Mid-atlantic Airways

[Light Years]

As a former Express AND Mainline FA I can remember all the comments passengers of all varieties had on our shiny new regional jets when they saw it was "Express"

"Oh, its a puddle jumper..."

"this thing gonna fly?haa ha ha"

"Who makes this plane, Hasbro?"

"Do we even need you, this one should be self serve."

"Deltas got a real plane. You guys ever gunna get real planes?'

"whats the movie, hahaha"

"Those pilots old enough to shave?"

"I havent flown on one of these things for YEARS" (Really? this was an RJ in the late 90s...)

"This one get shrunk in the wash?"

"I'll have the lobster, ha ha ha ha... is first class upstairs, hee hee"

"Oh honey its a commuter I told you you should have peed. We probably wont even get a drink."

"Express? Its a commuter, I dont like those Express planes. I got sick once going to Tortola, remember hon?"

Then they'd happily connect onto the 30 year old DC9. People associate Express with uncomfortable, loud, cramped turboprops. Always will.

Maybe they could come up with a less pokey name- US Airways Metro? US Airlink?

I still think, as a product, the EMB family is a mainline product. I dont understand marketing the experience of a Beech1900 and the experience of a dual-class, stand up cabin, jetway accessible, 2 FAs etc EMB with 70+ seats as both "Express"

 

[T-bone]

I have seen the aircraft and went through it with the people from the factory. The pictures posted are acurate. It is a fairly large jet (resembling a small 737 with wing lets). The cockpit is extreamely clean and still has yokes. The cabin is very impressive. Coach seats have head rests that raise and fold to passenger comfort. The engines are a smaller varriant of the CFM family. Also the Jet has 75 seats and resembles an express aircraft in absolutely no way whatsoever.

I would have to agree with those who have posted that this may be the death knell of main line.

This looks like one scary competitor not to mention the 75 seats are a violation of the ALPA contract!

Good luck, in solidarity, T-bone.

 

[MarkMyWords]

WSurf says: You folks are fools to believe that because it says Express people will get all freaked out!

I say, yes they will. There is a a negative connotation of what express means. To most customers the word express doesn't mean a 50 or 70 seat jet, it means a turbo prop aircarft. Imagine you are booking youre reservation online or vie the telephone and youa re informed that you will be flying an express airplane. Uneducated customers will automatically assume that it is a turbo prop airplane and may look for alternate arrangements. Call it USAirways operated by MidAtlantic Airways, but don't call it express.

 

[exagony]

It says Express because MAA will have working conditions equal or less than existing Express carriers. They want the passengers to know that it's not a mainline operation. Kind of what those CREW ID's that just showed up have done.

It seems to me the only ones bitchin about the "Express" tag are the ML employees. What's wrong? Are you worried that your egos and big heads won't fit in the airplane? Maybe its that passengers will actually expect to see the FA's do a cabin service for change instead of reading the latest gossip in the latest issue of your favorite magazine. As for the pilots I would argue that there are just as many lowsy pilots at ML as there are at the express divisions. ML pilots are no better than the Express pilots except that the ML pilots tend to cry and #### more. The WO's do a great job day in and out and have kept U in bx for the past few years (only ones to make a profit) and they are a part of U Group just like Ml is but you don't hear them crying about "Express" on their airplanes. Get a life would ya.

 

[USAirBoyA330]

exagony:

Where did that come from? I agree that the Express Pilots and F/As work hard and do a great job. When they get on one of my flights I always treat them as equal and make them as comfortable as possible. So do 99% of my fellow F/As.
We are more curious than concerned since the EMB was originally not supposed to say EXPRESS. Something changed and we are just trying to figure out what it might be. But in the end...I really don't give two flips.

As for those new CREW ID's... Who in the heck made those things up? It looks like a 1st grader was playing with the teachers bulletin board. It's obbnoxious. If your MUST redesign something then do it right and make it look official and nice. Not like it came out of a Crackerjack box.

 

[xoxo]

UsAirBoyA330,
I aggree with the ID thing...."Class, todays flashcard word is "CREW"...can everyone repeat after me?"

Exagony,
Can I just say as a an ex-wholy own commuter F/a...AND a furloughed mainline F/A...The points you made are NOT true. When passengers would get on my Dash-8...they would be for the most part hoping that the connection flight was not another prop. They would give me their destination and flight number and ask what type of A/C it was gonna be...and beleive me..they were very releived it was gonna be a jet. As far as reading books..gossip mags..etc...well, after I was finished with my duties on the Dash-8..I am guilty as charged of reading alittle bit. The same goes for almost all flight attendants...some may not read..some do their bills...write a letter...do their make-up..clean out their purse or flight bags...their are a number of things we do. So, don't point the finger at ML f/a's..because it is most f/a from all types of airlines. I should know..I have done both commuter and ML. It's not the point of weather the a/c say's express or not. The company is telling us it is gonna be a U thing under U's certificate. Personally, if they are gonna be paying us express wages that are very low...I would rather it say's express.."AND THAT IS COMING FROM A M/L F/A"

 

[BostonTerrier]

I think the new CREW ID cards are a TSA thing? My buddies at AMR all have a similar card with the huge "CREW" and an expiration date.

 

[fatburger]

Mainline Pilots, as a whole, are far more experienced than Express Pilots. That's a big difference. Both groups are cry babies, not just ML.

fatburger

 

[Twicebaked]

WSurf says: You folks are fools to believe that because it says Express people will get all freaked out!

I say, yes they will. There is a a negative connotation of what express means.

I have to agree.

Many people look at "Express" as lacking experience. Although, now many of the more experienced or mainline pilots and flight attendants are back to express carriers.

This is not meant as a "jab" to any "Express" crews. It is only stating that that is where MOST of the mainliners came from before they had the experience that got them to mainline.

 

[Twicebaked]

I think the new CREW ID cards are a TSA thing? My buddies at AMR all have a similar card with the huge "CREW" and an expiration date.

You are correct. The ID's were mandated by the TSA. They required that the "crew" word be the most visible thing. They succeeded in that.. It was done for security measures.

Does anyone have a better way of doing it?
Maybe if they had some color to them it wouldn't look so weird.

 

[2clippedwings]

Enough already about the ML/Express war! This has gotten out of hand. The facts are we (ML/wholly owneds) are all wholly owned subsidiaries within USAir Group. There has been so much "cross pollinating". Our industry has been decimated. Yes, many of us have extensive airline experience throughout our careers, TWA, Pan Am, Braniff, Eastern, shall I go on? Industry conditions require that we take the flying job that lets us continue to do what we love and to pay the bills. Mainline, express owned by the group--who cares? We ALL have the same goal, contribute our share to make our airline profitable and enjoy our careers the best we can. Rant over...

 

[Phoenix]

Chip,

Were your colleagues in training brought back into the US fold with an "express" type classification?? I'm not looking for contract details, just whether their US ID badge will be a mainline one or an express one...

Despite the euphemistic descriptions of MDA and the undying (as well as unfounded) euphoria of those who sit in the upper cages of the chicken coop, there is one fact that will help you all understand the bottom line concerning MDA.

Midatlantic=Comair, except in one minor detail. Comair hired their employees off the street (so they knew the wages they would get) while Midatlantic will “recall-hireâ€￾ former USAIR-Mainline employees(who got hired making a good wage) who will now be insulted to do the same job for the same customers (who still pay the same fair) yet get paid a small percentage of their former wage. (Pray tell, who on earth will pocket the difference?)

The chickens that occupy the cages in the top of the Chicken coop will undoubtedly disagree with the facts, and attempt to paint a more favorable light…it is only appropriate for “topâ€￾ chickens to help the chickens in the lower cages understand that their situation is not as bad as it could be.

 

[FLYLOW22]

There should be no express or eagle or connection or mini me's. A passenger buys a ticket on US Airways and they should fly on US Airways. Companies like Mesa serve a purpose only because management allows them to. Companies like Mesa represent everything wrong in the airline industry. A pilots worst ememy is other pilots. There is always some other wise guy willing to do the job for a dollar less and work for an hour longer.

The bar has been lowered so much that the majority of positions out there aren't worth keeping.... even though one is flying a multi million dollar jet. This outsourcing of jobs is erroding the very fabric of the profession. Somehow we as an industry need to get away from this outsourcing. If US Airways wants to operate a BE-1900, then it will hire and staff for the 1900. Likewise for the A330. Likewise for all of the products it offers.

U management is doing nothing but rewarding these contract carriers with additioanal flying even though many of their flight crewmwmbers act like unprofessional temps who improvise PA annoucements and treat the job like they are working at McDonalds (a biproduct of their crap management teams treating the employees like monkeys... it slides downhill).

Merge the Wholly Owned carriers into US Airways... period. The employees quality of life would be sooo much better. I don't even want to hear about seniority issues. Even at the bottom of the seniority list, things would be better for WO employees. Don't tell me I wouldn't know. I've been there. All of us would be better off. If the route can't be operated cost effetively without selling our souls then we don't deserve to run the route. Damn the revenue if it tears us apart like this. We've been sleeping with the enemy too long.

U '99-'02
PDT '02
Ejection seat utilized '03

 

[smfav8r]

FLYLOW22,

Cheers and well said!!! I hope in the future the "mini-me's" are a thing of the past and EVERY airline does every source of revenue in-house!!! From agents to pilots, cleaners to mx and everyone who works hard to produce a good product!!!

Unfortunetly, even Airtran has a code-share with Air Whiskey flying RJ's....and rumor has it that WN isn't far from doing something similiar...so it's not just U!!!

I still think they whole problem began with Delta!!! (Plus they are an easy target)

93-99 non-scheder
99-02 U
02-pres. non-scheder again...

Got 3 years off for good behavior!!!

 

[Colby]

I'm with you xoxo.... I too (as you know) am a furloughed ML F/A.....
Hey, when we are on a 3hour flight and get our jobs done this is our time to do what we want...Hey, if a call bell goes off we actually would get up and answer them.... Nobody ever went without anything. Hell, I fly express flights home all the time and even those F/A's disappear when they are done with their service.
SO, maybe the next time you fly order 2drinks when the F/A comes through because from experience the drinkers are the only ones worried about Getting Another drink.