believed that we would be required to be settled with Doug et al before any merger had a chance of being successful.
After seeing the comparison of our TA to the Term Sheet and LBFO offered by AA, I'll be watching with baited breath. What do you foresee as our next steps PITBull, and could you outline a timeline for us if, hypothetically, a merger is announced in mid January? What exactly is our leverage going forward, and what is our best way to execute said leverage?
Best case scenerio for both labor parties on both sides is AA emerges from BK as a stand alone. Then acquires US Airways.
The AA team is a mega airline and was the biggest in the world before the other legacies started to merge and consolidate as a competitive edge and strategy.
AA who financed their own Bk has big plans to be a fierce competitor against all carriers in every market once they emerge.
Doug Parker and his team are no match don't have the experience, ,and don't have the talent, as evidenced in the past 7 years with the US Airways merger, and beyond when he was just CEO of a regiional carrier like America West in the early 2000. Past evidence speaks for itself. Parker can throw out to AA 8+billion dollars to capture the franchise while in Bk from the cost savings he INHERITED from his predecessors, Siegal and Lakefield, with two Bk ,with 3 restructurings within a 3 year time-frame including two bk concession contracts from the East employees....billions of cost saving over 7 year period.
No thanks to him, as his obvious focus for the past 7 years was to garner the cash to purchase a legacy... first DL, then a second shot at United...and both failed for him. That was the only plan and still is for the operation business plan going forward. I have emense/ Major respect for the consistent job performance and customer-best-in -class service provided buy all groups at US Airways who have consistently ran the operation while Parker was feeding his ego trying to rub shoulders with the big leagues.
US Airways f/a strategy should be to publically clamor and denounce in the media... collectively that they have no confidence or would support a merger with AA bankrupt contracts, until US Airways sits down and negotiates a fair and equitable deal that the f/as, after a decade of concessions deserve.
Your leverage is this..."PARKER NEEDS THE F/A AND ALL OF LABOR TO SUPPORT THIS MERGER, MORE THAN YOU NEED HIM TO NEGOTIATE A BETTER CONTRACT.
Your friend for AFA and the f/a group is and always has been public support and the MEDIA...use it.
Parker needs the f/as group and the pilot group and all of labor to publically support this, but I'm not hearing it. There is a huge disconnect between managment and labor that has existed for a decade...a managment culture of disrespect, apathy, and disregard for labor. Parker wants a free pass or unspoken forgiveness from his own labor groups for his past behavior of detachement, disregard, and just hopes that he can either ignore labor, or threaten them to support this merger with nothing in for U labor but, same-old, same-old, another concessonary agreement with no real, substantial improvements to move forward. That's just not the right way to conduct business.
Way I see it, you folks are in the drivers seat.
Don't let anyone tell you differently, or brain wash you into some kind of fear for your future without AA...its just plain scare tactics that U is infamous for.. If your leadership should buy into that then they are either stupid cause they can't see beyond their noses, or just plain analytically deficient.
And If the NMB tries to pull you guys in a direction that is not in your best interest, fire him, or take them to court to step aside and allow for a 30 day cooling off.
This process has to be done and its about time. U has 10 Billion, they can afford better deals. Only then would I think US Airways has a chance to merge with this mega carrier whose service is "world class".