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Wannabe WS FA

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Kerrisw

Post subject: Wannabe WS FA

Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2011 10:18 pm

Rank 0

Joined: Wed Sep 28, 2011 10:01 pm
Posts: 3

Hi there

I'm applying to be a flight attendant with WS. I am currently an FA with another airline and I have a few questions:
When you get 17 days off per month are you able to take them all together?
If there is no seniority involved in the schedules can you get what days off you asked for?
Is it always 17 days off per month? or does it vary?
What is the premium pay for inflight Purser? Also how long does it take to become one?
What about commuting from YYZ? does that affect any of the above questions?
Also how many flight legs per day do you have to fly-what is the maximum(for example at Porter it is normal to fly upto 6legs/day)?
Do you have any say in your schedule whatsoever? Or if you belong to a PORT do you have to take whats given to you?
How does staff travel work?
Can you book your travel online and how many airlines do you have ID90 agreements with (for example with Porter you have to email Porter customer service your travel plans to get other airline discounts-sometimes 1 month in advance)?
Are there any jumpseat agreements for cabin crew-on WS or other airlines?
Is there any duty free on flights or commissions earned from them?

I thank you for taking the time to answer.

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Bede

Post subject: Re: Wannabe WS FA

Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2011 3:47 pm

Rank 10

Joined: Tue Mar 09, 2004 1:52 pm
Posts: 2070

Kerrisw wrote:

I'm not an FA, and there's not to many FA's on this forum but I'll try to answer.

If you wanted to work all 17 days in a row, you would ask for the other days off, which would affect the quality of the pairings you get (they might be early checkins). On that note, we all have Flica, a program where we can drop and pickup pairings. If you wanted to work 17 in a row, you would drop a bunch of your pairings to other FA, and pick up pairings you want.
There is no seniority except for reserve coverage. If you ask for days off and prioritize it high enough, you will get the days off you want (except Christmas is a bit more difficult). We have no designated pursers therefore no extra pay. The lead flight attendents will rotate through the duty over the course of a pairing. You can commute or port out of YYZ. Most legs I've seen personally is 5/day, but very rare. Usually 2-3. One of the best things about WJA is you can pretty much get what you want from day 1, but it's all a compromise. You can't have all the days off you want, all late check-ins and all HNL overnights with no red eyes, but you can get a very good combination of wishes. If you don't like something on your schedule, drop it on FLica and let another FA pickup the pairing. Staff travel is simple. Go on the website and book. Price is $2.50+taxes. Travel between your port (YYZ) and YYC for the purposes of work is free. We have ID90's with probably 30 airlines. No JS agreements for FA's. Those are for pilots only. No duty free or commissions.

WJA is tough to get hired by, but probably the best company you will ever work for.

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aileron

Post subject: Re: Wannabe WS FA

Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2011 5:13 pm

Rank 5

Joined: Mon Feb 16, 2004 7:53 am
Posts: 386

Bede, Kerrisw was asking about 17 days off; and whether they may be taken all together - not working.

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ravensrule

Post subject: Re: Wannabe WS FA

Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2011 8:34 am

Rank 2

Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 6:58 am
Posts: 53
Location: Ontario, Canada

Hey I'm an FA with WJA. I've been flying for almost a year now and a commuter from yyz. (I was a CSA prior to in-flight for 3.5 years)

To answer your Qs:
When you get 17 days off per month are you able to take them all together?
No, the company has implemented crew rest rules that you must have 24 hours off every 7 days.

If there is no seniority involved in the schedules can you get what days off you asked for?
No seniority except reserve and sort of for vacation. Vacation points are awarded based on how many years of service and how many vacation days you are entitled to for that year. The scheduling system is based on satisfaction. You enter your bids 1-16 (1=1000pts, 16 =1pt) and the computer tries to score you the highest it can. Usually a crew member will bid days off in their first 8 bids and rarely will the computer 'violate' them.

Is it always 17 days off per month? or does it vary?
It varies. I believe the minimum is 15 days off. Usually no more than 18 is what I have been given.

What is the premium pay for inflight Purser? Also how long does it take to become one?
We do not have dedicated in-charge. Each FA takes turn being 'lead' for that day of a pairing.

What about commuting from YYZ? does that affect any of the above questions?
Commuting from YYZ can be a b*tch in the winter as we have less flights to YYC. It gets worse during march/spring break because it seems like every week/weekend a new section of the country is going on break while another is going home. The PORT promise for commuting is similar to a deadhead, so you must abide by your duty day and the company may ask for you to work the flight in an IROP, therefore you must travel in uniform.

Also how many flight legs per day do you have to fly-what is the maximum(for example at Porter it is normal to fly upto 6legs/day)?
Rarely do I see 6 leg days. We do have 5 leg days bouncing around the west as well as in the eastern triangle. Also most pairings only have one day of 5+ legs. We have 1 to 5 day pairings. Reserve is always 5 days.

Do you have any say in your schedule whatsoever? Or if you belong to a PORT do you have to take whats given to you?
Pretty much. Port flying = no bidding for days off. Days off = yyc pairings. Most port flying is 1 day southern turns or eastern triangle hops. There are a few 2-3 day pairings and rarely 4-5 day pairings.

How does staff travel work?Can you book your travel online and how many airlines do you have ID90 agreements with (for example with Porter you have to email Porter customer service your travel plans to get other airline discounts-sometimes 1 month in advance)?
Like Bede said, staff travel is easy. No limits on how much you travel or your companion (although must be for personal travel.) Your travel companion can travel without you. WJ is switching to more ZED fare agreements so the fare is calculated per zone/miles. For ZED, most airlines ask for 2 weeks advance notice...

Are there any jumpseat agreements for cabin crew-on WS or other airlines?
I wish haha

Is there any duty free on flights or commissions earned from them?
Commission for promoting WJ RBC Mastercard, that's all. It's only issued if the person signs up for the card.

Hope that answers everything!

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ng78

Post subject: Re: Wannabe WS FA

Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2011 12:20 am

Rank 4

Joined: Thu Nov 27, 2008 1:48 am
Posts: 211

Kerrisw wrote:

You won't get that at any company that I'm aware of. You should compare Porter's days off to other airlines and you'll see they are competitive

Kerrisw wrote:

If there is no seniority involved in the schedules can you get what days off you asked for?

This is something Westjet does very well, and something I wish other airlines would learn from.

Kerrisw wrote:

What is the premium pay for inflight Purser? Also how long does it take to become one?

This is a benefit at Porter - it's a way to make more money which will take a while to recoup at Westjet

Kerrisw wrote:

What about commuting from YYZ? does that affect any of the above questions?

Something you won't have to worry about at Porter

Kerrisw wrote:

Also how many flight legs per day do you have to fly-what is the maximum(for example at Porter it is normal to fly upto 6legs/day)?

6 legs per day shouldn't be such a big deal. It's easier doing 6 legs between YTZ and YUL than it is to do a VRA or FLL turn sometimes.

Kerrisw wrote:

How does staff travel work?

Just like at Porter. You go onto a website, login and "purchase" your flights. Easy.

Kerrisw wrote:

Can you book your travel online and how many airlines do you have ID90 agreements with (for example with Porter you have to email Porter customer service your travel plans to get other airline discounts-sometimes 1 month in advance)?

Porter's ID90 travel isn't as bad as you make it out to be

Kerrisw wrote:

Are there any jumpseat agreements for cabin crew-on WS or other airlines?

Only Porter does jumpseat agreements for the F/A's. This stalled the pilots getting jumpseat agreements because the F/A's thought it was discriminatory that pilots got it and F/A's didn't. Don't expect this to exist at other airlines. Another Porter plus for you!

Kerrisw wrote:

I thank you for taking the time to answer.

I think you have it better at Porter than you realize. If you go elsewhere, you still won't be happy. Perhaps it's time to look at a different industry.

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