Originally Posted by
Harry Wayfarers
I'm still bemused whilst trying to understand the logic whereas crew may only position (deadhead) by scheduled service and not by privately chartered aircraft, where sitting in steerage, perhaps sandwiched between two other passengers, is preferably to a privately chartered aircraft, personal service and able to stretch one's legs, when I worked crew scheduling and I were to have offered crew the choice they would have jumped at the offer of a privately chartered aircraft.
I recall my first airline department manager, he started his career at London/Croydon Airport and as the aircraft would taxi from stand the ground staff would salute the Captain.
In the main things have moved on from the age of dinosaurs, alas it seems that union involvement, probably refusing to move with the times and give up a right that has been in place since the dark ages, has created the situation that occurred last Sunday.
As I believe the UAL CEO was quoted as saying, that his staff have plenty of common sense but aren't allowed to use it, it seems that UAL, perhaps the union, have allowed it to be forgotten that they are in the business of transporting fare paying passengers and those fare paying passengers should always be their first priority.
No passengers= no income=no business.
A no brainer, except to maybe unions stuck in the dinosaur ages and certain legacy airlines.