RowUnderDCA said:
You're right.
I think they should do away with space available employee travel and, instead, award ff miles to employees. But, then I'd also do away with award tickets for customers, instead let ff miles be used for comfort, convenience and amenity awards/upgrades. Go ahead and sell all the seats all the time.
[post="246299"][/post]
Companion passes are crap, no one uses them. U has the best regular travel program though so no one complains.
Now, RowUnder, I usually agree with you on things but the above is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Take away the free travel and you have some of the most undesirable jobs in the world. Let's take flight attendant- ok, we're going to send you to 4-6 weeks of unpaid training, tell you where to live (nowhere exciting at this airline) so you can sit around on call for two hours notice to go work for four days, fourteen hour days with eight hour rests in shady hotels in depressing little cities. We'll give you ten days off, and pay you $1200 for the month, less than a cashier at Wal-Mart. Any takers?
Space available travel costs the company nothing but minimal admin costs. It's a unique benefit that attracts people to work for an airline despite the often harsh treatment and relative inability to support oneself. I never would have gotten into it if I couln't have gone home and seen my family or my other half on my precious days off. And it's not like we could afford to travel otherwise. My friend at MAA, five years into her career with U, brings home two checks a month for $514. How would anyone afford even the cheapest tickets on that? I used to fly home to my parents house just so I could eat and do laundry.
US Airways has a great travel program, likely because they have the most unappealing and inconvinient route network. Why on earth would they get rid of space available travel when EVERY other airline offers free or close to free travel? It would definately get everyone to quit and leave, but I don't know how they would attract anyone to work there. With the minimum wage they are offering new hires these days, it's the travel that's getting people. Many of these folks could make slightly more and have less hassle elsewhere, but would never have the opportunity to travel.
Given the choice with my own money, I likely would not fly US Airways. Thier route structure is inconvinient for me geographically, they can't get me from my point A's to B's without going back east. Thier product is really dumpy and inconsistant at the moment, and certainly not worth an upgrade to what they are calling first class. If I were adding up miles, Continental, United, or American would suit me better with thier variety of destinations and better product for my money. That said, if I was paying for travel I would probably only fly twice a year as I'm at the bottom of the economic totem pole, as opposed to now where I'll gallavant around the nation just to have a drink or a meal with a friend.
If they took away the travel, the airline would shut down, but not before mobs of angry employees flipped an Airbus on it's back and set fire to ground equiptment. It would not be pretty. Bad idea, with absolutely no reasoning aside from being mean. And do you want to be helped by a staff member who's never flown the airline?
:down:
