End Of June

[usairways_vote_NO]

""Adding to the tension is the lack of time. New Chief Executive Officer Bruce Lakefield, worried about low-cost competition and the airline's federal loan requirements, wants union leaders to agree to new cuts by the end of June and for union members to ratify the changes in August. That way, the company can implement any savings by September, ahead of a key deadline set by the federal government"" Let me add my little spin here that they had left out ...and before any judgement on the Airbus outsourcing arbitration case.



Well it is now July and only one union has made any progress at all.

What now? To the cornfields with USAirways?

Remember how everything is so set in stone with USAirways as per USA320Pilot, well they missed another deadline and they are still here.

 

[bobcat]

Just like you said, almost the end of the first week of July and we are still in Limbo. Management has been saying that we are in dire straights since January and NOTHING has really changed except for a few GO Fares and some give aways. Time is ticking away along with U's cash stash.

Very shortly the summer buying frenzy will be over. The summer vacationers will all have their tickets purchased and the industry will be into their dry spell and hurricane season. This means less revenue and tons of cancellations and reaccommodations.

With the way the company is progressing at this point, it seems management is just going through the motions. Do they really want to succeed or are they just scrambling to scrape up every penny that they can before they dim the lights? As time goes on things are just getting worse not better. Every day moral gets worse and our passengers are more infuriated. After the summer crunch will we still have our loyal passengers that we have pillaged and raped over the last seven or eight months? Will they move on to lower fares and better customer service with less perks?

The urgency to staighten out US that management layed upon us at the beginning of the year has gone by the way side and has turned into a slow, painful, agonizing death for the employees and passengers. I guess that since we, the heart of this company, have sinned so, that we have all been so grossly over paided and under productive, the almighty management team is making us pay dearly for our sins.

What is in store for us in the next few months? Well, it's July and no progress as of yet and I'm sure when August arrives we will be saying the same thing. Maybe by September we will be singing a different tune..."Close the door put out the lights..." as Robert Plant sang in "No Quarter". But will all survive till then?

 

[mwereplanes]

One of two things going on here. In my opinion.

Either we are going to C11 again, they know it and so deadlines are irrellevant or..... things are not as bad as they have been telling us.

Lakefield told us (ALPA) there were covenants in the ATSB guarantee that had to be fulfilled by the end of June which he thought we would be able to do. Apparently we were able to meet them. He also said there are other covenants that had to be met by September and he was not comfortable with those.

So one of the two scenarios above seems to me to be what is going on. Either we are looking good for September so no big hurry or, we will not meet the restrictions of September so negotiations are irrelevant. He doesn't seem to be in a big rush with ALPA. We gave him our opener 10 days ago and have no counter as of today.

My gut feeling is we are making money. 83% of seats filled in June. If you can't make money with that kind of load factor maybe we need to shut the doors.

mr

 

[usairways_vote_NO]

The covenents you speak of were those ones in place before or after the restructuring of the ATSB Loan guarantee?

 

[Justme]

It was obvious even by the early part of June (and probably way before then for people not as dense as me) that the timetable he gave was not attainable. To publicly state that and then to just ignore it undermines their credibility further. At one point it was negotiate in May. So what's the rush? I guess like someone answered me in a previous post, until the pilots get something signed there is no interest in other groups talking with management.

jm

 

[wings396]

Either that, ot they are holding off until the Holiday season to put the Liquidation Squeeze on.

 

[delldude]

It was obvious even by the early part of June (and probably way before then for people not as dense as me) that the timetable he gave was not attainable. To publicly state that and then to just ignore it undermines their credibility further. At one point it was negotiate in May. So what's the rush? I guess like someone answered me in a previous post, until the pilots get something signed there is no interest in other groups talking with management.

jm

the young lad ,little davey seigel gave almost the same timetable and conditions 2 years ago...wonder where bruce got his playbook.??
anybody notice flying is on the upswing with beauceau more travelers in TSA lines for summer...so maybe they have a dilema of actually making a buck or two at the moment??
time however,will tell......
just remember the fat lady is alive and well.....

 

[mweiss]

anybody notice flying is on the upswing with beauceau more travelers in TSA lines for summer...

Flying may well be on the upswing, but there is little indication that yields are rising to match. I'm sure it won't come as a huge surprise to you that the families with a dozen large suitcases aren't paying $1,400 apiece for their tickets to visit Grandma.

 

[WestCoastGuy]

Flying may well be on the upswing, but there is little indication that yields are rising to match.

This is what our talented CEO and Exec's are saying. Do I believe them? Have any of them ever lied to us? Are they sacraficing as much of they pay as they want us to do? Is Davey Siegel enjoyin life the Bahamas now? We dont set the fares....they do. If they cant figure out how to make a buck on full airplanes, something aint quiet right in Chrystal City.

 

[geo1004]

If they cant figure out how to make a buck on full airplanes, something aint quiet right in Chrystal City.

I just drove through Crystal City and did not hear a thing! It was quite quiet.

 

[Heinrich]

..and let's not forget that the government believes it's highly likely that there will be another terror attack this year. Let's pray that it's foiled....besides the horror of the moment there are the terrible rippling effects afterwards.

 

[mweiss]

We dont set the fares....they do.

Actually, I doubt Bruce has set a single fare in his life. But even if he did, that doesn't give him the power to increase yields without killing RASM. People still wouldn't be paying $1,400 to visit Grandma. Instead, they'd drive or not go at all.

 

[ktflyhome]

Just did a 4-day. Every flight oversold. Many, many, many first time flyers. I wish the company still put those first time flyer certificates on board to give to these people. These folks would love it for their children. But NO, we waste money in other areas, such as repetitive paper work to remind them, to remind us, to remind ourselves to remind the passengers, to remind????????????????????? UGH!!!!!!!! :angry:

 

[USA320Pilot]

US Airways CEO 'Hopeful' to Get Union Deals This Summer

ARLINGTON (Dow Jones) - US Airways Group Inc. (UAIR) Chief Executive Bruce Lakefield said he "remains hopeful" the airline will reach new labor cost agreements with unions this summer, now that the pilots have offered their own proposal.

The pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, are the only employee group negotiating new contract terms now, but Lakefield said Friday in a weekly recorded message to employees that managers are talking to all work groups.

"I was encouraged this week when ALPA provided the company with its first labor cost reduction proposal, and it was a meaningful one," Lakefield said.

Representatives from the pilots' union weren't immediately available for comment.
"We are continuing to have conversations with our other labor groups. I believe they are beginning to understand the importance of working with us to solve these cost problems," Lakefield said.

Lakefield has said his goal is to finish the negotiations this summer, but the flight attendants haven't decided yet if they will open negotiations early, as their contract isn't yet up for renewal.

Lakefield further said news this week that rival UAL Corp. (UALAQ) didn't get a loan guarantee from the government should inspire US Airways to protect the federal loan guarantee it won.

"The message for us at US Airways is clear: While we can be thankful that we are past the process of applying for a loan guarantee, it is now up to us to do everything in our power to protect that loan and the cash it represents. Our very survival depends on it," he said.

 

[ktflyhome]

Bruce Ashby's SCHEDULE??????? Pahleeze. I thought he was CEO of U!!!! What the hell is he doing if he can't make time for negotiations and U employees??????

Oh, I know....playing golf, DUH.....my stupid. :huh: :blink: :