Tell us your US Airways story

[DrBeth]

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/101...ys11box-ON.html

Oct. 11, 2007 12:55 PM
Tell us your US Airways story

Extreme flight delays have been a big problem for travelers this year, and US Airways has not been immune.

The Tempe-based carrier has had numerous service problems and ranks at or near the bottom of the industry in most customer-service categories.

Do you have a story to tell us about your US Airways experience? What do you think is to blame for their operational woes? Are you still flying with them, or have you shifted to other airlines?

E-mail [email protected]

 

[nycbusdriver]

In the late 1980's, Ed Colodny let Gordon Bethune get away and put Seth "Deer-in-the-Headlights" Schofield in charge.

The rest, as they say, is history. Such as it is (i.e. very sad.)

 

[Be Careful What You Wish For.]

As a cartoon foe of Bugs Bunny once said "I've been down so low it looks like up to me."

 

[CynicalResAgent]

My gawd when you said Seth "Deer-in-the-Headlights"..... the first thing that poped in my head was the Go Fares Seth with the yellow hair.... What ever happened to him? Did he just vanish off the face of the earh or did he head out to Cali and start up some internet company and happily retire at the age of 30?

 

[EyeInTheSky]

My gawd when you said Seth "Deer-in-the-Headlights"..... the first thing that poped in my head was the Go Fares Seth with the yellow hair.... What ever happened to him? Did he just vanish off the face of the earh or did he head out to Cali and start up some internet company and happily retire at the age of 30?

Nice...real nice people.

No, last I heard, Seth Schofield is battling cancer. A good guy that was in over his head, yet, still managed to sandbag British Airways CEO Colin Marshall by bringing in Steve Wolf. Wolf, well, at least he had some class. The man was a nutball, but he understood the importance of clean and efficient operations. The Wolf-era was the last touch of class this airline will ever see.

Lastly, a lot of us would give anything to have someone like "Uncle Ed" at the helm. He's currently a partner in a law firm in his hometown of Burlington, Vermont. Ed Colodny was the last decent airline CEO. A good man that treated his employees like family (knew all 24,000 of us by first name) and paid us well too.

Those were the days...flying to Boeing several times a month to to pick up new planes paid for in cash. We'll never see that again. Sad.


Later,
Eye

 

[CynicalResAgent]

No, I'm talking about the "go fares" guy Seth, remember that lame marketing thing they did in Philly with the guy with the yellow dyed hair and they'd do the promotions whoever found him would win a free ticket..... He was from HQ somewhere in CCY whatever happened to him? He always had a confused, Gen X look to him edgy look to him, I was asking whatever happened to him. When busdriver said "Seth "Deer-in-the-Headlights" " that was the image that first poped into my head even though that was such a lame and almost forgotten promotion like business select.

 

[nycbusdriver]

Nice...real nice people.

No, last I heard, Seth Schofield is battling cancer. A good guy that was in over his head, yet, still managed to sandbag British Airways CEO Colin Marshall by bringing in Steve Wolf. Wolf, well, at least he had some class. The man was a nutball, but he understood the importance of clean and efficient operations. The Wolf-era was the last touch of class this airline will ever see.

Lastly, a lot of us would give anything to have someone like "Uncle Ed" at the helm. He's currently a partner in a law firm in his hometown of Burlington, Vermont. Ed Colodny was the last decent airline CEO. A good man that treated his employees like family (knew all 24,000 of us by first name) and paid us well too.

Those were the days...flying to Boeing several times a month to to pick up new planes paid for in cash. We'll never see that again. Sad.
Later,
Eye

No doubt Ed Colodny was a wonderful human being and perfectly competent in his niche. (Seth Schofield rode my jumpseat once, and he too is very congenial.) But business is business, as they say. And it's a sad legacy that one of the last official acts (Schofield to the helm) that Ed Colodny did at this airline was the one that started its plunge into the depths...the bottom of which we still have not seen.

I agree that Schofield was in over his head, and that's what makes it all the more difficult (and of questionable competence) to accept that Bethune was shown the door in favor of Schofield. INCREDIBLE blunder! Can you imagine the conversations we would be having here today if Bethune had taken over USAir when Colodny retired?

And, as far as "the last decent airline CEO" goes, I think the employees of Southwest Airlines, JetBlue, and possibly a few others might have some heartburn with accepting your contention.

 

[Be Careful What You Wish For.]

Those were the days...flying to Boeing several times a month to to pick up new planes paid for in cash. We'll never see that again. Sad.

Those were the days before WN showed up and took the NE monopoly away.

Now we have cheap fares in the NE. Good for the consumer bad for the old US Air.

737s cross country competing against UA 75/76, DC-10s...etc. AA same story.

Now we thank WN for getting the crews to work on time.

The worm has turned.

 

[vantheman63]

No doubt Ed Colodny was a wonderful human being and perfectly competent in his niche. (Seth Schofield rode my jumpseat once, and he too is very congenial.) But business is business, as they say. And it's a sad legacy that one of the last official acts (Schofield to the helm) that Ed Colodny did at this airline was the one that started its plunge into the depths...the bottom of which we still have not seen.

I agree that Schofield was in over his head, and that's what makes it all the more difficult (and of questionable competence) to accept that Bethune was shown the door in favor of Schofield. INCREDIBLE blunder! Can you imagine the conversations we would be having here today if Bethune had taken over USAir when Colodny retired?

And, as far as "the last decent airline CEO" goes, I think the employees of Southwest Airlines, JetBlue, and possibly a few others might have some heartburn with accepting your contention.

I'm not sure Schofield is getting a fair shake here....

First off...the man did take the company to profitability....before turning over the reigns to Mr. Wolf.

Also, remember....what ULTIMATELY did US in was the "stock buy-back" program....that's where the stock sank in price and they tok all their cash and bought the stock back...and put themselves into a "cash poor" situation.

Schofield also had, arguably, the best "labor relation" of any of the CEOs in recent memory.

Hanging what happened on him is not right. If there is ANYONE to hang the downfall on, it's Wolf.....and of course the jacka$$es in Tempe are making ALL former management, including Siegel, look like a bunch of genius, rocket scientists.

 

[700IAM]

I'm not sure Schofield is getting a fair shake here....


No wonder, he simply doesn't deserve it! Look at history, look at what he accomplished trying to sell it to the British and look where that ended. He was no businessman although he even had Warren Buffett buffaloed for a time. He was a con man, a nice one but a con man he was.

IMO DAVE S. was the devil in incognito worse than Wolf Man Jack.

15 years of my life wondering almost monthly whether my career would end I admit left a bitter taste in my mouth. Regardless I can still think clearly and I clearly think my accounts are dead on accurate here.

But I must add:

Mr. Colodny was the one who got me the job, he truly did, regardless thru all that rough 15 year ride it was worth it money wise, not mental wise though. I did ok as I collect pension and glad it’s over and done with.

I wonder how you people maintain your sanity, unless you're already crazy God Bless you all and God knows you all surly need his blessings working there.

 

[vantheman63]

No wonder, he simply doesn't deserve it! Look at history, look at what he accomplished trying to sell it to the British and look where that ended. He was no businessman although he even had Warren Buffett buffaloed for a time. He was a con man, a nice one but a con man he was.

Uhhhh.....I think Colodny was the original "buffaloer" of Warren Buffett....I think Mr. Schofield inherited that....

In fact, I'm sure of it....

 

[EyeInTheSky]

Uhhhh.....I think Colodny was the original "buffaloer" of Warren Buffett....I think Mr. Schofield inherited that....

In fact, I'm sure of it....

Van,
Yes, Colodny was the reason Buffet invested in the airline. At the time Buffet invested US Airways was making a crap load of money. FWIW, Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway made money off their USAir preferred stock; they never lost money on USAir!! Granted, it did not get the returns that they are usually accustomed to, but he got his money back and thensome.

The thing that screwed USAir up was the mergers and improper management of those assets from operations to marketing. Today, it's a whole other de ja vu experience -- been there, seen that, and have no pension to prove it.

Later,
Eye

 

[crusher]

As nice a guy as Uncle Ed is , He is the"Architect of the Disaster" . Oh we don't need those 767's lets get F100's instead., oops we really do need those 767's but now we have to pay Boeing a premium to get our order back. "International is just the flea on the back of the dog" . Just about everything leading up to BK 1 was Uncle Ed's doing. His deals with the unions stc.