Management is Satisfied With Low Quality Service!

[OldpropGuy]

US Airways appears to think low quality service is perfectly acceptable. The express division statistics show MESA is near the bottom in all categories, delays, completions, etc. Management seems to think this is good enough and continues to reward them with even more flying. Let's not forget that United once was so unhappy with MESA that they cancelled their contract and ran them off the property! Dave seems to think this level of performance is acceptable for our customers. I don';t think so. They deserve only the best that we can possibly provide!

As long as US Airways is willing to outsource the flying to companies with low-time, entry level workers with substandard, sweat shop wages and benefits, our business will continue to decline! These people have no loyalty or pride in the job they do for US Airways. This is demonstrated daily by their lack of proper uniform and unprofessional actions, to say the least. Much of the blame cannot be put on the MESA employees personally, as for many this is their first airline job and they just don't know any better. Experience cannot be taught, and we all know there is more to this profession than just flying. Does anyone remember paying your dues, before you could get a real airline job? There was a reason for this.

Once the title Airline Pilot was one of the most respected professions in the world. If management and ALPA allow the current trend to continue, we will be no more respected than cab drivers!

Another thought Dave, a wise old man long ago, that I was in business with, told me you need to give the customer a reason to deal with you. People deal with people, not companies. You have many loyal employees at mainline and the WO's who have been here for many years and have pride in the jobs they do for US Airways, which you seem to be blissfully discarding. Use them if you want to survive. Things that appear the cheapest on the bottom line may not always be the best deal. It's apparent that your current plan is not working and will be your downfall!

 

[N628AU]

I am not saying things are perfect with Mesa, I can tell you stories about confusion with them all day. In their defense, I must say this. They are operating without any spare RJ aircraft per the request of their codeshare partners (CEO Ornstein has said this on many occasions), and while United did cancel their codeshare (it was with Mesa wholly owned subsidary West Air), they have just announced a new deal with United for 10 DH-8 and some two dozen RJ aircraft.

 

[Light Years]

As the complaints mount (and they are), the traveling public will catch on to the "Express" farce. I cant think of anyone who would knowingly purchase a ticket for travel on Mesa, or Trans States, or Shuttle America or any of the others. Travelers may only care about low fares, but if they hear about the training programs and poverty-level pay of our "partners" I think they might take notice. The general public doesn't look too kindly upon inexperience and corner-cutting when it comes to air travel. US Airways employees need to STOP THE CONTRACTING now!

The funny part about it is, at least with flight attendants, I talk to active employees who have no idea what MidAtlantic is, no idea who Mesa is, how much mainline has become Express, what an Embraer 170 looks like, or how many involuntarily furloughed employees we have. I guess ignorance is bliss when you've got seniority... Someday soon they're going to look around and see thats there's a sea of blue planes that look just like MD80s and 737s with flags on them- so why then, they'll wonder, are they getting a furlough notice?

 

[N628AU]

Unless there is something drastic (like, heaven forbid, a rash of crashes), the public won't care. You said it yourself, they only want low fares. PineyBob has said it quite often, the image, real or imagined, of airline employees is that they are overpaid and underworked, and complain about working, threaten to strike, and treat customers like dirt.

Now we all know this is not true, but that is how the public sees us. If they get a cheap fare, they'll go, no matter if the crew qualifies for food stamps or not. How many people actually avoid buying products like cheap foriegn made clothing. The US textile industry has been decimated, does the public stop buying Chinese/Korean/etc. made clothes? No. Does the public demand their durable goods be made with union made American steel? No.

 

[PITbull]

That is why it is the employees responsibility to CHANGE public perception and awareness, in order to maintain the "integrity" of our professions...unionied or non-union.

 

[N628AU]

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On 7/17/2003 804 AM PITbull wrote:

That is why it is the employees responsibility to CHANGE public perception and awareness, in order to maintain the "integrity" of our professions...unionied or non-union.



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This public perception took years to build, and it will take years to change, if it is even possible. Bad perceptions are very hard to overcome. There is an old saying in the business world that an angry customer will tell at least ten people of their experience. It becomes ingrained in their minds.

 

[PITbull]

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On 7/17/2003 12:46:54 PM N628AU wrote:

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On 7/17/2003 804 AM PITbull wrote:

That is why it is the employees responsibility to CHANGE public perception and awareness, in order to maintain the "integrity" of our professions...unionied or non-union.



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This public perception took years to build, and it will take years to change, if it is even possible.  Bad perceptions are very hard to overcome.  There is an old saying in the business world that an angry customer will tell at least ten people of their experience.  It becomes ingrained in their minds.

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Where I come from...everything is possible.

 

[OldpropGuy]

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On 7/17/2003 12:46:54 PM N628AU wrote:

This public perception took years to build, and it will take years to change, if it is even possible. Bad perceptions are very hard to overcome. There is an old saying in the business world that an angry customer will tell at least ten people of their experience. It becomes ingrained in their minds.
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Very true!

 

[OldpropGuy]

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On 7/17/2003 9:41:32 PM PITbull wrote:

Where I come from...everything is possible.

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So is winning the lottery. It''s just not very probable!

 

[PITbull]

True, but still, none the less, possible.

 

[Old PSA]

Just had a thought, The D.O.T. should include all the flying that is done under the airlines code in its statistics. That would give the public a more acurate representation of the airlines. Also, might motivate the "higher ups" to take a more active interest in the overall performance of the airlines.

 

[wings396]

As more of the operation becomes "Expressed", look for further declines in service. Anybody that was left that gave a hoot, will soon stop caring about anything. After being taken to the poverty level after 20+ years, how can you take any pride in your job any longer? I was once proud to work for this company, but now I don''t even want anyone to know that I work here. But this is what they want..so there you have it, low morale,poor service along with a revolving door of know nothing employees. I hope they enjoyed the short ride of top performance ratings for the Airline.

 

[PITbull]

Bob,

We have another furlough coming in Sept. because of the flight reductions, and then another big one because of the Dec. returnees.

Service and airline performance will suffer mainly because mangement CUT too many heads. I had freinds fly from Portland to Pittsburgh on the 6:45 am flight this morning. He said the lines were rediculously long at the ticket counter to get your boarding pass and check luggage, only to line up again to a bigger line for security, and do it all over again. Not enough customer service folks to take the reservation call, provide boarding passes in a timely manner, Planes are dirty becasue there is not enough cleaners, long lines cause there is not enough agents to check folks in, and not enough f/as to provide the best service and customer care you are accustomed to, or ramp agents to tendto the bag situation. flight times have been inflated in order to meet the "on time" schedule, and folks just sit and wait and wait on the runways going and coming.

Pax I have spoken to have had it with our airline and its sad. I have stated repeatedly that as an airline we should focus on the customer having a very relaxed, stress free experience going from the booking a reservation, through the entire airport process, inflight, and then finally retrieving their bags all intact and timely.

We use to provide that....how can anyone just sit and blame the rank and file employees. The complaint from the employees is we gave the company all the tools they needed to survive, and look what they are doing to our airline and our reputation.

 

[PITbull]

Bob,

Nice of you to say this about us and to be so loyal to U. I appreciate this more than I can express to you on these boards. But, you have a special relationship with us as employees, where many other customers do not. You have a unique understanding of what has and is happening to U on every level. That makes you special. You make it your business to try and keep our morale from deteriorating even more, which should be mangement's job.

Further more, when you speak of other carriers and their lack of service from your prospective, its not that you fly the other carriers enough to really gage if their furloughs have had an impact on customer care. You cite CO as one of those carriers who service sucks....guess where this mangement came from?

 

[Light Years]

Very well said Pitbull.

We will lose another 170 flight attendants in September. Mesa, though, is hiring, I wonder why.