Flight Attendant News

From The Guardian in the UK:

EasyJet faces a tense week as it waits for a verdict from cabin crew and ground staff on a hotly contested pay deal that could lead to a strike that would disrupt the airline's crucial summer season.

The Transport & General Workers' Union has balloted more than 1,500 members at Britain's largest budget airline over a pay offer worth around 8% to 10% over two years. The T&G is unhappy about the airline's negotiating tactics and about the withdrawal of valuable loyalty bonuses for long-serving workers.

The union has threatened an industrial action against low-cost carrier EasyJet that would disrupt services during the lucrative summer season.

The union claims that EasyJet has broken negotiating protocol. It is particularly angry that easyJet circulated its offer directly to crew rather than communicating through union representatives.

EasyJet maintains that it has done nothing wrong, pointing out that not all of the staff involved are represented by the T&G. Company insiders have expressed confidence that staff will accept the proposed settlement.

Although the offer is above the rate of inflation, some staff are unhappy that loyalty payments, which can make up a significant proportion of pay, are being altered.

Source:

EasyJet is threatened by summer of discontent - The Guardian Online

Ryan International Airlines appears to be recruiting U.S.-based flight attendants for two stations, Dallas, TX (DFW), and Rockford, IL (RFD).

For details check out Ryan International's website:

DFW Flight Attendant openings

RFD Flight Attendant openings

Good luck!

As mentioned in the previous post, Transport Canada is in the process of revising regulations in regard to the number of flight attendants required on a given flight. At present, Canada requires on F/A for every 40 passengers. Under the new rule, the ratio would be one F/A for every 50 passengers.

An article on the Airport Business news website says:

The opposition New Democrats joined with flight attendants to denounce the agency's bid to scale back the ratio of crew to passengers, insisting that in the post 9-11 world it should instead be increasing the number of crew members required.

"The government of Canada should in no way be compromising safety for the bottom dollar," said Peter Stoffer, a Nova Scotia MP who was surrounded by a dozen flight attendants at the Halifax International Airport.

"The travelling public should be fully aware that these flight attendants aren't there just to serve coffee. They're there for their safety and protection."

Stoffer said the disputed measure is more about helping air carriers cut costs than ensuring the well-being of passengers, who could soon have fewer hands to help in an emergency.

Read the whole article here:

Passenger Safety Compromised in Canada by Reduction in Flight Attendants - Airport Business

From GlobalNational.com (Canada):

Ottawa is considering granting Canada's airlines their long-standing request to have the right to deploy fewer flight attendants on certain Canadian departures.

The change would give airlines the flexibility to choose how many attendants they need for a particular flight based on the total number of seats on the aircraft or tickets sold for the flight.

Currently, airlines must have one flight attendant for every 40 passengers. Under the proposed changes, airlines would assign one flight attendant for every 50 seats.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents most Canadian flight attendants, is opposed to the move citing safety reasons.

Source:

Ottawa considers fewer flight attendants - Canada.com

Remember what happened late last month? A bankruptcy court judge rejected Comair's bid to void its flight attendants' contract.

But that was not the last of the issue. Now the airline has asked the judge to reconsider that ruling.

Here is what we learn from an article on the Reuters newswire service:

Judge Adlai Hardin ruled against Comair, a unit of Delta Air Lines Inc. on April 26, saying the airline did not bargain in good faith with the flight attendants' union, and asked the two sides to resume negotiations.

Comair, which filed for bankruptcy protection along with Delta in September, asked the judge to reconsider his ruling and allow it to reject the contract, according to court documents filed on Monday.

The "order overlooks controlling law and facts in the record that would have likely altered the court's decision," Comair said in the filing.

On Tuesday, a Comair spokesman said the airline would also heed the ruling and meet with the union, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, on May 11 and 12 to bargain.

"Comair's focus is on returning to negotiations," spokesman Nick Miller said. "(But) the airline feels it is important for it to preserve all of its options."

Union spokesman Galen Munroe said the union believed Comair's new request would be denied, and added that the flight attendants would approach negotiations with an "open mind."

"We are hoping the company will change their position, given the judge's decision," Munroe said.

Comair has asked its flight attendants for concessions worth $8.9 million as part of its planned $42 million cost-cutting program.

The company has agreements with its pilots' and mechanics' unions and has said deals with those unions are contingent upon an agreement with the flight attendants.

The flight attendants have argued that the airline's demands for cuts are not justified and place too large a burden on its members.

Source:

Comair asks court to void flight attendants' deal - Reuters

Several former Pan Am flight attendants have been honored with a Special Courage Award by U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. The award recognizes their heroism during a hijacking attempt in which 21 people were killed.

One of those former Pan Am flight attendants, Samira Goode, now lives in Florida where she teaches third grade at a school in North Palm Beach. She was interviewed recently by a reporter from the Palm Beach Post. Here is her story:

Samira Goode had been a flight attendant for Pan American Airlines for only six months when Flight 73 from Bombay, India to Frankfurt, Germany turned into 16 hours of terror. Four machine gun toting men stormed the aircraft as passengers were boarding and by the time it was over, 21 people were dead.

...

It's still difficult to talk about, said Goode. She remembers the horror of the first killing that happened after the cockpit crew escaped from the plane, which grounded the aircraft and foiled the hijackers plans to blow up the plane over Pakistan.

"They were furious," Goode remembers. "That's when they shot the first person."

They shot a passenger in the head and dumped his body onto the tarmac. He was pronounced dead a short time later.

At that time, the hijackers threatened to kill a passenger every 15 minutes and had the next two victims on their knees beside the exit with guns pointed at their heads, said Goode.

Negotiators communicating with the hijackers were effective and the killings stopped - for a while.

But when the aircraft's power unit failed and the lights dimmed, the hijackers herded all the passengers and crew into the center of the plane and began shooting. Many passengers escaped through the rear exit. Goode was by the exit over the wing and remembers that the escape slide didn't inflate so she herded passengers, including a group of unaccompanied children, onto the wing where they jumped 20 feet to the ground.

Goode suffered torn knee ligaments and didn't return to work for six months. But being the victim of a terrorist act so early in her career didn't deter Goode from returning to work once her injury healed.

"Well, I figured I'd already been hijacked," she said. "Plus, I really enjoyed (my job)."

Source:

Ex-flight attendant honored with Special Courage Award - Palm Beach Post

Regional airline Air Wisconsin is preparing to hire new flight attendants. According to information on their website, they will be holding interview sessions throughout the month of May, 2006. Interview locations include Philadelphia and Lester, PA, and Norfolk, VA.

Click here for details.

Air Wisconsin has crew bases at Philadelphia, Washington, DC, and Norfolk, VA.

According to a press release on the website of the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA), a four-year agreement between Alaska Airlines and its Flight Attendants has been ratified.

"It took the strength of more than 2,500 flight attendants standing together to show management that we would not settle for anything less than a fair and equitable contract," said Veda Shook, Alaska Airlines Master Executive Council President. "This has been a long process, but we feel that the needs and concerns of our members have been addressed."

The agreement, reached in March 2006, came after two and a half years of intense negotiations and one failed tentative agreement in July 2005. Provisions of the new agreement include a pay increase retroactive for 18 months, medical premium caps, the shortest duty day in the industry and strong protections against outsourcing.

"Our flight attendants have shown that they are ready to move on and work with management on building upon the success of our airline," said Shook. "Due to the enhanced profit-sharing opportunities in this agreement, as front line employees we will now be able to share in the wealth that we help create for our airline."

Source:

Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants Ratify Agreement With Management - AFA Press Release