American Airlines Flight Attendants Are Missing Hotel Pickups in Increasing Numbers, Warns Union

The union representing American Airlines flight attendants told its members to wait for members of their crew who are late for a hotel pickup instead of abandoning them there.
In a memorandum to its 24,000 members sent late last week, the union said that more flight attendants were being left behind when they failed to show up on time in the hotel lobby or at a designated pick-up location.
“Over the past few months, we have seen a rise in crew members being left behind at the hotel when they don’t show up for pickup,” the Association of Professional Flight Attendants wrote in the memo.
“We are all in this together, and no one should ever be left behind at the layover hotel,” the union added.  The APFA noted that illness or other exigencies could be the reason that a flight attendant hasn’t come down from their room in time.
Airlines generally provide van transportation to and from a layover hotel for both flight attendants and cockpit crew.  It is each crew member’s responsibility to ensure he checks out of the room and proceeds to the pick-up location so that the crew van can bring the entire crew  to the airport for their next segment.
“Our goal is the same as yours- we want all our members to be able to return home safely at the end of their trip to their families, friends, and loved ones,” the memo read. “Taking additional steps when a crewmember isn’t present ensures they make it home safely.”
Such additional steps may include having the front desk clerk ring the room of the missing cabin crew member.
If a flight attendant misses the crew van, it is his responsibility to find his way to the airport in order to work the flight, taking, for example, a taxi at his own cost.
In many cases, the flight may be delayed until the missing flight attendant appears, in order for the flight to meet the standard for minimum crew members on board.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)