And so it begins..

[FlyUs]

N903AW,
No big deal, but I think you meant to quote FlyUs.


FlyUs, other than Capital Airlines in '61 I don't know of another UA merger. However when Pan Am went out of business, UA bought their Pacific operation. Pilots were integrated into the seniority list. Since it was before my time, there are certainly others who know more details than me.

Interestingly enough, Delta bought PA's European operation. So a UA/DL merger would actually be a resurrection of the old Pan Am. Maybe they could buy the rights to the name and rename the merged airline. Now there's some food for speculation.

Thanks for the info. Before my time also. I think if UA and Delta merge, they'll keep the United name. At least if they're smart. Better brand recognition in my opinion.

 

[EMBFA]

There is an incarnation of Pan Am- the third one- flying today. Pan Am (Boston-Maine Airways) is based in Portsmouth NH. They have 2 727s and 6 J41s and serve Bedford MA, Trenton NJ, and Elmira NY. I'm not sure if the 727s are even flying but they do fly the 19 seater in and out of Jersey every day.

The owner of the trademark has put the logo on trains, rebranding Guilford Rail Systems as Pan Am Railways. These boxcars run from Mattawamkeag ME, to Rotterdam Junction NY. So next time you are in either of these places look out for these boxcars.

Glamour!

 

[Travelpro72]

Hey cool man....The way this company is going we'll be on the side of a boxcar too.

 

[767jetz]

Hey cool man....The way this company is going we'll be on the side of a boxcar too.

Now THAT"S funny!

 

[N903AW]

Looks like we all need a refresher course on airline codes

AF= Air France
AZ= Alitalia
AI=Air India
LH= Lufthansa
NW= Northwest

Thanks for the refresher course. You will have to pardon the poster from being rusty in this subject since NONE of these air carriers are accessible in our version of SHARES.

 

[N903AW]

Glamour!

Can't Beat the Experience.....PAN AAAAAAMMMMMMM!

 

[EMBFA]

Maybe they can put the America West logo on a hot dog stand.

 

[N903AW]

Maybe they can put the America West logo on a hot dog stand.

I swear EMBFA, sometimes I don't know whether to hug you or slug you! We really have some good people working the front lines on the ground and in the air over here...must you constantly trash us? <_<

You need to come sit in First Class on a flight I am working sometime. I'll even send you my schedule. Odds are that I will be laying over on one of the Hawaiian Islands where you can enjoy first class, oceanfront accomodations with our wonderful crewmembers! Perhaps my crew and I could help persuade you that we are not all rotten over here. 🙂

 

[Whatnow?]

I swear EMBFA, sometimes I don't know whether to hug you or slug you! We really have some good people working the front lines on the ground and in the air over here...must you constantly trash us? <_<

Trust me, it's not you or the other former AWA employees....It's the Mickey Mouse Management! :down:

 

[EMBFA]

Hey, nothing against you personally... I'm just not impressed with the "America West" standard. Neither are our customers.

 

[aquagreen73s]

Hey, nothing against you personally... I'm just not impressed with the "America West" standard. Neither are our customers.

The problem is not AWA, but rather a disconnect between expectations and reality in the East. Nothing personal...

 

[N903AW]

Trust me, it's not you or the other former AWA employees....It's the Mickey Mouse Management! :down:

Well we can all, East and West, agree on the subject of how poorly our management is performing and only hope for improvement. The posts to which I am referring seem to generalize everyone from the former America West from the top down.

EMBFA, I know you are an extremely intelligent person with a knowledge of the industry that is bar none. Personally, I would love to have you as the CEO of this airline because I know you could turn things around and make things right. I understand your frustrations of what US Airways has become, I honestly do. I worked as a FA for years with American Airlines and decided to come to America West in Phoenix for my own reasons. I know first hand what it's like to go from a major international carrier (AA) to a smaller airline (HP) and see the differences when it comes to service, working tools, and amenities.

One thing I can tell you, however, it is my coworkers at America West that kept me here. We are a family, we all know each other, and we enjoy our jobs no matter how crummy the circumstances may be. This was something I never experienced during my time with American where everyone was a number and the camaraderie between employees was almost non-existant. I am not sure if it is still like that there today as I worked there in the Eighties during the Robert Crandall era where employees were pitted against each other as either A-scale or B-scale.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, just come to our Inflight check in room at 830am where the atmosphere is like a party with almost 100 Flight Attendants laughing, catching up with each other and you know almost everyone by name. You probably don't know what I am talking about as I don't think this would ever happen in Philadelphia. This is why I am proud to say that I worked for America West.

 

[EMBFA]

The problem is not AWA, but rather a disconnect between expectations and reality in the East. Nothing personal...

And by 'expectations', you mean our competitors?

I will never stop expecting the tools to do my job, an operation that works, and to represent a product customers want.

I'm sorry that we won't stoop to your standards, and that those are your standards.

 

[N903AW]

I will never stop expecting the tools to do my job, an operation that works, and to represent a product customers want.

Thank you! Gordon Bethune, CEO extraordinaire, has repeatedly said that in this industry it isn't always about the lowest cost. In his book From Worst to First he compares the cheapening of Continental during the Lorenzo tyranny to reducing the cost of a Pizza by removing ingredients like the cheese, tomato paste, etc., until all that's left is the cardboard that it sits on. Nobody will buy a pizza and settle for the cardboard base.

What has been done with US Airways since the merger is they have taken the proverbial cardboard base and torn it in HALF!

Is it possible to make an airline so cheap that nobody will fly it? It happened at Continental. Passengers stopped flying them because the service became abysmal from constant cutbacks to lower costs. The once "Proud Bird with the Golden Tail" (I flew them often in the Seventies and they lived up to that image) became the worst in the industry and filed bankruptcy twice, almost three times. It was the merger with smaller, Lorenzo-controlled, Texas International that started them on their downward spiral. Sound familiar?? The only thing that saved Continental from extinction ala Eastern or Pan Am was Bethune. It worries me greatly when I see the airline I work for heading down the same path as Continental did. We need a knight in shining armour, desperately!

Sorry this has strayed so far off topic.

Back on topic, Bethune was quoted in the June 2007 issue of Airways Magazine saying that UA and Continental make the most sense in consolidation. When US Airways was looking to merge with Delta, Gordon Bethune was summoned for consultation on the merger. Does anyone think that he may be consulted again for any further industry consolidation and perhaps persuade the Government on which airlines should or should not merge with each other?

 

[WCT]

Well we can all, East and West, agree on the subject of how poorly our management is performing and only hope for improvement. The posts to which I am referring seem to generalize everyone from the former America West from the top down.

EMBFA, I know you are an extremely intelligent person with a knowledge of the industry that is bar none. Personally, I would love to have you as the CEO of this airline because I know you could turn things around and make things right. I understand your frustrations of what US Airways has become, I honestly do. I worked as a FA for years with American Airlines and decided to come to America West in Phoenix for my own reasons. I know first hand what it's like to go from a major international carrier (AA) to a smaller airline (HP) and see the differences when it comes to service, working tools, and amenities.

One thing I can tell you, however, it is my coworkers at America West that kept me here. We are a family, we all know each other, and we enjoy our jobs no matter how crummy the circumstances may be. This was something I never experienced during my time with American where everyone was a number and the comradery between employees was almost non-existant. I am not sure if it is still like that there today as I worked there in the Eighties during the Robert Crandall era where employees were pitted against each other as either A-scale or B-scale.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, just come to our Inflight check in room at 830am where the atmosphere is like a party with almost 100 Flight Attendants laughing, catching up with each other and you know almost everyone by name. You probably don't know what I am talking about as I don't think this would ever happen in Philadelphia. This is why I am proud to say that I worked for America West.

I have to totally agree with you. The people are the one's that made AWA a great airline to work. Our mgmt has always been lousy. It is not just flight crews, but employees from other stations, rampers, mechanics, and gates.
US Air folks could probably say it was the same way back at there old airlines.

As far as the AWA symbol, I think it was one of the best looking the industries had to offer, and represented the A, W, and A with a mountain and sunset, pretty and classy. 😉 No kool-aid here. I still hate the regional mentality and mgmt big time!!