American Airline article....interesting

[pilot602]

I've said it three times - fix the holes in the system and stop playing up the TSA as some uber-force of crack security guards. These idiots are x-raying themselves at screening points for *$#(*&$'s Sake.

How would you fix it? Or do you think there is no problem? Would you double the TSA agents at every checkpoint while letting cargo onboard that hasn't been screened? Or claim that the TSA is doing a wonderful job confiscating nail files while hundreds of cargo containers the size of tractor-trailers are being delivered to hundreds of ports stateside everyday without so much as a glance through them?

Can you not see the stupidity in the system right now?

I'm simply curious - you blast folks for running down the TSA and claim no one has said how to fix it yet you don't offer any ideas either.

 

[ERJ-135]

Something is wrong when it is cheaper to fly then drive. Something is wrong when it cost more to fly 500 miles than it is to fly 1500 miles. The economic price structure defies normal business practices.

 

[Stone Cold]

[ QUOTE ]
Tony, I know it sucks, but since 9/11, and those 19 people killed thousands of individuals, that is when it became a threat. I don't totally agree with everything that happens, I can't stand the thought of a "security list" or whatever they are calling it, and I hate the fact that our government is getting this involved in daily life.

However, we all need to realize the situation isn't going to get better for a long time. We all need to come to an understanding that some of these measures, although they make no sense, were ideas that some in the TSA thought would work. If you have a better idea, I am sure the TSA would love a point paper or some other types of suggestions to help with getting us secured and get people off them for being bullies at the same time.

I have yet to hear anybody put forth a better solution, other than "we need to find another way". What is that other way? I am baffled as to how to defend the US citizens, yet keep the enemy from doing it again . As for the person that said GWB is trying to keep everybody scared, maybe he is a little bit. At least he hasn't forgotten 9/11. Would you rather us just let everybody try to kill us. In case you haven't noticed, we have been getting hit by terrorists since what, the early 70's, and they began bombing us in 1993 with the WTC. I think the Clinton Administration took your advice and just lobbed a couple of missiles at a training camp in 1998 and that didn't stop them. He also ignored every other attack, and here we are...

So, what are the great ideas we have? I will be more than happy to put together a list and send it to the TSA, since everybody seems to think there's a huge conspiracy and the New World Order will black-list you.

Just my opinion...

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, that's defending them alright...and look at how I have all the answers.

You need to stop getting so defensive, as I'm only trying to stimulate thought. I am not defending TSA, and once again, cargo ships are DHS and the Coast Guard, so keep the two separate. That's another topic in itself. If you want to say the TSA needs revamping great...how do you fix it? Don't just say plug the holes...do you screen 100% of baggage? I think that's in legislation or they are waiting on x-ray machines...not sure on that, but I know that they are working on it.

Before 9/11 you could bring on a knife up to 3" in length, now we know not to do that. It's amazing the stuff people try bringing on airplanes...did you watch "Airline" on Monday...they guy was b****ing about bringing a shotgun on and having to have it inspected. Look at the knives, etc that have been confiscated. Yes, you have some whackos and some people that abuse their power...they need to be dealt with.

Do you want everybody judging pilots on some stupid people in the world like these two?
Stupid pilot
Stupid pilot 2

How about the "secret list"? Nobody wants the govt to have this, including me, so we need to do something....
Passenger data
All I'm saying is unless you can come up with a better idea, let's all work together on this, and not aggrivate situations. Just an idea...

 

[Julietpapa]

That's a great article, very insightful. I flew with Byron Smith a couple of years ago, super nice guy.

So far, AA, NW and CO are the only majors not currently looking at the "airline within the airline" concept to compete with the LCCs... they are sitting back and waiting to see what will happen with Song and Ted.

I personally don't believe AA will be able to become a SW-type airline, nor do they want to. However, it's interesting to note that SW pilots make more than we do, after stock options and probably even with just base pay. We've taken a lot of flack from several pilot groups about lowering the bar - but when your airline is facing bankruptcy and uses the "shotgun approach" on its unions, let's face it, all we can do is try and limit the damage.

Many of these pilot groups insisted that the company was bluffing about BK. After our union hired a couple of independent analysts and AA opened its books to our unions, we realized that we were dealing with an airline with just about $1 billion cash on hand - and the minimum to go into BK was around $800 million. At that point we were losing about $4 million per day. Basically, we had no choice. Yes, we're pissed, paying for all of management's mistakes. Yes, we expect to recoup our losses with our next contract.

That being said, I've adjusted to this pay hit by moving back to paycheck-friendly Texas! In other words, by lowering my cost of living, the pay cut is somewhat a bit more manageable.

 

[Stone Cold]

I thought AA was looking into it now, the "airline within an airline". Maybe I misheard. I've always had the dream of flying for AA, but I'd rather fly corporate or fractional now, instead of putting up with AA's mismanagement...of course, I'll take any job I can get.

Good luck out there.

 

[Indigo]

[ QUOTE ]
I feel that once we get past this economic downturn(until the next one), there will always be someone who wants to pay alittle bit more to get a meal and other frills.

[/ QUOTE ]
A "little" more is one thing, but I can't see too many people who would still be willing to pay 3 or 4 times as much to go out to the same airport, go through the same security hassles, delays and cancellations, etc. Then in many cases, they are on the same airplane, albeit in first class.

 

[FL270]

[ QUOTE ]
That being said, I've adjusted to this pay hit by moving back to paycheck-friendly Texas!

[/ QUOTE ]Here's hoping I can make the same move myself!

Welcome aboard, by the way, JP ... glad to have you join us!

 

[pilot602]

[ QUOTE ]
However, we all need to realize the situation isn't going to get better for a long time. We all need to come to an understanding that some of these measures, although they make no sense, were ideas that some in the TSA thought would work. If you have a better idea, I am sure the TSA would love a point paper or some other types of suggestions to help with getting us secured and get people off them for being bullies at the same time.

[/ QUOTE ]

That sounds like defending to me. Maybe I mis-intrepreted it ...

[ QUOTE ]
cargo ships are DHS and the Coast Guard, so keep the two separate.

[/ QUOTE ]

TSA is part of DHS as well ... so they are not seperate. And that's the point.

The point is that the TSA is doing not much more than the previous security set-up at airport terminals. Why? Because screening at the terminal security checkpoints wasn't really broken to begin with. The idiots of 9/11 did not breech security. They were passed through under the rules of the time. Yes we don't allow knives on board now ... but did we need to federalize the screeners to accomplish that?

The TSA still hasn't completed background checks on all of its screeners, almost every month you hear about people getting through security and as a result all the flights are recalled to the gate and passengers rescreened and now we have TSA agents x-raying themselves to "see what their brains look like." Yet this is the agency the government points to when it talks about better security and safer skies! This is the "poster child" for tighter security. But for all the hype and hooplah and back-patting at the very same time the government does nothing about screening 100% of the cargo that goes under the very passengers these bafoons are taking nail-clippers from. Nor are they doing anything about shipping ports, rail-road systems, the highway system etc.

And that's the point.

The government is throwing money at the easiest "fix" in the problem (the problem is bigger than the TSA and passenger screening at the terminal entrance) and they've accomplished a slight increase at that point. And they acomplished that simply because that point wasn't broken to begin with. Yet the rest of the transportation system (and the TSA stands for Transportation Security Agency ... not airline security agency) has gaping, whorish-size, security holes that no one is doing a damned thing about.

I'm not worred about passenger screening. Because it wasn't broken. I'm worried about all the other problems that no one has done a thing about. Those scare me far more than a 90-year old woman with a set of nail clippers.

 

[Julietpapa]

[ QUOTE ]
I thought AA was looking into it now, the "airline within an airline". Maybe I misheard. I've always had the dream of flying for AA, but I'd rather fly corporate or fractional now, instead of putting up with AA's mismanagement...of course, I'll take any job I can get.

Good luck out there.

[/ QUOTE ]


Well, they kind of hinted they were looking at it in the beginning, but after asking them several times it appears they've canned the whole idea.

AA's mismanagement.... well, all I can say is that thank God Carty is gone. Arpey seems to be doing a pretty good job, Wall Street is pretty happy, and it appearsthe airline is outperforming everyone else (of the majors, for now.) I guess we're pretty optimistic.... especially about getting a better contract in '08, anyway

In any case, I think if you got hired here in the next wave, you'd find a pretty good place to work, overall.

Good luck to you too.

 

[Stone Cold]

JP,

Glad to hear things are looking better over there. I am definitely glad to hear Arpey is doing better. It's amazing how everybody hated Crandall while he was there, then realised he wasn't so bad after all, in the grand scheme of things.

We'll see on the hiring...I should be sitting pretty well if and when AA hires again. Time will tell if that will be the best thing for me, though.