Another station bites the dust

ovrwrkdcs

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Oct 13, 2008
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Burbank to Convert to UAX Station in January 2009
Posted October 14, 2008
Effective Jan. 6, 2009, the Burbank (BUR) station will convert from a combination of United Express and mainline service to UAX service only. The transition, which will occur in phases throughout the fall, is the result of our decision to retire our 737 aircraft, the least efficient of our fleet, and the ever-present need to use our mainline aircraft on routes where demand is greatest. The station is served predominately by UAX partner SkyWest today.
Today less than half of the flights into BUR are mainline. The station currently has two mainline and 4.5 UAX flights serving San Francisco (SFO), in addition to 2.5 daily UAX flights serving Denver (DEN). All UAX flights currently are operated by SkyWest. Effective January 6, the station will serve SFO with six daily UAX flights, and DEN with two daily UAX flights.
We submitted a Request for Proposal (RFP) to determine which partner can most effectively manage ground handling work at the station. Our BUR employees will continue to operate the station until the conversion is complete.



Station management, Human Resources, Labor Relations and IAM representatives are working closely with our 39 employees in Burbank (36 represented and three salaried and management) to explore the options available to them. Depending on seniority, IAM-represented employees may choose to displace more junior employees within the same job classification at the Los Angeles point (LAX, Orange County and Ontario), or elsewhere on the system. Additionally, other furlough options may be available.


I believe the second to the last line is incorrect, you can not super-seniority a person out of anywhere in the system, probably just LAX area.

I wonder if this is the first of many. UAX keeps slowly creeping into many stations one flight at a time. In PDX it started with one LAX flight, now they are all express. Now we have one DEN and one SFO flight that are express. Also we had 6 WHQ corporate real estate suits here yesterday, checking every nook and cranny of OPS CG and Maint. and and writing notes like crazy. I have a very bad feeling.
 
I'm sorry to hear this news, and you are correct in assuming that other stations will follow. We have seen MANY smaller stations go to Exp in the past over at US. Some stations retained Mainline flights, and the ramp service work was outsourced to a vendor. Small stations are always on the chopping block even though the employees in those stations are very productive by performing several job functions.
 
From a customer service standpoint I never understand replacing mainline counter with lower paid contract help. CSR's are the face of your airline. My thought is put your best people in these postions, not someonelse's low payed people. I would demand complete control of these positions for my airline. I know that sounds really out of fashion, but I think that is what our industry needs.
 
From a customer service standpoint I never understand replacing mainline counter with lower paid contract help. CSR's are the face of your airline. My thought is put your best people in these postions, not someonelse's low payed people. I would demand complete control of these positions for my airline. I know that sounds really out of fashion, but I think that is what our industry needs.

Unfortunately "customer service" is a thing of the past with this airline. After 25 plus years with this company I am ashamed to say I work for United. It is all about the numbers and the money that they generate. We have a Productivity chart in our back room. It is charted by day week month year. Kiosk goal 89% ( people forced to used the kiosk). Upsell goal 80%. How many extra or overweight bags did we charge for ect? Then the flip side, "No you can't waive that airport fee for the 80 year old who can't make the reservation over the phone and came to airport to buy a tkt. No you can't issue a meal voucher (for that flight that was 4 hours late) there is no meal service on that flight! No, we will not hold the flt for 5 minutes for 20 pax connecting off the delayed inbound connection! It must go on time!
Do you know that when a customer asks to check in with a "live" agent I have to say NO! I have to force them to use the kiosk! If we are caught not using the kiosk we will be written up! They actually block off the regular ticket counter line, you must go through an agent to be "allowed" to stand in the full service line.
The last thing United airlines wants is someone like me around. I am an senior overpaid replaceable agent in their eyes. You have a problem pick up the kiosk phone and talk to India!
 
That seems to be the idea. PDX is closing its day maint operations furloughing mechanics and stores employees. In January we go from 18 to 11 actual United flights. Three flights PDX/SFO will now be UAX and 1 PDX/DEN will also become UAX. Now " they" are saying this " probably" a temporary schedule, all subject to change. And if you look at Febuary and March we go back up a bit not to full schedule. However twice now we have had UAL corporatate real estate out at the station poking around looking at all areas of CS/Maint/OPS/CG. Why would United play with the schedule so much by putting UAX flights on routes filled with international connections to SFO? Our PDX/LAX flights (now all UAX) are consistatntly late and always full. Where are we going to put all these SFO cxn pax with their two allotted bags each? What the hell is wrong with the people running this airline. PDX has always been a high yield station well known for its excellent maintenance and customer service. It is being destroyed by corporate greed.
 
The problem is you have people running the airline that are not airline people. They have no idea that history just keeps relegating poorly run airlines to the dust yard. But, it is not just the managements fault.

The solution is to
1. Reubild the United Brand.
2. Determine which cities are going to be mainline and which are going to be express.
3. Call all Union Heads, open the books and get them to JOIN the team instead of being on the outside throwing rotten tomatoes onto the stage.
4. Announce a major purchase of aircraft for MAINLINE.

Other choice:
PanAm, TWA, Eastern, Braniff,

Get the picture? You can not fill a 747-400, 777-200 with connecting CRJ service PERIOD.
 
The problem with the "Express" of today, is that they operate 50-70 seat Jets instead of the 20-30 seat props that they once did. The unions on the property of almost every major Airline pemitted the Express operations to become a cheap and easy way for Airline Mgmt. to screw their employees out of a decent paying job. They made it way too easy for Airlines to eliminate Mainline service with a 737 sized A/C in favor of a few RJ flights instead. The term Express and low wages go hand-in-hand, and management loved it, and used it to the fullest extent that they possibly could. How many stations and jobs have been lost in favor of Express operations at 1/2 the wages? It would have been a lot tougher for all Airlines to replace Mainline flying with a 30 seat prop, IF the unions would have been more persistant with the max seating capacity for Express flying. At one time over at US, the pilot contract didn't even permit Express flights in the same city pairs as Mainline flying. Slowly the Express flights started to get mixed in with Mainline, and eventually they replaced most if not all of it. Sad to say, but it's too late to get it back. Most of these RJ's are close to the size of a DC-9 or 737, and require the same amount of work to ground handle them. :angry:
 
The problem is you have people running the airline that are not airline people. They have no idea that history just keeps relegating poorly run airlines to the dust yard. But, it is not just the managements fault.

The solution is to
1. Reubild the United Brand.
2. Determine which cities are going to be mainline and which are going to be express.
3. Call all Union Heads, open the books and get them to JOIN the team instead of being on the outside throwing rotten tomatoes onto the stage.
4. Announce a major purchase of aircraft for MAINLINE.

Other choice:
PanAm, TWA, Eastern, Braniff,

Get the picture? You can not fill a 747-400, 777-200 with connecting CRJ service PERIOD.

Things will get interesting as the New IAM Union leadership attempts to make a positive difference for the workers at United as they enter into negotiations early next year. The workers have been screwed over by management over the past several years so the workers opted for a change in leadership.

regards,
Tim Nelson
IAM Local Chairman, 1487, Chicago
 
Things will get interesting as the New IAM Union leadership attempts to make a positive difference for the workers at United as they enter into negotiations early next year. The workers have been screwed over by management over the past several years so the workers opted for a change in leadership.

regards,
Tim Nelson
IAM Local Chairman, 1487, Chicago
I agree Tim, the good news is that the leadership at both UA and US are more together than ever. We all need to stick together and make sure our airlines make their money by running their business and not making it at the workers expense!
 
Just wait until after 12/31/2008 and everyone's (i.e. GM, Chrysler, Circuit City, Macy's etc etc etc) has to close the books on another accounting year.

We are going to see bankruptcies, closings and layoffs the likes of which this country has never seen. Thousands of companies are simply remaining open thru the holiday season to extract the last dollar of revenue before the piper has to be paid.

The ripple effect on the economy will be a tsunami. For example, GM has 7,000 dealerships with 22% market share. Toyota has 1,500 dealerships with similar market share.

Do you know how many millions are employed by these local dealers? And what are their hopes for a new career once the auto industry restructures? A 45 year-old is not going to work full time at Walmart and survive.

The ripple effect will cut across the entire country in ways we can't even imagine now. And Obama, Pelosi & Co are not going to stop it.

So yeah union leaders, you go for 'restore and more' --- you are like the dinosaur who is not aware of the life-changing meteor that has just entered your atmosphere.
 
Just wait until after 12/31/2008 and everyone's (i.e. GM, Chrysler, Circuit City, Macy's etc etc etc) has to close the books on another accounting year.

We are going to see bankruptcies, closings and layoffs the likes of which this country has never seen. Thousands of companies are simply remaining open thru the holiday season to extract the last dollar of revenue before the piper has to be paid.


For those in the airline industry, we don't have to wait till 12/31/08. As for bankruptcies, closings and layoffs we unfortunately have been there, done that many times. Next on the agenda will be mergers.

Our IAM contract becomes ammendable 12/09. I asked our new IAM leadership when they would be accepting contract proposals. They told me this isn't a good time to go to the negotiating table and it would be better to hold off. For a team that ran on the premise that RC gutted us much more than necessary, I was taken aback from that statement. Funny, the more things change the more they stay the same.
 
For those in the airline industry, we don't have to wait till 12/31/08. As for bankruptcies, closings and layoffs we unfortunately have been there, done that many times. Next on the agenda will be mergers.

Our IAM contract becomes ammendable 12/09. I asked our new IAM leadership when they would be accepting contract proposals. They told me this isn't a good time to go to the negotiating table and it would be better to hold off. For a team that ran on the premise that RC gutted us much more than necessary, I was taken aback from that statement. Funny, the more things change the more they stay the same.


Ez,
in your first statement You can thank your former boss RC for that he served up many stations to management.

and in your 2nd statement at least your able to get to talk to your NEW leadership , the old regime always had
the same answer "I'll get back to yea" which meant "let me call RC and see what he wants me to say"
being a puppet is not very flattering