FFOCUS

[LD3]

Click here

What does FFOCUS really stand for? Looking at their website, it comes across that they are not committed to the airlines success. Unless you have been living under a rock, everyone knows that US has had some major operational meltdowns and upkeep problems so why advertise it on the web? The only people who are going to get hurt are the frontline employees. Please reconsider what your homepage displays. A lot of us rely on US to pay our mortgages.


Thank you.

 

[Art at ISP]

LD3,

As Bob said, thank you for your post. The conditions which are represented on our home page are a direct result of management's unwillingness (or inability) to run a large international airline. We feel that in order to force change we need to bring these issues to the public's attention.

One of the core beliefs of our organization is that the priorities of management should be as follows:

1. Employees
2. Customers
3. Shareholders

If you take care of 1, the folks on the line have pride in their jobs and company, are happy to come to work, and will be much more likely to take care of 2. When you take care of 2, you almost automatically take care of 3. It's such a simple concept, and most of the competition gets it.

I would like to repeat Bob's offer--if you have any questions or would like more information, please feel free to PM Bob or myself.

Thanks again, and my BEST to you all...

 

[vantheman63]

Click here

A lot of us rely on US to pay our mortgages.
Thank you.

Hi LD3 -

Your post is an interesting one....I might take a "One Minute Manager" approach to your post and idea....what would you do?

I'm pretty close to the situation at your employer on a number of fronts....first off, as a Chairman's Pref. customer. CLEARLY, US is at war with customers like me. They show complete disdain for people like me.

And for employees, let's just say I have a very, very good idea how the "culture" is at US. I dare say, and I'd invite you or anyone that works for US to engage in a discussion, US has as much contempt for it's employees as it does for it's customers...although, from my customer perspective, it's not by a lot, if at all.

Engaging in an open, honest, positive discussion with The Sand Castle has not worked. As a customer, asking them to stand behind their product, has not worked.

If changes aren't made....there will be no US to help pay the mortgage....so what would you do?

How would you best go about solving this "We're Tempe, we hate our customers and hate our employees" riddle? How would you approach some of the most extreme cases of arrogance on earth? How would you approach trying to convince the management, after flight crews have been telling them for 2 years, that yes, the international airplanes are an embarrasment? (Only to have them not listen to employees or customers)

How would you handle a management team that is all to happy to blame customers first (we've seen time and time again "customers won't pay for [insert the service or benefit here]" What's the best way to handle a management team that is 100% certain "PHL doesn't respect US and is doesn't think we'll be around long" or "the city of PHX has never liked us and they treat WN better."

How do you handle that.

I in NO way can speak for FFOCUS, that's the job of the two very skilled individuals that typed before me, but I can speak for myself.....how would you, what would you do to convince these people that "this is no way to run an airline?"

Do you wait until there are no more customers? How do you move forward?

I really would love to hear from you and others who might have better ideas....'cause ya know what, I'd listen (or read) and I would do ANYTHING I could to save this airline. I love US, I miss US (having moved on to CO and abandoned US) and I THOROUGHLY admire, respect and appreciate the people that work for the company. I've been personally associated with this company for a long, long time.

Thanks for your thoughts and the thougths of others.

 

[ksb]

One of the core beliefs of our organization is that the priorities of management should be as follows: 1. Employees, 2. Customers, 3. Shareholders. If you take care of 1, the folks on the line have pride in their jobs and company, are happy to come to work, and will be much more likely to take care of 2.

How true this is. I flew PHL-IAH-AUS this week and did the IAH-AUS flights on CO. Just before closing the cabin door in AUS, the gate agent came onboard to use the PA to say something like "On behalf of me and my family, thanks for flying Continental because I love this job. Have a great flight." My jaw may have dropped because I was so pleasantly stunned by this (and simply cannot imagine something like it happening on US).

The people at CO -- and I interacted with gate agents, flight attendants, a pilot seated in my row, and others in the airports -- all seemed happy and all were extremely helpful with anything I asked of them. If CO had more flights out of PHL, I'd be gone in a second. But they aren't and I'm still holding out hope that the valueless Tempe management team will go away and my airline to return normal (non-bankrupt) mode.

Maybe we need to start a "Return US to Us" campaign. Who can make buttons?

 

[US1YFARE]

and my airline to return normal (non-bankrupt) mode.

Maybe we need to start a "Return US to Us" campaign. Who can make buttons?

service was better when they were in the 2nd bankruptcy than it is now. nothing is going to change. just pull the trigger and jump ship. you'll be glad you did--traveling will not be nearly as unpleasant as it has been for the past 2 years.

 

[legacy-to-LCC]

Click here

Please reconsider what your homepage displays.

i assure you LD3, when/if team impoTEMPE ever makes any genuine improvements, FFOCUS will be the first (and likely only) group to advertise and promote those improvements and in a multiplicity of public mediums!!

 

[Itestwell]

Just before closing the cabin door in AUS, the gate agent came onboard to use the PA to say something like "On behalf of me and my family,

"Me and my family?" Guess English wasn't his strong subject in school, huh?

 

[legacy-to-LCC]

"Me and my family?" Guess English wasn't his strong subject in school, huh?

apparently you don't 'testwell'...at least grammatically.
here is a great strategy to determine if the use of 'me' is appropriate: break the sentence down into two clauses: "On behalf of me and my family, thanks for flying Continental because I love this job. clause number 1): on behalf of me; clause number 2) on behalf of my family. both are grammatically proper, thus the sentence is grammatically correct.
now, the assumption that the owner of this statement was a male is an entirely different battle. masculine gender preference died in...oh, about the 1940s, about the same time using the passive voice lost credibility. i guess you went to school a long time ago, "huh?"

 

[ksb]

"Me and my family?" Guess English wasn't his strong subject in school, huh?

Legacy's right -- the grammar is fine. Instead of poking fun at how she said it (or how I recalled it), think about the sentiment that she was expressing and try to imagine a US employee saying such a thing. I know, you can't -- because such a thing seems unimaginable with the current state of US. And that's a shame. (And beginning a sentence with "and" is also OK now, too.)

 

[SegmentKing]

I used to thank all of our Silvers & higher for their loyalty/business as they'd board. Its not difficult to do. It adds a minute or two to boarding, but can help retain a lifetime of loyalty.

then parker came along.

 

[LD3]

Van sez:
How would you best go about solving this "We're Tempe, we hate our customers and hate our employees" riddle? How would you approach some of the most extreme cases of arrogance on earth? How would you approach trying to convince the management, after flight crews have been telling them for 2 years, that yes, the international airplanes are an embarrasment? (Only to have them not listen to employees or customers)

You are absolutley correct with the "Tempe riddle", they have the "if it's broke don't fix it attitude". Right now they are seeing mega bucks flowing into the till, aircraft are going out full, as long as they are making money they dont care who they pi$$ off. What boggles me is that the investor does not seem to getting a return in their investment, the stock is what some 35.00 from it's highest point. I am not a stock player and know very little but is that not the job of the CEO to make investors money?

 

[AstroLounge]

i assure you LD3, when/if team impoTEMPE ever makes any genuine improvements, FFOCUS will be the first (and likely only) group to advertise and promote those improvements and in a multiplicity of public mediums!!

I have to agree with You on this. Some people may not like some of the things that FFOCUS splashes about the internet but their intentions are GOOD. Many of these individuals could have turned their back on USAirways a L-O-N-G time ago and didn't. It comes down to getting some level of RESPECT (for your patronage in good times and bad) and running a professional, dependable airline that people can RELY on. The former USEast regieme dropped the ball several times when it came to "coddling" the FF but Team Tempe is a disgrace. I commend FFOCUS for EXPOSING THEM for the dirty,lying,rotten scumbags that have driven US to depths NEVER SEEN Before. When a BUSINESS is considered THE WORST in every imaginable category, how these people even sleep at night amazes me........THEY SUCK!

 

[Art at ISP]

Astro,

Why don't you tell us how you REALLY feel?

Seriously, though, while I would not use the language you used, you are spot on. We did have our differences with CCY, but they never let it get this bad.

It just makes you wonder though doesn't it?

 

[LCC_#1]

It just makes you wonder though doesn't it?

No, it doesn't. It specifically means by not reacting they have shot the messenger and in many ways have demonized FFOCUS because it KILLS these guys that someone besides their bean counters may know what is best for the company.

I would ask one favor of all FF's and I think you have taken the lead. Please tone down some of the rhetoric. WE GET IT!! It just gets even more discouraging to see the decline of attitude (NOT meant in a bad way) from the FFOCUS members and only feeds those that don't understand or see that change and for whom like to always proclaim with their "Than just leave" mantra.

Those of us that have our eyes open get it Art. You can paint it darker, but some will never get it. <_<

 

[SS255]

Astro,

Why don't you tell us how you REALLY feel?

Seriously, though, while I would not use the language you used, you are spot on. We did have our differences with CCY, but they never let it get this bad.

It just makes you wonder though doesn't it?

I think the big difference between CCY and Tempe is that CCY was trying to keep the airline in business, and had to make some drastic cost-cutting moves to do so. Many of those cost-cutting moves resulted in an inferior, embarrassing product.

Tempe is somehow making money hand over fist, and instead of using some of those profits to improve the company they are cutting every imaginable corner, and denigrating the customer experience in every way possible. To them it's all about saving a penny while they are tripping over dollars.

Customers are far more forgiving and understanding when the airline is "in it" with them (i.e. CCY), vs. against them (Tempe).