One word...Decaffeinated. Lighten up a bit, will you.

 

I just call 'em like I see 'em.

 

Well yes, I absolutely am a Union SkyGirl! I like work rules and want to know that me and my family are flying on an airline where I know the pilots and flight attendants aren't exhausted. As far as your comments about UAL and CAL crews, I was merely voicing my opinion about the quality of their employees that I have met, I was not judging your pilot skills - I am not a pilot! I travel a lot and meet lots of air crews during my travels. I often stay in the same hotels, and have often had a friendly dinner and a drink with some of them. My experience has been mostly positive with those particular crews - Mostly intelligent, interesting people from all walks of life, all faiths, as well as all political persuasions! Not to say that any other airline lack crews of the same quality, but coincidentally, those two airlines are the crews that I have met the most in my travels.

I don't book JetBlue for my clients, but they are free to do so on their own. I understand that they are now wooing travel agents. Logistically, United is the most traveled airline amongst my clientele, as I live in SFO, however much of my clientele also travel on Singapore, Cathay, Air New Zealand, Quantas, etc.

 

Hey Travel(agent)girl,

I take it that's what you are?
I used to feel tired, drained and exhausted and sometimes ****ed off after a three day trip with my former (unionized) airline(s). Here at JetBlue I walk of the airplane with a smile on my face thinking 'That was it? This is too easy'.

Not having travelled on JetBlue yourself, I wonder why you deprive your clients of the experience? If it is true (and I really don't know) that we are looking to hook up with travel agents (as 80% is booked through www.jetblue.com) then why don't you try to make some money through us?
I almost offered you a free ride through a buddy pass, but then I thought no, those are for friends. I'd rather have you buy a ticket.

The other day I flew from Oakland to Longbeach and a satisfied, deplaning customer told me 'I'll never fly Southwest again'.

We might not have the international connections like Singapore and Cathay, but please standby for a major announcement very soon. It might just rock your travel agency world...

 

In the late sixties I as well as a number of other f/o's, s/o's based at DCA for various airlines defended the State of Va. from the VC. Had any of us skipped six months of drills or "summer camp" we would have been in a rice paddy in Vietnam faster than a "shuttle" flight to LGA. The current inhabitant of the White House doesn't have a clue!!! Daddy's still trying to bail him out!!!!!
OBTW, alpa doesn't represent us so-called old guys.
Stop paying dues if your over 50!

 

Why yes, a travel agent is part of what I do, pilot boy. I look forward to your announcement, although it probably won't rock my travel agency world. Your posts seem awfully hostile Gman. I know plenty of people who like flying on JetBlue, you don't have to convince me of that. FYI though, travel agents don't make money booking air on any airline! We make our money booking tours, cruises, international travel, business and incentive travel, etc. That being said, Jetblue only recently announced plans to allow booking on their airline through GDS. If that is your announcement, then I already know that.

I will continue to support union based airlines though because I am "UnionSkyTravelAgentGirl!"

 

Hey Non-Union Gman:

Glad you love life over there at People's Express, Part Deux.

However...we realize...and I hope you guys realize...because you have no union to protect you, you are the "lab rats" for experimental trial-balloon assaults by managements seeking to gut duty-day rules, among other basic safety thresholds...right?

You guys are all happy...but, your Rose Colored Glasses are beginning to embolden corner-cutting ATA management initiatives and thus endangering all of our safety as well as that of the travelling public:

what defense do you mount for JetBlue pilots allowing themselves to be used in the illegal "Transcon-Sleep-Starvation Caper" where JetBlue--without telling their passengers, broke FAA regs on crew rest? Clearly, this is a collaborative Airline Transport Association effort being "run through" JetBlue, seeking to establish new cockpit duty-day rigs that exceed the 8-hour max.

A "stand-up" all nighter to the west coast against the time zone with two pilots? Why would any pilot interested in basic safety allow his management to run experimental testing on their cockpit crews on this insane sleep-deprivation goosechase?

You guys lead with your chin in your "just happy to be here" simplistic brainwash...and it puts us all in harms way, IMO.

Jetblaster

 

Amen, blaster, amen!

 

I would love to, but it is a condition of employment.

 

It occurs to me that we have a very recent example of the value of a union, although I will be the first to say that both ALPA and the Allied Pilots Association did only a fraction of what I consider to be their duty.

I am speaking of the Brazilian ExcelAir/GOL collision. The pilots sat for 70 days, incarcerated without charge, in violation of ICAO Annex 13 process of Accident Investigation. ONLY due to the collective voices of journalist Joe Sharkey and a LOT of unionized pilots placing pressure on their national union--who, in return, placed pressure on the government and the Brazilians--did Jan Paladino and Joe Lepore finally get released. This SHOULD have happened by the single call of APA President Ralph Hunter and (lame duck) ALPA President Duane Woerth in a unified voice, instructing all represented pilots to refuse trips to Brazil not only until Jan and Joe were returned to US soil, but until all international pilots were assured that ICAO Annex 13 process was assured.

The fact that the Brazilians charged them with a crime should still be reason enough for both Presidents to insist on a boycott; and, it is plain that no individual pilot should accept any trip to Brazil until those charges are dropped.

Based on just this one case, I see a very dim case for getting rid of unions; the national airline managers could care less if you rot in a Brazilian jail...they'll just call back a furloughee at half the hourly-rate.

Paladin?

Jetblaster