caleb1 From United States of America, joined Nov 2008, 320 posts, RR: 3 Posted (4 months 3 weeks 1 day 3 hours ago) and read 3497 times:
I have a friend who is an LAX based flight attendant for United and she told me that UAL crews typically get at least a 48 hour layover in Sydney. She was therefore surprised to learn that Delta crews who operate LAX-SYD flights are only scheduled for a 24 hour layover. My question is that, if my information is correct, how can there be such a large disparity in layover times. I am not an FA, but aren't there minimum crew rest issues involved in planning layovers for flight crews? United and Delta both have the same flight times from LAX to Sydney, so why do UAL crews get a full day more of extra rest than Delta crews? Again, this is all assumng that my initial information is correct.
azjubilee From United States of America, joined Apr 2000, 3555 posts, RR: 30 Reply 3, posted (4 months 3 weeks 1 day 3 hours ago) and read 3378 times:
A lot of it has to do with the flight schedule. With DL only having one flight per day out of SYD, it's only natural for them to schedule the minimum amount of time the schedule will allow. For example, crews arrive on Monday at 840am and leave Tuesday at 1155am. Thus, it turns out to be roughly 27 hours, which is more than the minimum required rest. With UA, given the fact that they have LAX, SYD and MEL flights, it creates more possibilities for scheduling the crews for rest. In general, when flights are not daily to destinations, the crews will have multiple days in that destination. This is purely due to logistics and not the company rewarding them with a paid vacation! =)
tullamarine From Australia, joined Aug 1999, 1147 posts, RR: 0 Reply 4, posted (4 months 3 weeks 1 day 3 hours ago) and read 3362 times:
I assume one of the UA crews in Syd from LAX or SFO has only 24 hours but gets an easy and short shift of doing the Syd-Mel-Syd add-on this would only be a 4 hour shift and the crew wouldn't have to check out from their hotel
B4REAL From United States of America, joined Aug 2003, 2595 posts, RR: 6 Reply 10, posted (4 months 2 weeks 2 days 9 hours ago) and read 2260 times:
I became particularly familiar with one DL F/A as we sat together very frequently as she finished her trip and went home. She would do (at the time - 2005ish) CVG-LGW-CVG, flew out on a Tuesday PM, arrived Weds PM, flew back Thursday. She loved it. We frequently would be paired together CVG-GRR when DL operated the 732 on the route. She said that particular arrangement was perfect for her and her work week was Tuesday through Thursday. She since re-based to DTW when the route was cut, but not sure if she has the same arrangement with DTW-LHR-DTW.
VH-BZF From Australia, joined Oct 1999, 781 posts, RR: 0 Reply 11, posted (4 months 1 week 6 days 5 hours ago) and read 1939 times:
When UA used to fly their daily B744's LAX-AKL-MEL-AKL-LAX (UA841/UA842) the F/A's & tech crew would overnight in AKL southbound for 48 hours, then operate the AKL-MEL-AKL shuttle, overnight for another 23-24 hours before departing again for LAX.
I think Qantas crew have a similar arrangement for crew who operate SYD-LAX-(JFK)-LAX-SYD on the QF107/108 pairing? ie. 48 hours in LAX the first time, then they either layover in NYC or sometimes do the shuttle back to LAX, either way they layover in LAX again for another 24hrs and then head back to SYD. However Qantas crews on the A380 ex SYD & MEL arrive in the morning into LAX, have around 36 hours layover before departing the following evening back to Australia.
Usually the airlines have formulas or agreements in place with the relevant unions on layovers.
Cheers BZF
Ansett Australia - (was) One of the worlds great airlines!
jetjack74 From United States of America, joined Jul 2003, 7336 posts, RR: 52 Reply 12, posted (4 months 1 day 22 hours ago) and read 1428 times:
Quoting AADC10 (Reply 2): The difference is likely because DL FAs do not have a union while UA FAs do. I doubt the DL pilots would tolerate only a 24 hour layover.
Has nothing to do with it. If we were union, we'd probably have a shorter layover if it was humanly possible
Quoting catiii (Reply 6): I'm surprised that those union UA F/A's tolerate those inferior pay rates that they have relative to the nonunion DL F/A's.
Quoting catiii (Reply 6): In any event it would seem to me that a productive rotation is one with a shorter layover, his minimizing time away from home while maximizing pay.
True statement. For the most part, we only care about the highest value trip in the shortest amount of duty days. We would trade a long layover in a second for more time off post-trip. Most of the crews who do such highly-coveted trips such as LAX-SYD, ATL-JNB, JFK-NRT, DTW-PEK, as exotic as these destinations are, I can bet you many of these people that fly these trips, that's all they do all month, a 3 or a 4-day rotation with 26+hrs of credit hrs.
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