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The Return Flight Home
Category: Current Events, GeneralOur flight home from Tampa was perfect. This was my second experience flying with AirTran and I highly recommend them over Southwest. I prefer assigned seating over Southwest’s boarding procedure any day. We left TIA right on schedule and arrived at BWI 10 minutes ahead of schedule. Our baggage was a little slow getting to the baggage area but I attribute that to the “Union Shuffle” of the BWI baggage handlers. As you may or may not know…the Baltimore / Washington areas are notoriously large union cities and union labor has a tendency to bring progress to a screeching halt.
It will be interesting to see out how air travelers make out today because in all probability, it will be ten times more hectic at our nation’s airports on the final day of the TD Holiday. I wonder if the media will have any upbeat stories if all goes well?
Now on to Christmas.
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Are you really that blinded by your anti union fervor? I worked for the FAA for two years, allow me to explain it to you. Many airlines don’t maintain their own baggage handlers at an airport, especially if they only have a couple of gates. The airline (let’s call it airline A)will then contract with another airline (usually, but not always, a partner airline, I will call B) that has a larger presence at the given airport. Airline B’s requirements take precedent over the needs of airline A. If airline B has a flight come in late and airline A is early, the baggage for airline A will wait.
At Cleveland Hopkins, America West had contracted with Continental for baggage handling (this was before they merged).
Additionally, it is common for the maintenance section of airlines to cooperate, officially and unofficially. If airline A needs a part for an aircraft the maintenance section of airline B, or C or D will provide it if they have it. Of course it’s a two way street and airline A is expected to reciprocate. How does this happen unofficially? Most of the mechanics, maintenance and avionics people have probably worked together before and if not, they all belong to the same unions and in a pinch will help out a union brother. In spite of the fact the union brother works for a “competing” airline.
Do you like flying on non smoking planes? Thank the flight attendants union, they are the ones who pushed for legislation banning smoking on flights. Do you like your pilots to be well rested? Thank the airline pilots unions, they are the ones who push for crew rest minimums.
I too, enjoy flying on Airtran. They used to be Valujet, but changed thier name for obvious reasons.