A Customers Perspective

ISP

Senior
Apr 3, 2003
321
1
To all on this forum:

What I have seen transpire here over the past day and a half makes me very emotional. Let me say several things. Please keep in mind that the purpose of this website is to share thoughts about the industry and what we are all going through, as customers, employees, observers, etc.

The first thing I want to comment on is the topic about the Pinnacle Airlines crash. I know what all of you have been through, but I think the direction that topic took was absolutely disgusting and wrong even in the aftermath of what happened with US Airways. USA320Pilot said it best when he said that US_Airways_Vote_No should be banned from these boards - I agree with him 110%. If I had lost one of my children, much less 21% of my pay, I never would have said "who cares" in reference to that topic. All of us are in this together; we've been through 9/11 for God's sake, and we know what it means to lose members of our "family." May God be with the families of the victims of that crash.

Now, on behalf of myself, I wanted to let all the employees know how truly sorry I am for what they are going through. I fly about 250 segments a year on US Airways. I am a CP because I fly US exclusively for my personal business travels, but I also like to protect flights by sitting in 2C or 3D on my spare time ;), if you get my gist.

Spending so much time in the air, I've gotten to know many of you. You hear folks like me, Art @ ISP, Piney, etc. always say that "you are the best," but let me say this: there are truly no other people like you.

I flew US Airways when Stephen Wolf was trying to make it the "Flagship Carrier," and let me be the first to say that sure, the food used to be better, I used to enjoy the glassware in domestic first, and I truly believe that US Airways had the best product/ammenities in the industry. Sadly, those days are gone... but what isn't gone are the fine people that work for this company.

I'm not going to sit here and pretend to tell you that you need to accept the "changing realities" of the industry. All of you at US are mostly senior, so even if you don't want to admit it to yourselves, surely you are seeing what the airline industry is going through. I spoke to a F/A on JetBlue some time ago, and she told me that she was a 39 year vet of TWA before getting laid off by American. She then told me that for years she had cherished serving Kosher meals on the top deck of 747 JFK-TLV flights and thought she was at the top of the world. The last thing she told me was that the best 2 years of her life were the years she had been working for JetBlue. She said to me "I didn't want to accept the realities, but even if it means what I do for a living is changing drastically, I am still doing what I love to do." That might be something for you all to think about.

I just wanted to share some of my stories with you all. I'm sure that some posters will reply with derogatory comments, but I really don't care. The big thing that I wanted all of you to know is that for all of my personal travel, I will always book exclusively on US Airways because of you, the frontline employees. So many of you have touched me, from the gate agent in ROA who put me in F/C for the first time in the late 80's, to the Res. agent who cried on the phone with me when I told her I was cancelling my trip to ATL when my best friend was killed in a motorcycle accident.

This company will go on. For the sake of the customers, please don't call in sick or change your attitude towards us. We've been there before, and this is just another bump in the road for all of us. God Bless you all, and I hope that you are all able to somehow get by during these difficult months ahead.
 
Very well said ISP,

If you fly International, poke you head up in cockpit and ask for useyourhead, I would love to meet you and shake you hand!

Thank you for attempting to inject some sanity into the fray here as well.

ISP said:
To all on this forum:

This company will go on. For the sake of the customers, please don't call in sick or change your attitude towards us. We've been there before, and this is just another bump in the road for all of us. God Bless you all, and I hope that you are all able to somehow get by during these difficult months ahead.
[post="191617"][/post]​
 
I had an amazing USAir experience this week with an individual not even on Mainline bending certain rules here and there because he sees me regularly, helping me to get onto a flight.

That's yet another example why I keep flying with you guys.....

Thank you!
:up:
 
Thanks for the statement Art. :up:
I hope I get the opportunity to be on one of your flights (maybe I have already and don't even know it) in the near future.
I just want to say, when my crew heard the news yesterday from the agent in ORD, we were a bit upset at first then relieved that a decision had finally been made. We had pax in first class saying " you guys seem to be having a fun time even with the bad news". We replied the following. " We still have a job to do, it's not fair to take it out on you our pax's". It's nice to hear passengers tell us " You do a Great Job, Thanks You!"

Now it's time to reevaluate our lives for the future. Good Luck To ALL!!
 
Art....
A thank you also for your kind words from the Customer Service side at the airport. We contantly hear so many negatives from customers, it's nice to hear a different perspective from a regular flyer. It's very difficult for all of us to sometimes see ourselves as others see us. You've brightened my day already!
 
To All My Friends at US,

Although I concur completely and truly with what ISP has written, I am not he--we are two separate people.

ISP is right when he said you are without a doubt the best there is in this business--and you are the reason that ISP and my fellow travelers stay so fiercely loyal.

Although the industry has in fact changed (permanently I believe), the company has not changed fast enough to keep up. Perhaps if things had changed faster we would not be where we are today (or at least not as bad). Who knows?

Now that we're here, what are our choices? I am afraid either make the best of it or move on may be the only two choices...and I am truly sorry that it has come to this...For those who stay, I implore you along with ISP and my fellow members of FFOCUS--please continue to put your best face forward--job actions will accomplish nothing except hasten the demise of the franchise. For those who cannot live with the changes, I don't know what to say....I just beg you not to take it out on us....

We passengers and especially the regulars DO appreciate you and we have the utmost respect and admiration for you all....and I fear the only thing we can do right now is to keep flying and to make your superiors aware at EVERY opportunity how great you really are......

So again, thanks for your kind words, but they are aimed at my friend ISP--we are two different people but we agree completely on this topic.

My best to you all.......
 
ISP and Art, thanx so much for your comments and to all our other loyal customers also thanx!!! It is because of you all the reason that I show up to work every day.
 
ISP said:
God Bless you all, and I hope that you are all able to somehow get by during these difficult months ahead.
[post="191617"][/post]​
Thank you for the kind words and sentiments. I wish you good luck finding an airline that provides good service to it's loyale customers like USAir once did.