10 tips for surviving an airline strike
Have the airline employees who are currently threatening to strike lost their minds? Don’t they know that their industry is facing a financial crisis?
Many passengers are asking me these questions lately, and while I do not represent any specific airline or union, I do have some answers. I also have some tips for passengers who may be confronted with any type of airline strike.
There gets to be a point where enough is enough, and when employees reach that point, consequences are put on the back burner.
Salaries and manpower are being drastically cut in the airline industry. The outsourcing of jobs is at an all-time high. Airplanes are flying out full but fares have never been lower. Airlines continue to lose money, but upper management’s salaries are outrageously high. Now that the employees’ pensions are on the chopping block.
The breaking point is near.
Take away a worker’s past, present, and future, and you get someone with no other choice but to fight. The airlines are backing their workers into a corner with no way out. I have recently heard of the members of an airline union who are being told to vote for a contract that will eliminate their jobs. What do they have to lose? Both ways they will be unemployed.
People tell me: “If you don’t like it then leave.â€Â
Many airline employees are in the process of doing just that, but are at an age that they can’t afford to leave and start again. For those who do change jobs, there is something called the “eviction analogy.†When you live in a house that you helped build, but get a notice that you are being kicked out on to the street, do you leave it with amenities intact? Have you ever seen a foreclosure where everything is left immaculate? No, usually it’s a mess and everything of value is taken with them.
Many airline employees are currently being evicted from their jobs and they aren’t leaving peacefully. “If I have to go, then I am taking this airline down with me.†It may seem selfish to the rest, but this is human nature.
The process of airline labor negotiations is the biggest chess game in the business world today. What the company is willing to give and what the workers are demanding are most assuredly different. When sides disagree, you’re at an impasse.
And here’s where the tactics get tricky. The newest airline trend is to declare bankruptcy and have the judge help the company do away with the workers’ contracts. My question is, what judge in this land would cut a work force’s pension but not touch the upper management’s multi-million dollar pensions? Am I missing something here?
I have not yet taken part in a full-out strike, but I am sure one is my future. I listen to the employees who have, and their civil war accounts are both fascinating and frightening. The employees who work for my airline carry around a little “scab†book. A scab is anyone who ever crossed a picket line or disregarded a planned work stoppage.
If a scab is on their crew, the other crewmembers are alerted and give them the silent treatment for the duration of the flight, like kids shunning another child on a playground. The result of course, is that the atmosphere up front is always strained. The father of an old friend of mine was a former scab. When my friend joined his father’s airline as a pilot, he changed his last name so he couldn’t be associated with his dad’s previous actions. It sounds quite childish, but such treatment is very effective.
If you are a scheduled passenger on an airline that is experiencing labor problems with threats of a strike looming in the background, there are precautionary measures you should keep in mind.
Here are some tips for flying through airline work actions.
1. Double book. Make a back-up reservation on a different airline. You can always cancel and get a refund, but the closer it gets to the date, the higher the price, with fewer alternatives available.
2. Give yourself credit. Pay for your ticket with a credit card and study up on its charge-back policies.
3. Listen up. Pay attention to media sources and timelines. If you are flying within a week of possible work stoppages, then prepare back-up plans and alternate routing.
4. Money back guarantee? Make sure you read the refund policy on the ticket you purchased. Many Internet tickets are cheap but are non-refundable, period.
5. Skip the line. If you are at the airport when a work action takes place, it will undoubtedly cause a commotion. Call reservations as quickly as you can. Have that number readily available along with a few numbers from other airlines.
6. Proof of flight. When booking a flight, get a paper ticket. Ticket-less travel, or E tickets, are usually non-endorsable on other airlines.
7. Get informed. During these times, unions provide recorded messages that relay specific information on issues, and dates. You may or may not care about the issues but the dates are important.
8. Carry-on but pack light. You will almost never hear a flight attendant recommend carry-on luggage but in these circumstances I do. Switching flights can be less of a hassle without checked luggage. Remember, you can always gate-check your bag.
9. On the house. Ask for vouchers for food, hotel, and phone calls. Remember that the airline is responsible for reimbursing costs that are not weather-related.
10. Check your mental baggage. The people at whom you yell may be the same individuals who would have helped you.
While all airlines go through this at times, the airlines to patronize are those that deal most effectively with labor problems.
Some say that if employees go on strike and drive the airline out of business, it may solve the overcapacity issue plaguing the industry these days. While this is not necessarily true, it does mean a sharp increase in your ticket price
What do the specific issues have to do with you the passenger? When airlines start cutting pensions, it tends to have a trickle-down effect. Be careful, because your own pension could be targeted next.
Good luck to those airline employees currently on the rollercoaster of financial uncertainty. My thoughts and prayers are with you.