USAirways Info

[m80drvr]

It's not that bad here at USAIR. This message board is full of a bunch of hype. The people that are "miserable" in this profession are the people that do not have a life outside of their career.

Just like anywhere else... you show up, fly your trip, and go home. I do not beleive that life is somehow sooooooo great and soooo much better and soooo wonderful over at some other major.

There is RAPID advancement here, thanks to all the retirements. The crews are great too.

Things will get sorted out here one way or another.

Rapid advancement, thats a laugh! If you are a new hire PRAY that you do not get placed on the west side. All of the reserves are in in their 4th year or starting it soon. The west has not hired in 3 years. Word on the street is that LAS is going the lose about 25% of its flying in the Jan bid and from what I understand the flying is just going away, not moving to PHX.

The west guys are really enjoying their windfall.

 

[weasel_lips]

Rapid advancement, thats a laugh! If you are a new hire PRAY that you do not get placed on the west side. All of the reserves are in in their 4th year or starting it soon. The west has not hired in 3 years. Word on the street is that LAS is going the lose about 25% of its flying in the Jan bid and from what I understand the flying is just going away, not moving to PHX.

The west guys are really enjoying their windfall.

Good thing enough revenue is being generated on the east to keep you employed out there.

 

[JetMonkey]

Good thing for you guys you found a sucker to hookup with to keep you people alive. You SHOULD be paying us.

 

[The Rookie]

It's not that bad here at USAIR. This message board is full of a bunch of hype. The people that are "miserable" in this profession are the people that do not have a life outside of their career.

Just like anywhere else... you show up, fly your trip, and go home. I do not beleive that life is somehow sooooooo great and soooo much better and soooo wonderful over at some other major.

There is RAPID advancement here, thanks to all the retirements. The crews are great too.

Things will get sorted out here one way or another.

Some of the venom spewed on this board and others does not represent my thoughts nor the opinions of the majority of the pilots I know and fly with on the west. I can't speak for the East pilots, but I assume a lot of their grief has come from a career that hasn't gone as planned or hoped for.

You can prepare for the worst, but you cannot worry about things that simply are not in your control. A Joint Contract and USAPA will come down to a vote. If the East pilots collectively decide to attempt to implode the airline, I'm prepared. Every West pilot should be.

My opinion is that this place is a high risk/high reward airline job. In this day and age not one single airline is immune from a recession, merger, or bankruptcy.

On a side note, on reserve this year I've only flown 327 hours, yet was paid for 847 with 12-13 days off a month. It should be better, but it certainly could be much worse.

 

[m80drvr]

Good thing enough revenue is being generated on the east to keep you employed out there.

Riiiiiiiiiight, Be happy AWA gave you a place to be recalled to.

How quickly the east folks forget that the east coast is the first to feel a recession and it lasts the longest. Please mr. lips, let me know how may years AAA has made a profit in the last 20 years, prior to AWA's buy out.

 

[waveflyer]

i agree-- the reason a lot of east guys are so unhappy is b/c of the lack of advancement over time-- which is something, whether they like it or not, our career does not guarantee.

But to be hired now-- seems like a good idea-- THINK about it- most pilots who've had a tough go of it are people hired on the back end of a hiring wave.... Due to retirements and a/c orders being new there i'd think would be good thing if you can wait out the next 5 years.

My theory- AAA was in trouble... AWA used to be.. neither of those airlines are going anywhere b/c Philly and Phoenix have way too much $$capital$$ and pull in their business communities... Both cities need and love the fact they have hubs in their towns... Why do you think Philly survived over PIT?

ramblings from an outsider-- i do wish you all the best-- both sides deserve to get over the pride of this award.

 

[weasel_lips]

Riiiiiiiiiight, Be happy AWA gave you a place to be recalled to.

How quickly the east folks forget that the east coast is the first to feel a recession and it lasts the longest. Please mr. lips, let me know how may years AAA has made a profit in the last 20 years, prior to AWA's buy out.

Who is really saving who here?

It starting to look more and more like the east is saving the west.

On the other hand, who really cares? What difference does it make? So what? Big deal?

Hey, it is the holiday season. Thank God for what you have and spend some quality time with your family.

 

[reepicheep]

Since 1990 and prior to the merger the east lost $5 Billion and 2 out of 3 years saw losses.

But don't confuse 'em with the truth.

 

[reepicheep]

neither of those airlines are going anywhere b/c Philly and Phoenix have way too much $$capital$$ and pull in their business communities... Both cities need and love the fact they have hubs in their towns...

The data show that PHX has significantly more O & D traffic than PHL but the yields are much higher in PHL. The problem historically for AAA has been you have an entire legacy carrier basically dedicated to a shrinking number of these high-yield markets in one small corner of the USA. You have such high costs that you can't compete anywhere else. Including, now, perhaps PHX. AWA always had costs very near SWA but AWA is history and you're left with an airline where your costs are 30-40% higher than SWA. Historically that has meant only one thing.

And, I would take no comfort from the fact that HDQ and senior management happen to be from the west side. The west side is headed for deep trouble.

 

[n757st]

The data show that PHX has significantly more O & D traffic than PHL but the yields are much higher in PHL. The problem historically for AAA has been you have an entire legacy carrier basically dedicated to a shrinking number of these high-yield markets in one small corner of the USA. You have such high costs that you can't compete anywhere else. Including, now, perhaps PHX. AWA always had costs very near SWA but AWA is history and you're left with an airline where your costs are 30-40% higher than SWA. Historically that has meant only one thing.

And, I would take no comfort from the fact that HDQ and senior management happen to be from the west side. The west side is headed for deep trouble.

The merger doesn't necessarily mean that most of AWA's former routes all of a sudden went up 30-40% in cost. If I was a betting man I would say that the AWA native routes are about the same CASM as they were prior to the merger, they are just being skewed by the integrated data of the east operations. Although the east used to develope most of its revenue from short haul buisness east coast routes, most of their revenue is now being made through international operations, which is not a shrinking market, but rather an expanding one. One thing I see that happened from this merger was that there was synergy, which rarely happens in an airline merger, or any merger for that matter. Without the feed that the West provides to east coast operations US Airways would likely not have made nearly the money it has in the last couple years, and vise versa the West would not have had access to highly lucrative east coast and trans Atlantic operations. And this is said as an outsider, with the utmost respect for both pilot groups, but neither one of the two companies would be in very good financial shape without the other. US Airways and AWA would not have made a collective 177 million dollars without each other. Anywho, I will put on my flame suit... still waiting for a call here too.

 

[Captzaahlie]

Does anyone know if interviews have been held yet?

I'm actually interviewing there tomorrow...
(via the wholly owned preferential interview deal)
Other guys i know have interviewed recently and have received offers. Hoping to not break the trend.....

 

[Guppiedriver]

It's amazing how fast that turns into, "What in Blue Fuq was I thinking?!?!?!" Choose wisely sir.

This, coming from a Nut Jets guy....definitely funny.

Question:

Why are you on the majors board so often?

 

[weasel_lips]

I'm actually interviewing there tomorrow...
(via the wholly owned preferential interview deal)
Other guys i know have interviewed recently and have received offers. Hoping to not break the trend.....

Good luck!

Hey, you should be in bed then!

If you get the job, I think you will find it is actually not a bad gig despite all the negative comments on here.

 

[Boeing747Driver]

I'm actually interviewing there tomorrow...
(via the wholly owned preferential interview deal)
Other guys i know have interviewed recently and have received offers. Hoping to not break the trend.....

Good Luck.

 

[FLYLOW22]

This, coming from a Nut Jets guy....definitely funny.

Question:

Why are you on the majors board so often?

Am I not welcomed here? Especially with my 121 background and past ties to US Airways (east)?

I didn't get those A320 and B737 types at NetJets friend.

Also, what seems funny about seeing an airline career go down in flames? The best way to describe a "career" at US Airways these days is like a game of Chicken or Russian Roullette (sp?).

Thousands are saying, "What IF industry consolodation doesn't happen?". It's happened and there's more coming; lot's more.

Compare consolodation to folding a piece of paper 7 times. Those last 2 folds are tough. What happened to US Airways is just a taste of more to come. ALPA was "ubber-unready" for the seniority issue at the National level and won't touch the issue now. Who loses? ALPA members... all of them.

It's just sad really... should be so much better for the amount of effort and sacrifice that a pilot puts in to get to "the show".

Also, it's amazing to see all the applicants clamoring to get in for a 3rd showing of the same sad story that seems to repeat itself at US Airways every 10 years titled: "We're hiring!!! You're furloughed."

Pilots have such short memories.