Transformation Plan Hints

[Old PSA]

you know Diogenes,

I can't agree with you more. From this point forward pilots and flt. attndt. will fly and get mainline pay for 279 aircraft, maintenance will maintain 279 aircraft and so forth. However, mainline station personnel will continue to disappear ever month for the next two years. Just about every little and medium size station will be mainline/express then. And to add insult to injury, mainline flights can be added back into the stations without reverting to mainline status. Looks like the CWA and the IAM weren't too worried about their members in the long run. Of course the unions will get their dues from somebody (else). Dave had better realize he is going to get what he pays forin the end. As the pool of experienced agents shrinks so will station performance and quality of customer service.

Many years ago I could not understand how the Eastern employee celebrated and claimed victory when Eastern shutdown for the last time. Now I understand and I am sorry to say I would celebrate if it happen to US.

 

[700UW]

Funny how there is only a mention of no pilot furloughs.

No coperation from anyother union is what I see, especially us IAM members since the company is steal fighting us to steal our work.

 

[MarkMyWords]

Thirdly, when productivity is mentioned, it usually means a lose of jobs
somehere at sometime.

Agreed.....but if you are utilizing the aircraft more, with less downtime, there would be a greater need for additional Pilots, Flight Attendants and Dispatchers. If we increase the number of flights then there should be a need for additional agents - probably not in PHL if they roll the hub, but perhaps in the out stations. In PHL if you have a rolling hub you would have a need for more Full Time agents versus part time, since there would be a lot less downtime, but over all it could cost agent jobs in PHL. Since the fleet count would remain the same there should be no loss of mechanic positions, since they will be needed to maintain the same nubmer of airplanes. Again, you may loss a few line mechanic positions in PHL due to the elimination of banks, but that could be offset by the AB heavy checks coming back in house - where they belong.

Just my thoughts.....

 

[USFlyer]

My prediction is the Airbus heavy checks WILL come back in house. After a certain point, management will realize it's costing more than it's predicted to save. Plus, the fiasco with the first plane seems to have left a lot of egg on the folks who made the decision to (1) outsource and (2) pick the Alabama outfit.

 

[oldiebutgoody]

Funny how there is only a mention of no pilot furloughs.

No coperation from anyother union is what I see, especially us IAM members since the company is steal fighting us to steal our work.

That may be because the source of this "information" is a pilot himself. I don't know, but I would think that a more efficient operation might even fix what's wrong here, creating MORE jobs for ALL groups (especially if the heavy MX stays in house).

 

[oldiebutgoody]

What, exactly, is a rolling hub? Do any other airlines do this?

 

[USFlyer]

What, exactly, is a rolling hub? Do any other airlines do this?

Yes, AA at DFW, DL at ATL, etc. At a high level, rolling a hub involves scheduling flights evenly throughout the day, reducing and/or eliminating the "banks". Some connections may end up being shorter while some may end up being longer. The point is mainly to increase efficiency. In theory, planes should not be sitting idle, gates need not sit empty and/or idle as long (thus reducing the number of gates needed), APO staff from ticket agents to gate agents to fleet service should be busy throughout the busy instead of working in peaks and valleys, etc.

 

[PITbull]

Twiced Baked,

MDA flying will be taken from the mainline flying. They will use smaller jets to go where the bigger jets once were. Hopefully when MDA flying starts, management will think to use the larger jets for longer hauls and increase cities and frequencies.

I am no fan of the poverty-wage MDA. It offers an airline job. Period. It is an inevitable evil that will have a difficult time keeping employment there. AFA job is to protect the f/a who must take employment there in the "interim", until they can come back to "mainline". We will fight for increases in wages, affordable health care, benefits, workrules, specifically "flow through", etc.The main focus is expanding mainline to bring back as many folks as possible as fast as possible. That's where the jobs are, defined pension, and wages that are livable and life sustaining.

 

[usfliboi]

Chip I tend to agree with your thoughts here. Theres no doubt theres something in the works here. Keep up the good work I enjoy your speculations and insights.

 

[delldude]

If these Embarer are flown by USAirways "mainline" f/as, IT WILL BE MAINLINE CONTRACT!

and might i also add,pitbull...per the IAM contract...so will the maintenance....

 

[delldude]

Demoralized,

Your new to the boards, but speak with some authority. Management are we? U that is?

Me thinks so....

it should be a frightening sign of the times at U if all senior management has time to play around posting FUD on message boards while they should be contriving some type of business plan or exit strategy....they'd can my butt if i sat around on the clock playing with my computer..

 

[avek00]

While I do not doubt that United is likely considering a merger of some type in conjunction with an emergence from bankruptcy, I would not automatically assume that the merger partner would be US Airways. A UA/US merger, while beautiful on paper, would be rife with numerous financial, labor, and regulatory problems that severly compromise the chances for success. IMHO, a merger with DL or even CO makes far more sense for UA...

 

[crazyincanton]

If productivity means flying more legs while I'm out here, fine. Let's do it. Let's make these trips worth something. If it means flying more days for the same or less hours, forget it.

crazyincanton

 

[Bluestreak]

Chip,

This might be a little late. I loved your original post. Your optimistic view is great! Hopefully things work out like you predict. Thanks for taking time to write your articles.

 

[PITbull]

Crazyinscranton,

Personally, I am for anything that enhances productivity on any level, as long as it DOES NOT create a job loss in f/a ranks or ground personnel