Tuesday's Wall St. Journal

[Rob]

Excerpt from "The Middle Seat" column

Thinking of Flying
US Airways?
Watch These Dates
Weekend Snafus Highlight
Its Financial Predicament;
Leaving Behind the Luggage

Is one disastrous holiday weekend -- where employees called in sick, stranding travelers on airport cots for Christmas -- reason enough for consumers to stop buying tickets on US Airways?

Yesterday, it was for some travelers.

Nervous customers were already calling GTI Travel Inc., a suburban Philadelphia travel agent, first thing yesterday morning asking worried questions about US Airways reservations. The agency's advice to customers: Avoid US Airways if you can until the dust settles at the airline, which is currently operating under bankruptcy-court protection.

"Why take a chance if you don't have to?" says Susan Cunningham, director of operations at the travel agency.

For consumers, the next three weeks are make-or-break time for US Airways. It faces a tough labor-concessions deadline in two weeks, and a big financial hurdle on Jan. 14. As a result, travelers would be wise to wait to see if the airline gets over its bankruptcy hurdles before buying tickets for future travel.

"They are very close to the edge, and it doesn't take a whole lot to go wrong to push them over," says Daniel Kasper, an airline-industry consultant with LECG LLC who is working for US Airways and who testified on the airline's behalf in recent bankruptcy-court proceedings. One bad weekend isn't enough to wreck the company, he said, "but if it continues, it would be a very serious problem."
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Another nationwide blast essentially telling people not to fly US. The company has got to make some kind of huge and very public response. Soon.

 

[BoeingBoy]

You mean this press release isn't enough????

US AIRWAYS STATEMENT

ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 27, 2004 -- US Airways expects normal flight operations today with the exception of approximately 15 flights cancelled due to heavy snow in the Boston and Providence, R.I., region. Flight attendant crew coverage for today’s flights is at normal levels. The last remaining bags in Philadelphia due to disrupted operations over the weekend are in the process of being cleared. Luggage is being ferried to Charlotte and Pittsburgh by airplane and truck for sorting, and we will have these bags delivered to our customers as quickly as possible.

Throughout this period US Airways has attempted to ease the difficulties for our customers with assistance, where needed, such as hotel rooms, cots in airports, food vouchers and assistance in getting rental cars. Volunteer employees and members of management continue to work in key locations to help with the heavy volume of passengers through this busy holiday time. However, we recognize that these efforts are no substitute for our usually good record of delivering passengers and their bags to their destinations in a timely way, and US Airways deeply regrets any inconvenience caused to customers whose travel plans may have been disrupted. US Airways’ focus remains on returning our operations to normal and providing customers with the service they expect and deserve.


Jim

 

[local 12 proud]

so its cheaper to ferry aircraft loaded with lost baggage, useing contractors to truck bags, pay for hotel rooms, food vouchers, and rental cars for passengers than it is to pay a decent wage? I thought USAIR was about to run out of cash which was the reason for gutting the labor contracts?

 

[Rob]

You mean this press release isn't enough????

[post="232574"][/post]​

No, it isn't. :down: Did anybody carry that press release? It needs to be a straightforward "we blew it", not a bureaucratic, passive-voiced non-apology. Follow up with some news-making compensation - probably free tickets next summer, assuming US lasts that long.

 

[usfliboi]

Follow up and let the public know, that this abuse wont stand. make an announcement that a few folks lost their jobs, and that will sooth the beast. Someone has to lose their jobs. Management didnt tell these slackers to abuse thier sick time. This story is out of hand.... the media is trashin us, and frankly WE DESERVE IT! The unions shouls come out and denouce this and the people who did it.. WILL THEY? NOT! Wheres the round up?

 

[vc10]

The company doesn't have much money for anything. However, when faced with a customer service disaster caused by the gross irresponsibility of a few employees, it spent what it needed to recover as best it could. You'd prefer the company left the bags where they were?

so its cheaper to ferry aircraft loaded with lost baggage, useing contractors to truck bags, pay for hotel rooms, food vouchers, and rental cars for passengers than it is to pay a decent wage? I thought USAIR was about to run out of cash which was the reason for gutting the labor contracts?

[post="232599"][/post]​

 

[4merresrat]

so its cheaper to ferry aircraft loaded with lost baggage, useing contractors to truck bags, pay for hotel rooms, food vouchers, and rental cars for passengers than it is to pay a decent wage? I thought USAIR was about to run out of cash which was the reason for gutting the labor contracts?

[post="232599"][/post]​

Unbelievable!! Usairways pays a decent wage. In the past, it has payed an excellent wage. These excellent wages and benefits are part of the reason no one leaves these cushy jobs. Everyone who makes 45,000 a year (and more with OT) knows it is a good salary. There are not many jobs where one can leave high school with No skills or higher education and have such a well-paying cushy job. Of course I am not talking about pilots or mechanics. I am speaking of flight attendants and customer service agents. And hey, I was one of them, the only difference is I KNEW it was a good deal. But again, in my office I had 16 years of seniority and I was close to the bottom in the seniority roster. Everyone complained but NO ONE left. And if they got fired they fought like heck to get their job back. Go ahead and attack me for this but it is all true.

 

[deano]

Unbelievable!! Usairways pays a decent wage. In the past, it has payed an excellent wage. These excellent wages and benefits are part of the reason no one leaves these cushy jobs. Everyone who makes 45,000 a year (and more with OT) knows it is a good salary. There are not many jobs where one can leave high school with No skills or higher education and have such a well-paying cushy job. Of course I am not talking about pilots or mechanics. I am speaking of flight attendants and customer service agents. And hey, I was one of them, the only difference is I KNEW it was a good deal. But again, in my office I had 16 years of seniority and I was close to the bottom in the seniority roster. Everyone complained but NO ONE left. And if they got fired they fought like heck to get their job back. Go ahead and attack me for this but it is all true.

[post="232696"][/post]​

You are wrong, dead wrong!

I left for greener pastures and it wasn't hard to do.

The health insurance issues I am an expert in because of family circumstances.

U’s health insurance is absolutely terrible if one has medical problems in their family and must actually use and depend on U's pathetic insurance. They are self insured and it shows with extremely high co-pays and premiums.

I spend thousands of dollars just on co-pays so much so that taking a lower paying job I was still ahead because the health insurance was better!

Then there is the pension, ZERO.

What incentive would anyone have to stay and endure abuse from an ungrateful management only content on enforcing punitive policies that make working there a real living nightmare.

Its time has come and U's employees would be better off without U and the woes it creates on thousands of families.

I am amazed someone has yet to go postal somewhere in the system because it would not be unexpected given what employees are put through.

I feel sorry for you and your kind who no matter what defend the undefendable sorry excuse of a management team who is batting zero and does nothing except cause havoc on employees and their families.

God Help You because U's management team sure isn't going to.

Peace___Curt

 

[Baja4U]

You are wrong, dead wrong!

I left for greener pastures and it wasn't hard to do.

The health insurance issues I am an expert in because of family circumstances.

U’s health insurance is absolutely terrible if one has medical problems in their family and must actually use and depend on U's pathetic insurance. They are self insured and it shows with extremely high co-pays and premiums.

I spend thousands of dollars just on co-pays so much so that taking a lower paying job I was still ahead because the health insurance was better!

Then there is the pension, ZERO.

What incentive would anyone have to stay and endure abuse from an ungrateful management only content on enforcing punitive policies that make working there a real living nightmare. AWESOME post curt !!!!

Its time has come and U's employees would be better off without U and the woes it creates on thousands of families.

I am amazed someone has yet to go postal somewhere in the system because it would not be unexpected given what employees are put through.

I feel sorry for you and your kind who no matter what defend the undefendable sorry excuse of a management team who is batting zero and does nothing except cause havoc on employees and their families.

God Help You because U's management team sure isn't going to.

Peace___Curt

[post="232706"][/post]​