canceling seven flights that day.
 
Derg said:
I had one of those experiences during BK as well.

The skipper and I were deadheading, never got called for a seat, I talked to the gate agent and told her that he and I were PS to to DCA and I got a face-full of "GET DA HELL OUTTA MY SPACE!", talked to a supervisor, got the same reaction including a finger-wagging lecture about how "you pilots drove my airline into bankruptcy, blah blah BLEEEEERG!", called crew scheduling, they hung up and told me to call crew tracking. Called crew tracking and sat on hold for 30 minutes as the flight pushed back and we were left at the gate.
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At one point our hold times to scheduling were an hour and a half. I went up to the gate agent who told me I had no seat. Called scheduling and they answered as the plane was pushing back.
 
I don't think anyone on either side cares if American burns to the ground. Management because they still get paid, and labor because it doesn't seem as though it's a place worth working for anymore.
 
KHanson said:
As a deadheader? Really? Wow, I thought all deadheaders were A1's... hm. Cool (sarcasm).
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I don't remember much of the contract, but at Eagle, I seem to remember:
(1) A1D/A1DY: for protecting the integrity of your sequence
(2) A3D/A3DY: for getting you home from various kinds of duty, and for bereavement
(3) A12Y: Company business (e.g., my interview passes, the medical exam that I wound up buying a ticket on SWA to get to, etc.)
 
Gonzo said:
Wheels up to wheels down 30 mins from RST-ORD. 50 mins from 27R to our gate because of a AA 80.
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I used to experience those taxi speeds behind US airways all the time out of SFO. I seriously almost had to taxi in reverse to keep from running into them without constantly riding my brakes
 
kellwolf said:
I showed up to the gate in MSN one morning to DH MSN to DTW. Gate agent was flipping out. It was just me and the FA since the FO was on reserve and DHing on a later flight to do something completely different. We were told "OMG! We're oversold and don't have seats for you. Uh....sit down and I'll call you back up." Now the FA starts flipping out because we might not make it to DTW. Well, we didn't. Gate agent put revenue passengers on before us, even though we were positive space. Missed the connection in DTW, and they wound up delaying the flight 3 hours. Basically, when the wheels fall off at any airline, there's only so much you can do. When morale is in the toilet, management is ripping pay and benefits away like they're opening their Xmas presents and they still want the pilots to step up and save the operations, we just say "No." and watch the chaos. That's not just at AA.
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If we're fling for United and the deadhead is the last leg of the trip we aren't positive space...true story. Just the highest level of nonrev.
 
A buddy of mine always says "The 3 most commonly heard things on the radio at ORD. 1.) Pick it up american, you're taxiing too slow. 2.) No, United, you can't do that, and 3.) (on ground control) Everyone STOP! Iberia is taxiing again" .
 
A slow walk is 1-2 MPH and contradicts the recommended braking technique. The USAF, of all organizations, generally requires a max towing speed of 5 MPH (NOT a slow walk) or the speed of the slowest team member. That's my fact 'o day.
 
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