Ted - An Analysis From The Boyd Group

[Fly]

Fubijaakr Posted on Dec 5 2003, 10:40 AM

know its been said before:

"Ted is the end of United."

Wow....welcome to Kindergarten. Do all the employees at USAir act like this or just a few select on this board? What is it folks? One thread you spread the "merger" theory and the next you close our airline. One only needs to read this board to see what airline is in the biggest mess.....especially in the morale department! Despite all the attacks on United here, at least the employees don't spend day after day slamming US and "predicting" their demise. Grow up! Do you really want to see people lose their jobs?

As for Ronin: :blink: Whoa man.......is it even possible for you to GET what ZMan is talking about? yipes

 

[darkclouds]

With the exception of the last paragraph, this is vintage M. Boyd. But then, afterall, he is a former UAL SCAB pilot. So why is this is surprise?

ZMAN777,

I have been reading this forum for a year. Just a lurking.. But your post is the first I have ever seen about Boyd being a UA scab.

Is it true? If it is, Boyd has lost all credibility.... from the little that he had!

 

[KCFlyer]

With the exception of the last paragraph, this is vintage M. Boyd. But then, afterall, he is a former UAL SCAB pilot. So why is this is surprise?

ZMAN777,

I have been reading this forum for a year. Just a lurking.. But your post is the first I have ever seen about Boyd being a UA scab.

Is it true? If it is, Boyd has lost all credibility.... from the little that he had!

Odd - if that's the case, he left all his pilot experiences off his bio.

 

[Dave]

Boyd isn't showing up on my scab list....and from what I hear, he wasn't a pilot......but that doesn't mean he has any credibility. Why are there so many 'experts' out there ready to giving opinions to reporters, who have never actually run an airline?

The proof is in the pudding. UAL's numbers are looking really good.....and as far as Ted is concerned, it isn't meant to make a profit, it's meant to contain F9 without being accused of predatory pricing...much like Song is attempting to do with B6.

 

[KCFlyer]

Boyd isn't showing up on my scab list....and from what I hear, he wasn't a pilot......but that doesn't mean he has any credibility. Why are there so many 'experts' out there ready to giving opinions to reporters, who have never actually run an airline?

The proof is in the pudding. UAL's numbers are looking really good.....and as far as Ted is concerned, it isn't meant to make a profit, it's meant to contain F9 without being accused of predatory pricing...much like Song is attempting to do with B6.

The airline industry is the only industry that I know of that, while bleeding money, creates a company within the company whose purpose is not to make a profit, but whose cost structure is still higher than the competitor that they were created to contain. Seems they do a great job without another entity to add costs and provide confusion and competition for the parent company.

 

[Borescope]

.....and as far as Ted is concerned, it isn't meant to make a profit

This has got to be the dumbest statement I've read in a while. Why would anyone want to start a business to LOSE money? UAL is trying to make money with TED although I don't see how it will happen. Seems this is a smoke screen to try and convince "someone" that they are going to make tons of money with this and that they (UAL) are worthy of the loan gaurentee.

 

[Borescope]

As far as the LCC's go, people seem to overlook the "commuters". Many of the other carriers already have LCC in place already and they are turning a profit. Just look at Comair with Delta and Continental Express. When the main line can't make money on a route they turn it over to their "LCC".

 

[tadjr]

Fubijaakr Posted on Dec 5 2003, 10:40 AM

know its been said before:

"Ted is the end of United."

Wow....welcome to Kindergarten. Do all the employees at USAir act like this or just a few select on this board? What is it folks? One thread you spread the "merger" theory and the next you close our airline. One only needs to read this board to see what airline is in the biggest mess.....especially in the morale department! Despite all the attacks on United here, at least the employees don't spend day after day slamming US and "predicting" their demise. Grow up! Do you really want to see people lose their jobs?

From all of Fubis posts its hard to tell exactly who he works for. I havent seen anything that says its US. He appears on the AS board quite a bit and seems to have a thing against Jetblue, so I'd bet that isnt it. Not everyone posting here is a US employee with a thing against UA. Some people just like to stir things up wherever they go. Might want to check into his posts to verify the goodwill he spreads to all the boards.
As far as the US posters having a problem with the UA people, I have only seen about 3 out of the TOTAL ? US posters who have it in for UA. Only problem is they seem to have this thing for typing away all the time (and if you notice, not all of them are even well greeted on their own board.)

 

[Diesel8]

Fubi purports to be a ALK Captain. He has become rather infamous on the Yahoo board.

 

[novaqt]

Borescope:

First, I am no tax expert, but it seems to me I recall that it used to be that if you owned a business that was unprofitable for three years (the number of years for losses may be off), that business had to become profitable the following year. The losses would be written off which would offset the profits made in other businesses the company owned. Since Arthur Anderson's famous tactic of offbalancing is now unfashionable, perhaps companies are going back to the old way of doing business. Have a loss leader to offset profits elsewhere, thus lessening your tax burden and/or even qualify you for a tax refund.

However, I do not believe that this is Ted's intent. United wants Ted to be successful and if all of you naysayers would give Ted a chance, just maybe with some slow growth and careful planning, over the long haul, Ted wil surprise you!!

 

[KCFlyer]

However, I do not believe that this is Ted's intent. United wants Ted to be successful and if all of you naysayers would give Ted a chance, just maybe with some slow growth and careful planning, over the long haul, Ted wil surprise you!!

Here's the part I don't understand about the TED concept - let's say you've got a premium elite who loves First Class travel - he lives in Portland Oregon and needs to go to MSY. MSY is soon to be a "Ted town" - will UAL continue to operate flights into MSY? If so, won't Ted pull from the parent carrier? If not, how do you tell your elite that he can't have the FC seat from DEN to MSY because he's transferring to TED?

 

[Busdrvr]

Here's the part I don't understand about the TED concept - let's say you've got a premium elite who loves First Class travel - he lives in Portland Oregon and needs to go to MSY. MSY is soon to be a "Ted town" - will UAL continue to operate flights into MSY? If so, won't Ted pull from the parent carrier? If not, how do you tell your elite that he can't have the FC seat from DEN to MSY because he's transferring to TED?

KC, the specific TED markets were chosen SPECIFICALLY because of the traditionally low level of FF first class travelers. You must also consider what the alternative is. Lets say someone loves FC travel in DEN. He wants to go to Vegas. Whose he gonna fly? To some extent it is not important that you rpovide a perfect product, just one better than your competitors

 

[KCFlyer]

KC, the specific TED markets were chosen SPECIFICALLY because of the traditionally low level of FF first class travelers. You must also consider what the alternative is. Lets say someone loves FC travel in DEN. He wants to go to Vegas. Whose he gonna fly? To some extent it is not important that you rpovide a perfect product, just one better than your competitors

But what do you tell your premium passenger from Portland (pardon the alliteration)? You'll get first class to Denver, but it's TED to your final destination. It just seems that to satisfy them, you'll now have to offer two aircraft with different names to the same destination for the same price in coach, but with 12 first class seats in the other. And I really don't see how that is supposed to save the parent airline anything. In fact, I recall reading that one of the biggest flaws in "Continental Lite" was that passengers were surprised to find that they were boarding a "lite" aircraft when they thought they were on the "real" airline.

 

[Dave]

>>This has got to be the dumbest statement I've read in a while. Why would anyone want to start a business to LOSE money?<<

Nobody said anything about 'losing money'....only about breaking even....It's about market share.....I'm really hoping you're better at wrenching than you are at business.

 

[KCFlyer]

It's about market share.

Which is better - to protect the market share at a loss, or to come in second place in market share at a profit?