- IT'S TIME FOR A HIGHER STANDARD -

This coming Thursday, October 26, 2023, United Airlines Flight Attendants will be gathering for another "Day of Action" at all United hubs and other large stations throughout their system.  These events are peaceful gatherings outside of busy airport terminals, and are just one way for the flight attendants to inform passengers and the public about the current state of contract negotiations with United's leadership team.  These events are also a way to bring together United's Flight Attendants for one common goal - to  make management understand that they are serious about the changes that are needed to their contract.   Not only in terms of positive changes in compensation, benefits and working conditions, but changes are needed that bring back some respect for a very difficult job.

The contract with United's Flight Attendants became amendable in 2021, and because United management got pressed to the wall in their negotiations with the Pilots' union, work on the contract with the Flight Attendants was, for the most part, pushed aside.  Two years is long enough to wait.  The pilots just recently ratified their own contract, securing big increases in pay and benefits for themselves, increases that are well-deserved.   Now, as United's management team focuses on the contract with the Flight Attendants, it appears that there may be a mandate coming down to reign in that generous spirit.  Management needs to find a way to pay for the more expensive pilots. 

United's senior management, led by Scott Kirby, is very "by the numbers," with their focus squarely on how well shares of United Airlines Holdings are trading on the stock market.  Investments in the customers and the front-line employees has to show an immediate return.  No one can argue that Mr. Kirby and his team are not doing a good job, they are definitely filling seats.  United Airlines is carrying more passengers across the Atlantic and  Pacific than any other airline.  It is still mostly leisure travel that fill seats now and leisure travel is less profitable than business travel.   This means United has to fill more seats, with more frequency, and at the same time cut costs where they can in order to show growth in their earnings numbers.  That cost cutting first focuses on behind the scenes operations support functions, and then the service offerings for the customers are cut back.  After that, management then looks at the front-line to identify opportunities to save money.  

I am sounding my age when I say that, for the most part and across all industries, the management style at big corporations has regressed into what is "good enough" for the customer.  This is the type of manager who thinks that customers will "settle" and accept the product put before them.  In all my years as a loyal United Airlines customer and shareholder, I have been witness to several changes in upper management, and with each change there have come cuts in the quality of in-flight service, especially in the premium cabins.  Years ago I used to look for excuses to get on a United flight, now I only travel when needed.  It is hard to accept "good enough," when you have had much better.  And "good enough" is not a way to win back premium business travelers.    

 There is also an attitude by some managers that employees are also supposed to accept "good enough," in terms of pay, benefits and working conditions.  Bad managers intimidate employees into thinking that they should consider themselves lucky to have a job.  Good leaders know that they have to work harder and continually motivate, continually train, continually support, and always reward.  Then there are those in the middle, those that work toward "good enough," - I call them mediocre managers.  

Mediocre leaders want to get by with "good enough."  Their compensation is based upon meeting specific, numerical profit goals.  These are the managers that only look at those numbers, and will only commit to the optimum investment that yields the highest return, in the shortest time period.  Mediocre managers also like to standardize everything because it is simpler.  Employees need to fall in line with what is standard and do as they are told, no matter the circumstance, and with no regard for the level of experience the employee brings to the job.  Any variance from the standard gets an employee fired.  Sadly, a lot of good people are no longer with United because they did not adapt quickly enough to the "dumbed down" standards being pushed on them.  As managers, I think Mr. Kirby and his team do fall into this category.   I hope I am proven wrong, but I cannot help but feel that this round of contract negotiations will be like all the others, with management having a mandate to offer only what is "good enough." 

So this "Day of Action" for United's Flight Attendants is about sending a message to Mr. Kirby and his team,  a message that says that they want more than "good enough" this time.  With each round of contract negotiations, management has always expected that the labor side needs to make more concessions.  If Flight Attendants are to receive a pay raise, they are going to have to produce more by putting in longer duty days.  If Flight Attendants want better benefits, then they are going to have to accept that on a flight normally staffed with ten flight attendants, they are going to have to work harder and get by with eight.  If Flight Attendants want profit-sharing, then they will need to accept that crew scheduling and hotel desks will have fewer staff to take their calls.  This "Day of Action" is about saying that this "give and take," that once was the norm, has to change.    

Looking at more than compensation, for those reading this that are outside of the airline industry, did you know that at United Airlines, the support center that Flight Attendants call for assistance with scheduling is outsourced to an offshore call center in the Phillipines?    Did you also know that when operations go irregular, say by weather, that staffing for the call center providing assistance with hotel scheduling is not increased?  When severe weather caused a serious meltdown in operations for United this last winter, too many flight attendants were left stranded having been unable to get help from either crew scheduling or the hotel desk.  With this "Day of Action" and the current negotiations, United's Flight Attendants are also saying that this cannot happen again, and want to force management to do better for the flight attendants, as well as every United Airlines employee, in every way possible.  They are also saying that if management will not own up to their mistakes, they need to be held accountable and shown the door.  Mr. Kirby, if you are going to hire a private jet to get to Aspen when things get bad, you need to make sure your employees that freezing on the tarmacs, or sleeping in terminals, do not find out.

The title of this post is "It's Time for a Higher Standard."  Here is where that came from.  I was saddened by a recent post I saw in one of the group pages for United Flight Attendants on Facebook.  The post was originated with a message from one flight attendant wanting to get the word out that success in these negotiations  is going to require being unified in their resolve to stand firm.  More importantly, success was also going to come by showing management how invaluable the flight attendants are as the face of the airline.  This would mean making customers a priority while on duty.  It would mean being gracious and attentive, and that down time should not be spent in the galley with ear buds on, playing Sudoko, or joking around all the while ignoring the customers.  Sadly, one of the first responses to that post was from another flight attendant who said that their ear buds will only come out after management gives them a decent contract.  

Success will not come from this kind of attitude.  United led the U.S. airline industry by having the first flight attendants.  United led the U.S. airline industry by keeping the Purser position after acquiring Pan Am's Pacific routes.  United's Flight Attendants have a chance to lead again, but only by working together.  Your value only comes through by showing that you are invaluable.  Be attentive to the passengers, be on time, adhere to uniform and appearance standards, have your Links charged, open and ready to up-sell, read announcements with grace and enthusiasm, offer assistance to new hires thrown on the line too soon.  Show management you are worth more than you get paid.  This does not mean you have to go overboard with the above and beyond, and you certainly do not need to do management any favors.  For example, you do not need to waive any rights and go illegal with your duty day.  This also does not mean that if a passenger asks about the red pins or red lanyards, that you cannot tell them about what is going on.  

Your strength comes from each other, and from the support you can garner from the customers.  You do not want to appear cliched or over-entitled to the customers, that is counter-productive.  Most customers are now given a chance to respond to surveys with feedback about their recent trip on United.  The part of the trip customers will remember first and foremost is how well they were treated by the flight attendants - especially the valued premium cabin customers.  These survey results become a part of the "numbers" that mediocre managers value so much.  United's Flight Attendants have the power to make sure those numbers are on their side.  

United management has already come out saying that they are working on what promises to be an "Industry Leading" contract for their Flight Attendants.  "Industry Leading" is just public relations spin and is another way of saying "good enough."   I urge United's Flight Attendants to stand together and remain firm in their resolve to get beyond what is "Industry Leading."  Not only for themselves, but for the other front-line employees, and for behind the scenes support functions, and for the customer.  This airline is nothing without its employees and it is nothing without its customers.  It is time that United's leadership recognize that the reputation for this company cannot stand to suffer any more setbacks.  Keeping customers loyal, and keeping valuable employees can only come if you set a higher standard.  

I am really going to try to be there at LAX on Thursday to show my support. I even ordered my own sign to carry - 

I urge all of United's Flight Attendants who are not on duty to get out there and stand with your flying partners to get the message out.  This higher standard that is needed begins with you.  Please do not accept "good enough."  You deserve better, and the customers deserve better.  

22 Years - 22 Trips | It's about being proud...

Another September 11 anniversary is upon us, already.  The days are noticeably shorter, and football season is in full swing.  That year went by fast.  It was looking doubtful that I could make my annual cross country, round-trip this year.  Work stress, family stress, and stress at home, they were all coming together in a trinity that was saying "perhaps not this year."  I told myself I would never miss an anniversary, and it was only a couple of weeks ago when I finally gave myself the OK to do this.

We all want to take pride in who we are, in the work that we do, in our family and friends, and in our country.  If you wanted to find one good thing to come out of the events of 9/11/2001, it was the groundswell of pride that Americans suddenly seemed to have for their country.  For a short time there, everyone came together, even the politicians in Washington, and everyone was in agreement that something had to be done so that what happened would never happen again.  A lot has happened in the 22 years since.  That pride has waned, and the country appears to be more divided than it has ever been since the Civil War.  Still, every September 11, Americans do come together to honor those that were lost, and to "Never Forget" that there are forces out there that want to oppress, and take away the privilege of being a citizen of the United States.  I want to believe Americans are still proud to be Americans.  I know that I am.

What about pride in the work that we do?  We all want to be proud of what we produce and the contributions we make.  Any industry, any job, it is just natural that at the very base, we want to have some pride in what we put out there.  Without that, it is hard to go to work.  It was back in the 90's when I started to fly United Airlines exclusively, and with any frequency.  Back then you could really see that the front-line employees took pride in being part of the "Friendly Skies."  This was a period of expansion for the airline, going from a primarily domestic carrier to flying around the world in a very short time.  Beautiful "Friendships,"emblazoned with the red and blue tulip, were offering world-class service to all corners of the globe.  

It was also in the early 90's when Boeing began the design and development of the 777 wide body jet.  United saw the promise in the 777, and United was the first airline to put in orders for the new plane.  With that, Boeing sought the input of United employees for help with final design.  They wanted to come up with something that had what the employees needed in order to deliver a world class product to the passengers. The first 777 that United put in service, N777UA, was christened with the name "Working Together," you could see it painted on the plane right below door number 1.  Back then, United's senior management understood that if their front-line was not proud of what they were doing, then it would be hard to instill loyalty in the customers, especially the high-fare paying business travelers that were so coveted by all the major carriers.  I believe this 777 is still in service some 30 years later; however, the "Working Together" moniker and the tulips have been painted over.  Sadly, I sense that those paint jobs may have covered up a lot of the pride that was once there.   

Never was pride in the job more tested than on 9/11/2001.  From the 4 planes that went down, all combined, United and American lost 34 crew members.  Each one of those crew members had interacted with hundreds of their co-workers in one fashion or another.  There was not a base or a station, anywhere that United and American had a presence, that somebody knew one of those crew members.  To be able to get through the grief, the sadness and the anger, that strength had to come from pride in each other, pride in their airline, and pride in the service they provided to the customers each and every day.  If I had $20 million burning a hole in my pocket each year, for every 9/11 anniversary, I would ask Starbucks to send a gift card to every front-line employee at both United and American Airlines.

When the first anniversary of the attacks was coming up in 2002, I knew I wanted to do something.  I was not sure of what I wanted, or could, do. I do know that I wanted to say that this privilege of being able to travel safely to any destination around the world should not be taken for granted.  In my travels on United I had gotten to know a lot of those proud employees on the front line.  There was a lot of conjecture in the news that day asking if U.S. citizens would avoid traveling out of fear there would be another attack.  In addition, the events of 9/11/2001 triggered a world-wide recession which hit the travel industry hard.  United Airlines was going through a tough time in 2002.  I thought that the best thing I might be able to do is buy a ticket and go somewhere on United.    It was a solitary way of wanting to show my support, and I questioned if I was really doing something that mattered.  That question was answered when I got off the plane at O'Hare airport where passengers were greeted with patriotic music playing loudly throughout the terminal, and American flags were displayed everywhere.  On the flight back home to Los Angeles, as part of his pre-departure announcements, the Captain thanked all the passengers on board for being there on that particular day.  He also wanted to convey his pride in the crew members working with him that day, and he wanted to convey his pride in United Airlines   He wanted to assure us that United Airlines was strong.  It was a smooth, comfortable, uneventful ride to Los Angeles that evening, and I think that crew felt proud for being able to do that for the passengers.                

There is a change this year -

Tomorrow, Monday, September 11, 2023, I will be making my 22nd anniversary trip on United Airlines.  A cross country round-trip taking me from Los Angeles to the east coast, and back, on the same day.  There is a change this year - rather than going to New York and back, this year the trip is taking me to Washington-Dulles airport and back.  

It was back in 2004 when I last traveled to Dulles on 09/11.  When I first started making these trips, I would hit the hubs - in 2002, it was Los Angeles to Denver, then to Chicago, and then back to Los Angeles.  In 2003, the night before I flew up to San Francisco where I stayed overnight.  Then the next day, on September 11, 2003, that trip took me from San Francisco to Chicago, then to Dulles, back to Denver, and then home to Los Angeles.  All 4 segments of the trip that day were on 777's - that was a memorable trip.  It was a good thing everything was operating smoothly.  In 2004, the trip started in Albuquerque where I was visiting family.  From there it was to Denver, then on to Dulles, and then back to Los Angeles.  That was also a memorable trip. I do not know if these hubs still do it, but on 9/11 you could hear patriotic music playing loudly throughout the terminals and concourses.  It made traveling that day a little extra special.   

In 2005, United was having success with their "Premium Service (PS)" flights between LAX and New York's JFK airport.  I wanted to try it out and once I did, I kind of got hooked.  First Class passengers on those flights had a dedicated check-in desk, and could enjoy the International First Class lounges while they waited to board.  In-flight service was truly premium .  There were Hollywood celebrities on those trips. It was all very easy to to get used to, and that is why I kept kept flying LAX to JFK and back every September 11.  Sadly, after the merger with Continental, the premium suddenly disappeared from those trans-continental flights.  

A few years after the merger was completed, United decided to pull out of JFK.  Senior management was certain that their dilapidated Newark hub was good enough for the customers traveling to New York.  LAX to New York is a competitive route, and United's competitors, American, Delta and JetBlue all offered premium cabins, with premium service, in order to attract and keep their high-fare paying customers. But rather than deciding to bring back the premium and compete, United pulled up stakes and ran. After the premium service had gone, the celebrities and other high-fare paying customers that were regulars on United's "PS" flights, they left and went over to the competition.  United took the premium out of those flights, but they forgot to lower the airfares to make up for it.  A couple of years ago United's President and CEO, Scott Kirby, announced that the airline was going back to JFK.  He felt it was important that United have a presence at all three New York airports.  He was hoping to get back those high fare paying flyers traveling between both coasts that were lost to the competition.  The much lauded return to JFK lasted less than a year.  Mr. Kirby kept the premium airfares to match the competition, but forgot to bring back the premium service on those flights.  The competition did not.   

After United pulled out of JFK, I started going from LAX to Newark on 9/11. They had wide body flights with the new Polaris cabins on this route that were nice.  There was still some promise of "Premium Service," but it was never the same.  Last year's trip was a disappointment frankly.  This year, there are no flights with the Polaris cabins that would get me to Newark and back on the same day.  This was a sign that it was OK to make a change.  I tried building a trip that would hit multiple hubs, but connections were too tight, and it would have been expensive.  I am also not as young as I used to be. I will stay with my choice of going to Dulles and back.  I am proud of that choice, it will be a nice trip.  

Today there are United employees with 30, 40, 50 and even 60+ years of service that are still on the front line.  Senior management has made a lot of changes that have taken away a lot of what once made United great, but for these long-serving employees, you can tell that they have always wanted to be a part of the "Friendly Skies."  They come back for the customers, and they come back for themselves.  There are also a lot of new faces at United Airlines.  They need a little help in understanding the whole "Friendly Skies" vibe.  To those young people I say that you can learn a lot from your flying partners with all of the seniority.  You will learn how important the customers are, but at the same time you will learn that you are as equally important.  It is a delicate balance.  Give yourself some time, if you were meant for this job, the pride, in the face of all kinds of challenges, will come.  

Thank you all for keeping the skies friendly.  I do hope that I can cross paths with some of you tomorrow.

EPILOGUE

This goes out to Mr. Scott Kirby, Chairman and CEO at United Airlines -

Mr. Kirby, I cannot close this year's post without reiterating my plea to you to properly honor those United employees who were killed in the attacks on 9/11/2001.  I am not talking about just one day a year, where employees are left to come up with their own makeshift memorials at stations around the world.  You need to step up and get real about it.  You also need to do something to improve the declining morale as your front-line has endured a record number of operation challenges.  One way to do so is that for every one of those employees, as a new 777 or 787 rolls off the assembly line, have one of their names painted on it by door number 1, and along side their name should be the United Airlines tulip. These are good people who lost their lives trying to protect United Airlines passengers, and on their uniforms was the United tulip.  Their names may be on the memorial in New York, but they deserve to be a part of the "Friendly Skies."  They deserve that kind of legacy.  It would mean so much to your employees and to the customers.

 - Thank You -  James Anderson, Mileage Plus HVC21479.