NWA Strike - Any Stories to Share?

[GummyBear]

Booked on NWA from Birmingham AL to Seattle for our upcoming Alaska cruise. I'm curious if anyone out there has recently flown on NWA. If you have, please share your experience with us......

Thanks,

Bernie

[airgirl]

Don't want to be an alarmist, hopefully the strike will be settled by then. What NWA has done is hire replacement mechanics. Usually airplanes don't break down, but when and if they do, you want a knowledgable mechanic. Usually most airplanes pass pre flight safety checks, but I want a seasoned mechanic checking my plane out. Very, very important. As a flight attendent, I do not want a replacement mechanic. I want an mechanic that knows the airplane. Many of NWA fleet are older planes and seasoned mechanics know the "quirks" of various planes. This is important. I welcome the hiring of new mechanics to replace ones that retire, but it takes a while to train and learn - at least 6 months. That is why all airlines have "probation" for new workers. Chances are, all will be fine, but sorry, I would not take that risk. But Oct. is a ways off and by then the new mechanics will already have a few months on hand experiance under their belts.

[GummyBear]

Thanks for making me feel more uncomfortable than I am already. BTW we're scheduled to fly next Saturday :eek:

[hdawson]

I suspect that most if not all of the replacement "mechanics" will be recently laid-off from the downsizing of most airlines. So experience will be a minor concern. Lots of airline employees have been laid-off recently. As for those that clean the planes, can't anyone do that? Baggage loaders? Not too difficult to balance the load with one experienced loader.

[GummyBear]

I'm not that concerned about safety as all mechanics must be certified by the FAA to work on specific aircraft. My big concern is the reliability of their schedule. I would hate to have to deal with cancelled flights and be forced to make alternate arrangements during our travel.

 

United has posted a notice on their web site stating that they will honor NWA tickets if you wanted to change. Not much of a deal though, $200 pp R/T additional and they get to choose the flights.