Livery Complete

[AOG-N-IT]

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On 5/19/2003 3:40:14 PM willnotworkforfree wrote:

you get what you pay for, or for that matter are able to aguire.

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You get what you pay for is exactly right!!

I have seen a number of 757''s in CLT Heavy Maintenance , that all needed more than what one would call "Touch-Up" work. The workers were brought in from the LAX area to do this work under warranty.

Since my arrival in PIT Heavy in December...I have witnessed B737-300/400''s needing not only "Touch-Up" work...but it has gone to the extreme of repainting the entire crown of the fuselage on at least one Acft. The sad part was this was "Our labor and materials" being used. This also had a dramatic impact on the Acft''s (RTS) Return to Service time.

Like all departments...Maintenance and Utility is way beyond short handed...So poor products or work coming back from outsourced labor forces , do not exactly get you quality or lasting results.....So do we really save anything on this? My views say NO!!!

Sure there are EPA Rules and Regulations to contend with....and State laws vary from place to place when paint, paint stripper and the alike products are involved , but when history has shown that what you are getting is short lived/sub-standard....IS this really the bargain we need to be chasing?...Again , My Views say NO!!!

I make my point from this perspective. The Airbus Fleet looks great from the factory...and is holding up nicely by anyones standards. Then you examine the "Shake and Bake" work that went on to our Boeings...and the end result achieved. Keep in mind....an aircraft ceases to be a revenue generator if it has to remain out of service longer to be "Touched-Up" or even repainted under warranty claims. Down Time and Lost Productivity can never be re-gained...Once something like time is lost....Lost is what it remains.

To coin a phrase from UPS...United Parcel Service... " Never handle the same thing twice"...do it right the first time and move on to the next issue. We have plenty of other issues to address obviously.

 

[JonC]

I''m so glad that US Airways found money to paint their airplanes, while people were getting laid off. Shows you how screwed up their priorities are.

 

[Dea Certe]

JonC,

Like you, I''m angry and saddened by all the good employees who have lost their jobs. However, painting the planes is a part of making our product look good. It''s a shame management doesn''t take this a step further and make sure we have the staffing to CLEAN the planes (not just pick up the big chunks) inside and see to it we have enough staff to meet the needs of our pax. Standing in long lines to check in doesn''t look good or make anyone feel good about our service.

Sitting in the back of an airplane waiting for a long time to get that drink because we don''t have enough staffing to get the job done quicker doesn''t improve anyone''s opinion of our service either.

What''s really troubling to me is how the employees are starting to take the attitude: If management doesn''t care, why should I? Management sets the tone and right now, it''s not a good one. This really irks me as we do have so many excellent employees who just feel beaten down and are exhausted trying to do their best without the least bit of encouragement from our leaders.

Once again, I beat the dead horse of $35 Million bonuses going to three executives who did not merit the pay. If they had the least bit of integrity, morals or a conscience, they would have declined the bonuses.

Like most of our employees, I want to be proud of our product. I want to give the very best I can to our pax but am beginning to think it''s like trying to push a giant rock uphill. We can''t do our jobs properly if management doesn''t/can''t/won''t do theirs. Their job is to generate revenue, our job is make sure people continue to fly US Airways by giving the best service possible.

Right about now, the best I can do is be as pleasant as possible as I tell my unhappy pax "Sorry we don''t have...fill in the blank".

In a business that is service-oriented attitude is everything. As I said before, that tone is set from the top. In the past, I don''t think many pax knew the name of the guy in charge of marketing. Lately, I hear his name from pax almost daily. I didn''t know his first name was "That SOB" though.

 

[CLTBWIDAYSYR]

Sorry to keep beating this dead horse, but jeez, does anyone give a damm? N651 is the worst one in the fleet and it''s still our only advertisement in cities like CDG, AMS, DUB, SNN and MUC. Yesterday in DUB I actually heard a customer comment on how "bad the rest of (our) maintenence must be if the paint looks as bad as that". Add in the fact that 651 is the a/c that lost its engine over Canada week before last and you''ve got one pretty pis s poor image. Management, if you''re reading these posts, DO SOMETHING!!

 

[Dea Certe]

You are absolutely right! People see the dirty, chipped paint planes and thinks that extends to all our maintentance. I''ve had people say as much to me, as in: "Gee I hope the engines are in better repair than these seats!" How embarrassing is that?

The floors are dirty, the walls need a good washing and many seat covers need changing. Many tray tables are stained and look nasty. The seatback pockets gape open, there''s ink and crud on the chairs in F/C. Don''t even get me started about the lavs!

This stuff makes a huge impression on the customer and no matter how polite, kind and helpful the staff is, the crummy appearance is what people will remember.

Maybe it''s time someone send a copy of "Creating Impressions of Excellence" to the Crystal Palace (or is it Fort Fumble these days?) Sheesh. Don''t we have a Vice President in charge of such things?

Dea

 

[phllax]

I saw 651 on Sunday before it''s flight to AMS (I think) and the right side was horrible. Who knows, maybe they were waiting to do the paint job until after the *Alliance acceptance and will make it the logo plane they are going to have to do.

 

[FrugalFlyer]

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On 6/3/2003 5:39:20 PM CLTBWIDAYSYR wrote:


Sorry to keep beating this dead horse, but jeez, does anyone give a damm?  N651 is the worst one in the fleet and it''s still our only advertisement in cities like CDG, AMS, DUB, SNN and MUC.  Yesterday in DUB I actually heard a customer comment on how "bad the rest of (our) maintenence must be if the paint looks as bad as that".  Add in the fact that 651 is the a/c that lost its engine over Canada week before last and you''ve got one pretty pis s poor image.  Management, if you''re reading these posts, DO SOMETHING!!

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That''s pretty poor/pathetic.
You''d figure that management would learn that in a lot of cases, to a lot of pax in the boarding area, IMAGE is everything. OK, maybe not everything, but at least try to give an impression of a clean, well maintained operation.

 

[wench]

Talk about dirty airplanes?
Look around some of the boarding areas.

I gave my mgr a couple yrs ago a list torn seats, jetways doors/james needed scrubbed down, llight bulbs replaced..

Now it does not matter..nothing was ever attempted...
I don''t give a damn anymore.

Sta mgr going to ILM and the station going MAINLINE X-PRESS....$12.35 -$7.00 pay cut..

May they all rot-and Seagull questions why he get''s no respect.

IT''S EARNED PUNK>

GO BACK TO AVIS>>>

 

[ITRADE]

Maybe this is where Colodny had it right with the silver/bare metal livery.

Of course, with the Airbii, that''s going to be a different issue.

 

[757fixer]

When I worked at Braniff,when the planes came in for a "C" check they would repaint the nose to just aft of the main entry door.Didn''t matter if the rest of it looked like crap.To the pax in the terminal or on the jetway it looked good.During "D" checks they would get stripped and completly painted.

 

[Twicebaked]

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On 5/19/2003 11:57:12 AM CLTBWIDAYSYR wrote:


Has anyone seen tail 651?  It was bound for AMS yesterday with nearly a third of its livery missing.  Most of the "midnight blue" on top of the fuselage was gone, leaving bare metal and green primer.  Schipol Airport customers and the 50 or so carriers that use it now have that professional image to remember US by.   Pathetic. 

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I believe I saw that plane on Sunday in Philly. If not, there is another plane just like it. We all made comments on how the pax will look at that and feel unsafe. We all know it is only a paint job, but would you get on a cruise ship that had only a little bit of rust and a few holes?

 

[nycbusdriver]

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On 6/4/2003 10:05:01 AM Twicebaked wrote:

...We all know it is only a paint job, but would you get on a cruise ship that had only a little bit of rust and a few holes?

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Well, they ALL have a little bit of rust if you look close enough.

As for the holes you need to be more specific: Above, or below, the waterline?