Hey all, in response to your questions-
I'll try to cover it all, If I miss any let me know. First of all the luggage thing. We have to carry all our luggage with us. We are always curious as to what you do with yours? The reason it seems like some have so much is that most people at NWA are commuters. They don't live at base. Say they have a 3 day AMS trip, they leave home (for example Tampa), fly in the night before, get a hotel room, report for the trip the next day, work the trip, and when they return, they have to get another hotel room or go to their crash pad to report for another trip the next day. So, in essence, they have to pack for eight days sometimes. As for stowing all the luggage, most of our European routes are on the A330, and this aircraft has tons of crew luggage space. Even, on the DC-10, there is always ample space. We are also not restricted as to where we stow it. The only thing the company asks of us, is that we please don't use the WBC luggage space. But of course, some still do.
To address the pension issue: The main reason that many don't retire is this: Where else can you work 9 days a month, make that kind of money and still enjoy excellent health care benefits? Once they retire, the pension is minimal, most of these women and men did not plan for retirement, and the only perk they retain is lifetime travel passes. Our pension program was only brought to satisfactory levels (85% increase) with our last contract. Many feel that is is still substandard. I suppose fourty or so years ago when these people started flying, there was no such thing as a 401K (our retirement program), and they failed to plan accordingly. Also, a lot of them are just stubborn.
So, in a sense, they are stuck working, beacuse they can't afford not to. This breeds some of the contempt. And let me tell you, they sure are downright nasty to those of us us that are younger! You think they treat the passengers poorly! They've got it easy! I could go on forever with stories, but I've rambled long enough!
Any further questions, I'll be happy to answer. Fire away! I do an awful lot of AMS and NRT, I'll have to keep my eyes open for you guys! I'm the young, thin, cute blonde that looks really out of place! HaHa Donna