Grimy Way To Fly

[longing4piedmont]

I think the actual slogan was "We love to fly and it shows."

Maybe it's a take-off on 'Singapore Girl, you're "a great way to fly."'

[post="265232"][/post]​

Ad Slogans

But once you posted, I had serious doubts whether this is right

 

[sfb]

From Delta Decade -- The 1980s:

But in 1987, Delta’s employees, its customers, its rivals, indeed, Americans from the president on down, smiled knowingly at the new, catchy, bull’s-eye-accurate jingle, “We Love to Fly and It Shows.â€￾

 

[longing4piedmont]

Thanks sfb

 

[Dea Certe]

Now I'm sure you guys are all just whipper-snappers! I distinctly remember Western Airlines used to have TV ads, with a cartoon bird resting againt the vertical stabilizer, holding a champaign glass, saying, " Western Airlines. It's the o-o-o-nly way to fly!"

But then, I can't seem to remember where I left my glasses or keys....



:blink:

Dea

 

[NAPAUS]

Now Western,, THERE was an awesum airline. Flew them frequently, always great to NON REVS and regular customers..... Just like Eastern... ahh the good o'le days!!!

Now I'm sure you guys are all just whipper-snappers! I distinctly remember Western Airlines used to have TV ads, with a cartoon bird resting againt the vertical stabilizer, holding a champaign glass, saying, " Western Airlines. It's the o-o-o-nly way to fly!"

But then, I can't seem to remember where I left my glasses or keys....



:blink:

Dea

[post="265246"][/post]​

 

[Dea Certe]

My brain synapses are a-poppin' today. Now, I seem to remember the bird saying, "It's the o-o-o-nly way to travel!"

Someone out please find the right one! Both versions are running through my brain like it's a hand-ball court!

Western was a very fine airline. My very first flight was on Western, LAX/SEA but I was in a bassinette.

Dea

 

[Dea Certe]

Just googled it! "It's the only way to fly!" was right. Maybe there's hope for me yet!



There's a book about Western airlines by that title too. In limited editions for $10 if you're interested.

Dea

 

[Squonk]

The question for you, Squonk, and others is whether Huettel's article was accurate. So far, no one on this board has claimed that his premise is incorrect.

[post="264874"][/post]​

:down:

Huettel's article had a thread of truth to it. That being said, he has a nasty habit of airing our dirty laundry out in public. He only spalshes articles like this about US. He is NOT an advocate for our survival. His type of reporting can only hurt those of us who are left. The old adage "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" is NOT part of the SPT philosophy. I will concede that they may not be the MOST biased liberal rag in the state of Florida. They are the largest biased libveral rag in the state of Florida. This type of venum serves no purpose above the fold in any news paper. If this staff writer wrote a varity of articles both positive and negative, I would have some respect for him. As I said before, someone either smoked his cheese or he is on the WN payroll! He is neither fair nor balanced.

 

[Squonk]

If you run the operation right then you don't have dirty laundry ergo no article from Mr Huettel's.

Make Sense? Tell you buddy MPA when you talk to him again.

[post="265281"][/post]​

Look, a lot of people have suffered as a result of the mess we are in. Both customers and employees. There are a lot of dedicated people who are still working their butts off to supply the best possible product to our customers. A lot of us still believe that someday we can rise above it all and once again feel some pride when someone asks us what we do for a living. I don't know if you are an employee or a consumer, but rubbing salt in the wound does not fix the problem. Mr. Huettel has an unlimited supply of salt and loves to use it. Everyone who works for this company is tired of reading his crap as it is counterproductive. His only intent is to find fault with a system, put his spin on it in order to make his point, and then publish it in his tabloid newspaper.
B)

 

[longing4piedmont]

Salon Article see page two

"The Airbus A319 sure looks sharp from the gateside window. In the critique of airline color schemes that appears in Chapter 7 of my book, US Airways is the only contestant earning an A grade for its sleek and handsome livery. Those of us headed to Reagan, however, aren't allowed to ride on the wing and must subject ourselves to the squalor that awaits within.

Although it wouldn't be totally fair to judge an airline by the tidiness of its cabins, the state of a jet's interior, which doesn't require a hell of a lot of work to look nice, makes an important impression. People extrapolate, correlating a grimy, disheveled plane with a demoralized workforce that doesn't care. Right or wrong, they're also known to associate the upkeep of a cabin with the upkeep of, let's just say, more critical components. Cutting pillows from the budget to save money is one thing; leaving crap all over the carpet and not making the effort to a wipe away puddles of coffee sends another message altogether.

And that's the message on US Airways flight 2021. Although only five years old, this morning's Airbus is not just dirtier and shabbier than any of the '70s-vintage 737s or DC-9s I recently experienced in South America (see my reviews of Aeropostal and Pluna), but markedly so. Stop me if you've heard this one before: the airlines of many, if not most, third-world countries have considerably higher standards of onboard cleanliness than those of the United States. There's something wrong with that, and that gap seems to be widening, not closing.

Around me the sidewalls and overhead bins are dinged, greasy and smeared; the upholstery (patterned in an ugly, institutional combo of gray, white and red) is soiled and torn; my seat pocket is hanging by one corner in such a way that my knee is jabbed repeatedly by an exposed wire prong.

And the floor. Pulling in after a lengthy international flight, the aisles of a widebody jet are typically heaped with everything from newspapers to dirty diapers. Employees charged with the cleanup and disposal of long-haul offal do not have an enviable job. Yet whether it's Malaysia Airlines, Air France, or goddamn Air Zimbabwe for that matter, they usually manage to get the ship cleaned and primped in plenty of time for the next takeoff -- they even take pride in doing so. Well, here's a small, single-aisle plane that flew in from... Philadelphia? It's been sitting at the gate for over an hour, and still the floor looks like a movie theater after the house lights come on, cluttered with, among other debris, crumpled raisin boxes and a line of discarded tissues........

.......There's a glorious view all the way from the Berkshires to the sandy hook of Provincetown. I'm happy for the window seat because it distracts from the hideous spectacle of my tray table, which is so filthy that I'm hesitant to put my notebook on it. Amid the smears and smudges is a gummy brown slick and a coffee ring so congealed that I'm able to strip it with the tip of my pen like a skein of dried spackle.

During climb-out a row of LCD screens drops down and begins shilling US Airways' new destinations in Panama, Guatemala and El Salvador. The adventure traveler in me finds it tough to begrudge the airline's endeavoring to lure me to such exciting places. Just the same, is there not something perverse about opening far-flung routes when it can't find the resources to deal with spilled drinks or take out the thrash?......

.....Check-in and boarding: B-minus
Punctuality: B-minus
Aircraft cleanliness and decor: D-minus
Food and onboard service: D-plus........

.......Which by itself, I hasten to add, is not anything terrible. Inexpensive tickets are the traveling public's foremost prerequisite; nobody, we air travel sentimentalists included, is misguided enough to lobby for premium frills at a discount price. For the opportunity to fly 3,000 miles for $149, few will lament the absence of steamed towels, five-course meals, or a potted plant at every seat. We're willing, even, to get by without those pillows.

What's not negotiable, however, is a basic level of amenity at least marginally improved from what's found on a public bus. Whether it lives or dies, US Airways, along with the rest of its moribund compatriots, needs to figure out that no matter the price of a ticket, profitability and a modicum of service -- and that means cleaning the floor -- are not, and never can be, zero-sum variables. Until then, the experience of flight 2021 seem no less a dark portent than any bleeding balance sheet or dire forecast from the Wall Street Journal. "


All I can say is wow.

 

[longing4piedmont]

Look, a lot of people have suffered as a result of the mess we are in. Both customers and employees. There are a lot of dedicated people who are still working their butts off to supply the best possible product to our customers. A lot of us still believe that someday we can rise above it all and once again feel some pride when someone asks us what we do for a living. I don't know if you are an employee or a consumer, but rubbing salt in the wound does not fix the problem. Mr. Huettel has an unlimited supply of salt and loves to use it. Everyone who works for this company is tired of reading his crap as it is counterproductive. His only intent is to find fault with a system, put his spin on it in order to make his point, and then publish it in his tabloid newspaper.
B)

[post="265302"][/post]​

Sqounk. Make sure you read all of post 57........

You can shoot the messenger all you want, but if somebody doesn't wake up and start fixing the most basic of things at this airline it will not be around. Do you think I take pleasure in posting this stuff? I want this airline to succeed not fail.

Management has made it clear they no longer want to discuss issues like this with us. So as a result, the only way to communicate is in the press or in post like this. Is not pretty or fun, but unless they wake up, then nothing is going to save this company. And unfortnately history has proven they only react to negative press, so if that what it takes to get them to fix it, so be it. They made the decision

 

[longing4piedmont]

Squonk,

You are absolutely correct in your statement that rubbing salt in the wound doesn't help. Want some advice?

FIX THE FREAKIN' PROBLEM THEN STEVE WON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO WRITE ABOUT!

[post="265396"][/post]​

Hey Piney. Don't hold back now. Tell us how you really feel.

In the FWIW department, I don't think squonk is in management or works in CCY

The thing I miss about Air Force One is they don't lose my luggage.

— President George Bush Sr.

 

[Art at ISP]

FWIW,

I know Squonk and he is not management and he's not at CCY. He is on our side, he just has issues with the unbalanced nature of SPT's coverage.

I don't read the paper much, so I can't comment on their general bias, but the issue is more that CCY knows what the problems are and refuses to address them properly rather than what Steve or anyone else writes.

Squonk, you KNOW I am with you and your colleagues on this--the issues are at CCY, and not with the SPT I am afraid.

My BEST to you all and I hope to see you on my next pass through......

 

[Squonk]

Hey Piney. Don't hold back now. Tell us how you really feel.

In the FWIW department, I don't think squonk is in management or works in CCY

The thing I miss about Air Force One is they don't lose my luggage.

— President George Bush Sr.

[post="265407"][/post]​

I'm done with Piney, he has some serious issues that go far beyond this forum. You are right, I am just a lowly worker bee who still takes pride in his/her job. It's not my fault Piney. I'm just tired of getting crapped on. If the shoe fits?

 

[Squonk]

FWIW,

I know Squonk and he is not management and he's not at CCY. He is on our side, he just has issues with the unbalanced nature of SPT's coverage.

I don't read the paper much, so I can't comment on their general bias, but the issue is more that CCY knows what the problems are and refuses to address them properly rather than what Steve or anyone else writes.

Squonk, you KNOW I am with you and your colleagues on this--the issues are at CCY, and not with the SPT I am afraid.

My BEST to you all and I hope to see you on my next pass through......

[post="265434"][/post]​

B)

Thanks Art! I appreciate you taking my position for it's face value. Someone read a bit too much into my post and made some serious charachter errors!