Ch-ch-ch-changes

As you may know, my unnamed airline merged with another unnamed airline a couple of months ago, but we are keeping our unnamed name.  There have been a few changes already, like that we're getting new ID badges.  The only bad part about that is we're keeping our current photos.  Oh, well. That's small 'taters...

The two Flight Attendant unions are battling it out for the hearts and minds of all the Flight Attendants.  It's a social media nightmare and a galley-gossip festival.  Good old-fashioned jumpseat-therapy has nothing on the heated discussions taking place in planes circling the globe.  One union will save thousands of jobs, the other will guarantee an industry leading contract...it's mind-boggling the lengths the unions are going to in order to win our dues.  Yep.  The union that wins will be in control of almost $1 million dollars a month in dues.  (Rough guesstimate, figuring $40 per month from around 25,000 Flight Attendants.)  The stakes are high, and we are the pawns.

The best change to come down the pike so far, in my opinion, is a total relaxation of the dress code when non-revving.  In 1997, I remember being in San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) and seeing all the non-revs (standbys) wearing suits and ties in the middle of August, trying to catch a flight home.   (The suit people were trying to get First Class.)  Three years ago, my then 17 year old,  6'3" son, Chase, nonrevved to Hawaii with friends.  He was fortunate to get First Class all the way over to Honolulu (HNL).  On the return flight, I looked up his "spot" on the computer, and saw next to his name "tennis shoes."  Seems the HNL agents had a much sharper eye and noticed my son's shoes were not the required dress shoes, so he was ineligible for First Class.  After "suffering" the flight in Coach from HNL to LAX, and before heading back to the East Coast, my son called me to ask if there was a shoe store in the LAX airport.  No, son, there isn't.  Maybe he'll listen to his Mama next time?

Or, maybe he doesn't have to.  The new combined airline has issued a super-relaxed non-rev attire policy, and we can wear jeans and tennis shoes in First Class now.  No tee-shirts or torn stuff, but, still...to wear jeans in the First Class cabin?  This is a huge deal!  Airline employees across the planet are shocked at this turn of events!  The once stoic, non-flexible policies are changed...and I venture to say that most of us would have expected peace in the Middle East before this kind of change would occur.

Of course, getting all comfy to travel in my jeans is one thing...finding a seat on the sold-out flights is a whole 'nother ball of wax!