Raul Zambrana's World

January 12, 2009

This morning I received the following email.  It charges that the Denver officers of the United Airlines Association of Flight Attendants are "allegedly" abusing Union member dues.  To verify the claim, I contacted a good friend of mine and AFA officer in Denver who corroborated the story and was told that it is "100%" true.

In addition, I've been told that Ken Kyle (President of the Council) was a supporter of F.A.I.R., the prior union group who tried to take over AFA's representation at United.

Here is a copy of the email I received as well as my follow-up response.

 ___________

Original Email (with some editorial corrections):  January 12, 2009:

The Association of Flight Attendants Denver Officers are taking money that they are NOT entitled to.

Denver AFA is already 100% over budget (with 4 more months yet to go in this fiscal budget year) and do you know who is going to pay for it? YOU - the AFA Members.

The biggest reason why AFA's Denver Council is so excessively over budget is because Ken Kyle (President of the council) and Carl Alessi (Vice-President of the council) believe they are worth more than any other member.

Every month they are being paid (from your AFA dues $$$) 100 hours at the International rate of pay, plus 100 hours of International Purser pay. As members of the Denver council, Ken and Carl cannot hold any International flying and they are not even Domestic Purser Qualified, much less International Purser Qualified.

Furthermore, when they did fly the line they never few Purser.  Currently, Carl refuses to fly and Ken has only flown 3 trips - two of which were holiday trips.

Additionally, they are consistently claiming up to $2,400.00/month in expenses that includes car mileage and meals - including those that are ate at home.

Adding it all together, Ken & Carl are paying themselves nearly $90,000.00 a year. How much are you making?  I bet it's no where near that.

Stop this abuse. Tell the Officers of Denver's AFA office to fly their schedule and to balance the budget. Send this on to every UAL Flight Attendant you know and let Ken and Carl now that they need to stop this abuse of our dues dollars.

More information will be reported as it comes available. Until then, are you watching Ken Kyle? You should be.

______________

If you want to contact the Denver AFA office with any questions or concerns, this is their contact information:

Denver Council Office

Telephone

(303) 342-9005
(877) 342-9005 toll free

Ken Kyle

President
Phone: (303) 913-6978
Email: kkyle@unitedafa.org

Carl Alessi

Vice President
Phone: (303) 916-1587
Email: calessi@unitedafa.org

________________________

Update: January 21, 2009

A few days ago, I received a "retraction/apology" email stating that the person who forwarded the original email below was questioning the source, the reasons and the facts of the email.  Here is the 'apology' email:

"I  sent you a forwarded email regarding the pay of Den AFA Officers, Ken  and Carl from an anonymous sender.  I regret  that.  I  have written to the sender asking who they are and why they are sending  out the information.  To date I have gotten one  response which  told me their info was documented, but failed to offer sources,  identification of the sender, or a reason for sending out such a  condemning notice.
 
I  cannot help but wonder in light of the timing, if this person is  management.  Could they be attempting to discredit the Denver  AFA officers, since the Denver office is so active?  Could  management be trying to divide us right at negotiation  time?  Or,  is this a mere personal attack?  It does sounds like it to  me.  But I don't know, because whomever is sending the slander  refuses to say who they are  or why.  
 
Here  is what I learned from my research.  The pay scale of International  Purser Pay is what it is, and has always been allowed by United for AFA  officers.  It is NOT BASED on qualification, nor has it ever  been.  I  remember making DC 10 FFA pay at 110 hours a month years ago when I taught  at Inflight Training.  Those pay scales are long gone.  But no  pay goes through the company that is not pre-agreed to.  I think  there is an element of truth in the mailing, but it has been manipulated  to imply misuse, abuse or in the case of 90 K per year just out right  wrong.
 
I  have learned that Ken and Carl take only four days a month off, and have  kept that pace for one and a half years.  They have not taken any  vacation.  They have stated to me that it takes that type of time to  get the job done.   They both have continued to fly, unlike some  officers of the past.  My  personal experience with these officers is that I have gotten a  response very quickly each time I have contacted them.  My  past experience prior to their taking office was not so  positive.    Ken and Carl's availability, to  me, seems unprecedented after going through several years of what I  felt was little availability from officers.  They also do not  discriminate from out of domicile FAs contacting them.  If they have  not been available for you, you should let them  know. 
 
Again,  I truly apologize for forwarding what appears to be misleading negative  mail.  I don't believe in hurting innocent people and that email did  not seem to be the right one to forward to anyone.  Thanks  for your understanding.  This note was to correct something I likely  did wrong.  Donna" 

Now for my response...

All of these rumors would be put down to rest if AFA and the Denver officers come out clean and do the following:

1. Show us the budget for Denver.  Are they truly over budget or not? 

2. If the Denver officers (Ken and Carl) truly take 4 days off a month, show us your schedules (currently being blocked from view via unimatic).

3. Show the expense reports submitted to AFA for personal reimbursement (the officers get to keep a copy of each).

And a correction: Currently, when doing special assignments for United, the flight attendant can only claim the hours of trips dropped (maximum of 100 hours a month).  If the flight attendant is on part-time special assignment, only get paid the trips that get dropped.  And only get paid Purser if that was the position that the flight attendant was assigned to and it is a "closed" position only. 

Why so much secrecy?  Where is transparency?  How can an AFA member get access to this information, which should be public anyway?  Can anyone respond to these questions?

________________________

UPDATE:  JANUARY 26, 2009

Finally we do hear from Ken and Carl.  They wrote a type of newsletter editorial and sent to their membership.  Here is the article they wrote.  I also "broke-down" and wrote my response directly to Ken and Carl, which is below.  I am looking forward to their response.  Enjoy the reading!!!!

KEN AND CARL'S EDITORIAL:

Your current team of Co#09 officers has now completed a little more than 1/3rd of our term in office.  During that election held in October 2007 the membership was very vocal in demanding change – wanting greater access to their representatives and timelier addressing of their questions, phone calls, issues and grievances.  We are fully accountable for the time it takes to provide the service to our membership that being part of a Union demands.

Your elected officers also recognize that personal and anonymous attacks, while not necessarily appreciated or productive, are a reality of any elected official position.  The time it takes to respond to such ‘allegations’ is unfortunately necessary in order to address misinformation and misperception, but does also serve to detract from the many other aspects of representing the Flight Attendant population.

That being said, recent communications which have been circulated from an anonymous source regarding the finances of Co#09 contain misleading and blatantly false allegations against the DEN LEC President and Vice-President.  The charge that your local officers “are paying themselves nearly $90,000 per year” is not only ludicrous but also a factual lie.  Your DEN Co#09 elected officers are always ready and willing, as I am assured are ALL20the current elected AFA representatives system-wide, to respond to any non-anonymously submitted questions concerning the respective budgets of that particular council.  The fiscal decisions made by each local leadership is based on the needs of that council as determined by the elected leadership and on factors specific to that council and its membership.

DO YOU KNOW…

·       That each local AFA council budget is based on receiving $8.67 of the $43 of dues monies charged to each member of that council.

·       That DEN Co#09 has been reduced from about 1500 members to the current approximate number of 1100 members, and thus a loss of dues revenue of over $3200 per month to cover the cost of local council business.  (Most councils, system-wide and AFA-wide, have experienced the same loss of membership and associated revenue loss; however that does not mean there is any less of a need of service to the respective memberships by the Union.)

·       That UAL covers 85 hours of flight pay loss (FPL) per each UAL AFA council.

·       That for every hour of FPL over the 85 hour threshold, UAL charges AFA and each council an outrageous 40% cost over-ride which is the highest override charge in the industry and of significant relevance to local budgets.

·       What the DEN Co#09 membership receives for the above-referenced $8.67 per member:

o   Flight Pay Loss for two elected local AFA officers (President and Vice-President) who preside full-time and staff the local council office 7 days per week, with each officer taking only 1 day off per week (4 days off per month)

§  The pay rates for those officers are legally allowed and officially codified in practice via the AFA Constitution & Bylaws, AFA policy, as well as through UAL payroll procedure.

§  Meal and mileage allowances are stipulated in the AFA Constitution & Bylaws, are submitted to and paid from the AFA-CWA International Office, for all time associated with performing Union work

§  Without protest, past practice for pay rates associated with Special Assignment Flight Attendants (SAFA) and Flight Attendants instructing at TK have been paid at the maximum number of hours and at the maximum contractual pay rate, as is allowed for duly-elected Union officers.  Pay rates are for the work performed and are not related to qualifications such as purser or IST.

o   FPL for other elected DEN Officer council work, also of significant benefit to the membership

o   FPL to pay for the training of all DEN local committee volunteers

o   Office equipment rental and purchase, as necessary

o   Monthly recurring office expenses, including telephone, internet, and office supplies

o   Extensive work performed by all the officers in the administration of the local office, committees, dispute resolutions and grievances

o   Additional work performed by the elected officers in conjunction with Denver area labor organizations such as the DIA Labor Coalition and the Colorado AFL-CIO, with the current LECVP holding a seat on that organization’s governing body.

o   Family Leave resources and assistance which are readily shared with not only DEN Co#09 members, but, as well, with any member system-wide who contacts us with questions about family leave.  Your LECP is working at the MEC level participating with other representatives on a Family Leave Review Committee – in the pursuit of ensuring that UAL properly administrates family leave as it relates to company policy and the federal law.

o   Representation of our membership at the MEC level, attending quarterly and additional meetings as necessary, for any and all issues affecting the entire UAL membership

o   Representation of our membership at the BOD level, attending the annual meeting of the governing body of this Union along with representatives from the other 61 AFA-CWA airline councils

What do most of the above have in common? TIME….the time it takes your elected representatives to ensure the office is adequately staffed, with phone calls and emails answered in a timely manner 7 days per week  from early morning until late evening.  Your DEN Co#09 elected officers work together to ensure our DEN AFA-CWA membership has maximum access to their Union representation.

A final question which may be appropriate to consider:

At such a critical time when we are preparing for and on the verge of entering into contract negotiations with UAL Mismanagement, who benefits when an employee group is disorganized and distrustful of those who represent the collective interests of its membership?  What is the motivation to promote that distrust and discord?  Is it plausible that the anonymous source is from the Company?

While there is always a recognized responsibility to be fiscally efficient, where Union representation is concerned there is at least an equal, if not over-riding, responsibility of that Union and of every elected Representative to provide the highest level of service to the membership they serve.  It is just that level of service which fosters trust and the concomitant recognition by all of us that we are stronger standing together as a Union against the threats to Labor by our
respective airline mismanagements, than we would ever be standing alone as individuals.

Respectfully Offered For Your Consideration,

Ken Kyle
Carl Alessi

HERE IS MY RESPONSE:

 _____________________________

UPDATED:  MARCH 02, 2009

I received this email from the president of the Denver council in response to my email to him.  Of course, I have to respond back but I do think this is the last time we will hear from him....  Enjoy his email!!!!

Raul….thank you for the amount of time you have taken to input your thoughts on the issue of our DEN Co#09 finances.  I will not however go thru my response line by line as you have seemingly required. I stand by the information I put in the newsletter, and will point out that you are incorrect that I stated I only take ‘one day off per month’…it is one day per week (4 days per month).  And I accept your apology because it is in fact the truth and can be attested to by the many f/a’s who stop by the office at all hours of the day…we are there unless we are in the domicile (which is fairly far from the AFA office) or in meetings off property with some of the labor organizations mentioned.  Yes, we are members of those organizations and yes we are active in those organizations representing the DEN UAL Flight Attendant population, and yes, previous government affairs chairpersons were allotted FPL and expenses to attend those functions.  And yes, please look at our council roster and you can plainly see the number of council committee positions we participate on.  And no, I do not feel any further need to justify the work we do for our DEN Co#09 members to someone based in JFK (or formerly from FRA).
 
You are also completely incorrect in your characterization of my participation in F.A.I.R., so please check YOUR sources before making those misstatements….I never participated in nor supported F.A.I.R….nor do I see what that reference has to do with any current Union matters or work performed.
 
You say that you are ‘giving me the benefit of the doubt’ but then you declare I have made ‘false statements’.   I have made NO false statements and stand by everything as written.  I did not make a ‘false statement’ about SAFA and TK payments….I clearly stated that it was past practice, and when it was PAST practice there was no uproar from the membership as to the pay that those f/a’s received even though it had nothing to do with position certification or how many hours that f/a was used to flying…it was pay hours and pay rate for a job done.  Period.  As is the pay allowed for elected Union officials.  If you have questions about the accuracy of my statements then check with the International Office as you evidently do not believe what I have stated to my DEN membership.     We have the ability to be on S9 status, meaning there is no line to view nor any ‘dropped trips’ to see.  It is a pay status.  The rationale for such a status is to not take a line away from someone who may want that particular bid line, even though the majority of trips will be dropped and not be flown by the AFA officer.  I believe that to be fair to the other members of the domicile.
 
How we divide up the hours of duty for our DEN Co#09 officers is decided amongst the entire slate of Co#09 officers, and no, you do not have a say in how Co#09 duty hours are divvied up.  Sorry to be so blunt, but your accusations and evident distrust of the information response which I put out is equally blunt…and many times without merit.  How dare you say that I “am taking on too much myself”!!!  You have no idea what our issues are in DEN nor how much time there is needed to be allotted to do so.  You also have zero idea how much time is put into dealing with FMLA information for any f/a who contacts our office….and there have been MANY based in JFK who have been helped.   And NO, our Occupational Committee does NOT deal with FMLA issues….that is the problem in that family leave is only newly relegated to OCC issues and NOONE is clearly up to speed on the federal or the company policy issues related to family leave – thus the need for the MEC special committee on which I will be participating.  Deal with your JFK issues, not ours.
 
You also show a keen lack of understanding of what exactly is taken into consideration for the budgeting at each council.  You state that office expenses are ‘fixed’ and are taken into account for the budgeting for each council.  That is incorrect.  The ONLY consideration that dictates the budget for each council is the number of members at that council times $8.67 !   For someone who touts themselves as having been an officer I would assume you would know that simple fiscal fact.
 
Raul, you have shown a consistent lack of understanding or knowledge on more than several facets of the merits associated with the anonymous attack that is circulating.  I, as well as the other officers of Co#09 in DEN will continue to serve our membership as they see fit and until they (the DEN membership) believe we are no longer providing sufficient and appropriate service to them.
 
While you may wish to have further communication with me regarding your allegations, please know that I have taken enough time to respond to you and will not be providing further dialogue unless you feel the need to transfer to DEN.  Until then, I suggest that you do an equal inspection of all the councils of all the airlines in AFA-CWA, as well as inspecting the fiscal efficiencies associated with the International Office of this Union to ensure that the numbers that everyone is working with are the most up-to-date and accurate prior to making any allegations against any one individual whom YOU believe to not be acting in the best interests of their respective membership.
 
 
Ken Kyle
LEC President - Council 09 Denver
Association of Flight Attendants, CWA
United Airlines

Office:   303.342.9005
Cellular: 303.913.6978
Fax:       303.342.8442

*This email and any attachments are confidential and may be protected by legal privilege.  Be aware that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of this email or any attachment is prohibited.  If you have received this email in error, please notify me immediately by returning it and deleting this copy from your system.  Thank you for your cooperation.

MY RESPONSE:

Thanks for the 5 replies to my email (Ken press the sent button 5 times).  That was fast and not expected to be so quickly answered.

You might not reply to this email, but I do have the need to do so.

I am sorry....

Sorry, for the fact that you do not feel that an “out-of-base” flight attendant could speak to someone in Denver.  The fact is that you work for AFA – not just Denver.  What if I was in Denver and had a legality issue?  If I called your office, would you say: “Call your JFK representative.  Denver does not take care of non-Denver flight attendants?”  In your original email, you do talk about “unity.”  Thank you for showing your true colors of division and coercion.  

Sorry that you feel that I am asking you to justify or explain yourself.  All I am doing is letting you know how most people feel out there.  In fact, I even made suggestions to help with your heavy burden of office work.  But it seems you think that I am telling you what to do.  I think your email below, not the fact that we are disputing facts, is that you are showing who as a person you are – quite emotional and not rationalizing your thought process.  Is that the way of a leader?  Is that how you treat people?  As far as I know, that is not the proper behavior of a leader.

Sorry that I did not notice the word “PAST” when speaking of the SAFA pay.  But that was a long time ago.  We should not bring ‘past’ issues... Lets look at the present ones and move towards the future.

I am truly sorry...

...If you think I said that you were the FAIR representative.  All I did was ask if you were.  In many words, I guess the answer is ‘no’.

...That you tell me that I have a “lack of budget” understanding.  I guess I can throw out my college degree!  The fact is that certain items are fixed items – meaning that the expense is the same every month – such as rentals, basic telephone service, etc.  Variables – the ones that change every month – such as long distance calls and trip drops, change every month.  In FRA, we kept a close eye on every expense and ensure that every issue as properly accounted for and in fact, we were always at or under budget.  Very proud of that!!!  And it seems that you state that I should look at every carrier in the Union.  No one has accused anyone at other councils and we are still left in mid air as to expenses in the DEN office.

As an AFA member, with the right to question any of the leaders that represent me (because ultimately you do vote on general issues at the MEC and BOD that affects me, whether I am in JFK, FRA, DEN or any other domicile) I will continue to question...

... Do you really need to be in the office on a daily basis (far from the airport and the domicile) on S9 status?

... Why can’t we look at the budget?

... And all of the other unanswered questions in my original email.

Thank You...

Thanks again for your time to respond and I do hope that someone, in the MEC in Chicago or the international office, does answer my questions.  Even though on furlough, I am paying dues and do have the right to voice my opinion and question any of the leaders that represent me in any way, shape or form.  Whether the allegations come via email or phone or any way, the fact is that if they are not true, full transparency shall be made available to anyone who wants to ask questions and see proof.

Sincerely,  Raul

______________________________

UPDATE:  MARCH  09, 2009

The controversy of the Denver officers do not go away...

A lot of people thought that the emails going around "allegedly" charging the Denver officers were unsubstantiated and false.

However, all it takes is for anyone to make a call to the AFA international office in Washington DC and ask for a copy of the LM2 forms.

But...

What is an LM2 form? 

The LM2 is a required form by the IRS.  AFA's international office is required to submit this form with the pay of all AFA officers as well as a breakdown of all expenses claimed.  This filling is a matter of public records; which means that the forms are available, legally, for everyone to see.  The LM2 payroll for the officer includes the 40% override that United's management charges AFA.  But all you have to do is substract the 40% off the total and you get the real pay. 

See the LM2 by going to Uniondemocracy.org

Here is the breakdown:

In the last 5 months as an officer, Ken Kyle had more than $13,000 worth of expenses; mostly in car mileage and per-diem.  That is $2,600 worth of expenses a month!

As for salary, in the last 5 months, Ken had $12,000 in salary including the 40% override.  So actually it is about $7,200 in salary which translates to $1,440 average salary a month. 

Finally, the truth is that they are over-budget by a huge margin. By more than 100%!

By the way, did you know that Ken Kyle was an officer with UFAU?  UFAU was the "United Flight Attendant Union" that tried to depose AFA from United Airlines.  UFAU was a group backed by a union busting law firm, the McCormick Realty Group, that has tried to depose unions from different airlines and companies. The McCormick Realty Group set up sham unions for  profit. Ken was on the board, and actually worked against AFA as recent as 2004.  What did happen that he had a change of heart?

This is not a rumor any longer as most people thought.  This is the truth.  In addition, any member of the Denver council has the power to go to the office and ask an offier to show you the budget.  Just as simple.  The LM2 forms are available by calling and asking the office of the secretary-trasurer at AFA international.

You may ask yourselves, how is AFA allowing this to happen?

There are two reasons:

First, United's AFA Master Executive Council has no power over the council budgets.  The local councils submit their expenses directly to AFA international office in Washington DC.

Second, and the main reason, is that the office of the International Treasurer does not have the power to get involved and ask the Denver officers to balance their budget.  Seriously!

So then, what can be done about it?

1. Ask your local AFA president to investigate and pressure DEN officers to get the budget under control.

2. Ask your local AFA president to file a motion in the next MEC meeting to grant the international AFA treasurer more power to get involved in local council's budgets and do periodic checks of budgets. If a local council is over-budget, the office of the international AFA shall have the power to audit the budget and check for balancing of it.

3. If you are a Denver council member, you have the right to call the AFA office in Chicago and ask for procedures to start a recall of the officers. 

We are the members and the power of AFA!  We are the ones who elect officer and have the right to ask for change and recalls.

If we do not do anything about it, then we are as guilty as any officer that steals from our union dues.  Do something about it... just don't complain... Ask for what is the best interest of every member of our Union!

__________________________________

UPDATE:  MARCH 10, 2009

As some of you might have noticed, I have been very outspoken about the outrageous over-budget crisis in Denver.  AFA needs to have simple reforms that will ensure that there is no abuse from anyone on our dues.

A petition has been started (not by me, I make that clear!) that asks for simple reforms that will ensure that budgets are under control and officers accountable and transparency to the membership.

These are very simple rules that will ensure any and all officers are accountable to their membership.  Don't get me wrong, I do know that most officers work very hard for our rights and sometimes we do forget to say thank you.  It is a thankless job, specially when we work on a volunteer basis.  But there are those ones out there who are in AFA to have a free ride.  Those scrupulous flight attendants/officers have to me stopped! Thus, comes this petition to the AFA.

All that is needed is 2,000 online 'signatures' by June 1st.  So far, 217 have signed.  2,000 of the flight attendants at United is a very small amount.  So please, forward this email to any flight attendant that cares enough to ensure reform at AFA takes place.  This is not an easy road but it is the beginning of something that's needed.


The petition addresses the following requests:


1) A Full Independent Audit of all MEC/LEC finances and full disclosure of all 2007, 2008 compensation of officers, both LEC and MEC, including, but not limited to, the following:

FPL (Flight Pay Loss)
Reimbursable Expenses
Other: (Housing, car and phone reimbursements)

2) By July 1, 2009 a UAL-MEC policy shall be put in place which will clearly define the financial compensation maximums allowable to all AFA-UAL officers.

3) These ~maximums~ will be limited to the following parameters:

100 FPL (Flight Pay Loss)
No Purser Pay unless you are qualified
No International Pay unless your seniority held it that month.

Clear UAL-AFA policy put in place as follows:

All reimbursable expenses, including meals must be accompanied by a receipt or supporting documentation.  Failure to provide such will result in denial of reimbursement.

4) A tab/link will be added to the United AFA MEC website that shows each LEC/MEC officer's monthly submitted FPL and all submitted reimbursable expenses on an ongoing basis.


Remember that Denver AFA's  2009 January Budget Report is available for anyone to see.  And they are 109% over budget. Their allocated budget through January 2009 was $80,445.00 and they have already spent at least $167,602.00 with 4 months yet remaining in the budget year.  

At the current overage of $87,157.00 each DEN member would be have to be assessed $79.23 to make up for the shortfall. If you let this excessive spending continue, the assessment will be even larger. Don’t forget, the budget report is available to any member in good standing- so view it for yourself by going to the Denver AFA office and ask to see it. 

Also, according to the IRS LM2 form, which is a matter of public record, it does shows that:
In the last 5 months as an officer, Ken Kyle had more than $13,000 worth of expenses; mostly in car mileage and per-diem. That is $2,600 worth of expenses a month.
As for salary, in the last 5 months, Ken had $12,000 in salary including the 40% override. So actually it is about $7,200 in salary which translates to $1,440 average salary a month.
In total, that is over $4,000 a month in salary and expenses combined!  Any flight attendant makes that much money?

By the way, did you know that Ken Kyle was an officer with UFAU? UFAU was the "United Flight Attendant Union" that tried to depose AFA from United Airlines. UFAU was a group backed by a union busting law firm, the McCormick Realty Group, that has tried to depose unions from different airlines and companies. The McCormick Realty Group set up sham unions for profit. Ken was on the board, and actually worked against AFA as recent as 2004.
If we do not do anything about it, then we are as guilty as any officer that steals from our union dues. Do something about it... just don't complain... Ask for what is the best interest of every member of our Union!


Sign the petition HERE!

By the way, want to see more proof?


Below are previous DEN AFA Officer DFAPs for Ken Kyle and Carl Alessi. As you will see, their DFAPs substantiate the claim they pay themselves 100 hours at the International rate of pay, PLUS 100 hours of International Purser pay. And remember, they cannot hold ANY International flying and they ARE NOT even Domestic Purser Qualified, much less International Purser Qualified. Furthermore, when they did fly the line (Carl refuses to fly now and Ken has only flown 3 trips- two of which were Holidays), they NEVER flew Purser- not even Domestic First Flight Attendant.
 

DFAP/      /DEN / 12/ 102722/ KYLE,K
GAR        MIN  2810  FTM
CERT# ASMT DT TD SKED TUS DHCR FTCR ACTL TOTL NITE EXPNS POSTNG#
41010 0130 01 30                                        *D110753
41027 0130 01 30               8819      8819     *D110754  = DOM NON Purser Bid Line
43010 0130 01 30                                         D110755        REMOVED
43027 0130 01 30              10000     10000    D110756  = 100 Hours of Int’l Pay from AFA
93170 0130 01 3010000                                 D110757  = 100 Hours of Int’l Widebody     
45810 3854 24  2 1010                                    D160646     Purser Pay from AFA
45800 3854 24  2 1010  32            951 1023    4020
45327 3854 24  2              (1023)    (1023)       D251133
45061 HOL  25  1  711                                    D251132  = Holiday Pay for EXTRA $$$
41810 3856 27  2 1000                                    D161035
41800 3856 27  2  953 105         7  848 1000    3510 D280757
41327 3856 27  2              (1000)    (1000)       D280758
TOTAL                 137      7944 183910000       7530
----------------------------------------
 
DFAP/      /DEN / 01/ 102722/ KYLE,K
GAR        MIN        FTM
CERT# ASMT DT TD SKED TUS DHCR FTCR ACTL TOTL NITE EXPNS POSTNG#
41010 3130 31 31                                        *D100952
41027 3130 31 31               7459      7459    *D100953 = DOM NON Purser Bid Line
43010 3130 31 31                                          D100954     REMOVED
43027 3130 31 31               5000      5000     D100955 = 100 Hours of Int’l Pay from AFA
43027 3131 31 31               5000      5000     D100956
93170 3131 31 31 5000                                 D100957 = 100 Hours of Int’l Widebody
93170 3130 31 31 5000                                 D100958     Purser Pay from AFA
TOTAL                         10000     10000
 ----------------------------------------
 
DFAP/      /DEN / 02/ 102722/ KYLE,K
GAR        MIN        FTM
CERT# ASMT DT TD SKED TUS DHCR FTCR ACTL TOTL NITE EXPNS POSTNG#
41031 3101 31 30               5616      5616   *D051231 = DOM NON Purser SICK Pay
41010 3101 31 30                                        *D120810    REMOVED
43010 3101 31 30                                         D120814
41035 3110 11 11               2836      2836   *D120815
43035 3110 11 11               2836      2836     D120816 = Int’l Pay for VAC
93170 VAC  31 11 2836                                D120817 = Int’l WB Purser Pay for VAC
41027 3101 31 30               5616      5616    *D120832 = DOM Pay REMOVED
43027 3101 31 30               7124      7124     D120833 = Int’l Pay from AFA
93170 3101 31 30 7124                               D120834 = Int’l Widebody Purser Pay
TOTAL                         10000     10000                          from AFA
 ----------------------------------------
 
DFAP/      /DEN / 12/ 098147/ ALESSI,C
GAR        MIN        FTM
CERT# ASMT DT TD SKED TUS DHCR FTCR ACTL TOTL NITE EXPNS POSTNG#
43010 0130 01 30                                         D020847
43035 0108 08  8               2048      2048     D020848 = Int’l Pay for VAC
71170 0108 01  8 2048                                *D110824
71170 VAC  01  8 2048                                 D110833
43027 0930 09 22               7912      7912    D020849 = Int’l  Pay from AFA
93170 0930 09 22 7912                                D020851 = Int’l Widebody Purser Pay
TOTAL                         10000     10000                           from AFA
 ---------------------------------------
 
DFAP/      /DEN / 01/ 098147/ ALESSI,C
GAR        MIN        FTM
CERT# ASMT DT TD SKED TUS DHCR FTCR ACTL TOTL NITE EXPNS POSTNG#
41010 3130 31 31                                       *D100942
41027 3130 31 31               8600      8600   *D100943 = DOM NON Purser Bid Line
43010 3130 31 31                                         D100944     REMOVED
43027 3130 31 31               5000      5000     D100945 = 100 Hours of Int’l Pay from AFA
43027 3131 31 31               5000      5000     D100946
93170 3131 31 31 5000                                 D100947 = 100 Hours of Int’l Widebody
93170 3130 31 31 5000                                 D100948     Purser Pay from AFA
TOTAL                         10000     10000
 ----------------------------------------
 
DFAP/      /DEN / 02/ 098147/ ALESSI,C
GAR        MIN        FTM
CERT# ASMT DT TD SKED TUS DHCR FTCR ACTL TOTL NITE EXPNS POSTNG#
43010 3101 31 30                                         D051097
43027 3101 31 30               8931      8931    *D051099
43031 3101 31 30               5407      5407    *D120658 = Int’l Sick Pay REMOVED
43027 3101 31 30               5407      5407     *D120660
43027 3101 31 30               7400      7400      D120661 = Int’l Pay from AFA
93170 3101 31 30 7400                                  D120663 = Int’l WB Purser Pay from AFA
43035 0211 10 10               2600      2600      D051100 = Int’l Pay for VAC
93170 VAC  02 10 2600                                  D120662 = Int’l WB Purser Pay for VAC
TOTAL                         10000     10000

____________________________________

HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY??????

ARE YOU MAD?  UPSET?  WANT TO SHARE YOUR OPINION?

GO TO THE GUESTBOOK AND SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS OR USE THE SPACE BELOW!

 
The following is an exclusive account for our members from one of our pilots who was onboard US Airways Flight 1549 when the pilots made a successful emergency ditching into New York’s Hudson River. First Officer Susan O’Donnell is a LGA-based 767 pilot. She resides with her family in Winnsboro, South Carolina. Susan is a former Navy pilot, hired at AA in February 1990. She has flown the 727, F100, A300 and now the 767.

The following is her account of the flight, the rescue and recovery response, as well as the support she experienced afterward. This is intended to give each of you a unique insight into the event. We also hope that the crew’s tremendous effort to take care of each other and the nearly instantaneous support of USAPA and APA responders become “takeaways” for our pilots to use when faced with an emergency.

I was a jumpseat rider seated in First Class on Flight 1549 from LGA to CLT, which successfully ditched in the Hudson River. I’ve been asked to share a few of my experiences on that day. Although it was a stressful incident, the successful outcome and the assistance and support I received afterwards have been truly humbling and inspirational.

After introducing myself to and being welcomed aboard by Captain Sullenberger and FO Skiles, I was offered seat 3D, an aisle seat in the last row of First Class. I was in my uniform. Another jumpseat rider took a seat in row 6. These were the last empty seats on the airplane. I wasn’t paying much attention to the flight until, climbing out, there were several loud thumps occurring roughly simultaneously along both sides of the aircraft. “Bird strikes,” I thought. A few seconds later, there was a bit of smoke and the stench of burning bird that seemed to confirm my guess. There was a turn to the left, and I assumed we were returning to LGA.  

The passengers were concerned but calm. I couldn’t see any part of the aircraft out the window from my aisle seat. Although I didn’t hear much that sounded encouraging from the engines, I expected we would have at least partial thrust with which to limp back to LGA. We rolled out of the turn, and I could tell we were not maintaining altitude. Then we heard the PA: “This is the Captain. Brace for impact.”

Obviously we weren’t returning to LGA, and I could see enough out the window to realize we’d be landing in the river. The flight attendants began shouting their “brace” litanies and kept it up until touchdown. The descent seemed very controlled, and the sink rate reasonably low. I believed the impact would be violent but survivable, although I did consider the alternative. The passengers remained calm and almost completely quiet. As we approached the water, I braced by folding my arms against the seat back in front of me, then putting my head against my arms. There was a brief hard jolt, a rapid decel and we were stopped. It was much milder than I had anticipated. If the jolt had been turbulence, I would have described it as moderate. Thinking about it later on, I realized it was no worse than a carrier landing.

After landing, the attitude of the aircraft was slightly nose high, but not far off a normal parked attitude, and there was no obvious damage to the cabin or water intrusion where I was. No one was hurt or panicked. We all stood up. I could hear the doors open and the sound of slide inflation. There was a verbal command “Evacuate;” people were already moving towards the doors. I exited through the forward right door and entered the raft. The evacuation up front was orderly and swift, and we were not in the water long before being picked up by various boats, which were extremely quick to the scene. Many passengers were standing on the wing, going from feet dry to nearly waist deep as the rescue progressed. They were of course the first to be picked up by the arriving boats. I was picked up by a large ferry boat, climbing a ladder hanging from the bow. It didn’t take long to get all passengers into the boats and to the ferry terminals.  

Once at the terminal, we were met by police, firemen, paramedics, FBI, Homeland Security, the Red Cross, Mayor Bloomberg, and more. Captain Sullenberger continued in a leadership role in the aftermath, talking with the passengers, assembling his crew and including myself and the other jumpseat rider as members of his crew. I was impressed to note that he had the aircraft logbook tucked under his arm. When the Captain asked me if I wanted to join the crew at the hotel, I told him I would really appreciate it as I had lost my wallet. He immediately pulled out his wallet and gave me $20. His concern for me when he had so much else to worry about was amazing.

The USAPA representative was on the scene very quickly, and again included the other jumpseat rider and myself with the rest of the crew. I didn’t see a flight attendant representative; USAPA took care of the FAs as well. The USAPA representative escorted the entire crew to the hospital (we rode in a NYFD fire truck), where we were joined by other USAPA reps and the USAPA lawyer, all of whom continued to consider me as one of the crew. At the hospital, I had finally called the APA “in case of accident” number on the back of my ID badge for APA. I had not initially thought of that as applying to my situation, as a jumpseater on another airline, but I called anyway. I spoke with APA LGA Vice Chairman Captain Glenn Schafer, who departed immediately to come assist me.

After a routine evaluation, they transported us by police car to a hotel, where rooms were waiting. The USAPA version of our Flight Assist was also there, and they spoke to me and offered me whatever assistance I needed, again as if I was one of their own. The USAPA reps also brought all of us some clothing and toiletries that they had purchased. Captain Schafer arrived at the hotel, bringing me some necessary items. He stayed overnight at the hotel, making flight arrangements for me to go home the next day and escorting me to the airport. Captain Mark Cronin from the AA NY Flight Office met me at the departure gate, again offering assistance and support.

I am grateful for the many calls of concern and offers of help I have received, from fellow pilots, union representatives and the company, and I am grateful for and proud of the response and assistance of both USAPA and APA. I would hope that our union would treat another airline’s crewmember as kindly as I was treated. USAirways has also been superb, treating me as if I was a paying passenger. I am also thankful for the professionalism and capabilities of Captain Sullenberger, FO Skiles and FAs Dent, Dail and Welsh. They certainly did our profession proud, and they saved my life.

I did not expect it, but did get a response from AA Management yesterday.  Here is what they had to say:

January 28, 2009

Dear Mr. Zambrana:

We received your email sent to Mr. Arpey, Mr. Mitchell and Mr. Garton.  The details
you provided to us about flight 648 were very troubling.  Your message was immediately
sent to our Vice President of Onboard Services and an investigation ensued.  We are
still in the process of gathering statements from the crew involved but I can assure
you that once our investigation has concluded, we will take the appropriate corrective
action with those involved.  We very much appreciate that you took the time to contact
us about all that occurred.  Your feedback is especially meaningful because you are a
fellow industry employee.

We realize that your disappointment wasn't just due to the actions of the crew but
also in the condition of the cabin.  The conditions you described are as unacceptable
to us as they were to you and I've alerted our Manager of Cabin Services.  This is
certainly not the image we want to convey.

Mr. Zambrana, please give us another chance to serve you.  We are all working hard to
provide the high quality service you have every right to expect when traveling on
American Airlines.  Like you, we are proud of our company and I know we can do better.



Sincerely,

Michelle F. Simmons
Customer Relations
American Airlines

------------------------------------

This is a copy of the letter I have sent to American Airlines in regards to my last flight with them.

HARVEY MILK, PROPOSITION 8 AND A FRIENDSHIP LOST

Proposition 6, which is a central plot point of the movie "Milk", was an initiative on the California State ballot on November 7th 1978,and was more commonly known as The Briggs Initiative. Sponsored by John Briggs, a conservative state legislator from Orange County, the failed initiative would have banned gays and lesbians, and possibly anyone who supported gay rights, from working in California's public schools. The Briggs Initiative was the first failure in a conservative movement that started with the successful campaign headed by Anita Bryant and her organization "Save our Children" in Dade County, Florida to repeal a local gay rights ordinance. The movie also deals with the different state initiatives where local state constitutions have added ammendments to ban same-sex civil unions or marriages.

On today's California issue of Proposition 8, the religious far right (i.e. the Mormon and Catholic Church) decided to take the lead on this proposition and be the guiding light of the movement. Mormons? The ones that say a man can marry as many women as he wants (is that the basic sanctity of marriage?) or the Catholics (children sexual predators?) but I digress... There is a lot to be said about Proposition 8 as to background information and other current issues. I do suggest reading Wikipedia's Proposition 8 section to truly understand the current issues at hand.

The movie does a great job at combining real footage with acted ones. I do highly recommend watching the documentary "The Life and Times of Harvey Milk" (circa 1982) where you will be able to see the actual footage and interviews with those personally involved with the story, such as the Harvey's campaign manager and friends . And in the movie, three of the characters are played by the actual people involved.

Now, lets go back to my so-called friend...

After I sent the video link of the "Prop.8-The Musical" to my friends, I got a nasty reply from Lori Mercil, a person who was my roomate while living in Germany and working as flight attendants. Here is her reply:

"Hey Raul, The US has a democratic system and the people of CA have spoken. How intolerant of you and the angry gay movement to be shove your ways into people's faces, take crosses and stomp on them and batter little old ladies ect.... because they do not believe the same way as you. Shame on you!!!! I find the people who scream intolerance, are the very ones who are the biggest INTOLERANT people!! Lori"

I was shocked and hurt by her choice of words. After much thinking, I decided to reply to her and here is my response:

"Lori,

Don’t take it so personal... It was a joke...

I guess “Christianity” took the best of you...

Sorry to see that you cannot take a joke, enjoy it and if you don’t like it, just don’t pay attention to it.

Also, I say to you, that tolerance is taught by all religions and seems that, whatever religion, cult or group you are following, does not teach that.

As a woman, my dear Lori, you need to understand that it was not until 1920 that women fought to change the Constitution of the United States and were allowed to vote.

In addition, as recent as 1965, blacks had restricted civil rights and civil liberties. State-sponsored school segregation was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1954 in Brown vs. Board of Education. Generally, the remaining laws that prohibited blacks from having equal rights were overruled by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Furthermore, Lori, the United States Bill of Rights States the following:

“No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

As you can see, proposition 8 violates the entire bases of the USA Bill of Rights – which covers all the States of the Union and citizens.

See, my dear Lori, gays are fighting as hard as women and blacks did for many years to have equal rights... And that is what is happening in California today. The Constitution of the United States has been changed many times to create equality for everyone... Including women and blacks.

It will be a matter of time before people like me (who did not choose to be gay – regardless of what you might think – I didn’t choose to be this way) can have the same rights that you have.

Just look around the World...

Nations that recognize gay marriage:

Canada -- In June of 2005, the Canadian Parliament enacted a law allowing legal marriage for same-sex couples.
Belgium -- The second nation to legalize same-sex marriage in 2003.
Netherlands -- The first country to grant gay marriage in 2001.
Norway -- Became the sixth country to legalize same-sex marriage on May 11, 2008.
South Africa -- South Africa became the fifth nation to recognize gay marriage in 2005.
Spain -- Spain became the fourth nation to allow gay marriage on June 29, 2005.

And the list keeps getting longer and better...

Nations that allow same-sex partnerships or unions:

Brazil -- the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul currently allows same-sex civil unions (June 2006).
Croatia -- Civil partnerships for same-sex couples have been granted since 2003.
Denmark -- Legal civil partnerships have been allowed since 1989.
Finland -- Has offered registered partnership benefits since September 2001.
France -- Pacte Civil de Solidarité” (PACS), or “Civil Solidarity Pacts,” were instituted in France on November 9, 1999.
Germany -- Gay couples can register as "Life Partnerships," granting lesser financial and pension benefits than marriage.
Hungary -- Gay couples have been protected under common-law marriages since 1995; however they are not eligible for legal marriage.
Iceland -- Since 1996, gay Icelanders have been protected under registered partnerships.
Luxembourg -- Civil partnership legislation modeled after France's PACS were introduced in Luxembourg in 2004.
Mexico -- Same sex civil unions were legalized in Mexico City in November 2006 and in the state of Coahuila on January of 2007, essentially making civil unions legal in all of Mexico (by law, each Mexican state must recognize the laws granted to individuals of the other states).
New Zealand -- In December, 2004, New Zealand enacted legislation recognizing same-sex civil unions.
Norway -- Since 1996, gay Norwegians have been protected under registered partnerships.
Portugal -- Same-sex partners have the same rights as opposite-sex partners in common law marriage.
Sweden -- Swedish same-sex couples have been able to register under domestic partnership laws since 1995.
Switzerland -- Same-sex couples are given limited legal benefits with civil recognition.
United Kingdom -- Domestic partners can register under the Civil Partnership Act. This legislation took affect in December 5, 2005 giving registered same-sex couples all of the rights, privileges and responsibilities of married heterosexual couples. The Civil Partnership Act applies across all of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

In the United States:

US States that allow same-sex partnerships or unions:

Connecticut -- Although Connecticut defines marriage as between a man and woman, it became the second U.S. state to grant same-sex civil unions in April, 2005.
New Hampshire -- New Hampshire, home of the Episcopal Church's first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson, became the 4th state behind Vermont, New Jersey and Connecticut to offer civil unions. Same-sex partners were allowed to register for civil unions in January 2008. More on New Hampshire Civil Unions
Oregon -- Under Oregon's new domestic partnership law gay and lesbian couples are eligible for all the state-wide rights and benefits of marriage. Oregon also outlaws discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Vermont -- The first U.S. state to offer same-sex civil unions in 2000. Learn about Vermont civil unions.
Washington -- On April 21, 2007, Washington's domestic partnership bill was signed into law giving gay and lesbian couples many of the benefits of marriage.

US states that recognize gay marriage:

Connecticut -- In a 4 to 3 decision, the Connecticut Supreme Court overturned the state's ban on same-sex marriage, making it the third state to allow legal gay marriage.
New Jersey -- New Jersey is the third U.S. state to offer same-sex civil unions behind Vermont and Connecticut. The new same-sex civil unions law, which goes into affect on February 19, 2007, grants gay and lesbian couples the same rights as marriage. *(Although same-sex unions in New Jersey are classified as civil unions, couples are granted the same rights as married heterosexual couples.)
New York -- By a May 29, 2008 directive, New York only recognizes gay marriages from couples legally married outside of the state. read more
Massachusetts -- On May 17, 2004 Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage. The State of Massachusetts also issues licenses to gay couples from New Mexico and Rhode Island since neither state explicitly prohibits same-sex marriage.

Even though Don and I have been together for almost 12 years (more than most ‘straight’ couples will ever be together), we cannot file taxes together, have the same rights to visitation in a hospital or intensive care unit (God forbids!) or even access to joint finances and insurance... And even in most states, adopt a child in need.

The day will come were everyone, regardless of sexual orientation, will have the same rights... Not in the next few years, but it will come and I can’t wait for that day!

We have been through this “intolerant and narrow-minded” personality of yours before... You have major issues of not understanding and respecting others (remember the argument you had with Khaldoun in the apartment in Frankfurt because you could not open your mind to understand his religion – believing that yours is the only “right” one and tried to impose it on him and me?)

Lastly, Lori, go ahead and delete me from all of your address books, emails, facebook, etc... I don’t want to be friends or even have any contact with people that are narrow-minded, intolerant and cannot open their hearts and minds to equality, liberty and tolerance for all.

Take care and I do hope you have a good-fulfilling life.

Raul Zambrana"

I would like to see people that think like Lori to see this movie. It will show and make everyone understand that it is a basic human rights issue where we should treat everyone equally and respect.

I arrived today (December 9th) from Germany at Terminal 1 in JFK Airport.  Flight was great and had a good time... till it was time to clear Customs and Immigrations.

The line I was assigned was moving too slow; actually not moving at all.  I jumped to another line, which happens to be a young TSA's agent: Mr. Rowdings line.  When I approached him, this is the conversation that ensured:

Me:  "Good evening!"
Rowdings:  "You jumped from that line to this one!"
Me: "So?  If there is a problem with that, give me my passport and I will go back."
Rowdings: "You don't need to have an attitude!"
Me: "Well, you don't need to ask."
Rowdings:  "It is my job to ask!"
Me:  "Oh... new job responsibilities; also taking care of lines?"

With that, I sealed my fate...  He made the mark that I would have to go through the secondary TSA check with my luggage.  So, I went through the secondary check.  However, that was a different story.

But I need to digress for a moment...

There was a woman who came in with her 4 dalmatian dogs; one older and 3 puppies.  She was sobbing crying in the secondary security line next to the one I was.  I've traveled with my dog internationally so I know how stressful it is.  I don't know the details of the situation or what was happening with this woman, but it could have been something wrong with the veterinarian's paperwork or vaccinations.  She was quite hysterical and the TSA agent taking care of her 'case' was not helpful at all.  He only needed to be sympathetic to her; that's all.  The only thing he needed to do was, at least, be nice to her.  At one point she was trying to make a phone call and the TSA Agent got two inches away from her face and started to scream: "There is no cell phone usage in this area!"  And he kept screaming at her!  I was getting very upset watching this happening in front of me.  I wanted to jump in an defend the woman but did not want to get in any more trouble than I already was.

Back to my story...  I got to my secondary check and the guy could not be any nicer.  We started talking and I did not have anything in my suitcase to be checked except the usual German coffee I bring every time I come back from Europe and my dirty underwear.  

The conversation turned interesting when he asked me what I do for a living.  I told him:  "I am a flight attendant."  Then I proceeded to tell him what happened to me earlier and that I wanted to file a complaint with TSA.  He told me what to do (go to tsa.gov and click on the feedback icon).  He let me go right away with no problems.

And you might ask yourselves... why did you confront the TSA agent to start with?  

Here is my take...  I've flown all over the world and solely internationally for over 9 years.  I've seen the best and the worst of TSA agents... Sadly, the worst is the normality more than the exception. .  is a shame that these TSA agents have to be such big a**holes!  

What bothers me the most is that this is the first point of contact for most tourists and visitors to the USA.  And this is the way these TSA Agents behave?  Is this the image we want to create that we behave in our Country? What's up with the attitude?

From my experiences, the worst airports for entry into the USA:  New York's JFK and Washington DC (Dulles).  The best airports: Denver (all the time) and Chicago (only in a good day).  I wonder what kind of Customer Service training they receive.  I do know that they are there primarily for safety but there is no need for their nasty behavior.

By the way, if you are wondering, the TSA Agent did not let the dogs go. The TSA Agent was doing the paperwork to hold the doggies back; quarantine or who knows... And the doggies kept crying and barking for mama! It was so sad to watch and see the lady crying and going between the dogs in the cages and back to the nasty, power-driven, a**hole TSA Agent. At one point I had to turned the other way because it was just too much to bear!  For those of us who are doggy/pet lovers, this was a horrific scene to witness!

As we call it in the industry:  "TSA is going on a Power Trip!"

And why do they do it?  Because they can screw up your day if they want to!

I can go on and on with other examples I've witnessed and be a victim of, but won't bore you with any more details.  Ok... a couple of quick ones: they held one internationally based flight attendant for 4 hours because one crew member made a comment about how slow the line was moving and a passenger held because he did forget he had a fruit (banana) in his carry-on.

I did write my letter to TSA and does hope that does not fall in deaf ears or gets lost in cyberspace.  If I do get a reply, I will ensure I post it here immediately.

A Northwest Airlines Flight Attendant was on a layover in Mumbai when the terrorist attacks at the Oberoi Trident Hotel occurred last Wednesday (December 03, 2008).  These are his accounts of what happened that day.

"For those of you who don't know, I was on a layover at the Oberoi Trident hotel in Mumbai when the attacks occurred there last Wednesday night.  Some of my memory of some of this is sketchy but here's what I remember.
 
Had a great, uneventful layover...the usual, massage, lunch at Trishna etc.  Napped from about six pm to 9 pm.  I received my 9:50 pm wakeup call from reception, reminding me of my 10:50 pm pickup time.  I left my room for the lobby about 10:35 and saw one of my flight attendants standing at the elevator bank.  He said the elevators for some reason weren't working and that his calls from the house phone adjacent to them was going unanswered.  My initial reaction was Oh God, am I going to have to carry all my bags down stairs??? 

I was heading back to my room to try calling from my room's phone when we heard a tremendous explosion that shook the building.  We were on the 18th floor, and unaware of what was happening in the lobby and outside the hotel.  I ran to my room and dialed reception, and again, no answer.  I went back out into the hallway to see what we were going to decide to do when we heard another huge explosion followed by very loud screams.  At first I thought that an elevator had fallen as the screams seemed to come from the elevator shafts.  Suddenly doors in the hallway were opening and heads were sticking out wondering what was going on. 

All of a sudden a young woman comes out and starts banging on other doors in the hallway screaming that the hotel was being attacked.  Apparently she saw it on TV.  My coworker and I ran into my room and turned on the television and on one of the local channels it was being reported that there were "firings" outside of some hotels.  It was running across the bottom of the screen but the TV still had regular programming on.  I wasn't sure what they meant by firings, but I couldn't help but wonder if that is what the explosions were. 

Everyone was confused about what to do, but my coworker said he was going to go down the stairway adjacent to the elevators to see if it was safe to get out.  He was turned back by hotel staff several flights down.  By this time I had that hall crowd of people in my room watching the news on TV that attacks were being carried out at several locations in the city. 

All of a sudden one of the women who was a Lufthansa flight attendant got a call on her PDA and screamed that the hotel was on fire and we had to get out.  Although we didn't know it at the time, it was actually the Taj Hotel on fire.  But we decided to head down the stairs.  Instinctively, I grabbed my passport, crew badge, wallet, and cash, and locked my luggage in my room.  Some of the women were crying but it was orderly going down.  Strangely nobody from above followed the 16 of us. 

We made it to the pool level which is on the rooftop of the third floor, but the all the glass doors to the outside areas were locked.  That floor also has banquet and meeting rooms and we found all the doors locked.  Inside the ladies room the towels are cloth, so we grabbed a bunch of them and wet them in case we had to breathe through smoke.  But we hadn't smelled any if the hotel was indeed on fire. 

We were trying to figure out where to go at that point when we encountered a hotel security guard.  He WHISPERED (which began to scare me even more) for us to stay there as there was an "incident" in the lobby.  We cut through a linen tied to the insides of large bronze handles of the doors to one of the banquet rooms.  He told us to be very very quiet, and to stay there until someone came to get us.  He also told us to stay on the floor. 

We were in that room for over an hour, and several of the Lufthansa crewmembers with us had PDA's, and were getting information from outside sources, so we learned the situation was not good.  Eventually hiding in the dark there, we barricaded the door with a large table and waited.....then we heard voices.  My heart I swear stopped for a few seconds.  We were all on the floor holding hands, praying, some were crying softly etc.....  Turned out to be that same security man.  He was like he was sent from heaven.  He said there were men here to help us evacuate.  There were about a half dozen guys in camo with large automatic rifles.  We were then led through a long set of offices, storage areas etc, until eventually we came out into a mezzanine level in the lobby through the hotel's business center. 

 There was a Van Cleef and Arpels store and a Brioni mens clothing store and all the windows were shattered, as were all the windows to the outside.  Apparently grenades had been thrown in some lobby areas.  There was glass EVERYWHERE!  They told us to stay closely together, and QUIETLY but quickly follow them.  But every time we encountered a turn in the hallway, or an open area, they halted us and the military guys aimed their rifles in all directions.  We had to descend a large staircase into the open main lobby of the hotel, and RUN past the front desk, the concierge, and out the main doors.  There was not ONE window intact, there was blood everywhere, and the restaurant called Opium Den next to the elevators had at least a dozen bullet holes in the glass.  Apparently several people were killed there. 

Everywhere we stepped there was glass.....on the furniture, the carpeting, the marble floors... everywhere.  There were also NO people.... anywhere...  The huge glass doors to the main entrance were reduced to about six inches deep of glass pieces similar to a windshield break.  It wasn't like sheet glass.  It was weird.So we didn't have to open any doors to get out.  We were halted in the entrance area and the rifle men repositioned.  That was perhaps the most terrifying part.  Not knowing where the bad guys with guns and grenades were, or if we were going to get shot from someplace or somebody that was hiding. 

We ran across the street and up about three blocks to a movie theater complex's parking ramp where we were in the company of several hundred people..... guests and hotel staff both.  We got there at around 12:30-1:00 am.  We found our two first officers, and one of them had an international use cell phone that ended up being our lifeline.  We were on the phone with the state department, headquarters in MSP, and several others so our exact location could be known and monitored. 

Since the whole area had been cordoned off, there was no traffic movement so we ended up there until dawn, when after a very confusing and chaotic shifting of groups, we finally got a private bus company to shuttle us from outside the locked-down area to a destination which changed three times enroute.  It was to a hotel near the airport where we eventually met up with the crew that brought our outbound plane "in".  It was pretty much carte blanche with meals, expenses, and phone calls to family, etc. 

Exhaustion was setting in, as were emotions, and I didn't sleep that whole day but a shower made all the difference.  EVERY sound outside my room sent the adrenaline pumping.  At that point we were missing a Flight Attendant and our Captain.  The USA State Department assured us they were in contact with them every half hour even though they were still trapped inside the Oberoi. 

About 5:30 pm, we got calls saying they were evacuating us out of India, and to be in the lobby at 6:05 pm.  We finally took off without the Captain the missing Flight Attendant at 8 pm, and landed in Amsterdam at around 3:30 am.  It is about a nine hour flight, but I slept the whole way.  We supposedly had 15 people in coach and only we were seated in first class.  Thank God those seats lie flat. 

We were met in Amsterdam by several KLM managers, grief counselors, and clergy of about six different faiths.  That was good, as it turned out, one of our flight attendants was in the lobby when the shootings took place and saw several people killed.  Another had actually called an elevator to her floor and found it empty, but with a pool of blood on the floor, so she ran back to her room. 

We were all given emergency clothing kits of underwear, socks, and KLM sweatshirt and sweatpants, along with amenity kits of basic sundries, at least to get us home.  Since we were given the option of staying in Amsterdam to rest, counsel, have clothing purchased for us, or whatever, and fly home the next day, or to continue on to our home cities.  Out of the nine of MY crewmembers, and the 11 crewmembers who landed in Mumbai about the time this started, only two chose to stay. 

They also said a large group of reporters was waiting for us to exit, so we were sent off the property a different way, to a hotel nearby for a four hour layover until the first flight to Detroit departed, thank God.  I was OUT that entire flight as well.  A glass of wine and a xanax works wonders!  

We were then met in Detroit by several NWA senior management personnel and Employee Assistance Program psychologists.  We were quickly and quietly expedited through customs and immigration and offered the chance to talk to anybody we wished, but my flight was leaving for Milwaukee in 40 minutes so I had to decline.  Turns out that crew to Milwaukee had been told of my presence and they went out of their way to make me comfortable, as did the crews of every flight that got me home. 

As a matter of fact, I have never seen such kindness and compassion extended to us, like it was by everybody we encountered, from hotel staffs to Airport and airline personnel.  It was truly extraordinary.  Some processed it differently, and at different times, but I finally broke when I learned that the Captain and Flight Attendant had finally been released unharmed and were preparing to board a Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt before catching the NWA flight to Detroit from there.
 
We left Mumbai with little more than the clothes on our backs, but Detroit inflight has been in touch, and they said they will replace EVERYTHING we lost, and at full monetary value, no questions asked, or receipts required.  They have also dropped most of my December schedule with pay.  I lost my TravelPro luggage, garment bag, laptop, cell phone, ipod, Nikon camera, skype phone.  clothing, leather coat, uniform pieces etc, but I came out of there unharmed, and with my LIFE, which is what mattered most.

There is so much more, but that's pretty much how I spent my Thanksgiving.  

God Bless.....
 
Tom"