FLYLOW22
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jun 3, 2004
- Posts
- 2,382
Excellent post Bender.
I had a dog in this fight. I am 1999 US hire. I am sure that the resignation will occur soon enough and I am glad that I did not spend the last 5+ years waiting on Mother U. My mass pax flying career seems to have run it's course... and that's fine. In the course of 2 days I have run the gambit of emotions from shock to anger to frustration to shock to shock again and finally resignation (literally).
I must say that I am dissapointed but the process has concluded. I lost. I lost big time. I wish the AWA pilots the best with the trick bag they have been handed. I do also wish that they could be a bit more understanding to the US pilots (thousands) who just got flushed. This was a big deal four us, for everyone. There is no honor in gloating and making accusations and repeating what Nicolau has already written. We know his opinion all too well. Restating it is arrogant and belittling. As the email I recieved from a "friend" stated: "AWA Pilots have won!!!!"... on the surface it seems. More is sure to be on the way, ramifications that have yet to surface and that are, even now, taking form out east. I can feel it.
My particular experience with this annoucement was particularly poinient and real.
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I flew a trip into PHX with my company. I had not been to PHX for probably 2+ years (we go to SDL mostly) and it was "strange" to see all of the "US Airways" planes flying around doing "airline stuff". This was Cactus country last time I was here. Putting the plane to bed for the night, I recieved an email on my Q from a pilot that I haven't spoken too since the U/UAL merger attempt who now works for AWA. Some friend. He said he wasn't sticking around US anyway because their wasn't enough widebody flying opportunities. Another SJS victim. Can't help em all...
The email was titled "AWA Pilots WIN!!!!!!!!!!". I think I got the correct amount of exclamation points. Anyway, my heart sank a bit and I sought out the nearest computer to look at the details on a large screen. I was sitting next to one of our F/Os (seated at another computer) who had left Delta early to come work for us (age 55 or so). Particularly symbolic. We enjoyed some small talk about the situation while I read the Nicolau award summary. He shook his head in disbelief and I hung mine a bit low too when I found my name about 10% from the bottom of the seniority list. I saw the O'Dell/Collelo situation.
I felt like I was in an emotional funk. I felt like my grandma died. How could the integration go so poorly for US pilots? Answer: It didn't matter. Any "why" question that I could ask at this point was irrelivant. I had to suck it up, finish out the post flight duties and get back to working with a pilot I was paired up with last week who was brand spanking new to the company and full of questions. But how could this have happened? It didn't matter.
I'm walking out to the plane, it's night and a Tuxedo Blue US Airways A320 is taking off of 25R. It's an East plane. I watch it climb, engine roaring for the heavans. I've flown that one most likely. Never again. My eyes leave the A320 and focus on the ramp towards the plane I'm walking to; my NJA Citation. At that moment the realization became concrete that my mass pax 121 career was over at US Airways and perhaps forever. I had 99% come to that realization some time ago but that last 1% is a beotch!
I looked around again at the PHX airport. This was not the PHX I remembered. US Airways was everywhere. They've been busy little bees painting these planes.
The next day I spend 9 hours in the PHX airport. I was booked on a flight from PHX to STL on... US Airways. Outside security I spotted a US East crew. They were huddled around a table in the food court looking at a laptop (most likely with the seniority list displayed). 3 pilots were present and every one of them looked like someone shot their mother. I ate my burrito and went through security.
As I walked to the gate I couldn't help but notice that every AWA pilot seemed to be walking on air. Smiles all around, all going out of their way to say "Hello" to a pilot in a strange uniform (me). I nodded back at each and just watched for hours as several met up in front of CPKs and Starbucks to talk about the inegration. I overheard many conversations... I walked up to several AWA pilots seated and ask "How'd I do?". After a moment of shock at my question (I wasn't in a U or AWA uniform) I explained. Most were quite polite and downright cheerful. Watching them undress the seniority list with their eyes was like looking at a chesire cat that had just eaten a mouse with the tail hanging out of it's teeth. They were happy.
I got bumped from my flight due to an oversold situation. Oh well. I'll take the monetary credit and wait for the next.
I ran into one pilot who was in my newhire class at U in 1999. I hadn't seen him in 6 years probably. He was a Westie now and damn proud of it. I heard all of the comments being made on this board as justification as to why the list ended up the way it did until I simply said, "I'm not coming back." Then the conversation just turned to small talk and times gone by.
I flew home and got in late. The crew was really proud of the "new us airways" on the PA.
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What's my point? I don't have one. I'm not interested in any counterpoints to what I have written here. It is my experience. It is my viewpoint. West HAS indeed won. I'm not yet sure, however, exactly WHAT West has won though.
From my perspective, I was the 2nd youngest pilot hired at US in 1999. I was going to be a 737 Captain 2 years ago (according to attrition), fly int'l as a Captain the last 11 years of my acareer and be #1 on the list for the last 3 years. Obviously that didn't happen but those WERE my career expectations (I know that's a favorite term right now). If I came back now, I would NEVER be a Captain period.
Regardless of any of the above. There are many emotions flowing right now... All of them actually. All I ask is simply be grateful for what has been given to gou (West pilots), understand outrageous comments made by East pilots as venting and part of the normal human process of trying to cope with stress. Please exercise some restraint and just let them vent. It is the "bigger" thing to do.
The future? Douggie has made his bed. The arbitrator has handed him a HUGE Xmas present in the form of disunity and pilot discord. There is MUCH more to come. There always is. A West pilot told me yesterday that we need to "get this behind us and concentrate on the single contract now!". I guess that is easy to say at #1,700 on a list of 6,520.
"The definition of a good merger is one in which BOTH sides get equally screwed." This was NOT a good merger.
Good luck to all. The economics of the airline remain the same regardless of the list... and so do the challenges. Actually, a new challenge has just been plopped in all of your collective laps; how do we survive by working together when so much bitterness now exists?
