(CNN) – British immigrant Kris Major has worked in aviation for more than two decades. He saw the industry destroyed and rebuilt after 9/11, SARS and foot and mouth disease.
Now, Major’s at the forefront of what he considers to be the worst in aviation: the 2022 summer of travel. Major, who chairs the European Transport Workers Federation’s Joint Aircrew Committee, which represents European travelers and pilots, said crews are struggling.
“It’s completely unworkable,” Major told CNN Travel.
As travelers return to the skies in droves after a pandemic, airlines and airports around the world are struggling to match supply and demand.
The result is flight cancellations left right and center, misplaced luggage, and travelers’ trust in the entire airline. In Major’s opinion, it is “very confusing.”
His words are being heard by aviators around the globe.
“The lack of staff, delays, cancellations, no luggage – I think it’s a very difficult situation for everyone,” said Lufthansa’s German-based Daniel Kassa Mbuambi to CNN Travel.
“There is a type of breakdown that is happening that I believe should be prevented,” said US flight attendant Allie Malis.
Front line in the skies
When flights were grounded at the beginning of the epidemic, many airlines and airports laid off or laid off many workers on the ground and in the air. Most messengers have been using a framework for the better part of the past two years.
Meanwhile, travel demand is back, and the industry is struggling to catch up and reinvest. This may interest you : Delta launches high-tech display on Detroit Metro with personal flight data. For the pilots who are on the books, it is a “very difficult situation,” said Kassa Mbuambi of Lufthansa, who is also the chairman of the UFO of the German crew.
According to the crew, this crisis means that sometimes a plane is operated with few staff on board, as described by Kassa Mbuambi, or the air crew who sleep at the airports, to as Allie Malis said.
Malis, who is also the public affairs representative for the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, a union that represents American Airlines flight attendants, also described the “uncomfortable” conditions that caused the delay. the crew of the incoming flights, who are running on the airport to do their next job. .
“Sometimes the passengers are excited because you’ve arrived because it means their flight is about to leave, or they’re upset – they think you’re the reason the flight is late.” if you can’t work on two planes at the same time. , although I’m sure the airlines wish they could,” he said.
According to the staff of the plane, situations like this, with unpredictable times, affect the mind and body of the crew.
“Illness levels have gone through the roof, fatigue has gone through the roof, not because [flight attendants] have refused or because they are protesting in any way. with the changes constant,” said the British pilot Major.
Flight cancellations have become commonplace in the US this summer. Pictured here: travelers walk past American Airlines planes at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in July.
When airlines report the problems they are currently having due to the loss of staff, it is unfortunate, Malis said.
“It is very bad to accuse us of any kind of lack of workers or poor management, because the airlines have not been able to plan properly,” he added.
“Airline workers are overworked, working the longest days we’ve ever had, and the shortest nights off we’ve ever had and it makes you sick, it leads to fatigue and exhaustion and it wears you down protection.”
According to Malis, American Airlines recently repealed a rule that does not involve crew members in disciplinary actions when they take Covid-related leave. A spokesperson for the airline did not disclose this change to CNN, but he said that “to take good care of the crew at all times, including when they are away from home, it’s a priority.”
A representative of American Airlines said that the airline is not aware of any recent reports of crew members sleeping in airports.
“If we believe that there may be a problem with a crew member, they are all placed on the seat to prevent it from happening,” said the representative.
A spokesman for Lufthansa said the entire airline was “suffering from sickness and staff shortages, particularly noticeable at peak times.”
The increase in travel following the outbreak was “expected – but not this strong,” added a Lufthansa spokesman. Lufthansa recently canceled several flights in the summer, and the spokesman said that the aim is to reduce the number of cancellations.
While Covid and fatigue-related leave time has reached 30% among Lufthansa’s ground staff, the German airline said that crew and pilot leave time “is very low, in number one.” A Lufthansa spokesman said that, as a result, the operation of flights with a small crew is not necessary “in the crew’s normal practice.”
State of the industry
The airline staff said that schedules are very difficult due to cancellations and delays. This may interest you : Lufthansa’s cancellations affect more than 130,000 passengers. Pictured here: flight information board showing canceled flights in Germany at Frankfurt Airport in July.
Flight attendant contracts allow for flexible working days, so flying is a job that comes with a degree of uncertainty. But as the industry expands, pilots say uncertainty has increased.
According to Major, the unplanned arrangements, together with the current salary levels, are why the workers who left the business during the pandemic will not return.
“There’s a reason they don’t come back,” he said. “The industry has created its own problem.”
Malis said: “Why would anyone want to apply to be a flight attendant or any other flight attendant when we are working to the bone?”
Major thinks the issue can be solved by the industry accepting there is a problem – and it’s a problem he sees as being related to the current system, not specific to the after the Covid flight.
“Airline workers are booming, working the longest days we’ve ever had, and the shortest nights off we’ve ever had”
Through his work for the pan-European aviation union, ETF, Major is advocating for an increase in crew wages to match the increase in the cost of living and to improve work-life balance.
Kassa Mbuambi agrees. “We have to provide better conditions,” he said, adding that his German-based union is in regular talks with other crew organizations in Europe to work on solutions.
He thought that higher wages and more structured working conditions better reflected the role of the crew.
“We are not only there to give you drinks, but we are also there to ensure safety,” said Kassa Mbuambi.
Passengers relations
At the height of the epidemic, one of the biggest problems faced by the air crew is unruly passengers, and many accidents in the US have been reported related to compliance with masks. On the same subject : Don’t Let Your Pandemic Travel Credits Go to Waste.
American traveler Malis said that passenger harassment has become a problem in the US since the mask mandate was lifted.
But while cases related to masks may have ended in the US, they are being heard elsewhere. Kassa Mbuambi and Major said that different countries have different laws that create frustration for European migrants. These problems can be exacerbated when travelers are also faced with travel problems.
“Currently there are many passengers traveling without their luggage,” said Lufhansa’s Kassa Mbuambi. “The truth is, you have a lot of angry passengers.”
Kassa Mbuambi’s appeal to travelers is that airline workers “are doing what we can.”
“All the staff – it doesn’t matter whether they are ground staff or cabin crew – they do their best, but if you don’t have enough staff, you can’t solve all problems.”
Many passengers are worried about losing their luggage while traveling this summer. Pictured here: Unclaimed luggage at Heathrow Airport in London.
Major echoes this sentiment, reminding passengers that aircrews also face travel disruptions from the other side. . He was soon on his way to a family vacation and he reluctantly saw that trouble was inevitable.
Malis said that the summer vacation season expands the system, and said that this fall could “be a great opportunity to renovate, to make sure that our systems are working properly to handle more traffic.”
But, like Major and Kassa Mbuambi, he thinks that a long-term solution can come in the revival of the current system.
“We are the crew, we are always with our passengers, we are with them, we always feel their frustration, or more, because this happens to us often , since we fly for money. ,” said Malis.
“We want our passengers to do the right thing, we see these poor people trying to get to where they need to go, we can read their concerns, we see the they care and that’s what we want them to have. where they want to go, we want to meet them with a smile.”
A flight attendant’s guide to summer travel
A flight attendant’s guide to dealing with summer travel chaos
Here are some of Allie Malis’ top tips for traveling right now:
– Be patient: Malis said travelers should leave home and expect traffic disruptions in any direction. “I think it’s better to put your expectations in the right place,” he said.
– Leave your food: Come ready to hydrate yourself at any delay, Malis advises. Along with your snacks of choice, make sure you have a water bottle handy and fill it up as soon as you get through security. If your flight is held up for any length of time, or if you find yourself in a long line, you will be watered and fed. In addition, some airlines do not operate their food services before the arrival of Covid on board, and even if they are, there may be some disruptions to the service: “If bad weather, if it’s very empty, there’s no guarantee that we’ll be able to safely serve drinks,” explained Malis.
– Book flights in the morning: Malis says earlier flights are less likely to be disrupted, so booking earlier can be a good idea. “Usually the operation is reset in the morning,” he said. And if you transfer to a later flight, if you are at the airport first, there should be plenty of free space. Weather delays tend to occur more in the afternoon and evening, Malis added.
– Leave time to spare: Try to avoid tight junctions as much as you can, advises Malis. And if you are traveling for something important, like a wedding, try to fly a day or two before if you can, to give you peace of mind.
Top photo: An airport display at Frankfurt Airport lists canceled flights on July 27, 2022. Source: Daniel Roland/AFP/Getty Images
