Yesterday was my first day back on the job...I had a great six days off! We flew US Airways to CLT (Charlotte, NC) on Friday and had to rent a car to get the rest of the way to Raleigh! We asked another non-rev if she'd like to join us for the ride...because there was NO WAY we were getting on one of the six flights that day! She and Greg talked most of the 2 hour drive, and I took cat naps on and off.
Our niece, Brittany, graduated with a BS degree from Meredith College on Mother's Day. It was a beautiful ceremony in a beautiful setting. The geese even flew in formation over the graduates! And our niece, Lindsey, announced her engagement to her boyfriend, Greg. So sweet!
But it's back to the grind. I was actually looking forward to sitting the couch in Denver from Noon until 6PM...but that happiness went *poof* fairly quickly. I called crew scheduling at 1124 to check in, and guess what? They didn't answer the phone for 14 minutes! While I was on hold on the crewroom phone, I used my cell phone to call all of the crew scheduling numbers - I ended up on hold for each call. Finally, I called the Inflight Manager's office to let them know that I couldn't get through.
After 14 minutes on hold, a crew scheduler with an unrecognizable name answered the phone. I had to tell her twice that I was calling to check in for the couch. Then I asked why it took 14 minutes to answer my call. She responded, "We have to take the calls in the order we receive them." I didn't have a good reaction to that comment, because in 2 1/2 years it's NEVER taken that long to get an answer at crew scheduling. I pointed out to "unrecognizable name" that, had it been closer to my check-in time, I could have gotten a late show! But that did not seem to concern her.
It turns out that this is happening a lot. I submitted a report to "the powers that be" and actually got a response within a couple hours. The manager of crew scheduling was very apologetic, and said it was totally crew scheduling's fault. They have the ability to put their phones on "unavailable," and all four schedulers did it at the same time when I called, even though one phone is always supposed to be open. He said the schedulers were counseled and it'll never happen again.
Even though the situation was resolved, I felt bad that it even happened. Whatever happened to common sense? I'm feeling very "out in left field" now that our schedulers are in IND and we're in DEN. They don't know what time it is in DEN, they don't know the weather, they don't know the situations...
The B couch was called at 1220 to report to Gate 25 at 1225 to preboard a flight to DFW. We looked at our schedule board and the flight wasn't even arriving until 1252! So we are at the gate at 1252 as the plane arrives, but the next crew is already there. As we're leaving, I found out that the gate next door had no crew and was waiting to board their flight - I'm thinking that crew scheduling told us the wrong gate! But we had no way of knowing! We should have been sent to Gate 27 to preboard the flight to SAN!
If this were a once-in-awhile occurence, it'd be no big deal. But it's happening ALL THE TIME! We get to gates and there is no plane, the crew is already there, or the plane is already boarded! Why is the communication so bad? So lacking?
I just wasn't handling it well yesterday. One of my classmates is transferring to MKE and I asked her lots and lots of questions about her plans - how was she going to do it? Was it going to save her money? Where was she going to live in MKE? She has her reasons for switching, the biggest of which is to FINALLY GET OFF RESERVE! I have to agree with her 100%. I would pay money to get off reserve, but I don't think switching to MKE would work for me. What's a girl to do?
With our old management, things went like clockwork. Sure, there were errors every once in awhile...but under our new structure, I feel like we've been hung out to dry. I did realize, though, that management may not be aware of what's going on, so we need to tell them. But FAs feel that all their problems are going to be miraculously fixed by bringing in a union. I've got news for them...
I guess I just need to be put on a plane - then everything's okay. The joy of the job comes back. I have fun with the passengers and the crew. I get to stay in nice hotels. I have time to myself for peace, quiet, reading, walking, shopping, eating, and visiting with friends. I need to hold on those and keep my chin up so that I don't drown in my own sorrows. IT WILL GET BETTER!
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