The whole Express operation just needs to be rethought. Put together a comprehensive plan to bring it all in house. You have PSA and Piedmont...two ways to go with it...but with the same end result - no more contract carriers.
Make PSA the all jet airline operating all the CRJs (move the Embraers to mainline and be done with it). Piedmont would be the all Dash 8 airline, operating -Q200s, -Q300s, and -Q400s.
The other option would be to operate both airlines in a mix jet/prop fleet and have PSA cover the western US and Piedmont the eastern. Then maybe evaluate getting back into the point-to-point markets throughout the East that US has left over the years that could be done with the RJs or Dash 8s.
Of course a project of this size would be too complicated for Tempe. I agree with what others have said, get Rakesh back. Of course he may not care to leave WorldSpan, but he was the last executive in the last 10 years or so that really want to run US. Better than Uncle Seth, the Big Bad Wolf, Austin-They're Coming to Kill Us-Powers, etc. Lakefield wasn't terrible, but he was a numbers and fundraiser. He was hired to raise the money to fund the merger and did just that. Wolf pissed Gangwal off so he left...no more Wolf, and heck Gangwal is flying the airline anyway I'm sure.
However about the only way things will change is if either the employees take control, or you find some investment banks back East willing to take control. Either way...which was better...the Crystal Palace or the Sand Castle? Granted there really isn't much difference, one just hasn't been set on fire and burned yet (sand to glass).
