There was an article that was published in last week's Onboard Updates that gave me pause for reflection.  It was titled, "Team Established to Decrease Overstaffing".

Another WHQ task team has been organized to "bring overstaffing to acceptable levels" (understandable from a corporate financial point of view) and to help eliminate (with the help of their new computer system called CHRONOS) unnecessary round trip open IDs.

Any non-human entity helping to managing our schedules and called CHRONOS gives me the heebee-jeebees.

What concerned me the most, however, was the bullet point in which they state:

• Reserve flight attendants should keep their bags close to the exit door and be prepared to alter their schedules in the event that the crew desk identifies the need to alter the staffing on a particular flight

Fine, so long as we don't go back to that July/August 2000 rushing around nonsense.  And so, as a reminder to fellow reserves that may be shuffled around like a deck of cards by CHRONOS, always remember Tip #2, written almost three years ago but still applicable today!

Here's the article in full.

Team Established to Decrease Overstaffing

From Onboard Updates (Aug 25, 2003)

Flight Attendant Scheduling and Support (FASS) established a team to bring overstaffing to acceptable levels, based on the financial implications.

Overstaffing is one or more flight attendants over published staffing guidelines. It is either directional (proper staffing in one direction and overstaffed on the other) or round trip (overstaffed both directions). Round trip is the most costly.

While directional overstaffing also is costly, there are some times when overstaffing is fiscally sound. The FASS team identified directional breakpoints to define where it is fiscally sound to over or under staff. In some markets and on widebody airplanes only, where actual loads are unpredictable, FASS staffs below the forecasted need, i.e., a B777 flying to the Pacific with a forecasted load requiring 11 flight attendants would be pre-scheduled for 10 flight attendants.

Between briefing and 50 minutes prior to departure, the Crew Desk will monitor the loads via the departure management list and identify flights that require changes to staffing. The decision to change the staffing will be made within 50 minutes prior to departure. The actual addition or removal of a flight attendant may occur in under 50 minutes. When possible, the operational team will advise the domicile coordinator or flight crew of potential changes to staffing prior to or during briefing. When it is necessary to remove a flight attendant from a trip, the operational team will do all possible to maintain departure integrity and minimize inconvenience to the flight attendant. In the last two months, there have been no delays resulting from this process.

CHRONOS is a new automation tool that identifies unnecessary round trip open IDs. Ultimately, it will save crew schedulers' time and increase scheduling efficiency. The FASS team created a chart that identifies at which point it is financially sound to over or under staff a flight. The chart takes into consideration aircraft type and the length of a trip. All crew desks utilize this tool in their daily staffing decision making.

Your support is necessary to make this process successful:

• Pursers should note that possible changes to staffing may necessitate reassignment of positions. They should be prepared for potential staffing changes during briefing and establish an alternate plan in the event that a flight attendant is removed from the flight. 

• Reserve flight attendants should keep their bags close to the exit door and be prepared to alter their schedules in the event that the crew desk identifies the need to alter the staffing on a particular flight.