Question for US Air and AWA Pilots

[PHXFLYR]

Yeah, I saw that,unbelievable a express carrier saved the day supposedly. I realize there is a lot BS floating around and a filter is definitely needed. The bottom line is both groups will be better of in the long run because of this merger. Let the arbitrator's do their jobs and just move on from there.

No "supposedly" here,Bubba. It's the real deal ,mentioned by Parker at The Mar 29 Brown Bag Lunch. My jaw dropped when he said it and I don't even work there. If there is anybody who saved U's "bacon" its Air Wisconsin!

PHXFLYR

 

[TWA Dude]

For AWA guys - How many guys on your list were hired from July 2004 until you stopped hiring?

We hired 128 pilots after July '04. (12 were hired during July).

To all:
Why must pilots gloat "We saved you?" We're pilots, not management. No pilots at AWA or USAirways saved anybody's job. Some pilots just think the world revolves around them.

 

[PHXFLYR]

U's system and assets saved your long term bacon. Pilot's definitely are not long range strategic business practitioners. That's for sure. This discussion is starting to resemble a dog chasing his tail,never really accomplishing anything. Good night.

Really? The North Atlantic system out of PHL is pretty weak compared to Continental's EWR system or Delta's JFK system. You have AirTran giving the budget conscious travler in the Southeastern U.S a low fare alternative to the expensive (until recently) air fares out of your CLT hub; Jet Blue is giving you a run for your money between the Northeast Corridor and Florida markets,but thats OK because nobody has made money in those markets in years. And lastly Southwest pushed you guys out of Baltimore and are starting to invade your turf at PHL and PIT. The point I'm trying to make here is that the "assets" you claim that will "save our long term bacon" are pretty tarnished at best and will need quite a bit of attention before they ever realize their full potenetial. The jury is still out as to whether this can be accomplished sucessfully or not.


PHXFLYR

 

[BeCareful!]

Well, at least the North Atlantic system out of PHL is profitable. It's also exactly 100% stronger than the North Atlantic system AWA had in place.

Of course, you guys can probably find a way to argue that one, too!

 

[Bubba Dog]

Really? The North Atlantic system out of PHL is pretty weak compared to Continental's EWR system or Delta's JFK system. You have AirTran giving the budget conscious travler in the Southeastern U.S a low fare alternative to the expensive (until recently) air fares out of your CLT hub; Jet Blue is giving you a run for your money between the Northeast Corridor and Florida markets,but thats OK because nobody has made money in those markets in years. And lastly Southwest pushed you guys out of Baltimore and are starting to invade your turf at PHL and PIT. The point I'm trying to make here is that the "assets" you claim that will "save our long term bacon" are pretty tarnished at best and will need quite a bit of attention before they ever realize their full potenetial. The jury is still out as to whether this can be accomplished sucessfully or not.


PHXFLYR

Time will tell if it was the right thing to do or not.

Airtran has very little benefit with the business traveler,they are almost all leisure with not much incentives,ie FFM,allainces,etc and the list goes on and on.Delta is getting ready to take the fight to them.

U's international is better than what AW had which was almost nothing and PHL has great international presence/ potential.

The FL market is something that will probably never be extremely profitable no matter what because of all the competition. FL is a necessity for FFM and service destinations.

Without U's assets it would be a very steep uphill time constrained process that AW may have pulled off without U. Don't forget the votes on Wallstreet are very pro for the combination,that should say loads of the combination.

As to SW, to many hubs in the BWI area with DCA,Dulles(Metrojet),and PHL,something had to give. SW will have their own high cost problems soon as evidenced by managements concern with labor rates and fuel hedges running out.

AW has a fantastic mgt team that should bode well for the entire operation.

 

[PHXFLYR]

Time will tell if it was the right thing to do or not.

Airtran has very little benefit with the business traveler,they are almost all leisure with not much incentives,ie FFM,allainces,etc and the list goes on and on.Delta is getting ready to take the fight to them.

U's international is better than what AW had which was almost nothing and PHL has great international presence/ potential.

The FL market is something that will probably never be extremely profitable no matter what because of all the competition. FL is a necessity for FFM and service destinations.

Without U's assets it would be a very steep uphill time constrained process that AW may have pulled off without U. Don't forget the votes on Wallstreet are very pro for the combination,that should say loads of the combination.

As to SW, to many hubs in the BWI area with DCA,Dulles(Metrojet),and PHL,something had to give. SW will have their own high cost problems soon as evidenced by managements concern with labor rates and fuel hedges running out.

AW has a fantastic mgt team that should bode well for the entire operation.

I suppose....but sometimes I wonder if they bit off more than they can chew.
PHXFLYR

 

[PHXFLYR]

Well, at least the North Atlantic system out of PHL is profitable. It's also exactly 100% stronger than the North Atlantic system AWA had in place.

Of course, you guys can probably find a way to argue that one, too!

And why would a small LCC with hubs in PHX and LAS have a North Atlantic system in the first place...???? Another "marketing genius" heard from.....


PHXFLYR

 

[Itsallsogood]

Becarefull I see you are a CRJ200/700 guy. Care to tell me how you screwing the original PSA'ers for your own benefit helps the company. And didn't 100% of the old USAirways fly the North Atlantic when they went bankrupt, twice?

 

[abefly]

O this is just plain stupid. I know the U mec has tried to pull some capers in the past but not this. First, 220 of the MDA guys were "normal APL" guys so they were already on the APL list when they went to MDA. Then that leaves about 100 MDA positions that were filled with guys like me from PDT and ALG. Of thoes 100 only about 80 or so appear on the post MDA ALP and u senority list.

So what your saying above is that the U mec went out of their way to "pad" a list (that was at one point 1800+ guys) by 80 or so more guys. Yeah there are already 1800 guys on the APL list - padding it by 80 or so more is really gonna get them somewhere.

Come on, how stupid is that? Or how stupid are you?

Like I said I don't know....You are right I am just a dumb 2 year f.o. at awa who came from Mesa...But you know what...I will always be senior to you!!!! Good Day!

 

[Carl S.]

Hey,
Before I jump in with my two cents, I need some claification. I left Jetstream/PSA in 1998 for AWA. What is a APL, CEL list. All I know is that there were pilots from U on the street and they started hiring in late 1998 till 2000 and those are the only mainline pilots I know about. What was the whole J4J deal and didn't the planes always have "EXPRESS" on them when operated with J4J pilots?
When we were express scum, the mainline guys always said we might one day get an interview, but were never mainline! The merger has been great to me, I was less than ten out to upgrade last Jan. 2005 and today I am less than ten out to upgrade! I believe U has had upgrades in the mean time, but then the U guys(especially the laid off ones) saved us.