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United Swamped With Flight Attendant Applications



 
 
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  #1  
Old November 17th, 2005, 09:39 PM posted to rec.travel.air
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Default United Swamped With Flight Attendant Applications

"Bankrupt United Airlines said on Monday it received about 7,500
applications for flight attendant jobs on Sunday, the first day of a
round of hiring that will add 2,000 jobs at the carrier. A spokes-
woman for the airline said the number of applications on Sunday
was more than seven times the expected response."

http://news.airwise.com/story/view/1132056175.html

This directly contradicts the generally-held, but naive belief that the
American economy is doing well.


  #2  
Old November 17th, 2005, 10:56 PM posted to rec.travel.air
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Default United Swamped With Flight Attendant Applications

This directly contradicts the generally-held, but naive belief that the
American economy is doing well.


You need to use a bit more caution when establishing a cause and effect
in the job market. At the minimum you are making the assumption that
all those who applied are currently unemployed.

  #3  
Old November 18th, 2005, 05:18 AM posted to rec.travel.air
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Default United Swamped With Flight Attendant Applications

This directly contradicts the generally-held, but naive belief that the
American economy is doing well.


You need to use a bit more caution when establishing a cause and effect
in the job market. At the minimum you are making the assumption that
all those who applied are currently unemployed.


I'm just using well-informed common sense. Headhunters have told me
that back when the economy was booming, ordinary jobs like secretary
jobs would only garner 20 or so resumes. Now those same jobs
attract hundreds of resumes. One headhunter told me that a really good
job attracted many, many thousands of resumes. In good times it would
have attracted hundreds of resumes.

Your point about applicants is correct, but misleading. You probably
are unaware that the DOL reports people with a part-time job, or a
job giving them less hours than they need, as being employed, with the
natural assumption by typical Americans that this means full-time. Yes,
many of those applicants are probably employed by the DOL's
definition, but not employed anywhere near the level they need to
survive. My point still stands: if the economy is so great, then UA's
ad would have attracted far fewer applicants. UA's expectation that
only 1/7 as many people would apply only strengthens my case.


  #4  
Old November 18th, 2005, 05:40 AM posted to rec.travel.air
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Default United Swamped With Flight Attendant Applications

I'm just using well-informed common sense. Headhunters have told me
that back when the economy was booming, ordinary jobs like secretary
jobs would only garner 20 or so resumes. Now those same jobs
attract hundreds of resumes. One headhunter told me that a really good
job attracted many, many thousands of resumes. In good times it would
have attracted hundreds of resumes.


Wrong. The only thing the hiring numbers might suggets is that there
may be high unemployment in the airline field. But even this must
assume that a large percentage of those who applied have either a
background or training in that specific field. Correlate the UAL
application numbers with responses for hiring in other professions. Do
they demonstrate the same application ratio to positions available?
And if not, can that then be attributed to a stable economy?

A social economist might deduce that the number of applications to UAL
indicate that the public now believes that the airline industry is on
the rebound.

Using 'well-informed common sense' requires recognition that the
politically acceptable answer is not always the correct one.

  #5  
Old November 18th, 2005, 07:06 AM posted to rec.travel.air
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Default United Swamped With Flight Attendant Applications


PI wrote:
"Bankrupt United Airlines said on Monday it received about 7,500
applications for flight attendant jobs on Sunday, the first day of a
round of hiring that will add 2,000 jobs at the carrier. A spokes-
woman for the airline said the number of applications on Sunday
was more than seven times the expected response."

http://news.airwise.com/story/view/1132056175.html

This directly contradicts the generally-held, but naive belief that the
American economy is doing well.


That's a rather wildly absurd statement, don't you think? The fact that
airlines are in trouble and that a lot of people are applying for jobs
doesn't have anything to do with the overall state of the economy.

Unemployment is down (well below historical averages). Growth is good
and steady (and sustainable rather than being a bubble). Companies are
profitable.

I'm not sure how you call that a "naive belief".

  #6  
Old November 18th, 2005, 03:54 PM posted to rec.travel.air
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Default United Swamped With Flight Attendant Applications


"Tchiowa" wrote ...

PI wrote:
"Bankrupt United Airlines said on Monday it received about 7,500
applications for flight attendant jobs on Sunday, the first day of a
round of hiring that will add 2,000 jobs at the carrier. A spokes-
woman for the airline said the number of applications on Sunday
was more than seven times the expected response."

http://news.airwise.com/story/view/1132056175.html

This directly contradicts the generally-held, but naive belief that the
American economy is doing well.


That's a rather wildly absurd statement, don't you think? The fact that
airlines are in trouble and that a lot of people are applying for jobs
doesn't have anything to do with the overall state of the economy.

Unemployment is down (well below historical averages). Growth is good
and steady (and sustainable rather than being a bubble). Companies are
profitable.

I'm not sure how you call that a "naive belief".


From an economist's perspective (or that of a demographer), one might
classify PI as the holder of "naive belief".

I suspect that FA applications have more to do with a long period without FA
hirings by the majors plus the traditional appeal, psychological rather than
financial, of the "profession", still one that draws folks whose aspirations
have more to do with emotion than good fiscal sense.

Application list lengths for astronauts and cheer leaders traditionally are
unrelated to the economy, either, but do reflect published notice that the
waiting lists are open....

TMO


  #7  
Old November 18th, 2005, 10:28 PM posted to rec.travel.air
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Default United Swamped With Flight Attendant Applications


"PI" wrote in message
ink.net...
"Bankrupt United Airlines said on Monday it received about 7,500
applications for flight attendant jobs on Sunday, the first day of a
round of hiring that will add 2,000 jobs at the carrier. A spokes-
woman for the airline said the number of applications on Sunday
was more than seven times the expected response."

http://news.airwise.com/story/view/1132056175.html

This directly contradicts the generally-held, but naive belief that the
American economy is doing well.


People don't generally apply for those jobs because of the money. Many do
it for the flight benefits for themselves, their families, their friends.
If you can qualify for a job as a UA FA, you can get a job doing something
else for more money -- it's not the money.


  #8  
Old November 19th, 2005, 01:20 AM posted to rec.travel.air
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Default United Swamped With Flight Attendant Applications

On 17 Nov 2005 22:06:41 -0800, "Tchiowa" wrote:


PI wrote:
"Bankrupt United Airlines said on Monday it received about 7,500
applications for flight attendant jobs on Sunday, the first day of a
round of hiring that will add 2,000 jobs at the carrier. A spokes-
woman for the airline said the number of applications on Sunday
was more than seven times the expected response."

http://news.airwise.com/story/view/1132056175.html

This directly contradicts the generally-held, but naive belief that the
American economy is doing well.


That's a rather wildly absurd statement, don't you think? The fact that
airlines are in trouble and that a lot of people are applying for jobs
doesn't have anything to do with the overall state of the economy.

Unemployment is down (well below historical averages). Growth is good
and steady (and sustainable rather than being a bubble). Companies are
profitable.

I'm not sure how you call that a "naive belief".


What planet do you live on? Unemployment is extremely high in the US.
The economy is sluggish, at best. The US has incurred a series of
staggering trade deficits, war debts, etc.

You're just plain wrong.
  #9  
Old November 19th, 2005, 01:22 AM posted to rec.travel.air
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Posts: n/a
Default United Swamped With Flight Attendant Applications

What planet do you live on? Unemployment is extremely high in the
US. The economy is sluggish, at best. The US has incurred a series
of staggering trade deficits, war debts, etc.


You're just plain wrong.


Let me guess here, ... you're the first one in line when it comes to
believing any program on PBS/NPR, and any report by the mainstream
media. Is federal spending too high? You bet. Has the economy
tanked? Depends on whose definition you prefer to use. According to
the political left we are in the midst of a depression and will soon be
waiting in soup lines.

  #10  
Old November 19th, 2005, 01:40 AM posted to rec.travel.air
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Posts: n/a
Default United Swamped With Flight Attendant Applications


wrote:
On 17 Nov 2005 22:06:41 -0800, "Tchiowa" wrote:


That's a rather wildly absurd statement, don't you think? The fact that
airlines are in trouble and that a lot of people are applying for jobs
doesn't have anything to do with the overall state of the economy.

Unemployment is down (well below historical averages). Growth is good
and steady (and sustainable rather than being a bubble). Companies are
profitable.

I'm not sure how you call that a "naive belief".


What planet do you live on? Unemployment is extremely high in the US.
The economy is sluggish, at best. The US has incurred a series of
staggering trade deficits, war debts, etc.

You're just plain wrong.


Unemployment is at record low levels in the US (around 5.0% give or
take a tenth)

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm

and not just that, but at levels below other industrialized countries.


http://www.insee.fr/en/indicateur/an...onj_resume.htm

GDP growth is close to 4% - better than any of the OECD countries.

Trade deficits are in part BECAUSE of a GOOD economy, not because of a
bad one - remember, it takes money to afford imports - and as such, the
US can afford much more than Germany, Italy, or China.. The price of
oil hasn't helped matters, but we are far from alone in this. As far
as debts are concerned, as a proportion of GDP, the deficit is
unremarkable and compared to other countries, hardly different.

http://www.cbo.gov/showdoc.cfm?index=1821&sequence=0

http://www.lordabbett.com/usa/insigh....jsp?OID=14962

Data. Just data.

gees.

 




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