As I said before a distinct LACK of focus.
During the ESOP UAL management made promises to both the UAL pilot group and the Mechanics group that upon the end of the ESOP, both would have a seamless agreement. "On time, On top" was the phrase.This ending decades of drawn out bitter confrontations at contract negotiations, and truly embracing the principles the ESOP was founded on.
UAL was not forced in anyway to make this promise, it was given freely during a period of record profits, and if it had indeed been followed it could have saved UAL millions and might have prevented a trip into Chapter 11.
While I cannot speak to what the pilots "might" have done, the mechanics would've settled for alot less in 2000 than they ended up getting in 2002. If UAL had followed through with their promise, not only would it have fostered higher moral in the employees, it might have also garnered UAL the trust of its employees in which it was/still is sorely lacking.
