See you on the line (maybe).
Maybe, maybe not. I have a close friend who is a senior f/a at LCC based at CLT. His only comment when this merger talk first started was, "God, I hope you all don't get pulled into this mess over here." The main problem I see is that some of you (collective you, not the personal you) seem to think that a merger with AA will bring a solution to the otherwise intractable pilot seniority issue at LCC. I doubt it. When a group will ignore the decision in a binding arbitration
that they demanded, what makes you think they will adhere to any future decision they don't happen to like. LCC East pilots seem to think that binding arbitration is binding only if you happen to like the decision of the arbitrator. And, when a group of approximately 6000 pilots is merged into a group almost twice as large--even if done on straight date of hire--I'm guessing that there will be a lot of those pilots in the "ignore binding arbitration" group that are going to have their panties in a wad. They are probably going to play the "career expectations" card that they have decided that Mr. Nicolau and the US West pilots had no right to play.
Also, Mr. Parker has shown himself to be capable of running two separate airlines under one name and make a profit. Running three separate airlines with one name should not be that much of a stretch for him. Also, he made some major financial promises to the AMR unions. In order to follow through with those promises, he's going to have to provide the same benefits to the LCC folk. Now, he has made it clear with the 3rd TA that he can not pay you any more money. Where is the money coming from to fulfill his promises to us?
Are any of you so naive as to believe that a merger will instantly provide a fountain of new cash? If past airline merger history is any indication, there will be at least a year of bleeding cash with inefficient operations/connections/etc, layoff payoffs, and duplication of jobs and work efforts. Does either airline have a year to bleed cash? I don't think so. AMR has already committed those billions they have squirreled away on new airplanes to be delivered over the next few years. They specifically did not intend to spend a dime of it on employees. They have made that more than clear. So, where is the money coming from? As the movie said, "Show me the money."
My suggestion to US Airways AND Delta AND United is just wait. AMR management has so poisoned the well of employe relations that there is probably nothing they can do to regain the trust and support of the front line employees. No company can survive that kind of situation for long. Then when AMR goes back into bankruptcy (for real next time) and is shown to not be a viable operation for the future, the rest of you can pick up the parts you want at the yard sale.
AMR management truly believes that the only reason their vaunted "cornerstone strategy" didn't work is because they paid the employees too much. The fact that a lot of their long time passengers have no intention of riding a Barbie jet to some overcrowded, delay-prone airport in order to have to connect to a flight to wherever they want to go is no consequence to them. The passengers have gone to other carriers because AMR pays it's frontline employees too much. Weather delays at DFW and ORD are the direct result of bloated payrolls. The employees are being paid too much. End of discussion.
(Note to company cheerleaders, FWAAA and Eolesen: Keep the pleated skirts and the pom poms in the closet. I don't care how comfortable you think the larger rjets are. There ain't that many of them yet. We've already lost whole cities of business due to the "cornerstone" strategy. And, once business passengers find out how comfortable WN jets are, how friendly and cordial their flight attendants are, and how convenient their "older" airports are to the city center, we ain't gonna win them back. And, since WN is now flying into major airports also, it won't be much of a stretch to switch to another airline for an international connection.)
