Welcome to Flightinfo.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Friendliest aviation Ccmmunity on the web
  • Modern site for PC's, Phones, Tablets - no 3rd party apps required
  • Ask questions, help others, promote aviation
  • Share the passion for aviation
  • Invite everyone to Flightinfo.com and let's have fun

Down in Flames

Welcome to Flightinfo.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Modern secure site, no 3rd party apps required
  • Invite your friends
  • Share the passion of aviation
  • Friendliest aviation community on the web
Hey, Glenn just joined the board.

Hi Glenn, great work you're doing.
Can I have a job? I have no integrity, so I'll fit in.
 
skykid said:
I am convinced there are very few who could have gotten the company in the position they are at today.

Yes, it is a very inviable situation indeed. He11, I could have done that, but they saw my resume and thought I was overqualified. They also resented the fact that I think liquidating the retirement plans is fine as long as management loses theirs as well.

Again, if we flew airplanes the way they ran a company, there would be alot of smoking holes in the ground out there.
 
Yes, it is a very inviable situation indeed. He11, I could have done that, but they saw my resume and thought I was overqualified. They also resented the fact that I think liquidating the retirement plans is fine as long as management loses theirs as well.

blzr, Maybe you can reread my post and show me where I said it is an enviable (not inviable) situation. I'm talking about the CEO job starting with the mess he got in 2002 and the situation now, after the war, SARs, oil prices, no loan guarantee, and multiple negotiations with all United's unions.

Since you could have done the job so easily and also keep the defined benefit retirements, perhaps you can go ahead and post how you would line up exit financing and keep those pensions. I would like to see that. The potential providers of that exit financing have made it clear that U, United, and the other legacy carriers headed for bankruptcy aren't coming out with defined benefit retirement plans. You can look at the numbers along with the retirement plans of airlines doing well today, and see why very quickly.

Management at United did lose their pensions (more accurately - had them turned over to the PBGC which means a fraction of what they had). That is a fact. Tilton would not leave his former job without getting his ChevronTexaco retirement equivalent provided up front at United. That is also a fact. You can make judgements on his negotiating skills in getting his compensation package if you want. I would hope in a similar situation I would negotiate the best possible deal for myself as well. When management pensions went, his was not included, because he doesn't have a United pension. That was the cost to get him. In order to decide if this is worth it, you would have to be capable of looking at the situation objectively, which I will continue to do on a regular basis.
 
Last edited:
YOU are looking at this objectively? Are you freaking kidding me?

QUOTE:
"Your're right, he could have given everybody a raise and still be sucsessful with exit financing."

He robbed your company! I guess if you are a blind UAL employee, you'd think he was doing a good job. If you're the rest of us, you'd see the COMPLETE lack of integrity, ethics, character and leadership this man has shown. You'd see the damage he has done to not only the rest of the industry but to the rest of the country as well as a result of these shortcomings.

You apparently do not know what "lack of integrity" means, judging from your responses to the posts above. Understand that his degree of sharing in the suffering that resulted from his decisions is exactly ZERO. He robbed everyone else, all of you, and laughs quietly all the way to the bank. This behavior does not show integrity.

QUOTE:
"The potential providers of that exit financing have made it clear that U, United, and the other legacy carriers headed for bankruptcy aren't coming out with defined benefit retirement plans."

And to top it off, you blame the "providers" of the potential exit financing for eliminating the pensions? You mean they have all come together and collectively decided that NO LEGACY CARRIER IN THE US WILL EMERGE FROM BANKRUPTCY WITH A DEFINED BENEFIT PLAN? That's rich, and delusional. I don't doubt it is the future of our industry, but don't try to tell me it was a banker who decided it for United AND will now impose it on ALL other companies trying to reorganize.

QUOTE:
"I would hope in a similar situation I would negotiate the best possible deal for myself as well."

To the expense of everyone else, you'd demand a fortune to ensure your own financial well-being, then ruin hundreds of thousands of jobs (industry-wide) to "save" 90,000? That tells us everything we need to know about your character.

Any unethical hack could have come in and done what he did. It does NOT take a special person to first completely insulate himself from the ramifications of his actions then wage a war on labor that will reverberate for decades and affect hundreds of thousands of people before the dust settles. Tilton has changed business ethics forever, and I don't think that is anything to be proud of.
 
skykid said:
I bet you're wrong. United spent a lot of money to get Tilton away from ChevronTexaco, and we could argue all day it was worth it or not. I am convinced there are very few who could have gotten the company in the position they are at today. The board went after Tilton specifically for his past experience in successful dealings with unionized labor, and whether you like it or not he did what no one thought was possible in respect to the many unions at United. I wish Tilton would work for free, that is not the reality of the situation.

OMG, I wish we were in the same room right now.
 
He robbed your company! I guess if you are a blind UAL employee, you'd think he was doing a good job. If you're the rest of us, you'd see the COMPLETE lack of integrity, ethics, character and leadership this man has shown. You'd see the damage he has done to not only the rest of the industry but to the rest of the country as well as a result of these shortcomings.




Duke, I'm guessing you are a Frontier pilot. Good for you if you are. It is a little tiresome for LCC pilots to get upset when the legacy carriers are forced to slim down to compete. I believe I have the big picture on what is happening in this industry and don't blame anyone. For you to point at United for damaging the industry, coming from my perspective, is a joke. However I'm able to step back and see the inevitable changes in the industry. All you see is what is good for you. As far as robbing the company, that is not the case. The guy was making a mint in another job, he negotiated his compensation in advance, and the United board thought it was worth it to bring him on. We'll see. Maybe you could give some specifics on the lack of integrity, ethics, character and leadership and I could respond in kind. I suppose you are talking about "robbing" the pensions. I don't think you have to be super sharp to see United can't compete with Frontier, Southwest, Jetblue, and Airtran and keep pensions. It would have worked, briefly in my opinion, with a loan guarantee, but not at all possible with conventional exit financing.

And to top it off, you blame the "providers" of the potential exit financing for eliminating the pensions?

No I don't blame bankers for eliminating pensions. If you were considering financing any legacy carrier out of Ch11, you would be a fool to provide the money for them to cover their pension shorfalls. Before that, you'd get fired. Here's the extra cash to cover your pensions, our study shows Frontier, Southwest, Jetblue, and Airtran will soon have defined benefit plans too so you will be able to compete. I don't blame the "providers" or anybody, but I can see the reality of the situation.

To the expense of everyone else, you'd demand a fortune to ensure your own financial well-being, then ruin hundreds of thousands of jobs (industry-wide) to "save" 90,000? That tells us everything we need to know about your character.

You obviously don't know anything about my character. No I would not leave my present job (I'm not talking about United, I've got a few jobs) without having a better deal, with the exception of going back on active duty full time if needed. You wouldn't either. Its business! You think Tilton should have said "Yes, I'll save United and do it for free." No, he negotiated a package good enough to make him leave. You and a few others are hung up on the "evil mgt" bit. Ruining thousands of jobs industry wide!?! Please, drop the blame game, because if you were capable of looking at the big picture, you might change your mind.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for jumping in Duke. Couldn't have said it better myself. Skykiddo is drinking some serious lav juice.

Oh, here's an idea. If we want to save our company, lets get rid of all our pention obligations. That's just criminal. How about go back to every bean counter and CEO that United has had in the past 8 years and take back 50% of all their earnings. That would be better than taking the hard earned retirement money oout of the hands of those that EARNED it. Those people that make the decisions at the top should have seen this thing coming, in the same way you see a TS on the radar and take action before you are actually in the darn thing. The fact that they didn't is one of two things, ignorance or apathy. Which is it?
 

Latest resources

Back
Top