Delta Air Lines is facing intense criticism over its plans to share the names of flight attendants with passengers in emails that will be sent to customers a day before their flight.
The Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA) claims the “outrageous” plan is a violation of privacy and “potentially increasing risk to crews”.
Delta Air flight attendants are not represented by AFA or any union for that matter, but unionization efforts have been ongoing for years, and the AFA has become increasingly vocal in speaking out about internal issues at the Atlanta-based airline.
The names of flight attendants are to be shared with passengers as part of a new recognition tool in which passengers can see the first names of the flight crew operating on their upcoming flight and then write comments about the service they received.
In an internal memo explaining the program, Delta told staffers that no other identifying information apart from their first names would be shared and that the system would only forward positive comments and compliments to crew members.
The AFA claims flight attendants immediately objected to the trial, forcing Delta to allow crew members to opt out through a “complicated” HR process. A measure that the AFA described as “insufficient and insulting”.
“Delta management claims that this program is a way for customers to recognize great service,” the union said on Friday. “The reality is that this is a thinly-veiled attempt to manage us without being on the aircraft, implemented without our knowledge or input.”
“For those who have dealt with harassment, intimidation and even assault, the violation of our privacy is deeply concerning,” the memo continued.
“No other airline does anything like this. It is outrageous that our names are being sent to passengers in advance.”
In a Facebook Workplace message explaining the trial, Delta said the recognition tool would give customers “another opportunity to show how much they value each of you for improving the travel experience”.
“The secure site will allow customers select from a list of the first name of the crew members (pilots and flight attendants) on flights where the customer has a confirmed booking only”.
The tool has already been launched, according to the Workplace message, although flight attendants have been told to wait several weeks before more details about the program are shared.
Of course, it isn’t uncommon for airlines to send customer surveys, including explicit questions about the service provided by flight attendants, although the ability to dial down to specific crew members appears to be pretty much unprecedented.
Last week, pro-union Delta flight attendants staged pickets at several airports across the Delta network in an attempt to raise public awareness about the unionization drive. Previous attempts at unionizing Delta flight attendants have seemingly pushed the carrier to improve working conditions, such as becoming the firs major U.S.-based airline to pay flight attendants for boarding.
The headline should read “Delta Blasted by Flight Attendants that Don’t Work for Them.”
And. It is only the first name, And you would only know the first names after you book the flight.
Typical union BS making a mountain out of mole hill. The union must think flight attendants are complete morons to fall for their ridiculous hyperbole. I want to meet the person who would pick the airline, the date to travel, the place to travel, the time and routing, based on a flight attendant first name. Plus. It would be a pointless exercise as you would not know the names until after booking.
What a joke. But so is the AFA.
Absolutely not. This is not ok. I am a flight attendant for another major carrier, and I have personally had someone find me on social media based on FIRST name alone. This person proceeded to harass me, repeatedly ask me out on a date, and follow me to our crew hotel when I said no. Security had to remove him from the premises. It’s a privacy violation and anyone who disagrees most likely has never faced a situation like this.
So are you suggesting you hide your name while working too? Almost everyone shares their names with customers. This is not a flight attendant specific issue. The Delta proposal wouldn’t make an incident like this any more likely.
I was on a UA flight and the crew was awesome I asked their name (as I wanted to give a good review ), and the F/A in first did not want to give it. I can’t understand giving it to passengers in an email ahead of time.
Actually,you’re the joke… you wouldn’t put up with this in your private job..
If you support this decision, please give us your full name, address and company you work for.
I’ll look it up public records. Hey, j what’s fair is fair. I’ll wait for you reply.
Precisely. And with an attitude towards customer services like that, they will most likely never represent Delta, whose flight attendants are of far too high quality to join that union.
What? Thousands of their f/as opted out of the program in the first hour it was announced.
I would agree with the flight attendants , if the customers want or need to know their names they can find out during the flight by asking them !!!
It’s about time. Years ago name tags prominently displayed with honour. This will give the lazy obese flight attendants an incentive to work. Perhaps give the airline the ability to weed out the slackers.
And this is precisely why you don’t deserve to know a f/as name…so you can share this feedback? Wow.
Not a nice thing to say.
Well, that is just rude!
Apparently, this policy is for customers too stupid to read (a name tag).
First names only, or initials with no names, seems reasonable to me.
As a passenger, it would be good to have this information to pass on compliments or complaints about the FAs – that it will only be used for compliments only is a bit off. I’ve had both good and bad service on various carriers. I try to compliment crews that go beyond the normal range of duties or who have gone out of their way to help, be nice or get something for me (or my kids…). I even bring local treats occasionally. However, there are also crew members who clearly don’t like their jobs, and it shows – and who refuse to do even the minimal job duties. I’ve even run into some that hide their name tag so you do not specifically know who to reference in any complaint. I really try to send in compliments to those who deserve it (since I know a lot of people do not do that), but also, complaints when those are due. Having the minimal of information so I can reference who it is for I think is a step in the right direction.
I suspect many FAs object because they don’t specifically want complaints to be able to reference them. Which is a shame – these are the FAs that should be working a more non-public job.
I understand why Sara Nelson and the Association of Flight Attendants, part of the AFL-CIO’s Communications Workers of America, are concerned about this potential violation of the privacy of crewmembers. Premium airline information data compilers like Expert Flyer, Seat Spy, Seats.aero, or Seat Guru could add new helpful data metrics indexed by flight crew name, flight number, and other statistics such as if the flight attendant is Red Dress Qualified, also known as RDQ. Some passengers might want to intentionally select flights that rarely arrive on time by selecting flights with higher RDQ scores.
Previously, Delta Airlines offered the red dress uniform only to flight attendants wearing a dress size 18 and below, or they would be mandated to wear a less conspicuous blue color dress. After compiling RDQ data for each Delta Airlines flight, it will be easy for passengers to sort and select flights with the highest RDQ scores so that passengers will see more red dresses. Currently, Delta Airlines has not yet followed the lead started at Target stores by offering plus size flight attendant uniforms in the color of “Manatee Gray.” Instead, the Delta Sky Club® in Detroit gives passengers a bird’s eye perch to the SPANX® retailer on the floor below the Sky Club at Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) as a unique perk and destination amenity.
Read more:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2303960/Target-dress-apology-Website-forced-remove-Manatee-Gray-plus-size-dress-backlash.html
https://www.today.com/style/target-apologizes-manatee-label-plus-size-dress-1c9215043
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffbercovici/2013/04/03/whoops-target-inadvertently-offers-manatee-dresses-for-plus-size-women-twitter-notices/?sh=74ec421d6f42
Delta Airlines, Debucking the Myth. There is an actual book about Deltas hiring practices in the past. From my understanding being based in the deep south, they try to force their conserstive ideologys on new job candiates and their new hires.
If you dont live in Buckhead, are not Christian ( preferbly Southern Baptist), hetersexual, back in the day, they didnt really want you.
In the seventies and eighties, one saw very few male flight attendants working for them, compared to other airlines.
I can remember waiting for a delta flight in Oakland Ca, during the early nineties, and I was shooting the shit with the gate agent, I asked her where She was based, She responded Gods Country, and asked me if I went to Church.
Long story short, that is all I needed and wanted to know about Delta Airlines at the time.
Being the only major airlines in the US, with a Union for its flight attendants, should tell you they were and still are the odd ones on the block…lol
On every single Delta flight, you are told after the boarding door has closed, the first names of the attendants on your flight. I support the union and Delta, but the resistance from flight attendants is boarder line ridiculous.