Floats

[TightSlot]

I'm curious how this works with others?

My airline provides a change machine in each crewroom - stick in a £20 note and it pumps out a float. You are supposed to take your float out from the previous flights bar takings as change, thus minimising the draw on the cash machine. This happens to a greater or lesser extent, depending on the crew involved, time of day and how knackered you are at the time. Top up floats are therefore available from the cash machine.

My company has just informed us that the change machines will be removed as a cost saving measure. Cabin crew will have to take their float as change out of the bar takings on their previous flight, and if the change available is insufficient, then we are supposed to visit the bank on our days off and top it up.

This procedure strikes me as inappropriate, but I also wondered if maybe I've been leading a pampered life: Could it be that my airline is simply falling into line with other carriers, in which case I should consider shutting up and putting up. For clarity, I don't think it is reasonable for my employer to force me to drive into town to the bank to get a float before reporting, especially so when on a block of nights.

So how do you get your float together beforehand? (without disclosing security details or carrier names) - and before I go moaning to the union, do you think I should be, or am I luckier than I know?

Please don't be shy about posting an answer - I could use advice, and it strikes me that this sort of issue is almost exactly what PPrune Cabin crew forum could usefully be used for.

[flapsforty]

TS, I'm not with a charter, so not sure if this is of interest?
We have a staffed "central cash office" where we collect a cash box before each flight departing from base. The cash box contains X amount of US dollars and X amount of Euros + wallets. Also phone cards, upgrade vouchers, and enveloppes to put in the counted money generated on each stretch.
It's up to the P or AP to keep the cash box filled with enough small notes and coins to stay in workable condition. For that purpose most of us make sure we carry about 50 US in small notes at all times. But we don't have to go to the bank to get them, whenever we run out we trade big-for-small at the cash office.

The new system proposed by your comp sounds pretty harsh, and I wonder if it is not an infringement of your reporting time rules? The following is a quote from this (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=63817) thread over on the safety forum. Might be worth having a look at and perhaps CHIRPing the proposed procedure?

You cannot perform any tasks at the behest of the company prior to your report time. Quite simply, because it is part of the job and therefore must be performed within duty time, or the company are required to adjust report times to include any other tasks performed at their behest.
I'd go straight to CHIRP with this one.

Hope this is of some assistance & good luck with the good fight. :)

[smile]

Hi Tight Slot,

Virgin Blue requires you to have your float prepared before you sign on for duty. I have never found it a problem to get a good float from the previous days trading-- and if I did then popping down to the local pokie lounge for change fixes that problem in about 10 minutes.

love SMILE

[TightSlot]

:confused: "Pokie Lounge"???

[fd floozy]

You have been leading a pampered life!
I have never had a problem in having a full float in change ready for a flight. There is almost always enough change at the end of a flight to provide all the crew with a £20 float in change.
But if on the off chance there is not a little tip, get to know the staff at the airport exchange bureau!
I've never had to go to the bank yet!

[smile]

sorry Tightslot, thought that term was universal.:(

I mean 'slot machines' (think Vegas)-- I just go down to the local pub with slot machines as their cashier usually has plenty of change!!!

[TightSlot]

Thanks All :) I think we may have some specific local issues that make the suggestion less palatable.

International Flights - Multiple currencies (pax tend to use large foreign currency notes on board to avoid visiting exchange bureaux on their return
Sales Volume - Duty Free/tax paid revenue can be surprisingly high, and is likely to exceed either low cost or standard domestic carriers take by some margin
Terminal Bank Visit are geographically difficult, and our security pass clearance is not valid for certain airside terminal areas

[Danny Howarth]

Hi there! At my previous charter company we, the senior crew were responsible for having a thirty quid float, if you were unable to retrieve it from the bar takings before banking it, I usually went to the Foreign Exchange Bureaus in the terminal either before or after a flight.
Sorry to say but I think you may have been pampered, however what a brilliant idea to have had the change machines! As usual all good things come to an end?!!:confused:

[corsaman]

Hiya DH and chums! We have a small standard issue float of Euros and Sterling, and it falls on our shoulders to get it back out of the takings after the days flying - no big deal if we don't have any change, as a few polite requests on the p/a the next day always yield a mountain of small change from a handbag somewhere. It generally works very well, till you get two £50 notes on one flight, as happened recently.......It's mandatory for SCCM's to have it with them on all flights.

[TightSlot]

Just my sodding luck - to be pampered and not even know it!

I confess to finding it odd that Cabin Crew are expected to use part of their time off to obtain a tool of the trade. I don't believe that many other industries would tolerate that situation. Maybe I'm wrong (for the second time in one thread)

Thanks all anyway

[flapsforty]

Tightslot, the last paragraph of my previous post was lifted from a thread pertaining to a UK operator.
Would it not be worth looking into the legality of this instead of calmly tolerating a possibly illegal worsening of your job situation?
After all; no guts, no glory! :)
Just a thought...........
Good luck anyway, whatever you decide.

[Shadowpurser]

At short haul at BA we get £10 paid into our wages when we start to account for a float that we might need during any fight.

We have travelex offices that change up money commission free, they also give us as many floats as we need in return for cash or money of our dinners or other cards. Normally open at most reasonable hours of the day.

Purser is also advised to carry a float at all times as are main crew "just in case"

[TightSlot]

Ouch flaps! A public nut challenge... :D

I have spoken to CHIRP, who were very friendly and helpful, but are uncertain as to whether the issue is not an IR one. They suggest the union as an initial contact point, and I have made an approach.

I've edited this post as it contained a direct quote from a company information notice, that I may not have had rights to publish, and have therefore removed.

As I've now got to try and raise some difficult issues without getting identified and fired, I'm not going to post any more on this thread, and will request that it be locked down. However thank you all for your feedback ;)