Who's Your Daddy?

[wings396]

????????????????

Sorry if that confuses you, I guess that you forgot how many times everyone had US written off for dead during these times. How many said that US wouldn't survive thru the winter, then we were going to run our cash on hand too low for the creditors and so on. I will say it again, US was in much more of a dire situation for the last few years than most of the other airlines. I'm not saying that Parker is the best CEO, but he has a way of raising cash when US needs it. For some reason he can work magic with creditors and investors when he needs to. He got them on his side when HP/US got together, and he had the funding lined up when he tried to merge with DL. The folks over at UA hated Tinton, Anderson pulled a lot of crap when he was with NW, although the DL folks seem to have forgotten about it. Bethune left a good ship in order when he handed it over to Jeff at CO. When you take a look at it, there are VERY FEW good airline CEO's out there today. There are exceptions such as WN, but for the most part they are all bean counters.

 

[Glucose Intolerant]

Sorry if that confuses you, I guess that you forgot how many times everyone had US written off for dead during these times. I'm not saying that Parker is the best CEO, but he has a way of raising cash when US needs it. For some reason he can work magic with creditors and investors when he needs to. He got them on his side when HP/US got together, and he had the funding lined up when he tried to merge with DL. When you take a look at it, there are VERY FEW good airline CEO's out there today. There are exceptions such as WN, but for the most part they are all bean counters.

Bruce Lakefield lined up the stars and funding for this so called merger......
The Delta merger was a pipe dream and and nothing more.....well maybe a delusional ego trip and subsequent press release.

I guess we have the honor of having the FRIJOLE GRANDE as CEO.

 

[wings396]

Bruce Lakefield lined up the stars and funding for this so called merger......
The Delta merger was a pipe dream and and nothing more.....well maybe a delusional ego trip and subsequent press release.

I guess we have the honor of having the FRIJOLE GRANDE as CEO.

He may have lined it up, but Parker was the one that raised the cash given that HP purchased US. As far as the DL deal, pipe dream or not Parker had the funding behind him to do the deal.

 

[Art at ISP]

Actually it was more Lakefield than Parker. And it was a MERGER, it was not an acquisition. HP was in as precarious financial shape as US was at the time.

Parker is a money man, plain and simple. He and Scott look at employees AND customers as liabilities, not assets worth investment.
As long as that smug arrogant attitude remains, the long term survival of US as a "legacy" carrier is in serious jeopardy.

If they were to wake up and realize they NEED customers and employees to survive, then maybe they will make the appropriate investments in both and have a chance.

 

[hp_fa]

HP was in as precarious financial shape as US was at the time.

I dispute that. HP was hiring, increasing aircraft and running pretty well.

 

[Travelpro72]

Ok fine. I am willing to accept the fact that HP bought US for the simple fact of my contract section 30-11. I'm looking forward to my snapback raise to 2002 levels. HP all the way baby. Show me the money. Face it....HP couldn't buy trash bags let along a BK airline. Lord have mercy it never dies. It's like dropping in on the pilot thread.

 

[VAflyGal]

Ok fine. I am willing to accept the fact that HP bought US for the simple fact of my contract section 30-11. I'm looking forward to my snapback raise to 2002 levels. HP all the way baby. Show me the money. Face it....HP couldn't buy trash bags let along a BK airline. Lord have mercy it never dies. It's like dropping in on the pilot thread.

Amen.
Let it go already. It only furthers the gap.
Please.

 

[luvthe9]

I dispute that. HP was hiring, increasing aircraft and running pretty well.

Maybe "Project Zanzibar" will help you remember!!!!

 

[Pi brat]

Actually it was more Lakefield than Parker. And it was a MERGER, it was not an acquisition. HP was in as precarious financial shape as US was at the time.

Parker is a money man, plain and simple. He and Scott look at employees AND customers as liabilities, not assets worth investment.
As long as that smug arrogant attitude remains, the long term survival of US as a "legacy" carrier is in serious jeopardy.

If they were to wake up and realize they NEED customers and employees to survive, then maybe they will make the appropriate investments in both and have a chance.

Hey Art,

Good to hear from you, we miss a lot of your type of customer over here. I won't get into the who bought,saved, destroyed who mess as I strayed from the pilots thread recently and got justifiably spanked, but one of the things I think our current management did was to not take good enough care of customers like you.

Take care.

 

[galley princess]

United is not a pleasant place in itself. If Continental comes in and lavishes all of their lovely salaries and benefits upon them, well, yeah, they'll cheer up. But how much? Those are some unhappy employees.

FWIW,

Just a guest on here and a UA employee/pilot at that but I thought I'd set a couple things straight. First, I understand that many at US are upset and frustrated by the recent events. But don't let that cloud your thinking.

Obviously I don't speak for all UA employees so I'll let those that see things differently post their replies if they care to. I've been a UA pilot for a bit over 19 years. In that time I've seen spirits rise and fall and rise again with the developments in the industry post-9/11. While certainly there are those here at UA who are upset with their personal circumstances, in my travels and days on the job I can honestly say it's a much better place than you just characterized. You're not here so you'll never really know.

Let's admit it, we're all partial to "our brand". Whether it be our sports team, school, city, state, etc. In this regard those of us at an airline are no different. Just like in a family, we know all too well both our good and bad points. Same applies here. We'll all see in the months and years to come how well this merger with CAL goes.

For one, I'm very optimistic that it'll be just fine. Most I've flown with over the past few years are very much pumped about such a merger and look forward to making this the best we possibly can with our new fellow employees from CAL.

I wish US and their employees well and the very best in the future. I'm certain that with many of the great people and attitudes they have that you'll have a bright future.


Cheers,
Z B)

Zman, you only quoted part of my post. My position is not to denigrate UA. I simply recognize that UA, like US was put through the ringer after 9/11 and relations between labor and company at both companies is at an all time low. Both companies are holding tenaciously to Bankruptcy contracts squeezing every last penny from coerced by bankruptcy workers. To join the two together would have just meant more misery for all labor on both sides.

Throw in our intractable pilot situation, which indirectly originated with a UA end run to protect their seniority in the event of a merger back in 2000, by changing ALPA bylaws, and the whole thing would have been ugly. Falls under the heading of "Two wrongs don't make a right".

You're cheerful? Uh, yeah, guess so. CAL has a history of treating its employees WELL. I'd be hopeful too if we'd merge with them. I would not have been hopeful in the event of a merge with UA. So I guess I agree, you got the pretty girl, but let's hope she prevails, because I am not of the opinion that UA was the "pretty boy" any more than US is a "pretty girl".

I wish you the best. I am glad for you. I'm glad for me too!

 

[hp_fa]

Maybe "Project Zanzibar" will help you remember!!!!

Project Zanzibar was not being discussed, at least openly, in May, 2005. As I recall it was 5-6 months later when it first was mentioned. So the return question would be what was the status of US in May, 2005? I guarantee that HP was in better shape at that point.

 

[Art at ISP]

Hey Art,

Good to hear from you, we miss a lot of your type of customer over here. I won't get into the who bought,saved, destroyed who mess as I strayed from the pilots thread recently and got justifiably spanked, but one of the things I think our current management did was to not take good enough care of customers like you.

Take care.

Pi Brat,

Thank you for your kind words and greeting. I certainly miss the fine people at US Airways too. I was in CLT a couple of weeks ago and got to visit with a couple of my friends in the Club--made me homesick to tell you the truth.

It's sad that I had to leave, but management at US left me no choice--and it has been almost three years to the day since I last set foot on a US aircraft. I honestly tried so very hard to help them see the light, to no avail. Once I was lied to by one or more executives at US with regard to specific customer advocacy issues, I made a conscious choice that they did not deserve my business, and spoke with my wallet, as have hundreds of other high yield flyers with whom I have personally spoken and assisted.

Since then I have flown hundreds of thousands of miles with other carriers, who DO get loyalty and reward it, in addition to offering product and service which exceeds US in just about every way. I am SO sorry that they have done what they did to my former favorite airline. I have spent almost $150K in airline tickets since my last US flight, and NOT ONE PENNY went to Parker and Co...and to those of you who still care at US, I am so sorry I can't support you.

I still have friends in Tempe, and I am always open to dialog, but I fear the arrogance and the "not invented here" syndrome is so pervasive they will never listen to me despite all the cold hard proof we have offered. And if they think decisions like charging Preferred Members for "Choice Seats" is not going to come back to roost they are VERY mistaken, but that's a discussion for another day.

I hope SOMEONE in the Sand Castle sees the light before it's too late......as you said, there are fewer and fewer flyers like me at US every month.....

Fly safe and thanks again for your kind words.

 

[VAflyGal]

Project Zanzibar was not being discussed, at least openly, in May, 2005. As I recall it was 5-6 months later when it first was mentioned. So the return question would be what was the status of US in May, 2005? I guarantee that HP was in better shape at that point.

Who cares?! Who who who who who who who yes I sound like an owl, cares?!?!

My airline was better than yourssss!

NO! MY airline was better than yours!!!

Nuhhhhh uhhhhh!

Yeahhhh huhhhh!

*and on, and on, and on, and on, and 5 years later we have grown men acting like babies with the mire and vitriol rather than unity*

 

[SparrowHawk]

God Lord,

Here we are 4 plus years later, no pilots contract, customer satisfaction numbers improving but in the tiolet and we're STILL arguing who bought whom and who was closer to closing it's doors?

The whole argument is like debating which person is "LESS DEAD"! the one who got shot or the one who got stabbed? Really folks does it matter?

Even ]If we all agree will:

SHARES instantly perform better?
Will the web page have less hiccups?
Will the Pilots magically agree to a seniority list?
Will Glassware actually return to first?
Will the closets come back?


It's like coming home and finding the tiolet clogged and Tud Tuds and Cloppy all over and your 2 kids are arguing over who cloged the tiolet. Bottom line is Mom and Dad get to clean it up and the kids keep arguing while the whole thing stinks up the place.

 

[Richard]

There will be NO more arguing about who bought whom.

Next post perpetuating the argument gets 7 days off and the thread closed.