3 ms·

I don't understand. What does this app do?

derekbaker783 4y ago
From TFA: "it displays information required by crew members to manage their rosters and work lives in a single app. The app is particularly popular among the large number of ‘reserve’ flight attendants at American Airlines because it gives them more control over their schedules, and the app has other features such as a calculator to make sure crew are working to legal limits."
- ajkjk 4y ago
  That's pretty vague.
  - sidewndr46 4y ago
    Yeah, this was what I was trying to understand. This makes it sound like the app could be a daily listing of flights they need to work. Is that all it is?
    - mathieuh 4y ago
      The article suggests this is a single app which offers a single entry point into many disparate systems, which currently flight attendants have to access individually in order to do their jobs.
    - pc86 4y ago
      There is a top-level comment higher up that lists the individual features. One is notably absent from AA's internal systems: checking that FA schedules are consistent with the regulations governing how much they can work. But the crux of it is that is takes the FA's AA credentials, collects their personal data from disparate internal AA systems, and displays it in a sane way to the FA. And presumably at least a couple of the features (like the legality checker) are sugar on top. I would not underestimate how terrible internal legacy systems at a company like AA could be. It seems completely reasonable to me that this app could save FAs an hour a day or more. And if they're like pilots (who are typically only paid on time from wheels up to touchdown) that is likely an unpaid hour.
      - cratermoon 4y ago
        As someone who is currently consulting on an airline industry project, you are absolutely correct in identifying how terrible the internal legacy systems are. Everything is built on SABRE, which was first created in 1960 and absolutely shows its age. If SABRE was a person, it could retire. What's worse though is that inside the industry there's little awareness of the possibility of doing things differently. Everything is just layers of wrapping around the old system without any abstraction of the processes.
        sidewndr46 4y ago
        Actually if SABRE were a person it could run for president I think.
      - fknorangesite 4y ago
        > And if they're like pilots (who are typically only paid on time from wheels up to touchdown) that is likely an unpaid hour. The same is true of flight attendants; they are paid from door close to door open. All that boarding and deplaning time is unpaid.
        sidewndr46 4y ago
        There's been at least one incident where I spent hours sitting on a runway after landing. The pilot was professionally, but obviously very agitated. Does the crew not get paid for that time?
        fknorangesite 4y ago
        "Door closed to door open" is not just a figure of speech, so if the doors were still closed and the plane was not yet at the gate: yes, they did (thankfully). My source here is that my wife was an FA for many years. She has a couple stories of pilots deliberately not pulling all the way up to the gate if they know they're going to have to wait anyway, purely so the crew can stay on the clock (and it doesn't make any difference to the passengers either way). Though for every one of those instances, there are a hundred of being delayed in the airport or after-boarding-but-before-closed-doors or whatever that ends in hours of unpaid work time.
michaelt 4y ago
According to https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sequence-decoder/id1439988599 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sequence-decoder/id1439988599 For the public: Past and future departure information for all airports, Past and future arrival information for all airports, Individual flight info lookup For flight attendants: Flight specific info inflight, ETB alerts, Open time alerts, Flight alerts, Open time display, Sequence details, Calendar, Reserve call out list, Standby list, Crew chat, Save notes about crew members, Display prior sequences flown together with others, Layover weather forecast, Pilot sequence info, Legality checker, Hotel amenities and pickup locations
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
josefresco 4y ago
Same reaction, I'm totally lost. "it displays information required by crew members to manage their rosters and work lives" What does this mean? I read the entire article and still have no clue what a "roster" is, why a flight attendant would need to "manage" such a thing, and what data is being pulled to make this easier/better "‘reserve’ flight attendants " Also have no idea what a "reserve" flight attendant is... Edit: Apparently there are some of you you think I actually need these words defined. I do not. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- ClassyJacket 4y ago
  I didn't write the article, but I wasn't aware there were English speakers who didn't know the word roster either. It's a calendar of times employees have to work i.e. It tells you when your shifts are. What do you call that? Also a reserve is something you have spare in case the original planned one can't operate. So a reserve flight attendant would be someone who is on call in case someone else is sick, etcetera.
  - pitaj 4y ago
    Usually we'd use the word "schedule" for that (American here). "Roster" is used mainly to mean a "list of people".
  - carlmr 4y ago
    >I wasn't aware there were English speakers who didn't know the word roster either. I know what it is, but maybe the people that don't use schedule or timetable?
    - selimthegrim 4y ago
      Don't they say 'rota' in the UK?
      - mathieuh 4y ago
        Yes, “rota” would be the commonest word for this idea. Although I did immediately understand “roster” in the article, so maybe that’s also in use. “Rota” is definitely what I would say though

From TFA: "it displays information required by crew members to manage their rosters and work lives in a single app. The app is particularly popular among the large number of ‘reserve’ flight attendants at American Airlines because it gives them more control over their schedules, and the app has other features such as a calculator to make sure crew are working to legal limits."

ajkjk 4y ago
That's pretty vague.
- sidewndr46 4y ago
  Yeah, this was what I was trying to understand. This makes it sound like the app could be a daily listing of flights they need to work. Is that all it is?
  - mathieuh 4y ago
    The article suggests this is a single app which offers a single entry point into many disparate systems, which currently flight attendants have to access individually in order to do their jobs.
  - pc86 4y ago
    There is a top-level comment higher up that lists the individual features. One is notably absent from AA's internal systems: checking that FA schedules are consistent with the regulations governing how much they can work. But the crux of it is that is takes the FA's AA credentials, collects their personal data from disparate internal AA systems, and displays it in a sane way to the FA. And presumably at least a couple of the features (like the legality checker) are sugar on top. I would not underestimate how terrible internal legacy systems at a company like AA could be. It seems completely reasonable to me that this app could save FAs an hour a day or more. And if they're like pilots (who are typically only paid on time from wheels up to touchdown) that is likely an unpaid hour.
    - cratermoon 4y ago
      As someone who is currently consulting on an airline industry project, you are absolutely correct in identifying how terrible the internal legacy systems are. Everything is built on SABRE, which was first created in 1960 and absolutely shows its age. If SABRE was a person, it could retire. What's worse though is that inside the industry there's little awareness of the possibility of doing things differently. Everything is just layers of wrapping around the old system without any abstraction of the processes.
      - sidewndr46 4y ago
        Actually if SABRE were a person it could run for president I think.
    - fknorangesite 4y ago
      > And if they're like pilots (who are typically only paid on time from wheels up to touchdown) that is likely an unpaid hour. The same is true of flight attendants; they are paid from door close to door open. All that boarding and deplaning time is unpaid.
      - sidewndr46 4y ago
        There's been at least one incident where I spent hours sitting on a runway after landing. The pilot was professionally, but obviously very agitated. Does the crew not get paid for that time?
        fknorangesite 4y ago
        "Door closed to door open" is not just a figure of speech, so if the doors were still closed and the plane was not yet at the gate: yes, they did (thankfully). My source here is that my wife was an FA for many years. She has a couple stories of pilots deliberately not pulling all the way up to the gate if they know they're going to have to wait anyway, purely so the crew can stay on the clock (and it doesn't make any difference to the passengers either way). Though for every one of those instances, there are a hundred of being delayed in the airport or after-boarding-but-before-closed-doors or whatever that ends in hours of unpaid work time.

michaelt 4y ago

According to https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sequence-decoder/id1439988599 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sequence-decoder/id1439988599 For the public: Past and future departure information for all airports, Past and future arrival information for all airports, Individual flight info lookup For flight attendants: Flight specific info inflight, ETB alerts, Open time alerts, Flight alerts, Open time display, Sequence details, Calendar, Reserve call out list, Standby list, Crew chat, Save notes about crew members, Display prior sequences flown together with others, Layover weather forecast, Pilot sequence info, Legality checker, Hotel amenities and pickup locations

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]

josefresco 4y ago

Same reaction, I'm totally lost. "it displays information required by crew members to manage their rosters and work lives" What does this mean? I read the entire article and still have no clue what a "roster" is, why a flight attendant would need to "manage" such a thing, and what data is being pulled to make this easier/better "‘reserve’ flight attendants " Also have no idea what a "reserve" flight attendant is... Edit: Apparently there are some of you you think I actually need these words defined. I do not. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

ClassyJacket 4y ago
I didn't write the article, but I wasn't aware there were English speakers who didn't know the word roster either. It's a calendar of times employees have to work i.e. It tells you when your shifts are. What do you call that? Also a reserve is something you have spare in case the original planned one can't operate. So a reserve flight attendant would be someone who is on call in case someone else is sick, etcetera.
- pitaj 4y ago
  Usually we'd use the word "schedule" for that (American here). "Roster" is used mainly to mean a "list of people".
- carlmr 4y ago
  >I wasn't aware there were English speakers who didn't know the word roster either. I know what it is, but maybe the people that don't use schedule or timetable?
  - selimthegrim 4y ago
    Don't they say 'rota' in the UK?
    - mathieuh 4y ago
      Yes, “rota” would be the commonest word for this idea. Although I did immediately understand “roster” in the article, so maybe that’s also in use. “Rota” is definitely what I would say though