2.05.22 – APFA PHL Base Brief: PHL Flight Service Town Hall Highlights

Saturday, February 5, 2022

PHL Flight Service Town Hall Highlights

If you were unable to join the PHL Station Town Hall for Flight Service today, I would like to provide you with some highlights from the call in addition to the questions that were sent in and answered.

Employee Parking

PHL has implemented a “rescue bus” as needed between 5-8 am, or anytime during AM/PM rush, to ease congestion. Cargo City lot changed from small to large busses during peak times.

Airport police have added two officers to monitor Bartram Lot to guard the lot. Working with the Dept. of Aviation to improve the situation.

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2022 PHL Transatlantic Route Summary as of 2/1/2022*

click to enlarge

*Note: Times and season durations are subject to change and are dependent on lifting restrictions and return of demand.

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Is AA struggling to hire?

Not struggling with candidates- thousands more than we can hire, which is a good problem to have!

Is JFK taking the place of PHL? Why does JFK have more IPD flights?

Two different markets. PHL has a more robust connecting schedule. We will continue to be the transatlantic gateway for AA. JFK is more originating traffic. We will eventually be back to 19 IPD flights, but might take a few years.

JetBlue alliance allows us to add these flights in JFK. From a corporate traveler perspective, we must deliver and be a major player in all of NYC.

PHL and JFK play two separate, distinct roles in our network, and always will.

Will the food court/ C restrooms be open this summer? Why is it taking so long?

It is a complete overhaul; both planned to be open by April.

Can we have the crew rooms refreshed?

We were approved in 2019 for a refresh, but due to COVID refreshes were postponed. Hoping to have some more good news soon.

What’s going on with the Flagship Lounge in A-West?

Construction is on pause due to finances. It is an expensive project, so we have paused. More to come.

How is AA partnering with the community (races, PRIDE, etc.)?

You can go to aa.com and head to corporate giving to help obtain sponsorship with your event. Due to the pandemic, we’ve been limited on what we can sponsor. Monetary contributions have been reduced due to the pandemic. Paused for the last several years and hoping to get back to where we were.

How is the company addressing the homeless situation at the airport?

Partnering with police/ shelters to voluntarily get them help in a center. Numbers are decreasing, but still an issue. We have a new police Captain who is working diligently to help with mental health/ homeless issues.

Are our business customers returning?

Yes, but slower than we would like. Small business customers are returning faster than our large corporate business customers. Just when we started seeing a more robust return, Delta variant of COVID hit. Then they started to return, and Omicron hit.

Are we still doing COVID cleaning?

Yes. Cabin cleaning is still thorough. That is still the expectation on the aircraft. Airport spaces are still being deep cleaned. If an employee tests positive, their workspace is COVID cleaned.

Bathrooms cleaned at a higher rate than normal.

Same cleaning as at the height of COVID.

Will any TA flights go year-round again?

More to come. FCO, MAD, etc., used to be year-round, but we are taking a wait-and-see approach. 787 delays, demand, pilot staffing will all play into the decision.

Are agents still supposed to give the pre-departure briefing?

Yes. This is everyone’s responsibility. Please say something to the agent if you’re not receiving a briefing.

Can we have a large bus at the cargo city lot?

If you are parking in cargo city, you should be a team member of cargo city. It is not designed for folks working in the terminal or crew. That’s why the busses are smaller. They will be adding larger busses at peak times, but not for flight crews parking at cargo city.

When will the Bartram Employee Lot fence be fixed?

Should be soon. Parts/ fencing have been ordered.

Catering issues on IPD flights, especially ZRH. What are we doing to fix this?

Looking at staffing and adjusting. Also training for IPD startups, and refresher courses for caterers on the new packouts. 788 and 789 have differences, so important that everyone is familiar.

What happened to employees receiving discounts to park in the airport garage?

Still looking at technology that is needed to implement. The garages have been at capacity, but they are looking to see if this is still a possibility. Work with airport authority continues.

How can we stop early boarding?

We are educating the team to not board early, but we are educating the team that on-time boarding means the first passenger crosses the threshold of aircraft at boarding time. This will ensure we can close the door at D-10. This should all be addressed during the departure briefing between the agent and Flight Attendant.

What’s with IFE on the domestic fleet?

The focus is on improving Wi-Fi connectivity.

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Overall, it was a well-received town hall with about 50 participants. I am hopeful they will continue these Town Halls quarterly.

In Solidarity,

Kim Kaswinkel
APFA PHL Base President
[email protected]

Paul Hartshorn, Jr.
APFA Communications
[email protected]