So, how bad is your carrier melting down...

Commuting for me has been a pain the past two days (ended up having to call out as a result of the final flight to IAH being cancelled out of EWR after being bumped from the previous 2). However, all that pales in comparison to the amazingly poor customer service and the throwing-of-fellow-workers-under-the-bus I witnessed at the gates (not to mention the long "gubment cheese" lines for the customer service desks). If it weren't for some weeping passengers, this would have been pure comedy to me.
 
WestIndian425 said:
Commuting for me has been a pain the past two days (ended up having to call out as a result of the final flight to IAH being cancelled out of EWR after being bumped from the previous 2). However, all that pales in comparison to the amazingly poor customer service and the throwing-of-fellow-workers-under-the-bus I witnessed at the gates (not to mention the long "gubment cheese" lines for the customer service desks). If it weren't for some weeping passengers, this would have been pure comedy to me.
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Can you give an example of throwing a fellow worker under the bus? How so?
 
Cherokee_Cruiser said:
Can you give an example of throwing a fellow worker under the bus? How so?
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"Hey Mr.Deadhead, could take the jumpseat so we can get another stranded passenger on?"

I can imagine this question being answered improperly several times during the week.

Sent from my SM-P600 using Tapatalk 4
 
Maurus said:
"Hey Mr.Deadhead, could take the jumpseat so we can get another stranded passenger on?"

I can imagine this question being answered improperly several times during the week.

Sent from my SM-P600 using Tapatalk 4
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I don't mind doing it during situations like this. HOWEVER, I always make sure no one is trying to jumpseat. And as long as the flight isn't over 2 hours.

Had a gate agent ask a deadheader on on a flight I was trying to commute on last night see if he would take the jumpseat. He said he would then saw me and immediately said no. That's how it's done.
 
Maurus said:
"Hey Mr.Deadhead, could take the jumpseat so we can get another stranded passenger on?"

I can imagine this question being answered improperly several times during the week.

Sent from my SM-P600 using Tapatalk 4
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I don't necessarily see that as throwing someone under the bus. I've always thought stranded passengers come first.
 
///AMG said:
United. I guess maybe it sucks when your hub gets blowed up by a nuclear winter bomb. Unfortunately, each time one of our flights gets cancelled, we have to re-book which then puts us at the end of the line in terms of booking a seat. Their auto booking sucks really hard.....the message tonight when tomorrow AM's flight got cnx'd was like "you have been rebooked for wednesday (red eye)"......awesome United.......since we all can just miss a week of work and be on your schedule. Oh well...at least we aren't stuck half way across the country in a hotel somewhere.
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Should have gone to Lemoore. Why did you choose VA Beach instead?
 
jtrain609 said:
I don't believe you see a lot of things as throwing people under the bus.

But I'd say that most folks here would disagree with you on those things.
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The only person being thrown under the bus is a revenue passenger who has paid hundreds (maybe thousands) of dollars for a confirmed ticket and is now getting left behind. Again. This is an IROP situation. Some confirmed passengers are getting stranded for several days to one week! So if there's once chance of getting a confirmed passenger out sooner, then so be it. An offline commuter brings zero dollars to JetBlue's bottom line. Sorry, I've done both. Commuted and lived in base. I live in base for a reason now.
 
Cherokee_Cruiser said:
I don't necessarily see that as throwing someone under the bus. I've always thought stranded passengers come first.
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Jumpseat vs seat in the back can be a fatigue issue. I can take a nap in a passenger seat if needed. Can't do that up front in most aircraft.

Getting a fellow pilot or FA to their job also inconveniences less passengers. 1 passenger vs 50-300+ passengers, what makes more sense?

Don't forget that not all places have a good commuter clause. That missed commute could definitely hurt them more than you think.

learhawkerbe400 said:
I don't mind doing it during situations like this. HOWEVER, I always make sure no one is trying to jumpseat. And as long as the flight isn't over 2 hours.

Had a gate agent ask a deadheader on on a flight I was trying to commute on last night see if he would take the jumpseat. He said he would then saw me and immediately said no. That's how it's done.
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That still does leave the possibility of last minute guy getting screwed. I have run up to gates with minimal time to spare (ie, last call) to get on commutes. Inbound flights get delayed and such so you never know.
 
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Even as a commuter, I've been burned many times with various jumpseat stories. If a pilot took a jumpseat to get a confirmed pax onboard and left me behind as a commuter, then I'm fine with that. This exact scenario happened to me twice and both times I just took it in good stride that airline business is just business. Moving on to the next option.

And before you get the undies in a wad, just know that I volunteer for the FA jumpseat which can only be occupied by company FAs and pilots. So if you are commuting as offline then the flight deck jumpseats are still available.
 
Cherokee_Cruiser said:
The only person being thrown under the bus is a revenue passenger who has paid hundreds (maybe thousands) of dollars for a confirmed ticket and is now getting left behind. Again. This is an IROP situation. Some confirmed passengers are getting stranded for several days to one week! So if there's once chance of getting a confirmed passenger out sooner, then so be it. An offline commuter brings zero dollars to JetBlue's bottom line. Sorry, I've done both. Commuted and lived in base. I live in base for a reason now.
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Yeah I have been stranded for several days now. I'll take my contract required seat in the back thank you very much.
 
And as for you being stranded, you signed up for it and know it's part of the job. Passengers buy tickets and have a reasonable expectation of getting there today and if a flight is cancelled today, then worse case tomorrow. Barring a major storm like Sandy, maybe a couple days. But JetBlue now has stories of passengers being stranded for a WEEK. From a passenger standpoint, this is unacceptable.
 
Not my pic of MDW
1538628_10152136605899275_757954555_n.jpg
 
ctab5060X said:
Could be as simple as understaffing in crew scheduling...

You were on hold for 45 minutes with an airline probably in IROP... mine isn't and we have hold times that long every day. Even during down times :(
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Wait eventually went to 2:30 before I gave up. Hire more schedulers? It's not like this was a surprise. Call people in for overtime.

It's just crazy to me the sheer number of cancelled flights and messed up crew schedules simply because we aren't able to communicate with them and they've lost all sense of where everyone is.

I don't know what it's like working one of those desks but I feel like if I was in charge it would be absolutely unacceptable for anyone to wait on hold more than 30 minutes. How are you supposed to get any flights out if nobody can even communicate!?
 
I understand delays but how do they not know where crews are? It's all electronic. When a crew flies to an overnight, they are still there until they overnight. So how do they lose track?
 
Cherokee_Cruiser said:
And as for you being stranded, you signed up for it and know it's part of the job. Passengers buy tickets and have a reasonable expectation of getting there today and if a flight is cancelled today, then worse case tomorrow. Barring a major storm like Sandy, maybe a couple days. But JetBlue now has stories of passengers being stranded for a WEEK. From a passenger standpoint, this is unacceptable.
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I know I signed up for the job. I have had far worse on a weekly basis when I was in freight. The difference this time I have a contract the company is required to follow (well, at least until the union gives them a waiver).

Anyway remember. Me taking a jumpseat could very well cause another flight to cancel or be delayed. 1 inconvenienced passenger is miniscule compared to 50+ passengers. You never know when a JSer may walk up to the podium. Only taking an FA jumpseat could very well screw over one of your FAs or get you moved to the cockpit.

This is especially a problem at smaller airports where flight frequency is highly reduced.


Personally I don't know why I even respond. I don't understand the crazy world you percieve yourself to live in.
 
I know I'm an outsider here, but my understanding is that airliners fly to get paying customers to their destinations, not to transport pilots for free, no?
 
Maurus said:
Yeah I have been stranded for several days now. I'll take my contract required seat in the back thank you very much.
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And good for you for following your Ts and Cs of employment.

My jumpseating time on the various small Embraer products has been sufficiently unpleasant that I won't ever, ever, ever, ever (like, ever) volunteer or be voluntold to occupy 1P on a must-ride.

Like, ever.

Maurus said:
Jumpseat vs seat in the back can be a fatigue issue. I can take a nap in a passenger seat if needed. Can't do that up front in most aircraft.
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I have a politically incorrect thing to say about that, and that is that you meant to say, "Can't do that up front in most aircraft...not intentionally and not usually on the jumpseat, anyway." ;)
 
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