Riddle me this Virgin America?

[astroglider]

Answer me why???

The airline business is a labor intensive one. It takes an army of laborers to keep an airline flying day after day, year after year. There is no getting around this fact. To be a success in the airline business an airline must be led by a management team who’s primary goal is to make that airline a success. If airline employees can look to their management team and know that team is working to make their airline a successful one they will be motivated to do whatever they can to make that happen.

So this begs the question...Why did the folks at Virgin America appoint
Don Carty as Chairman of the Board? What an error in judgment they've made by smearing the Virgin brand in the scandal-ridden reputation of Donald J. Carty.

Remember what Don Carty did to the employees of AMR a few years back?

Former AMR CEO Don Carty revealed the details of executive-retention bonuses and pension protections just three days after most employee groups had narrowly voted to accept $1.62 billion worth of annual concessions. This after Carty made numerous pleas to his employee groups calling for "shared sacrifice".

Oh wait!!! Didn't current Virgin America CEO Fred Reid take part in a similar retention bonus plan at Delta? These retention bonuses were announced just days after the average

Delta worker took 14-42 % pay cuts. Retention bonus? Fred left Delta months after receiving the bonus! SOME RETENTION! That's the reason Virgin America CEO Fred Reid had NO problem hiring Don Carty even though Carty was forced to resign (read FIRED) by AMR’s board for incompetence and arrogance. Fred Reid it seems shares some of the same career experiences and management-styles with Don Carty.


Here's the big problem with Virgin America...it is run by folks who have a track record of lying to then screwing over the very employee groups they've been charged with leading.

What message is Richard Branson sending prospective Virgin employee by hiring Carty and Reid to run the airline?

Hmmmm???

 

[skiandsurf]

What message is Richard Branson sending prospective Virgin employee by hiring Carty and Reid to run the airline?
Hmmmm???

That an RJ guy can get out of that deadend job flying the RJ.

No, seriously, you bring up some good points. I hope all of the guys thinking of going there will think about this.

And what is their status? Its been quiet from all of their cheerleaders.

 

[AA717driver]

They are not as certain of getting their certificate as they were 6 months ago. They believe they will and are shuffling investors and lining up new sources of cash that can't be connected to anyone outside the U.S.

I believe they are going to have a new class of pilots going through soon. We'll see. TC

 

[Bako Cap]

Another class?

They've got a bunch of pilots just sitting around doing nothing and getting paid(abet crappy). Are the RJ drivers getting nervous and bailing?

The DOT still won't like the idea that NONE of the US investors are at risk (not changed between DOT fillings). They can bail at any time and get 8% return.

 

[Bako Cap]

They are not as certain of getting their certificate as they were 6 months ago. They believe they will and are shuffling investors and lining up new sources of cash that can't be connected to anyone outside the U.S.

I believe they are going to have a new class of pilots going through soon. We'll see. TC

If they are still shuffling investors then they are not confidant that they will get approved by the DOT. That means a third filling with the DOT. I guess Fred thinks late is better than never. He's trying to find out how many times he has to fail to get an airline started so he can get fired and receive his severance package. What a knob.

 

[flyipilot]

There can be no 3rd filing with the DOT. If the DOT says no this time it is dead forever. The only way they can file again is to start a whole new airline from scratch. But, reading the news today on google, 2 senetors (CA and NV) pushing for the DOT to approve them plus the new Open Skies deal that may go through..will be a huge plus to them getting approval. It is looking better all the time. With the deal reached last week on Open Skies, foriegn companies can invest up to 50% in US airlines and that would approve VA. The only thing that gets me a tad ticked is that both senetors say the US needs VA to help lower the fares for the public. They say airfares went up a record 19% last year...well HELLO senetors...the airlines have lost billions and it is about time they raise prices to a realistic level! I am tired of my taxes going to bail out the industry and help pay these companies just so they can cut fares and give us a bargin. We do NOT need VA but I welcome them to play along with the rest of us. We need to see fares stay or go higher actually. Go rent a C-172, $100.00 an hour..the cost of flying is expensive. Even SWA has slowly raised fares...good for them!

 

[AV8OR]

The only thing that gets me a tad ticked is that both senetors say the US needs VA to help lower the fares for the public. They say airfares went up a record 19% last year...well HELLO senetors...the airlines have lost billions and it is about time they raise prices to a realistic level! I am tired of my taxes going to bail out the industry and help pay these companies just so they can cut fares and give us a bargin. We do NOT need VA but I welcome them to play along with the rest of us. We need to see fares stay or go higher actually. Go rent a C-172, $100.00 an hour..the cost of flying is expensive. Even SWA has slowly raised fares...good for them!

Yeah, what sucks is the hybrid-regulation BS that's going on through the court system and congress. If you're gonna regulate.....regulate. If you're not, don't. But this whole, hybrid thing, where the courts can screw airline contracts and prevent strikes, the President can halt job actions, and Congress can decide whether or not the public should have to pay what an airline needs to charge while whining about how overpaid pilots are and accepting bribes from airline CEO's is an ever-lovin crock!

 

[HighSpeedClimb]

Anyone know any of these pilots already hired by VA. All the Flt Ops guys....

http://www.letvafly.com/meetvapeople.php

 

[SennaP1]

Long way to go.

So far looks like only "Julianne" from people and maybe* "Jessica" from Guest Services make the "Virgin" grade.

*hard to tell on this grainy screen.

 

[HighSpeedClimb]

Jason from quest services downright scares me....