Official: All on Cactus callsign effective 9/1/08

[vetrider]

Follow the black top cactus, ha ha ha ha ha. Can't wait to here that one.

 

[Fly-n-hi]

How anyone at AWA can say that they rightfully have more seniority than most USAir pilots just baffles me.

No one here said that we should have "more" seniority than you. What we said is that we shouldn't lose our seniority so your 50 year old FOs can get back into the left seat...at our expense.

I get the impression that you don't understand the difference between Longevity and Seniority so let me explain it to you. Longevity is how long you've been at your company. Seniority is your bidding position on the list of currently employed pilots. Seniority is completely independent of Longevity. The reward of Seniority is bidding power while the reward of Longevity is pay rates, vacation accrual, etc...

Let's look at a senario. If XYZ Airlines starts up and hires 1000 pilots today they will probably award seniority based on age (or the last 4 of your SSN). Now we have pilots #1-1000. Each on of those 1000 pilots has the same exact longevity but totally different seniority.

Now let's say that XYZ airlines doesn't hire again for 20 years. Then they hire 1000 more pilots. Now pilot #1000 is 1 number senior to pilot #1001...not 20 years senior. Pilot #1 has been there 5 years longer than both pilots #1001 and #2000. He is not 5 years senior to #2000. He is 1999 numbers senior.

Do you see how equating seniority to years of service doesn't make sense?

At US Airways, for example, your most junior pilot, at the time of the merger, had 18 years of longevity. His pay rate, vacation accrual, etc... reflected his longevity. He did not have 18 years of seniority. In fact, he had ZERO seniority. How could he have any seniority? He was at the bottom of the list. The fact that the bottom pilot may have once been a captain means absolutely nothing. He is the bottom pilot.

What we AWA pilots wanted, and what the NMB panel decided, was to integrate based on where you stood at the time the merger was announced. If you were at the top of one list you merged at the top of the new list. If you were in the middle you merged in at the middle. If you were at the bottom you merged in at the bottom. This is completely fair. (The #1 AWA pilot merged in 500 numbers down the list, BTW)


I'm glad I could clear this up for you. If there's anything else you need explained to you, like how babies are made, I'll be glad to let you know.


You may not like the fact that some of our 30 year old pilots had relatively more seniority than some of your 50 year old "veterans" but our 30 year old pilots shouldn't lose their seniority so that your junior FOs can relive the glory days of being in the left seat.

Here we go again. We never said it Nic said it. We tried to negotiate. You guys would not have it. So, now we have the Nic.

I don't know. I do know that the AAA guys would not budge on DOH.

 

[waveflyer]

hmm... let's summarize.
1-'cactus' came about b/c "america-west" kept getting confused w/ "american" who was in the game first- the FAA made em change it.
2-it should be changed to a brand new call-sign-- "heritage" "legacy" "drama-queen"- Not doing that proves my earlier point that dougie WANTS this fued.
3- longevity has never related to seniority. they are two completely different concepts- this merger highlights that fact.

 

[rajflyboy]

Our Gate Agents can't stand you.

I'm not an East guy. I have just observed this the last couple of years when I get stuck airlining through PHX. Never On Time. Never Friendly Service. I'm not impressed.

 

[cactusboy53]

I'm not an East guy. I have just observed this the last couple of years when I get stuck airlining through PHX. Never On Time. Never Friendly Service. I'm not impressed.

Dude;
You just haven't had the good luck to by on one of my flights. 98% on time or early!! Maybe it's the luck of the draw? AWA gate agents (save a couple sour grapes here & there) are the best (unless you come up to the counter w/ a pissy attitude).

Frankly, I don't know how CSR's & FA's keep a good disposition for all of the crap they periodically get. Easily the lowest paid & least appreciated professionals in this industry. Thank you all.

 

[Fly-n-hi]

I'm not an East guy. I have just observed this the last couple of years when I get stuck airlining through PHX. Never On Time. Never Friendly Service. I'm not impressed.

I never said you were an East guy.

 

[PositiveRate]

I'm glad I could clear this up for you. If there's anything else you need explained to you, like how babies are made, I'll be glad to let you know.

Nice!

Excellent recap, bytheway. Unfortunately, it's all just preaching to the choir at this point. A judge is going to finish this and no one's mind is going to change at this point.

Oh, and it's just a callsign...who the heck cares what it is. Sure it's nice that they're actually doing what they said they would, but the real argument was that it needed to be one, not two.

 

[rajflyboy]

Dude;
You just haven't had the good luck to by on one of my flights. 98% on time or early!! Maybe it's the luck of the draw? AWA gate agents (save a couple sour grapes here & there) are the best (unless you come up to the counter w/ a pissy attitude).

Frankly, I don't know how CSR's & FA's keep a good disposition for all of the crap they periodically get. Easily the lowest paid & least appreciated professionals in this industry. Thank you all.

I have been through there 6 or 7 times this year. It has been the same every time. Too busy in my opinion and don't even think about returning from an international flight back into PHX. You will be lucky to make your connection. Horrible setup for customs and rechecking your bag... walking outside the airport and then re entering at security.

 

[LearLove]

my 2 cents - FWIW I like the cactus callsign but think the mainline carrier should be the name of the company so I'd like to see US Air stay but lie others said in the grand skeem of things it really doesn't matter.

On a side note i have a trip that ends in PHL very late on 8/31 so I may be one of the last guys (on the east coast) to use the US Air callsign (possibly the last to arrive in phl under US Air.)

 

[regionaltard]

....If there's anything else you need explained....

You'd have more success teaching a dog to play chess. They don't get it because they believe that their willful ignorance will somehow benefit them in the long run.

 

[f15boomer]

Amen to that Boomer! I just lost my MC Riding buddy / Brother-in-Law in an "incident" on July 28th to a 30 year old 2x DUI w/ a suspended license. I have no doubt that Mike is in God's house at this very minute waiting for his family to join him sometime in the future, but it still doesn't take away the sting.

1. Tell your family members and friends what they mean to you and that you love them.
2. Send them a post card from the road from time to time as a reminder.
3. Take LOTS of pictures. The occasion that you are waiting for to do family pictures or pictures with friends may never come.
4. Have fun at work & w/ your co-workers (but not at their expense).
5. Repeat steps 1-4 often!!

Cactusboy53,

Thanks for the kind words. I with try to live by those 5 points. I to am sorry for your loss.

 

[WSurf]

my 2 cents - FWIW I like the cactus callsign but think the mainline carrier should be the name of the company so I'd like to see US Air stay but lie others said in the grand skeem of things it really doesn't matter.

On a side note i have a trip that ends in PHL very late on 8/31 so I may be one of the last guys (on the east coast) to use the US Air callsign (possibly the last to arrive in phl under US Air.)

I agree, Lets see here....

American Airlines-American
Continental=Continenetal
United = United
Delta=Delta
NorthWest=Northwest
JetBlue=JetBlue
SouthWest =Southwest


US Airways= Cactus??

Well there's AirTran= Citrus


My 2 cents worth, I just wish when these airlines merged they would have just created a whole new name for it. Then a bunch of the East/West stuff might not have been as bad as it is.

Lear, take a camera with a movie mode ability and tape the sound of the last US Airways Callsign in philly!

 

[becket]

I agree, Lets see here....

American Airlines-American
Continental=Continenetal
United = United
Delta=Delta
NorthWest=Northwest
JetBlue=JetBlue
SouthWest =Southwest


US Airways= Cactus??

Well there's AirTran= Citrus


My 2 cents worth, I just wish when these airlines merged they would have just created a whole new name for it. Then a bunch of the East/West stuff might not have been as bad as it is.

Lear, take a camera with a movie mode ability and tape the sound of the last US Airways Callsign in philly!

They had a new call sign ready to go. It was supposed to be "FLAG". Then, the braintrust over at USAPA pulled their thinly veiled "safety" B.S. in the form of USA Today.

Parker trumped the VP of flight ops and forced the "Cactus" call sign as a daily reminder of who exactly saved their azzes.

 

[captairbusbb]

They had a new call sign ready to go. It was supposed to be "FLAG". Then, the braintrust over at USAPA pulled their thinly veiled "safety" B.S. in the form of USA Today.

Parker trumped the VP of flight ops and forced the "Cactus" call sign as a daily reminder of who exactly saved their azzes.

Amen brother..........after the crew news video in CLT where the uscabians tried to intimidate dougie, and bular stepped on his crank, dougie probably said enough is enough. Call sign CACTUS.

From this point on, the uscabians need to be reminded that USAir(ways) is only a brand name. The new company is LCC. Your azzes were saved by our little regional in the sand box, but, nevertheless, USAir did not save AWA. Exact opposite. Read the SEC filings and 2007 annual report (page 38 I believe) and argue the facts with an arbitrator. Then don't like what you see and sue him/her.

Capt.

 

[GSXR600]

This post is really funny!! the more I read, the more I laugh!......here are bunch of professionals fighting over a call sign.......UNFU&^^%ING REAL.

Well why don't you guys make up a call sign that combines the two names?? (USLESS AIR/CACTUS)
Perhaps people here may have any ideas. anyone??
Ohhh no. What have I started?