Let me ask you some things: Do you pay union dues? If so, do you agree with your leadership? If risking everything helps the whole while at the same time putting your 27 years service in jeopardy, can you accept that? Do you believe beyond belief that Dave’s leadership is our salvation? Is lying to the employees acceptable? Is breaking contracts just signed then telling the poor soul it affects very negatively and personally to take it to court instead of doing the right thing of honoring the newly signed contracts, is this acceptable your mind? Is everything acceptable in your mind as long as you personally are not affected, as long as you continue to receive a wage?etops1 said:
If You Were Ceo Of Airways
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PITbull
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etops 1,etops1 said:
Unfortunately, you have no history on here, otherwise you would know what many of us would do if we were CEO. That topic has been discussed ad nauseum in other posts in the past.
I will give you much of the past sentiment though, CHANGE MANAGEMENT CULTURE AND TREAT EMPLOYEES WITH RESPECT!
Snooze; you lose.
MarkMyWords
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Most importantly is the morale issue. If I were king for a day, I would find ways to improve morale, motivate and challenge the workforce and create a reward system for the employees.
The second thing I would do is call in every employee at the Director Level and Higher. I would give each person 5 minutes to quantify the importance of their position with the company. Anyone unable to do that to my satisfaction would be gone. Once the Management team from Directors and Higher were given the added responsibilities of those that were dismissed, I would force them to do the same with each department / manager that reported to them. If you can't justify your work and salary, you are gone. This would also lead to an uptick in employee morale.
Train the management level employees about what it is to motivate and inspire your work force versus the continued beatings. While I would not lighten up on many of the rules and regs, I would encourage managers and supervisors to find better ways of addressing employee issues. There has to be a sense of teamwork and cooperation between supervisor, managers and employees. Create a more employee friendly approach. We still need to address chronic offenders but I think we can do it in a better way.
I would summon the Unions to CCY and declare the reign of terror to be over. From this day forward we will work as a team. Open and honest communication would set the levels of expectations in any dealings. I would immediately right the obviouis wrongs (like the AB heavy work and sick penalties) and find a cooperative middle ground on issues where we are in disagreement. There would be no BS. I am a man of honor and integrity, my word and hand shake are as good as any written contract. We would pool our talents and collectively work to steer the airline back on course. If the issues are still the need for cost cuts, then I would prove my case to the unions and ask for their assistance in getting us to the numbers we need with the least amount of pain to the employees. If additional sacrifices are necessary (W-2 would be a last resort) then we set up a reward system for the employees to prosper with the company during the "good" times. When we make money, you make money.
Do a comprehensive review of every procedure and department in the company. If there is a way that we can do things better, then make it happen. If there are obsticals standing in our way, such as the parts issues that AOG talks about, then we need find out how to best address out side vendors from impeding our performance.
Performance based bonuses and employee achievment awards along with an employee incentive program.....not for hocking the airlines VISA card, but for actual performance targets and goals.
Streamline how we do business. Take advantage of technology.
Become an industry leader not a follower (as mentioned above).
Accountability is a huge issue as well. Why is it we have people that continue to make HUGE mistakes still holding the same positions?
With regards to crews staying together or being seperate.....together 100%! Operationally it makes sense. From a CRM prospective it makes sense. It works, don't mess up a good thing. In the crew arena, I would totally reconstruct all the trip pairings with different parameters. Today we try to maximize time by scheduling crews right up to their legal limit. So you see plenty of trips with 14 hour duty days and short overnights. It doesn't work. If we have a weather or ATC issue, those duty days and overnights make repair from irregular operations a challenge. Why do we continue to schedule crews on unrealistic pairings? Why do we have a crew flying PIT-PHL-BOS-PHL-ORD-PIT-LGA with a 14 hour day? The potential for problems are huge! ATC in PHL, BOS, ORD or LGA are highly likely and you now only afford the crew to run 45-60 minutes late before they go illegal. Why not reconstruct the trip pairings to reduce the duty day to 12 hours and no less then 11 hours on the overnight - if possible. This allows the airline some room to breath when the operation goes sour. Reduce deadheading and productivity breaks - as well as crew changes - as much as possible.
Create a coordinated operational plan between mainline and all express carriers. Rather then having 11-12 different reactions to the same event (PHL snow storm), there should be 1 coordinated and planned response to any event. All carriers should be in constant contact to ensure the highest level of performance throughout the system versus the present lack of coordination / planning.
Throw in the rolling hubs, rationalized fare structure, increased aircraft utilization, mainline growth program, Caribbean / South American expansion, aquisition of additonal airplanes, marketing the airline, express / mainline flow through program and consolidating the W/O Express carriers and I think that is a good start for my first day of work.
These are a few of my favorite things that I would like Santa to bring me for Christmas. LOL
The second thing I would do is call in every employee at the Director Level and Higher. I would give each person 5 minutes to quantify the importance of their position with the company. Anyone unable to do that to my satisfaction would be gone. Once the Management team from Directors and Higher were given the added responsibilities of those that were dismissed, I would force them to do the same with each department / manager that reported to them. If you can't justify your work and salary, you are gone. This would also lead to an uptick in employee morale.
Train the management level employees about what it is to motivate and inspire your work force versus the continued beatings. While I would not lighten up on many of the rules and regs, I would encourage managers and supervisors to find better ways of addressing employee issues. There has to be a sense of teamwork and cooperation between supervisor, managers and employees. Create a more employee friendly approach. We still need to address chronic offenders but I think we can do it in a better way.
I would summon the Unions to CCY and declare the reign of terror to be over. From this day forward we will work as a team. Open and honest communication would set the levels of expectations in any dealings. I would immediately right the obviouis wrongs (like the AB heavy work and sick penalties) and find a cooperative middle ground on issues where we are in disagreement. There would be no BS. I am a man of honor and integrity, my word and hand shake are as good as any written contract. We would pool our talents and collectively work to steer the airline back on course. If the issues are still the need for cost cuts, then I would prove my case to the unions and ask for their assistance in getting us to the numbers we need with the least amount of pain to the employees. If additional sacrifices are necessary (W-2 would be a last resort) then we set up a reward system for the employees to prosper with the company during the "good" times. When we make money, you make money.
Do a comprehensive review of every procedure and department in the company. If there is a way that we can do things better, then make it happen. If there are obsticals standing in our way, such as the parts issues that AOG talks about, then we need find out how to best address out side vendors from impeding our performance.
Performance based bonuses and employee achievment awards along with an employee incentive program.....not for hocking the airlines VISA card, but for actual performance targets and goals.
Streamline how we do business. Take advantage of technology.
Become an industry leader not a follower (as mentioned above).
Accountability is a huge issue as well. Why is it we have people that continue to make HUGE mistakes still holding the same positions?
With regards to crews staying together or being seperate.....together 100%! Operationally it makes sense. From a CRM prospective it makes sense. It works, don't mess up a good thing. In the crew arena, I would totally reconstruct all the trip pairings with different parameters. Today we try to maximize time by scheduling crews right up to their legal limit. So you see plenty of trips with 14 hour duty days and short overnights. It doesn't work. If we have a weather or ATC issue, those duty days and overnights make repair from irregular operations a challenge. Why do we continue to schedule crews on unrealistic pairings? Why do we have a crew flying PIT-PHL-BOS-PHL-ORD-PIT-LGA with a 14 hour day? The potential for problems are huge! ATC in PHL, BOS, ORD or LGA are highly likely and you now only afford the crew to run 45-60 minutes late before they go illegal. Why not reconstruct the trip pairings to reduce the duty day to 12 hours and no less then 11 hours on the overnight - if possible. This allows the airline some room to breath when the operation goes sour. Reduce deadheading and productivity breaks - as well as crew changes - as much as possible.
Create a coordinated operational plan between mainline and all express carriers. Rather then having 11-12 different reactions to the same event (PHL snow storm), there should be 1 coordinated and planned response to any event. All carriers should be in constant contact to ensure the highest level of performance throughout the system versus the present lack of coordination / planning.
Throw in the rolling hubs, rationalized fare structure, increased aircraft utilization, mainline growth program, Caribbean / South American expansion, aquisition of additonal airplanes, marketing the airline, express / mainline flow through program and consolidating the W/O Express carriers and I think that is a good start for my first day of work.
These are a few of my favorite things that I would like Santa to bring me for Christmas. LOL
I THINK ITS DAVE ASKING FOR HELP.............
START BY USING BOSTON THE WAY IT SHOULD BE .....MORE INERNATIONAL AND
NON STOPS TO FLA.
OLD SCHOOL DAVE TAKE CARE OF THE CUSTOMER AND HE WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU.....................................
START BY USING BOSTON THE WAY IT SHOULD BE .....MORE INERNATIONAL AND
NON STOPS TO FLA.
OLD SCHOOL DAVE TAKE CARE OF THE CUSTOMER AND HE WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU.....................................
firstamendment
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Well, let's see...hum....seeing as I only know what I've seen for 17 years...let's see...ok...I think it's time for a new paint job, interior, logo...oh and while we're at it, let's change the name to say... Excuse Airways...since that is all this company has to offer to anyone who questions their incompetence ...see, I'm in charge now and the mighty wizard can do what ever he wants. Just don't pay attention to the man behind the (galley) curtain.
Oh yeah, I would turn up the volume on the cheese factor by giving everyone a chunk of Feta cheese in Dec 2004 for providing excellent, but still too high of labor cost, job.
Oh yeah, I would turn up the volume on the cheese factor by giving everyone a chunk of Feta cheese in Dec 2004 for providing excellent, but still too high of labor cost, job.
SalesGuyCCY
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Unit4clts's recommedations are absolutely RIDICULOUS! Go 400 AC? Restore pay to parity???? What planet are you living on!?!?!?
firstamendment
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Hey SalesGuySalesGuyCCY said:
I am just curious..It is pretty much public record as to what the f/a's and pilots make around here and what their perks are. Tell me, what do sales people make? What perks do you guys have, if any? Are you on commission? Besides a few suits, do you every really come in contact with the flying public? What are the business travelers wanting from US and please, no company kool aid. What does the CUSTOMER (not the fed line from management) want? Because what I hear the customer wants and what management claims the customer wants is completely opposite.
Thanks
SalesGuyCCY
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I'm an employee "at will" and can leave anytime and also be fired at any time with no recourse, so no, my salary is not public knowledge not should it be. More later, off to a three-martini lunch...🙂
firstamendment
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Nice Clintonian answer there, buddy. 😉SalesGuyCCY said:
Art at ISP
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Mark My Words, as usual, is right on the money. All of what he says makes sense.
The first thing is to declare the war with the employees over, once and for all. New management would need to realize that the employees are the best asset they have, and they should be encouraged, not beat down. I think that lower to mid level managers need to be empowered to make decisions where appropriate, instead of the current culture where no one is willing to go out on a limb and make a decision.
You all know where I sit on the fare issue. It is NOT a matter of lowering all fares unilaterally (although that would be nice). Set a cap, and make last minute walk ups affordable--beat WN at their own game. Have a max of 6 or 7 fares in a market, and get rid of the darned change fees. It CAN be done, and I have been essentially told so by a member of management! Also, get a real marketing team. The competition just upped the anty (DL reversed most of the draconian changes to their Sky Miles program the other day, and AA made enhancements to Aadvantage). Make people WANT to fly US.
Regarding costs, as stated here before, labor is a lower percentage of costs at US than it is at WN. Some of you might not like it, but there is room for change in work rules. Times have changed, and some of the protections which exist in some labor contracts need to be modified for the sake of efficiency. The thought of a ramper sitting on his duff and refusing to park an airplane because it isn't in his zone is absolutely unacceptable. This is a team effort, and EVERYONE needs to pitch in. Anything which would increase aircraft utilization (rolling hubs, more point to point flying, etc) would be great, and it would also result in increased flying time and therefore increased pay for crews.
Regarding management itself, it's time to clean house as well. Get rid of unneccessary positions, and make those remaining work harder. During my recent nightmare at PHL during the snow storm, there was not one manager on the premises over the weekend. I asked for the station manager, and was told he never works weekends. If I were CEO that would end. All management would be required to pitch in and help during irregular ops regardless of day or time, and one weekend a month would be mandatory.
My wish list is long, and like Mark's may not be too realistic, but I thought I would put it out there anyway.
My best wishes to you all for a safe happy and healthy holiday season. I'll see you on board US again after the first of the year.
My best to you all......
The first thing is to declare the war with the employees over, once and for all. New management would need to realize that the employees are the best asset they have, and they should be encouraged, not beat down. I think that lower to mid level managers need to be empowered to make decisions where appropriate, instead of the current culture where no one is willing to go out on a limb and make a decision.
You all know where I sit on the fare issue. It is NOT a matter of lowering all fares unilaterally (although that would be nice). Set a cap, and make last minute walk ups affordable--beat WN at their own game. Have a max of 6 or 7 fares in a market, and get rid of the darned change fees. It CAN be done, and I have been essentially told so by a member of management! Also, get a real marketing team. The competition just upped the anty (DL reversed most of the draconian changes to their Sky Miles program the other day, and AA made enhancements to Aadvantage). Make people WANT to fly US.
Regarding costs, as stated here before, labor is a lower percentage of costs at US than it is at WN. Some of you might not like it, but there is room for change in work rules. Times have changed, and some of the protections which exist in some labor contracts need to be modified for the sake of efficiency. The thought of a ramper sitting on his duff and refusing to park an airplane because it isn't in his zone is absolutely unacceptable. This is a team effort, and EVERYONE needs to pitch in. Anything which would increase aircraft utilization (rolling hubs, more point to point flying, etc) would be great, and it would also result in increased flying time and therefore increased pay for crews.
Regarding management itself, it's time to clean house as well. Get rid of unneccessary positions, and make those remaining work harder. During my recent nightmare at PHL during the snow storm, there was not one manager on the premises over the weekend. I asked for the station manager, and was told he never works weekends. If I were CEO that would end. All management would be required to pitch in and help during irregular ops regardless of day or time, and one weekend a month would be mandatory.
My wish list is long, and like Mark's may not be too realistic, but I thought I would put it out there anyway.
My best wishes to you all for a safe happy and healthy holiday season. I'll see you on board US again after the first of the year.
My best to you all......
Build more of a presence in BOS with flights to SEA/SFO/LAX/SAN/DEN/LGW/CDG and any other potentially well-performing cities.
Install Economy plus on all aircraft. Reduce the number of F seats on all aircraft.
Get some Dash 8 Q-400s to use out of the congested NE airports for flights shorter than 1 hour.
:unsure:
Install Economy plus on all aircraft. Reduce the number of F seats on all aircraft.
Get some Dash 8 Q-400s to use out of the congested NE airports for flights shorter than 1 hour.
:unsure:
4merresrat
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What would I do if I were the CEO of US? Run for my life!!!!!! 
MarkMyWords
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That was a good one! 
