EXCELLENT POST, ART!!! That's exactly right---but do you think ANYONE in Tempe will realize it before it's too late?? They make a big deal out of giving employees "feedback venues" --but they don't listen to anything they don't want to hear--they continue making their bad decisions and putting their front-line employees on the battlefield while they sit behind their desk in Tempe or conduct another "meeting".
I wonder if Shamblin will be out on the line (this time on a real flights, not PHX-SFO-PHX) trying to "ala carte" beverages to our customers the week of August 1st.

A REAL leader would be elbow to elbow with her coworkers--my guess is--she'll be "too busy" to go out on the line and fly.
Here's my challenege--Anyone who is at Tempe HQ--if you are F/A qualified, I challenge you to join the frontline employees the week of August 1st and fly some domestic long-haul flights. PUT SOME REAL ACTION BEHIND YOUR WORDS AND YOUR "DECISIONS". Find out first-hand what the effects of your decisions are like in the "real world". SS should be out there with US, trying to sell cokes and water to passengers on long-haul flights!
If any Tempe "bigwigs" read this--make it your duty to get all Supervisor and up, qualified F/A's from HQ and all bases out on the line the 2 weeks following August 1st. If you do not, you cannot blame the the F/A's for the failure of "ala carte" beverages. Managment 101--don't EVER ask an employee to do something you won't do yourself.........
We'll see what happens.....but my guess is that nothing will happen. "Ala carte" will be continue to be shoved down the throats of the employees and the customers---even if it is a miserable failure(which most of us can see it will be). One thing I know about our Management--they do NOT like to admit their mistakes, even at the cost of customer loyalty or lost business.
(The above are opinions and are not "insubordinate" in substance or motive)