Ideas on what we can do to cut costs at US airways …or generate revenue 2

[InternationalShannon]

I would not quit, but I'd be pretty pissed if I had to pay to fly. I'd do it. But I'd be angry. Obviously this is a touchy subject, but I am one of those who do work here for the love of the industry, regardless of its increasingly worse situation. If I were rich, I'd still work here because underneath it all, it's fun because it's in my DNA now. My pay is crap, Im already used to that.

The company is going to do what it needs to do to survive because its priority is survival. Sure, people will read this and say that people like me are sellouts or whatever. I'm no new hire, my pay sucks just like yours and has ever since the towers came down.

I realize people commute to work. I might have a different opinion if I didn't. I hate that people commute, and I certainly see your point.

For my situation, this is why I feel this way...

Bottom line:
IMHO, the company takes care of the company and I takes care of me
Me needs to fly.
Period.

Sorry if that isn't the popular feeling, but I'm just being honest.

 

[giantfan]

Coach,

You & I don't agree on much, but I am with you on that.

I haven't worked almost every weekend, & holiday for the last 30 years to now start paying to non rev. I can't tell you the weddings, graduations, and all kinds of family celebrations I have missed over the years b/c of my work schedule. All for what? My paycheck? Nope... cuz that is pretty pathetic....however, when I do get a vacation and am able to throw the wife & kids on an airplane and maybe check out the Grand Canyon, or visit NYC, or visit the in-laws, ....it's then I remember why I work in this crappy industry.

 

[freedom]

This all comes down to wants and needs ….


While a lot of us WANT to fly for free , is it what our company NEEDS ? Is it what we NEED? Is it in our best interests to continue our non-rev policy(vs a nominal fee ) irregardless of the cost of oil and the competition that wants to put us in chapter seven .. Doors shut , everyone goes home …


I think this next year is going to be brutal , think of this as a short term sacrifice ,look If the oil bubble bursts , then it’s back to the good life ! But if it doesn’t , if things get worse … I fear that the pretzels were only the START…

Times are hard , I can almost feel the strain in the economy , does anyone think I’m suggesting this simply because I want to screw over my fellow employee’s? yeah that’s it , I want to give EVERYONE the shaft …


Am I acting out of irrational fear? Is the situation in the airline industry different than what I perceive , or am I taking a logical view point … ?

 

[700UW]

Lets get REAL , first of all that money isn’t coming out of your pocket , it’s a choice on your part if you take the money out of your pocket or purse , it’s up to you , your CHOICE … while some of you have taken CUTS and been bent over by the company …. You’d get bent over a heck of a lot more by life if we go down …

Choice?

Apparently you dont know that in the 2nd bankruptcy Judge Mitchell imposed a 19% paycut on all union employees, no one had a choice.

Another fact is that US used chapter 11 to pillage the employees, they all had a gun pointed to their heads, educate yourself.

 

[mike33]

This all comes down to wants and needs ….
Times are hard , I can almost feel the strain in the economy , does anyone think I’m suggesting this simply because I want to screw over my fellow employee’s? yeah that’s it , I want to give EVERYONE the shaft …
Am I acting out of irrational fear? Is the situation in the airline industry different than what I perceive , or am I taking a logical view point … ?

Freedom

When you start a thread of cost savings and you have Ideas, then give some $$ figures that this will save. You always throw things out there but never

really rationalize like "Piney" does! People have a hard time digesting saving the company money when thats managements job to figure out. I guess thats

why you haven't figured that out yet? What is the $$ value of your suggestion? You haven't thought of that have you? ......Well Piney Bob hit the nail on the

head!!

 

[freedom]

Choice?

Apparently you dont know that in the 2nd bankruptcy Judge Mitchell imposed a 19% paycut on all union employees, no one had a choice.

Another fact is that US used chapter 11 to pillage the employees, they all had a gun pointed to their heads, educate yourself.

700 I know what you meant , you misunderstood what I wrote …

The cost of gas is going up , I don’t drive around town needlessly anymore ,if we charge a non rev fee people won’t fly around on a whim , which is fun to do , but inefficient.

I know what happened to us airways … those cuts were dramatic and perhaps permanent , some still have trouble accepting that fact , I simply don’t want to go to BK court OR close our doors .. That’s why I think we should take this radical action …

Things don’t seem dire NOW , but we cannot afford to wait until they ARE …

This action while inconvenient for all of us , doesn’t cost us money unless we chose to …. It’s kinda like that second bag fee we’re charging our passengers … they don’t HAVE to check a second bag if they don’t want to ..

The planes run on oil not love , extra weight is extra money …


mike i have no idea what the actual dollar amount is on my idea , but it's more than zero , so we're making money .... how many non revs do we see on a daily basis , only our gate people would be able to take a guess at the scope of this ... me i don't know , working off of intution ...

 

[700UW]

Charging non-revs wont solve the problem, when you sell a ticket below the price it costs you to fly a revenue passenger the war is lost before the battle begins.

 

[freedom]

Charging non-revs wont solve the problem, when you sell a ticket below the price it costs you to fly a revenue passenger the war is lost before the battle begins.

You know the laws of supply and demand …

What has DP been screaming about the last few months ..

Over capacity ….


We CANNOT charge whatever we WISH ,we can only charge what the market will bear …


If I have an ice cream shop and it’s next to ten others and I’m charging 5 dollars a cone which is my costs and the other guys are charging 3 dollars a cone , who do you think will get the business?


I wouldn’t expect charging non revs to save our airline …. It’s the most dramatic measure that I would care to consider , I’m not going to think about pay freezes or any of that #### ..Like I said this will not single handily save us , maybe it will just help to buy us enough time for our competition to go under …

 

[700UW]

If you are going to fly a plane and all ready lose money on the flight before it takes off then your business is doomed to fail.

 

[bagchucker]

Again, charging non-revs isn't going to "fix" the problem. It may help put a "band-aid" on the problem but only for a small amount of time to prolong the inevitable. This would be perceived as an insult to most workers I think. A good % of our employees rely on non-rev to get to work, while many others don't use the priveledge at all. it is a "costless" perk for our company to provide to us.

I mentioned before, one perk that cut be cut to do some "savings" for the company would be the "triple play" incentive. Not that I advocate removal of incentive programs, but hey, if we all just do our job, the operation will work, right? Does $50 really make you go above and beyond to do that extra "chore" that you normally would overlook in the course of your workday? C'mon, it is a small token, which I am not trying to discount or take for granted because I do appreciate it even though the noticeable amount on my paycheck in "net" terms is negligible. But do some simple math and the 4 payouts we have had this year could otherwise save the company at least $5million. A small drop in the hat, but one that is at least tangible, since the non-rev issue is not predictable in terms of volume of savings in a tangible way...IMO.

 

[freedom]

In a purely business sense your correct , but luckily for us that’s not always how it works ..

All we have to do is out last the competition , as soon as they shut their doors we can raise our rates and start making money again …


Think of it like musical chairs , or last man standing …


EDIT: Look at the US stock nose dive thread ….

My friends and co workers , I ONLY suggest this to put off future pain or WORSE … I wouldn’t mention it otherwise ….


The longer we wait to take every action possible to correct our current course heading the harder it will become later on to steer away from the ice berg …


I believe that we still have a fighting chance to succeed as an airline , but we only have a limited window of opportunity , we MUST act TODAY …

 

[bagchucker]

One thought:

If oil is the issue, then go one-step ahead of the problem and begin designing engines that run on something other than petroleum based oils. The automotive industry is developing alternative fuels, why can't the aviation industry do the same? I know this is WAY out there and opens a whole other can of worms since the cost of replacing every plane out there with different engines is an huge financial undertaking in and of itself and all the other associated tasks with it... but its an idea at least. As oil continues its ascent to the sky, one must wonder when the cost of R & D on alternative aviation fuels becomes a tangible cost to persue?

 

[700UW]

One piece of advice, give it up all ready, the employees have given back numerous times to keep this place in business.

If this place fails so be it, life goes on, and you cant make a profit out of the employees wallets, plain and simple.

But I guess you really dont get it and seem very scared.

 

[Harry Callahan]

Freedom:
Here's and idea charge fares that are above cost of providing the service. Pay ALL employee groups a liveable salary. Treat employees with dignity & respect. Tell us job well done once in awhile. Give us the tools to do our job for that matter.

 

[freedom]

No , I’m not prepared to let this place fail… while a lot of people are blinded by emotion and their own personal pain , where will countless thousands of pilots , FA’S ,baggage handlers , and gate agents who have been doing this for decades GO ? The economy is getting worse … I don’t want to see our people working at walmart …

What I suggest does NOT come out of the workers pocket , that’s why I’m suggesting it .

700 I know your retired , but WE still working here today NEED our jobs …


Charging a nominal feel to non-rev makes SENSE …if we as a company can’t institute the business practices that make SENSE , then we WILL fail because of our own short sightedness . A 20 dollar charge for a round trip flight will not seriously harm anyone …

Loss of employment will ….



Coach , that’s called socialism … and while I don’t personally have a problem with it , we live in a capitalistic society .. I can’t change the facts of our reality … we just can’t snap our fingers and get the passengers to pay the price we want on TOP of raising labor costs .. We should do that which will benefit the vast majority of us .. Keeping our doors open is In the best interests of the majority .