To all of you who had terrible experiences flying recently, let me just share, it's not any better for your crews (which is why likely they are moody too). I'll share what the BF went through this week.....
Tuesday he gets a call asking if he'll take extra pay for a trip. He got offered the extra pay because 1- they called him on his day off to ask, 2- because it's outside of his "reserve time". He accepted. Day 1 leg was DTW-MCO-PHL. He sees on Weds his trip is delayed 4 hours. He calls scheduling and asks why is it delayed and can he report later (as he sees the plane is sitting at the gate). They don't tell him anything other than he has to still report on time. He gets a text later from a random guy saying the flight is being held for him. The BF has no clue who this guy is, and why they are holding it. He gets to the airport crew room and his crew is all there but the FO. DTW is a base, but rather than call for an FO they have the entire crew and passengers waiting 4 hours for an FO to fly in. So can you imagine being told you have to sit 4 hours? They aren't getting paid for this sit either! (for the BF it doesn't matter since he's reserve, but if you have a line, you're literally sitting and not getting paid).
The 4 hour delay now makes BF unable to fly his second leg, MCO to PHL. They apparently decided to replace the CA for that flight since MCO is a base (but didn't do it in DTW, also a base, for the missing FO). This now means the BFs trip is messed up. He's now overnighting in MCO. It also means he's not flying the PHL to LAX leg of his trip. See how this all snowballs? They decide to put the BF on a double deadhead (MCO - MSY - LAX) to get him out to LAX now to fly the last leg back to DTW. BF (partly being proactive, partly being a DIVA), goes to MCO early yesterday morning to jumpseat on the direct MCO-LAX Delta flight. Crew scheduling won't release him to do it. So now he has to go back to the hotel and wait for his 2 flights later in the day. He also racked up $100 in ubers they have to pay for, and they now have to arrange transportation for his later flight. Oh and pay for a hotel room longer.
Storms were in FL yesterday afternoon, so by the time his MCO to MSY flight comes around, it's delayed...4 hours. His layover in MSY was 2 hours meaning he's going to miss his flight to LAX. At this point he's just laughing and hopes it all implodes. Scheduling apparently realizes this at some point and books him on a SW flight MCO-MSY, but again...it too is delayed! It lands 1 hour after the LAX flight takes off. At this point Spirit actually cancels the original flight they had him booked on (MCO to MSY). The BF was sitting on the SW flight when scheduling called him. He told them, sorry the door is shut, LOL. No idea what they wanted him for, LOL.
I think at this point Spirit held the MSY-LAX flight for him to get on it and get to LAX as they were showing it leaving an hour late. And as far as I know at like 2am EST he got to LAX. But his morning started at like 7am EST with him trying to get there. So again, can you see why crews would be grumpy? And FAs are treated WAY worse! Pilots can just go book a hotel, or get an uber and get reimbursed. FAs not as easy. There is so much common sense lacking. If they just got an FO in DTW, so much would have been saved. If they let him on the delta flight, so much would have been saved. If they made the pilot who flew PHL to LAX do the LAX to DTW flight, again, so much would be saved. Likely that pilot now will deadhead to wherever, etc. But again, through all of these decision, any delay the crew isn't getting paid.
I felt so frustrated for the BF yesterday. So while it sucks (and yes, I still get upset) when your vacation is messed up, so is someone's work day! That said, I'm sure I'll still go off on AA anytime they cancel on me, LOL.
