Cool Northern Efficiency

[Dont call me Shirley]

THe expression "Cool Northern Efficiency" has been used to be symbolic of what many regard as the hamhanded absorbtion of PI by US in 1989. This thread is not intended to serve as incitement to re-fight the battle of the North vs. the South. But I would like to know who came up with the phrase and the context it which it was said.

As I understand it, it was a said by someone in senior US mgmt, in response to PI's reputation for"Warm Southern Hospitality" and was intended to illustrate how the merger would combine the best of both traditions. (We all know how well that went). (again let's not refight the North v South - or the red menace v the red white and blue - (sotry couldn't resist )


But I could be wrong. What do the members of this forom know about the phrase?

 

[700UW]

US Air with its ego made PSA and PI do everything their way, remember MIRROR IMAGE?

Instead of looking at what made PI and PSA succesful, they just used their ego and said we bought you, you do it our way.

This caused the break up of the FL Shuttle which generated 32% of PI's gross revenue.

Uncle Ed cancelling the last three 767s from boeing, until they realized that airplane made big $$$, so we had to pay Boeing $30 Million extra for the last three 767-200ERs.

Serving hot meals on the LAX-SFO runs, F/As running around crazy to serve and pick up in the short hop.

And numerous other big mistakes that cost us billions over the years.

 

[Dont call me Shirley]

So much for not fighting the war over again. I just wanted to knwo who said "Cool Northern Efficiency" and when!

 

[diogenes]

IIRC, it was Malin.

 

[AtlanticBeach]

I don't know the answer to that question, but it long been attributed to President Kennedy that Washington, D.C., "combines the best of Southern efficiency with Northern hospitality."

 

[nycbusdriver]

I don't know the answer to that question, but it long been attributed to President Kennedy that Washington, D.C., "combines the best of Southern efficiency with Northern hospitality."

As I remember it, the quote was "warm southern hospitality would be replaced by cool northern efficiency." I thought it was Ed Colodny, but it could very well have been Malin, as someone else said.

I think the operative words were "would be replaced." This was an important sticking point in the whole mess. While the USAir top nitwits spouted on and on that the best of both (or all, if you include PSA) airlines would be retained, the sad reality is that USAir "replaced" everything with their mostly mediocre characteristics. They spent more than $1 billion for PI, and within two years of the consolidation, the market cap for the entire mess was less than half of that figure. What genius!

 

[BoeingBoy]

Don't know who said it first, but I personally heard "Uncle Ed" say in in one of the road shows after the PI purchase but well before integration. The "show" was held in one of the downtown INT hotel conference room/ballrooms. He also said that the intent was to take the "best of both airlines" and combine them. Of course he said that the "speedbird" logo would have a prominent place in the new interior, too.

Jim

 

[wings396]

AH.....Good old Uncle Ed. Bought up PSA and PI, then hit the road instead of sticking around to finish what he started. This was the beginning of the end for all of us. He stayed around just long enough to see that all of the talent at PI including Bethune and the entire Marketing dept. were disposed of. Ed is just as much to blame for this mess as anyone who has followed in his footsteps. He dumped the mess in Seth's lap and headed for the door......What a true leader he was.

 

[a320av8r]

During an interview in INT just after the merger, Ed Colodny said "Piedmont had southern hospitality but now we're going to show them some cool northern efficiency".

We're still waiting...

 

[diogenes]

Had we remained as effiecient as PI was, we'd be the biggest, the best, and profitable.

Thank God Mr. Davis can't see this.

 

[nycbusdriver]

To me the fact that this is STILL a topic after all of this time is proof positive that US Airways has structural problems that go far beyond the current issues of the day.

It also reinforces my belief that no matter who sits in the big chair (Siegel) the problems are overwhelming and that is why he gets much more of a benefit of the doubt than maybe he should from me.

Bob -

The fact that this merger stuff still surfaces with regularity may make it appear that there is a baisc structural problem along these lines. IMHO, there is not. The front line employees have gotten over the PI/PSA/AA distinctions and animosity many, many yearrs ago. We all work together very well, no matter which airline hired us. I defy anyone, employee or customer, to discern any difference from a customer service standpoint, or even an employee-relations standpoint.

What really gets my knickers in a knot, though, is the incredible arrogance of these inept fools who staged this fiasco, plowed it into the ground, and will not admit any responsibility. Colodny, Schofield, Wolf, Gangwal, et al. are probably still patting themselves on the back for being such great airline CEOs. They are, to a man, clueless nitwits who prove the Peter Principle in spades.

The very fact that you find our product valuable and the people who serve it to you competent should tell you that there are no divisions down here in the trenches.

 

[Dont call me Shirley]

All I wanted to know was who said "cool northern efficiency"....not fight the merger war all over again!