Phl Pilots Letter

[tadjr]

what revenue intiatives are you refering to that could have been done, that have not been done?

When is FirstUp going systemwide?

 

[FLYAWAY]

PITbull,
"The union is my life. They pay my bills, they feed my kids, they are the center of my universe, the airline industry is in great shape, we deserve more pay(til the last day), the entire scope of difficulty in the industry has been fabricated by management(just like landing on the moon or flying into the Twin Towers). Pitbull, go bite one and take your afa metality with you. I choose the job!

 

[PITbull]

Excuse me it was Rick Dubinsky of ALPA, however don't miss the point on a technicality.

Now seeing as you want to challenge statements what revenue intiatives are you refering to that could have been done, that have not been done?

Real world,

1. Change the route structure
2. Rationalize fares
3. Stop gouging the customers and having rediculous restrictions on fares
4. Improve the Reservation centers and spend more time training the reservationists to handle the calls with accuracy and speed. Add more agents paramount.

5. Improve morale and build bridges with the company's greatest assets....LABOR!
6. Increase a/c utilization
7. Implement the rest of the restructuring agreements before even looking at labor for a single concession
8.STOP WITH THE OUTSOURCING OF OUR JOBS!
9. Market, market, market like crazy in PHL and captilize on the uniqueness of our product and service unlike the LCCs.
10. Don't give up first class! And sell first class upgrades for $100 to fill seats the last 30 minutes predeparture.
11. ROLL THE DAMN PHL HUB ALREADY!

12. Develop task force with labor in each department to improve the departments. Do a Q& Assurance programs in every department.
13. Champagne for everyone


PS: Negotiate with Pittsburgh Airport Authority, WHERE THERE IS NO COMPETITION, AND SET FAIR FARES FOR THE PUBLIC NOT TO DRIVE TO CLEVELAND TO START THEIR JOURNEY.

 

[PITbull]

PITbull,
"The union is my life. They pay my bills, they feed my kids, they are the center of my universe, the airline industry is in great shape, we deserve more pay(til the last day), the entire scope of difficulty in the industry has been fabricated by management(just like landing on the moon or flying into the Twin Towers). Pitbull, go bite one and take your afa metality with you. I choose the job!

FLYAWAY,

Then I suggest you hand over your paycheck, contract, benefits back to management and ask them what they think you are worth, and chew on that for your career/job.

 

[FLYAWAY]

PITbull,
Tell me how things are in the unemployment line, but don't tell me about what you once had.

 

[PITbull]

FLY,

Why don't you ask the 20,000 folks out on the street that you voted their jobs out to save yours. You should kiss your contract for your seniority that kept your sorry butt here, and bow down to a furloughee who took your damn place!

 

[Baja4U]

FLY,

Why don't you ask the 20,000 folks out on the street that you voted their jobs out to save yours. You should kiss your contract for your seniority that kept your sorry butt here, and bow down to a furloughee who took your damn place!

Way to go pitbul !!!! Could'nt agree with you more !!!!

 

[ClueByFour]

Excuse me it was Rick Dubinsky of ALPA, however don't miss the point on a technicality.

Now seeing as you want to challenge statements what revenue intiatives are you refering to that could have been done, that have not been done?

Don't roll in here and blast the unions if you don't have the facts with which to blast the unions. It's not about killing the golden goose--in this case it's about not giving away further concessions to a bunch of losers who cannot lead a horse to water. Just like the "plan" coming out of BK, those who have some degree of skill don't need a "do over" to get an inflammatory slam involving a rather well known quote correct on the first shot (this all ignoring the fact that Woerth is much more pro-management than Dubinksy ever would have been).

As for the revenue side, several folks here have already listed off a laundry list of items. The one's I would have done last year:

1. Roll PHL.
2. Fix the friggen website. Hire more than one programmer.
3. Run the sane first sales more often. I've been on a couple of trips to Vegas since that sale ran, one of which was paid F. Next time, don't yank seats out of the only type you run to the markets in question as you are runnning the sale.
4. Rationalize the fares in non-LUV markets. You guys could generate a few hundred thousand extra boardings at PIT alone with a sane fare structure (I can't tell you how many thousands of dollars you have lost from me alone going PIT-DFW on OAs). This does not have to be a LUV rationalization, however, you will generate many more $800 trips to LAX than you will $1800. You don't have to lower the bottome end to the LUV levels. You need to cut the top to something reasonable. It's no secret that LUV sells many more of those $300 walkups (or whatever their full-Y is) than anyone else. There is a reason for this.
5. Put F back into the 701s and EMB-170s. All differentiation is lost on these birds without it, and you will lose the solid middle.
6. Put silverware and real glass back into F. Get music back on the planes. You won't differentiate US from Adam in it's current state. The product (sans the frontline folks, who rock) is in a sad state.

On the non-revenue, yet not banging labor side:

1. Take the ALG/PDT entity, lease up some Q400s, and have at it.
2. Stop litigating high risk items. The AFA VF fight was stupid. The IAM-M dispute is not only stupid, if you lose it the paycheck to the IAM will shut the doors.
3. Stop screwing with PIT. It's a fortress market that just offered to cut $25 million/year off the debt. You won't run 200+ more flights/day thru PHL, depeaking or no depeaking. There is no other non-LCC airport with that much O&D available to hub.
4. Stop screwing your best customers. Since folks are not buying Envoy in droves, give out SWUs to US2 and US3s again. Thanks to that particular move, US has lost $5,000 of revenue from me to BA thus far this year.
5. Stop cutting your reservation centers to the bone. If you have 100 calls in queue at any given time, you are preventing people from buying your product.
6. Take the PHL initiative, and apply it systemwide. Trim the levels of middle management and eliminate the fiefdoms.
7. Ditch the attitude with the unions. Even if your plan sucks (which, thus far, no reason has been given not to believe), cordial relationships with the unions would allow for a bit more breathing room. I firmly believe that even if the current plan was a guaranteed winner, 2 or 3 unions on the property would cut off their nose to spite Jerry's face. This is a failure of epic magnitude, and when the current round of concessions goes nowhere, you will know why.
8. Don't write another business plan that's predicated on being able to continually screw "the business traveler" out of exhorbitant fares. Perfect pricing information is here--you lose.
9. Empower your employees to actually solve problems, and listen to what they have to say. If you take nothing else from LUV, take this.

Lead by example. Don't talk about it. Do it. Any/all of the things that have been mentioned here (Save perhaps an all-out fare rationalization) should have happened before US employees were asked for another dime.

Oh, and realize that every idea being thrown about here has been floating around for at least a year.

 

[PITbull]

cluex4,

You are always right on target...I hope he will return here to read your post.

In his arrogance he probably won't respnd cause he knows you are damn straight and right on que...brilliant. 😛

 

[ktflyhome]

mwerplanes: your post tonight is about the BEST thing I have read on here since I became a member. Thank you so very much. I have been so distraught and concerned ,as We all have been, for so long. Perhaps we all can have some hope after all.

On the down side....I find it ironic that Hawk and Zues have surfaced after this post. How pathetic. I am on here everyday and I see those that are, and aren't. Whenever there is anything posted of REAL threat...the likes of these two appear. Once again....pathetic.

It is really interesting to note, for myself, that when things start to get a little heated and really delicate with really MAJOR differences and issues, certain posters come out of the woodwork. I don't need to give all of the names, I am sure those that spend time on here, know who I mean.

Once again, mwerplanes. Thanks

 

[ktflyhome]

Clue.....all I can say is WOW.....you are SO RIGHT.

 

[scot]

Last few posts deleted as way off topic. Lets stick to the threads being discussed here and lay off the personal attacks. Thanks.
Scot

 

[AP Tech]

Come on now "320 Great One", what is your take on this letter? Philly not going along with the "going foward plan"? I thought according to your world everyone but the IAM was on board with Dave?

 

[USA320Pilot]

Expect more and different news on this subject shortly.

Regards,

USA320Pilot

 

[Peeky]

Brave PHL AlPA!! Finally someone in ALPA who has the courage to stand up for what they believe. I support you 100%.

All employee/labor groups...ALPA, AFA, CWA, IAM... need to stand together and strong. Enough is enough, Dave. Let's see what you can do with the company without using labor as a scapegoat (again).