• MEDIA SPIN/COMMENTS - ONBOARD BEVERAGE SALES
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MEDIA SPIN/COMMENTS - ONBOARD BEVERAGE SALES

The launch of the a la carte onboard sale of beverages on Friday obviously drew media coverage.

On Thursday morning, an MEC Eline was sent to the membership that contained the following quote from me:

"Flight Attendants are not the "complaint department" anymore. Undoubtedly there will be passenger complaints and as licensed safety professionals we are charged with the overall safety of the flight. If any Flight Attendant feels threatened or intimidated in any way, we are trained and have the authority to diffuse the situation. If that means giving someone a free beverage, then so be it."

Various media outlets used parts of this quote in stories about the Company's decision to sell beverages during flight. Other outlets extrapolated the quote and other quotes by me and drew their own conclusion.

Some of the stories suggested that all a passenger had to do was complain and they would be given a free beverage. That is neither what I said nor what I meant. As we all know, one of the tools we have to diffuse a confrontational situation is to offer a free cocktail or headset. Now we have another tool- a free soda.

Since the Company made the official announcement of the a la carte beverage program on June 12, 2008, I and other members of the MEC have received hundreds of emails and phone calls in opposition to the Company's plan. Several MEC Elines have spoken against the plan as well. Since the decision was made, various meetings were held with management and your opposition was conveyed to the managers and decision makers.

One of the key issues was how to address customer complaints. Not until the day before the launch, when Company spokesperson, Morgan Durant said "US Airways has told its 6,700 attendants to err on the side of the customer in deciding whether they need to end a confrontation by providing a free beverage", had US Airways management addressed this concern.

How the media spins quotes, either directly from a source or from an Eline, is completely out of the Union's control. The media can also get the story completely wrong. A very good example of this occurred on Friday morning's edition of the CNBC program, "Squawk on the Street". During the piece on the launch of US Airways a la carte scheme reporter and contributor Mark Haines said, "...but there is a twist. The airline said if passengers get angry it is up to the Flight Attendants to decide whether to charge $1 or $2 or offer the drinks for free. This is too weird."

As the report continued, Emmy winning reporter David Faber of CNBC said, "just what we need, more power invested in these Flight Attendants." Mr. Faber certainly won't win an Emmy for that ridiculous and insulting comment.

The complete story can be seen by clicking on the following link: http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=810463555&play=1


You may contact Mr. Haines and/or Mr. Faber at:

David Faber: david.faber@nbcuni.com
Mark Haines: mark.haines@nbcuni.com


The jury is still out on the success or failure of the a la carte beverage sales program. Some flights may be easier to work and some may be harder. The amount of revenue generated is an unknown at this time.

One thing is for certain- this program, if successful, is likely to be expanded to include other items for sale. Another key component of the program is the Company's desire to reduce weight onboard the aircraft. Weight reductions will likely lead to additional inventories and a reduction in the number of soft drinks boarded. At that point we will be faced with the same problem that plagues the Buy on Board program- inventory does not match demand.

I spent much of Friday in the Charlotte Douglas Airport monitoring passenger reaction to the announcements from gate agents that beverages were available for sale onboard the aircraft. Very few of the passenger comments were positive. A theme that I heard several times was that passengers were agreeable to the charge for soft drinks as long as it "kept fares down".

Charging for soft drinks will not stop the inevitable rise in fares as the industry cuts capacity and jobs in the fourth quarter of 2008 and into 2009. All airlines plan large fare increases and less service to various communities to ultimately respond to high fuel costs.

Thank you,

Mike Flores, President
The US Airways Master Executive Council
AFA-CWA

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