Another Fine Example ....

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Trin03

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Nov 3, 2003
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This is just another example of why cost cutting should and must start in ccy





Giving away our product...
By Chris Fox, President CWA Local 13302
We have a surprisingly large number of people entitled to free,
space positive (generally first class), personal and vacation
travel on our airline. The current number of people in this
exclusive club is 721, including a whole gaggle of current and
retired executives, executives of other airlines, members and
former members of the Board of Directors, and "director level"
US Airways management... and their children and family members!
Many of these 721 people work for other corporations or
airlines, yet they remain members of the US Airways Old Boys
Club, entitled to free premium seats for their personal travel -
seats that could otherwise be sold and generating revenue.

How much does it cost us? - Try $86,600 in one 6-day period...
It is not uncommon for paying customers to be denied boarding
while these 721 occupy premium seats for personal travel. A
recent example occurred when the free-riding president of
another airline bumped two first class passengers from an
oversold flight to Florida, or a similar situation involving
three seats to Rome (Italy - not NY). In one recent 6-day period
this group of 721 people grabbed $85,600 worth of free, space
positive, personal travel for themselves - an amount equal to
the annual salaries of 2 agents. How much longer can we afford
to give away our product when others are willing to pay for it?

And are these people grateful for their free travel privileges?
Here are some comments I've heard from employees who actually
deal with these folks:

** Mr. _______ - is constantly rude and demanding with our
agents over seat assignments. Mr. ________ calls from the ___
tkt counter and asks our agent if they can tell the tkt counter
agent how do their job. Mr. _______ was disputing the fact that
he should be paying taxes on a free international ticket.

** Retired executive _______ currently employed by ________
corporation. Most likely uses space positive benefit to fly on
business. Spouse is also still working. We must be the laughing
stock of this successful family.

** Mr. __________ - executive of ___________ airline. This
person is, "Not to be removed in an oversale situation." We
would much rather give out DBC's than inconvenience this
important man.

** Mr. _________ - executive of ____________ airline. Recent
flight was overbooked - we were forced to seat his party of 2 in
first class and deny boarding to revenue passengers because he
wouldn't budge.

Here's our proposal...
We should never give away seats, particularly premium seats,
when customers are willing to pay. These 721 select individuals
should not be flying free positive space for personal leisure
travel, period. If they are entitled to personal travel
privileges on US Airways (which is dubious for many of these
people), then it should be on space available basis, just like
the US Airways employees.

Goldman Sachs got it right...
Employees from all US Airways labor groups have suggested
numerous revenue-generating and cost-cutting ideas to
management. But, somehow, the only cost-cutting management seems
to focus on is employee pay and benefit cost-cutting. We agree
with the Goldman Sachs analysts who say, "US Airways Management
insists that every aspect of the company's operations is under
review, but the non-labor cost problem is more complex and
amorphous, and we have heard no clear strategy for limiting the
non-labor gap."
 
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