AA dispatcher layoffs?

[I Like IKE]

I dont understand why you would want quick MEL amendments. MELs issues comprise a sizable percentage of AA dispatch ASAPs. Being hurried by maintenance to approve MELs and for amended releases by pilots is a big reason why MELs do not get properly applied. Getting it right is much more important than getting it done fast.

If you dont understand your altitude or route plan then you need to call the dispatcher. Dont sign a release you dont understand.

From the other side, when I profile a flight to avoid turbulence, or route it on a seemingly longer route because winds make it the fastest route, I also explain that in the remarks. Then I often either get a call from a captain asking why I did it, or worse, they just ignore the altitude profile then complain about turbulence, or take "shortcuts" that actually add time to their flight.

 

[bbmikej]

From the other side, when I profile a flight to avoid turbulence, or route it on a seemingly longer route because winds make it the fastest route, I also explain that in the remarks. Then I often either get a call from a captain asking why I did it, or worse, they just ignore the altitude profile then complain about turbulence, or take "shortcuts" that actually add time to their flight.

I like when you make a weather avoidance route and the pilot takes a "shortcut" right into the middle of it and has to deviate right to where you had routed them.

 

[gopherdx]

I like when you make a weather avoidance route and the pilot takes a "shortcut" right into the middle of it and has to deviate right to where you had routed them.

This, or even worse, they don’t tell you, you miss their “shortcut” as well and they have to fly parallel to the line of thunderstorms for hundreds of miles and then divert for fuel. Fool me once…….

 

[bbmikej]

This, or even worse, they don’t tell you, you miss their “shortcut” as well and they have to fly parallel to the line of thunderstorms for hundreds of miles and then divert for fuel. Fool me once…….

...Shame on, shame on you. Fool me, you can't get fooled again.

 

[gopherdx]

...Shame on, shame on you. Fool me, you can't get fooled again.

That’s that old saying in Tennessee, I know it’s in Texas but prolly in Tennessee

 

[ManualDXer]

I dont understand why you would want quick MEL amendments. MELs issues comprise a sizable percentage of AA dispatch ASAPs. Being hurried by maintenance to approve MELs and for amended releases by pilots is a big reason why MELs do not get properly applied. Getting it right is much more important than getting it done fast.

If you dont understand your altitude or route plan then you need to call the dispatcher. Dont sign a release you dont understand.

Flagship wins again… on to next thread

 

[GroundPilot]

I dont understand why you would want quick MEL amendments. MELs issues comprise a sizable percentage of AA dispatch ASAPs. Being hurried by maintenance to approve MELs and for amended releases by pilots is a big reason why MELs do not get properly applied. Getting it right is much more important than getting it done fast.

If you dont understand your altitude or route plan then you need to call the dispatcher. Dont sign a release you dont understand.

Don't think he meant it that way. It could be that MCC calls you to add an MEL, you do your ver 2 or amendment and push the paperwork to the crew before they ask you for it.

 

[A1TAPE]

McKinsey & Company have been sitting with dispatchers and have come to the conclusion that they (dispatch) could do more with less....at least that is what their recommendation will be.

Speaking of McKinsey

View: https://youtu.be/4Cy0vYKI6_Y?si=OylxYh8vWYyVsUag

 

[BRUSR_ONE]

and not everyone does this, as he pointed out in his post. while at my former regional, it was admittedly a little hard to effectively flight follow every flight as the workload was quite high. but at my major, there's really no excuse. you can really keep yourself (and the crew) out of the red by staying proactive. some will never learn this, or they're just lazy

Aye! How am I supposed to flight follow when I've got 50 flights on my desk and I'm scrambling to keep them from being sent late and some of them need a little more than standard work such as looking up alt mins etc?

 

[iono]

Aye! How am I supposed to flight follow when I've got 50 flights on my desk and I'm scrambling to keep them from being sent late and some of them need a little more than standard work such as looking up alt mins etc?

DRM

 

[bbmikej]

Aye! How am I supposed to flight follow when I've got 50 flights on my desk and I'm scrambling to keep them from being sent late and some of them need a little more than standard work such as looking up alt mins etc?

Take the delay and make sure it goes on dispatch.

 

[I Like IKE]

Aye! How am I supposed to flight follow when I've got 50 flights on my desk and I'm scrambling to keep them from being sent late and some of them need a little more than standard work such as looking up alt mins etc?

Flight following is the priority. Never sacrifice good flight following to work up releases.

 

[TAF_Master]

DRM

Dispatch Redistribution (per) Management. Only works if it's a mechanical/medical/IT unique to a desk tying it up, not so great in an ATC IROP when every desk is drowning.

 

[iono]

redistribution is only part of it. at a regional i could see every desk drowning. rushed/poor training, bad workload management, inexperienced dispatchers, sure. maybe it’s just the way my carrier sets up the desks, but it’s practically impossible for every desk to be drowning. either way, like #32 said… flight following takes priority. that’s one of the very basic questions even regional carriers ask you. they give you a few scenarios, and see how you would prioritize them. that isn’t just an interview question, it’s important stuff that we have to be able manage each day.

 

[TAF_Master]

redistribution is only part of it. at a regional i could see every desk drowning. rushed/poor training, bad workload management, inexperienced dispatchers, sure. maybe it’s just the way my carrier sets up the desks, but it’s practically impossible for every desk to be drowning. either way, like #32 said… flight following takes priority. that’s one of the very basic questions even regional carriers ask you. they give you a few scenarios, and see how you would prioritize them. that isn’t just an interview question, it’s important stuff that we have to be able manage each day.

True, flight following takes precedence. And if I could silence the phones to focus on the airborne flights, I would. But the problem is when delays compound...you will be getting multiple phone calls from the station, the captain and possibly others for each and every flight that is past due. And we cannot ignore the phone, it will roll over to the next dispatcher. And then their calls will roll over, just like the snowballs rolling down the hill cascading into an avalanche. All I can hope for at that point is a warm slice of pizza being brought into the office.

 

[iono]

True, flight following takes precedence. And if I could silence the phones to focus on the airborne flights, I would. But the problem is when delays compound...you will be getting multiple phone calls from the station, the captain and possibly others for each and every flight that is past due. And we cannot ignore the phone, it will roll over to the next dispatcher. And then their calls will roll over, just like the snowballs rolling down the hill cascading into an avalanche. All I can hope for at that point is a warm slice of pizza being brought into the office.

you need us to call out extra shifts to help during this IROPS? best we can do is pizza

 

[Bustedcropdusta]

True, flight following takes precedence. And if I could silence the phones to focus on the airborne flights, I would. But the problem is when delays compound...you will be getting multiple phone calls from the station, the captain and possibly others for each and every flight that is past due. And we cannot ignore the phone, it will roll over to the next dispatcher. And then their calls will roll over, just like the snowballs rolling down the hill cascading into an avalanche. All I can hope for at that point is a warm slice of pizza being brought into the office.

This though. Like OBVIOUSLY flight following takes precedence but if you’re not keeping up with getting releases out in time, then the phone calls start hitting, and then they roll over to your colleagues, who are now also agitated because they’ve got to stop hammering out their 50 releases and flight following to explain to the captain why they don’t have a release yet. Seems like it’s more so a regional issue. The shop I left my regional for puts a higher priority on a better flight plan over being quick. We also are able to flight follow much more adequately and update our crews quicker.

 

[bbmikej]

you need us to call out extra shifts to help during this IROPS? best we can do is pizza

One of the places I worked had a threshold for a number of hubs to be in IROP for pizza to get ordered. We hit that number so many times one summer they pretty much doubled the number required going forward.

 

[A1TAPE]

True, flight following takes precedence. And if I could silence the phones to focus on the airborne flights, I would. But the problem is when delays compound...you will be getting multiple phone calls from the station, the captain and possibly others for each and every flight that is past due. And we cannot ignore the phone, it will roll over to the next dispatcher. And then their calls will roll over, just like the snowballs rolling down the hill cascading into an avalanche. All I can hope for at that point is a warm slice of pizza being brought into the office.

Depending on your phone system you could upload all the station numbers to it to “screen calls” and know which ones can wait (stations) and which ones are actually important (crews). Of course you need to answer the stations calls eventually or they will keep blowing up your or your coworkers phones nonstop til the printer starts or the beacon turns on.

I always wanted to say to a station during an IROP look at your boards *click* (boards being the DEP/ARR boards at the airport or the internal system)

 

[gopherdx]

Depending on your phone system you could upload all the station numbers to it to “screen calls” and know which ones can wait (stations) and which ones are actually important (crews). Of course you need to answer the stations calls eventually or they will keep blowing up your or your coworkers phones nonstop til the printer starts or the beacon turns on.

I always wanted to say to a station during an IROP look at your boards *click* (boards being the DEP/ARR boards at the airport or the internal system)

Yall ask stations if they can support? If it’s in the C070, send it!