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Galley Gossip: A question about being a flight attendant on reserve
Dear Heather,
I am intrigued by reserve. Must you queue up each day?
Have fun but be safe,
Geno
Dear Geno,
You are correct, we do queue up each day on reserve. Today I'm # 61 on the reserve list. Because there are 34 other flight attendants who are good to work four days in a row, like me, I've just made an appointment with Alice - master of hair. But now that the weather channel is reporting ice in Dallas, even though I'm based in New York, I'm getting a little nervous about my appointment with Alice today. When one airport is affected by weather, all the airports will eventually be affected by weather. Trips will cancel and crews will go illegal and that's when my phone will ring.
RESERVE - Reserve flight attendants do not have a line (schedule of trips). On reserve we bid for days off only. When we don't have a day off we remain on-call. The company can (and will) assign us a trip at any time of day (or night) with at least two hours time to get to the airport. Reserve duty is much like being an on-call doctor in that we must stay within a manageable radius of our base (mine covers three airports - JFK, LGA and EWR) and there are no late nights out and absolutely no alcohol, since you can (and will) be called out to work any time of day and night. I remember one night having a quiet evening at home with a movie and Chinese take out. The food had not even arrived to my apartment and I was already leaving for a trip to London! There's no warning, no lead time, and no excuses. You just have to zip up your bag and go!
On the days we are good to work we have a four hour window to call in and retrieve our assignments for the following day. Because there are only so many available trips each day, not every flight attendant on-call will get one. Flight attendants who are not assigned a trip will be awarded a number. This number is based on the hours the flight attendant has flown during the month. The flight attendant with the least amount of hours is assigned the lowest number and will be called out first if a trip comes up.
While a high number on the reserve list is always a relief to a flight attendant who did not get awarded a trip, a flight attendant who is just about to go to bed, that flight attendant may still get a call in the middle of the night from crew schedule to fly. Here's why...
LEGALITIES - While layovers can be as short as eight hours (no less), a flight attendant is guaranteed 12 hours off between trips. That means some flight attendants will not be legal to fly until a certain time the following day. For instance, # 5 on the reserve list may get called out first to work a trip because # 1- 4 are not legal to work until noon.
NUMBER OF DAYS ON-CALL - A flight attendant will usually be on-call for five to six days in a row, and then the flight attendant will have anywhere from two to five days off, depending on the line the flight attendant was awarded. Because not everyone has days off at the same time, some flight attendants are good to work one day while others are good for four days. That means if # 1 on the reserve list is only good to work one day, but a two-day trip pops up in the computer, the trip will be assigned to the first flight attendant on the list who is legal to work the trip, and that could be #10 on the reserve list.
EQUIPMENT - The airline I work for has several different types of aircraft and each flight attendant is trained to work on the equipment they fly, but not all flight attendants are trained to work on all the equipment. At least that's how it is at my airline. For instance, the airline I work for has six different types of aircraft. I'm only trained to work on four of those airplanes. If I'm #1 on the reserve list, but a three-day, 737 trip pops up, which is an airplane I'm not trained to work on, I'll be skipped over and the trip will go to the first 737 qualified flight attendant who is good to work the two-day trip, a flight attendant who is also legal for the departure time.
I know, I know, it's all very confusing, which is why flight attendants have a tendency to be on edge when they're on reserve, why they go to sleep with their cell phones right beside the bed, why they have a tendency to jump five feet into the air and curse whenever the phone rings, and why they have no life. This is why reserve sucks. And this is why I commute from Los Angeles (where I live) to New York (where I work), even though I am on reserve this month.
Last week I went to bed # 28 on the reserve list and got called out in the middle of the night to cover an early morning departure to Los Angeles out of Newark. There were a lot of sick calls that night. Three nights ago I was # 2 on the reserve list and couldn't fall asleep because I spent the entire night tossing and turning, dreading the unavoidable call. Trust me, there's nothing worse than hearing, "Crew schedule calling for flight attendant Poole," in the middle of the night. So imagine my surprise when I awoke to the sun shining through my window, not a ringing cell phone. Of course by five o'clock that same day I was on the airplane and headed to Las Vegas.
"You're not trained on the 737!" my husband just exclaimed when I read him this post over the phone. He's in Los Angeles and I'm in New York.
"No!" I told him, and then I went on to explain why. Ya see, as long as I'm on reserve I'm not going to get trained on another aircraft. No way. Not unless I'm forced to. I'm going to sit in my crashpad and let someone else work the twenty hour, three-day, 737 trip, while I wait for a cush twelve hour, two-day, 767 trip to Los Angeles. Hey, that's just me.
Thanks for the question, Geno. If you, or anyone else, have another question email me at Skydoll123@yahoo.com
Heather Poole
Photo courtesy of Frak-tal (man sleeping) and volliem (hand holding phone) - from flickr.com
Filed under: Galley Gossip
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 2)
frank96 Jan 28th 2009 9:38PM
LOL, this article was on "RESERVE".
I have two words for it. IT SUCKS.
The company OWNS you 24/7. When you finally become a line holder, you're life changes for the better.
I can fondly remember my reserve days now. I used to get called in 6am in the morning. The scheduler used to say, "What ya looking to do today?'' I used to reply, "I'm looking for a gun, you just woke me up!!!!!!!!" :::grin:::
Elise Poole Jan 29th 2009 9:50AM
Frank,
You are so right on in your comments and I love them...keep it up!!!!! Your the best!
Brandi Jan 28th 2009 9:43PM
Great post Heather, Also it can be mentioned that not all reserves for each airline is the same. Which can be even more confusing for a regular traveler. Lol -
Crazy that you guys aren't trained for every plane! For my airline we were trained for six different aircrafts and so many different types of those aircrafts. : x Not to mention with the merge we are coming into they are already talking about how we are to be trained for the other side's airplanes. : x
Reserve sucks.
B
Cress Jan 28th 2009 9:47PM
This is the first time that I have run across your blog and I do understand that flight attendants have a full and busy job so being a frequent flier I try very hard not to disturb anyone . I am 61 years old and only 4'10" on a good day. HA! You might have already guessed where this is going about overhead luggage. I have found some flight attendants to be very kind and so helpful but most of the time there is always a kind person that I ask them if I could borrow their height and put it away for me. They just smile look and me and totally understand. After the first time of trying to do this myself getting hit on the head and loosing my glasses I decideded the borrowing of height was my best alternative. I doubt I will ever incounter you on a flight but when you see a short person who truely can't reach the overhead give it a shot and offer help.
Thanks, Cress in Illinois
Karen Jan 28th 2009 10:06PM
I to, believe you must be burned out. You might need to find a job where you can hide in a cubicle and not deal with the public. Having also been in "customer service" for most of my adult life, I know how annoying some customers can be, but most of them don't mean to be. They don't know what you've been thru over the last 15 hours, or 5 years, or whatever. They paid for their flight and expect some sort of service. I fly quite a bit and hardly ever see anyone being truly rude or disrespectful. Quite the contrary. Flight attendants who don't want to be bothered generally make it quite apparent.....I hardly ever say a word, except "thanks"...after the give me my drink of water, or diet coke or whatever. But I NEVER ask for a refill, even if it's a long flight and I am sooooo thirsty, because I am so afraid I will upset them....You need to re-evaluate. The economy sucks and you are lucky you have a job.....
frank96 Jan 28th 2009 10:44PM
Karen said...
Having also been in "customer service" for most of my adult life, I know how annoying some customers can be, but most of them don't mean to be. They paid for their flight and expect some sort of service.
================================
Actually, they've paid to get from point A to point B. The "flight attendant" did NOT decide what 'service' you should receive inflight. MANAGEMENT did.
Bill Kirk Jan 29th 2009 12:58AM
Two things....I've always thought EVERYONE should,sometime in their lives have to 1) SELL something . 2) have to be a waiter or waitress. And deal with the public
Those that have never done these things have no understanding of how outright STUPID people (Customers) people can be.
From calling up an establishment and asking for directions...and Not knowing where you are, to a woman I heard about on a cruise ship that after going to her stateroom went to the purser and demanded another room..."because she wasn't going to look at a parking lot for the whole cruise"
One more thing....the next time you fly...listen to how rarely you hear a "please" or 'thank you" from passengers.
I'd say, 20% of people are rude,stupid and inconsiderate.
Ya know it's funny about 'stupid". Some people just don't want to admit that there are a considerable amount of truly "stupid" people in the world
jes Jan 29th 2009 7:09PM
Heather,
Buck up! We all have responsibilities in our jobs; ones which if we remain professional we smile through or have established polite routines to assist our customers with. I have little sympathy for your complaints. It's not that I can't take your perspective. It's clear that being a flight attendant is difficult, wearing and exasperating at times. Any job in which one must deal with the public is! But it IS the flight attendant's responsibility to have the grace to deal with situations so that passengers are safe and as comfortable as possible. Flying is hell and has become so much more difficult in the last years. As a passenger, we're crammed into very small spaces, have extremely long wait times, are searched, and limited control over what we bring along with us to ease the discomfort. We can't even bring water on the plane anymore and to buy it after security and before boarding is just one more expense. This is coming from someone who is healthy, fits easily in the seat and who works to travel for fun and still will take the 12-14 or 22 hour flights to have that adventure that travel rewards. By the time I've arrived at my destination on domestic flights, I typically feel beat up with all the inconvenience, discomfort and jostling that going through security evokes and add waits on the tarmac, being squished and having to stay in your seat, hungry and thirsty to the fray... Imagine if you can, all the people that arrive on a plane unfamiliar with the routines, who are anxious about their flight or the passenger whose nervousness increases with the lack of control, familiarity and predictability and discomfort that they are experiencing. Add to that, professionals that are not courteous or helpful and you will only escalate their negative behaviors.
I suspect your endless stream of complaints are motivated to get passengers to take your perspective but did you ever think that in your profession, it's not the customer's responsibility to take your perspective, but rather your responsibility to take theirs? A little compassion, some good natured humor could go a long way toward creating a more harmoneous trip for you and all of your passengers. I suspect passengers will be more likely to take your perspective if you can take theirs!
Jes
carol Feb 1st 2009 9:53PM
I have great respect for airline attendants...all of them. I usually fly American and have no complaints...in fact I often wonder how they can keep smiling and saying the same thing over and over...Would you like something to drink? etc. etc.
All you cry babies with your petty complaints should try doing their job sometime. I have never worked in the airline industry but I love to fly....well it's the destination I really like, of course.
Thanks to all the hard-working airline emplyees. Where would we be without you?
DaveO Feb 2nd 2009 12:38AM
Having flown on many different airlines over the past fifty years,some that no longer exist, I have many general comments.
1. The rules, and regulations governing the airline industry must be thoroughly reviewed by the FAA, and be strongly upgraded.The impression I have gotten is that the airlines treat their customers as if they were transporting a load of cattle, or freight. 2. Airlines fly on schedules, so why don't the flight attendants be allowed to choose their own schedules? 3. Whenever there occurs a disagreement , the airlines always seem to be right, and the customer is wrong. He really gets the 'short end of the stick'. I have seen on TV, and read in the media that many customers trying to discuss their problems at the ticket counters have been forcibly exited
from the terminal, or have been arrested. This tells me that the airlines are very discourteous to their customer, that nobody has any rights. 4. As for flight attendants, they should always be polite, and courteous, even when dealing with problem customers.
As a disabled passenger, I will say I have usually received good attention.
WW II Vet.
Kris Feb 11th 2009 3:21AM
Stop picking on Heather people. Everyone loves and hates thier job at some point. Customers expectations are awfully high sometimes (I believe customers should be treated respectfully and get what they pay for, but in return their expectations shoudl be reonible and they should treat the employee with respect, and as a person with feelings), customer service is not easy when you are trying to balance the customers needs, the tasks at hand and the company policies on different aspects of your job. Maybe if the customers took a minute to think about how they would feel if someone were talking to them as they are talking to the employee at this moment, they would realize how hard the job is.
Heather - thank you for the informational posts on your job, and keep up the great work on this blog and on the plane. Thanks for all you do!
VKG Feb 15th 2009 12:20PM
Sometimes when I read this stuff about "flying waitress", and ignorant people who think they understand what an F/A's job description is, I just want to tell them to get on, sit down, shut up and hang on. Or use alternate transportation. No one's holding a gun to your head and making you get on the plane. I wouldn't even recommend you take a train or a bus. You'd probably expect the Greyhound driver to serve you drinks.
Here's an idea. Pack snacks and drinks and drive.
If you're a jerk in my restaurant I can ask you to leave. You wouldn't want that option at 40000 feet.
Here, let me put a real damper on your day. Do you know who the first victims of 9/11 were? I'll give you one guess.