How common for ex-employees to boycott US Airways?

[Twicebaked]

Yes , I,am now a retired employee, and my friends a family members can not believe how Airways treats their former employees. All my friends have told me that they will never fly US unless no other option is available.

We all know that anyone would use US if the price were right! Very few people would chose to pay much much more out of principle. Some would, but not many. Price and convenience speak louder than peoples words. It's nice that people want to boycott to prove a point, but what point are you proving? The company doesn't care and it potentailly could only hurt the employee. Noble, but don't waist your time.

 

[repeet]

If I decide I have to pay for a flight, then I'll go for the lowest fare.

After all, US Airways dumped me so that my job would be done by someone who charged less.

 

[careerfurloughee]

If I decide I have to pay for a flight, then I'll go for the lowest fare.

After all, US Airways dumped me so that my job would be done by someone who charged less.

I travel every weekend during football season and occasionally during the off season. I also buy tickets for my son to come home from college (located in a US hub). Schedule is my first priority followed by price. All things even I'll pick US otherwise I will make my decision based on what is best for me and my son.

 

[Seatacus]

My old lady flies twice a month for business --

With all due respect, how do you get away with using that term "old lady". I haven't heard that one in a long time. :huh:

 

[TheWatcher]

It's nice that people want to boycott to prove a point, but what point are you proving? The company doesn't care and it potentailly could only hurt the employee. Noble, but don't waist your time.

for the employment sake of the people that work at US Airways, i hope you are wrong!!!

 

[won'tflyUSAIRWAYS]

I'd rather stick with the home team. Hey you can move on; but I make it a point to never forget where I came from.
Go Steelers!!

Assuming you're from Pittsburgh, I'm amazed you'd refer to US as the "home team" in view of the way that airline has treated that city (and btw made a truly dumbass decision to ditch a great airport facility in favor of the PHL dump, but then again, US has made many dumbass business decisions the past 15 yrs or more, which is what led them to the state they're in). My decision to never fly US "floats my beanie" in that US deprived my family of X dollars in pay/benefits, much of which went to the Crystal City mafia in the form of extra bonuses for their tremendous business expertise. The Y dollars I deprive them of and direct to other airlines helps to even out the balance sheet in that regard. Works for me.

 

[smorzando]

[quote name='won'tflyUSAIRWAYS' post='348521' date='Feb 3 2006, 09:08 AM']I really pity the folks whose pension plans were turned over to the PBGC and will take huge cuts because their pensions, unlike Wolf's, weren't fully funded. :down:[/quote]
Everyone didn't get screwed but it sure didn't pan out to be fair. I had less than 15 years but retired and now collecting a pension which was NOT reduced because the amount I receive was not over the line. However, there are guys who had more time than myself, some 20 years more and because they were younger didn't receive a dime and on top of that because they had more invested, “their lifeâ€￾ they will lose more when they are eligible to collect.

Like it has been said, the ones who really made out are the ones mentioned, Wolf, Dave and all the other vermin who think they got away with a pot full of gold but truth be known they will surely pay come that faithful day most refuse to acknowledge called judgment day and then what will their fortunes buy them?

 

[N109UW]

(and btw made a truly dumbass decision to ditch a great airport facility in favor of the PHL dump, but then again, US has made many dumbass business decisions the past 15 yrs or more, which is what led them to the state they're in).

Nobody is denying that PIT has one of the best terminals in the country. I think the move was more because PHL was a better money generating area. I guess the " all mighty dollar" won out over having a nice terminal. In the end, it's a business.

 

[28yrsnojob]

I would never buy another ticket on this airline,I used to buy space postive when I worked instead of non rev. But since being layed off
and still on recall to see how this company treats its layed off people with 20 30 and 35 yrs of service and replaces them with contractors that could give a shi$ and suck 20 to 40 % margins
and give employees nothing sickens me.

 

[won'tflyUSAIRWAYS]

I think the move was more because PHL was a better money generating area.

Did it actually work out that way? What US management has historically seen as "good business decisions" never seem to work out that way. Their mistakes are too numerous to mention. Just ask all the former PSA employees who once worked for a well-managed airline and lived on the West Coast. I sometimes think that US should have done the same as George Costanza in one episode of Seinfeld, i.e. whatever he decided to do, do the opposite.

I wonder if the great PHL baggage fiasco (which btw, they blamed on their liabilities, err employees, rather than their own staffing ineptitude) could/would have happened in PIT. In terms of US screwing over their PIT employees, remember it wasn't "just" airport employees but the rez center as well.

For all of you former US employees who continue to give business to that company who screwed you over (and is continuing to do so if you're a retiree) because you feel a loyalty to former co-workers, good for you. Personally, I always felt that loyalty was a one-way street with US management, i.e. you take the cuts and we'll take the bonuses. As I said before, I get satisfaction (some might call it perverse satisfaction ) in depriving US of revenue they otherwise would have had since it statistically reduces the amount of money they screwed my family out of, relatively speaking. YMMV.

FWIW, my most vivid recollection of the pure nastiness of US management was when Wolf told the non-unionized cust service folks (my spouse was one) not to unionize because "we'll look out for your best interests". Yeah, right. W & G proceeded to screw over those folks worse tham any other employee group. There was also the matter of US management having Fidelity create a new US Airways stock fund for employees to invest their retirement money in. This was when they knew damned well that the company stock would be going in the toilet. They no doubt figured that employee purchases of US stock would help support the stock price for a time and enable them to dump their stock at a better price (or exercise options granted to them as bonuses for their great management performance). :down: Thankfully, my spouse never even considered investing money in that sinking ship, but I sometimes wonder how many US employees did. Just think, they're having their pay and benefits cut and lose more money on top of that in their 401K US Airways stock fund. Enron management pulled some of the same crap with their employees. Why is it that folks like Wolf and Gangwal can't be prosecuted and Lay and Skilling can?

 

[EyeInTheSky]

With all due respect, how do you get away with using that term "old lady". I haven't heard that one in a long time. :huh:

Don't worry, she calls me much worse. Hee hee.

won'tflyUSAIRWAYS,
FYI, I was NOT furloughed; I left on my own. I have no ill will towards US Airways, I just made a decision that was best for me and my family. Even if I had been furloughed or the company had gone out of business I would not be as bitter as you are. To be THAT bitter is too draining and in reality keeps one from moving on. Good luck to you and your family. My family and I will continue to buy tickets on US Airways if it takes us to where we need to go. Lastly, I will always have a place in my heart for my former collegues. Good luck all!

Eye

 

[won'tflyUSAIRWAYS]

FYI, I was NOT furloughed; I left on my own. I have no ill will towards US Airways, I just made a decision that was best for me and my family. Even if I had been furloughed or the company had gone out of business I would not be as bitter as you are. To be THAT bitter is too draining and in reality keeps one from moving on. Good luck to you and your family. My family and I will continue to buy tickets on US Airways if it takes us to where we need to go. Lastly, I will always have a place in my heart for my former collegues. Good luck all!
Eye

Fyi, my wife wasn't furloughed, she left on her own. I don't feel bitter at all (nor does she). She simply made a decision (working for US) which turned out to be unwise, but one which couldn't have been foreseen. Actually, truth be told, her initial decision was to work for Piedmont, a well-run company. It's not like she could have foreseen them being taken over by a group of incompetents.

I would feel like a fool to give any business to the company (and I realize the old US is no longer the same entity, just a large part of the new HP/US combo) which treated/treats their former employees and retirees so shabbily. They don't even treat their customers all that great from what I've read, especially first class customers and FF elites. If US had been a well-managed company which treated their employees like important assets instead of the enemy, or a company which fell on hard times through no fault of their own and whose management took the same kinds of cuts as their employees, I'd be the first one to steer business their way. In fact I'd make a point of it. I'm extremely loyal to businesses which do right by me and/or provide good service in return for what I pay, examples of which are Costco and American Airlines (neither of which either my wife or myself have ever worked for).

Instead, in US Airways I see a company which was screwing their employees every which way while lining their incompetent management's pockets with bonuses up the wazoo. I just can't bring myself to reward such a company with my business because that would be adding insult to injury. You know the old saying, "Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me" ? That describes my feelings exactly. In starting this thread, I was merely curious as to how many others out there were also participating in their own personal boycotts of US.

 

[EyeInTheSky]

Well, that about sums it up -- we know what the REAL issue is now. You "say" your wife left on her own, which begs the question: Why do you care so much if former employees buy tickets on US Airways? I've left, but have lots of friend here, I wish nothing but the best for them. Obviously your "little man boycott" hopes the company goes under. I'll never understand how people can be so petty.

 

[won'tflyUSAIRWAYS]

Well, that about sums it up -- we know what the REAL issue is now. You "say" your wife left on her own, which begs the question: Why do you care so much if former employees buy tickets on US Airways? I've left, but have lots of friend here, I wish nothing but the best for them. Obviously your "little man boycott" hopes the company goes under. I'll never understand how people can be so petty.

Wow..."litle man boycott", "floats my beanie". I can just feel the animosity. You would think I personally attacked you when all I did was to inquire if there were others out there who prefer not to be customers of the former employer who ruined so many lives while spending lavishly on the former executives responsible for those ruined lives. Jeez, get a grip on reality. You are certainly one angry person. Funny that I'm supposedly the one who's bitter.

Re Piedmont and your expert psychological analysis that it's the "REAL" issue, it's actually a non-issue, plain and simple. For all I know, they might have gone under too. But no sane person would think that Allegheny Airlines, err USAir, oops USAirways, was a better run company than Piedmont. If you want to give business to the company which kicked you and Pittsburgh in the nuts, fine. If you think you're helping out your former co-workers by directing business to US (I guess the former co-workers who are now resigned/retired and getting treated like sh*t by US don't count), that's fine too. But I'll bet there are plenty like myself, 28yrsnojob and allegheny37 who have better uses for our money than to further reward US. But you go ahead and fork over the money. After all, it can go towards reimbursing US for the $35 million they paid out to Wolf, Gangwal and Nagin in lump sum retirement benefits.

 

[EyeInTheSky]

[quote name='won'tflyUSAIRWAYS' post='349335' date='Feb 5 2006, 08:55 AM']Wow..."litle man boycott", "floats my beanie". I can just feel the animosity. Re Piedmont and your expert psychological analysis that it's the "REAL" issue, it's actually a non-issue, plain and simple.[/quote]

I hope your wife's new job has adequate mental health coverage. Clearly, you need it. Good luck!

Eye