Cost Control Suggestions

[chipmunn]

I am starting this thread as a grass roots campaign to find any way possible to reduce corporate costs. I would like you to post your idea here, with as much detail as possible. I am certainly not an expert and we need your help, but I want to learn about each department within our company to help our company not only survive, but thrive.
I have self appointed myself as a facilitator of this effort and if you provide a well thought out idea, I will insure it gets reviewed by senior management.
Thanks for your anticipated support and efforts. We need a team approach and I believe nobody knows how to fix problems more than the front line employees.
Thanks.
Chip

 

[CaptBud330]

A no cost and probably minimal savings would be for pilots to clean the cockpit before they bail out for the commute home. Basically, it's just good manners but unfortunately, most of the cockpits look trashed.

 

[NYPD]

[P class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt][SPAN style=FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma][FONT color=#ff3300][STRONG]How 'bout starting with a management group who knows how to run a maintenance organization?[/STRONG][/FONT][SPAN style=mso-spacerun: yes][FONT color=#ff3300][STRONG] [/STRONG][/FONT] [/SPAN]In my little corner of US Airways, I see thousands and thousands of dollars just thrown away every week because of pure ignorance and stupidity.[?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice /][o][/o][/SPAN][/P]
[P class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt][SPAN style=FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma][o] [/o][/SPAN][/P]
[P class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt][SPAN style=FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma]Case:[SPAN style=mso-spacerun: yes] [/SPAN]Several thousands dollars were spent a couple of weeks ago to purchase and transport about $20 worth of rivets from [/SPAN][?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags /][st1:State][st1lace][SPAN style=FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma]Minnesota[/SPAN][/st1lace][/st1:State][SPAN style=FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma] for a 40 million dollar airplane sitting in a hangar.[SPAN style=mso-spacerun: yes] [/SPAN]The airplane was on the ground (Not in Heavy Maintenance, but a Line aircraft getting a minor repair.) losing several thousand dollars worth of revenue every day that it sat, waiting on those 15 or so rivets.[SPAN style=mso-spacerun: yes] [/SPAN]The company doesn’t see the need to stock these rivets.[SPAN style=mso-spacerun: yes] [/SPAN]This has been an ongoing problem for a FEW YEARS now![o][/o][/SPAN][/P]
[P class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt][SPAN style=FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma][o] [/o][/SPAN][/P]
[P class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt][SPAN style=FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma]Case:[SPAN style=mso-spacerun: yes] [/SPAN]An aircraft belly skin (worth $28,000) sitting in a dumpster waiting on the scrap metal man to come.[SPAN style=mso-spacerun: yes] [/SPAN]The part was “taking up too much spaceâ€￾, so instead of trying to sell it as the valuable part that it was, our company decided to throw it away with useless scrap metal.[o][/o][/SPAN][/P]
[P class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt][SPAN style=FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma][o] [/o][/SPAN][/P]
[P class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt][SPAN style=FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma][FONT style=BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ccff33]It all starts at the top with our maintenance senior leadership.[SPAN style=mso-spacerun: yes] [/SPAN]They have not a clue what’s going on, and don’t have the people in place working for them that do either.[SPAN style=mso-spacerun: yes] [/SPAN][STRONG][FONT size=1]VERY SAD. [/FONT][/STRONG][/FONT][/SPAN][/P]

 

[IAM1776PHL]

Let my Union help out
Have 50% of my IAM Union dues go to the Co

 

[1ab]

how about pilots work free a week every month

 

[Seatacus]

how about some enticement for senior folks to leave. even something that would not cost the companymuch. maybe term pass or something like that.

 

[autofixer]

1ab, We are already doing that! B scale got the company one free year and now these cuts get them a free week per month...but maybe that was your point.

 

[Rhino]

Featherbedding.

No pilot should perform any function a non-line instructor can do. Every pilot should be behind a yoke/stick rather than a desk/sim unless required by the FAA. One scale for Captains/FOs. No difference between types. That will cut your training float.

No mech should be doing anything a ramper can do. (R&D)

No FA should sit on their tush after landing. Clean the airplane.

Res. Get the best website and discount web fares.

Management. Give them titles and t-shirts instead of bonuses.

USAirways. I never liked US after an incident with a gate agent 20+ years ago. Now I have a lot of friends there. Hope you make it. If you think 11 sucks, 7 is now on the radar. God bless.

 

[Ramp Rogue]

[FONT face=Comic Sans MS]One thing that I have noticed over the years, and I am sure others have also, is the changing of flight numbers and flight times. Why does USAir constantly change the flight numbers? Other airlines keep the same numbers forever. We change ours every three months. How can our customers depend on a flight when it changes so often? USAir also changes the flight times for no reason. If a flt. leaves at 11pm tonight, next week, next month, next year it should still leave at that time. Moving a flt. ahead or back 5 or 10 minutes isn't going to make difference. But it does throw our regular passengers off. I think that the reason why our shedules change for no apparent reason, and so often, is job security for the schedulers. [/FONT]

 

[nyrba]

The Wholly-Owned Carriers, ALG, PDT and PSA should be combined into one carrier with one management.

This should have been done years ago, but with the company now on the verge of death why don't we at least try to save some money?

Or USAirways can continue to do business as it has in the past with predicable, albeit unprofitable results.

Is there any advantage to having three DO's, three Chief Pilots, three training departments, etc.?

As Charlie Brown might say, Good Grief!

 

[Res]

In reservations we have too many specialty areas.....we should all be able to do everything....except maybe International...more cross training is needed...that would stop all the transferring around of passengers...and making them explain everything 2- 3times.

 

[AOG-N-IT]

Chip, Thank You for picking up the ball and running with it!! This is exactly what Leadership is all about. I commend you for excepting my challenge Sir!!

Sunday night while I was at work on 3rd shift..I had a chance to let my thoughts drift away from our airplanes for a few minutes...and my co-worker and I started looking around our office area. This spawned yet another conversation about the problems of Internal Waste issues Vs. Cost Savings needs.

Our office area is rather large due to the scope of our duties for US in a System Wide perspective. During normal business hours , this will provide office space for approximately 20 people..during 2nd shift the numbers dwindle to about 4 people..then 3rd usualy drops to 3 bodies on average.

We on 3rd usually like to work in the dark..we keep the lights dimmed just enough to provide safe movement within the work area..but basically we only work by the light of an indivdual desk lamp...and the glow of the ever present computer screen.

During the day..light from the large bay windows provide all the illumnation a set of eyes can withstand...yet you have all the overhead lights and personal desk lamps glowing like the sun. The benefits of not using one or the other..and taking advantage of cheap ambient light would make a difference.

Energy costs are about as high as they have ever been..and climbing!! Would a reduction of the un-needed use of Electricity during the day...and especially during hours of limited to zero staffing levels not provide an immediate impact to our bottom line? I think the end of month bills would say Yes.

I am not suggesting for a moment that we lower light useage in a manner that would cause job related injury issues..or a conflict with OSHA regulatons...I am suggesting a campaigne of conservation within the ranks. Simply put...If it's not needed? Turn it off...Cost Cutting needs to be measured in every aspect.

My own energy needs are reduced at home...and I have noted savings of 15% to 25% per month by just being mindful of hitting the switch only when something is actually needed. I feel certain the same things can be applied to our work enviroment....I know for fact it worked during my time in the Military..every light switch plate had a placard on it as a reminder too! I'm not suggesting we spend money on light switch placards for a moment..but I think an internal policy and awareness program could reap some effective yields for us.

Thanks again Chip for grasping the Grass Roots approach to our problems.

While we wait for Unique Corporate Transactions to unfold or not? Creating a Unique Internal Transformations of Conduct and Culture could be making needed gains to save our company.

 

[MCORORES]

As someone who works in RES as a Reissue agent, to coin the old baseball(and other sayings) KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID. What am I talking about??? The dead horse topic of fare structures. Would save time on working reissues. More time means more calls I can handle. Not going to get on my soap box in regards to the fare structures it has been addressed many many times.

 

[JonC]

[blockquote]
----------------
On 10/29/2002 6:44:28 PM chipmunn wrote:

I am starting this thread as a grass roots campaign to find any way possible to reduce corporate costs. I would like you to post your idea here, with as much detail as possible. I am certainly not an expert and we need your help, but I want to learn about each department within our company to help our company not only survive, but thrive.

I have self appointed myself as a facilitator of this effort and if you provide a well thought out idea, I will insure it gets reviewed by senior management.

Thanks for your anticipated support and efforts. We need a team approach and I believe nobody knows how to fix problems more than the front line employees.

Thanks.

Chip
----------------
[/blockquote]
The Tampa hangar is open on the weekends to accomodate approximately twenty mechanics each night working one airplane. We are spending an enormous amount of money to accomplish very little work. If they closed the hangar on the weekend, the manpower would be more eventy distributed and productive.

That said, I suggested it to management - who agreed with me in theory, but didn't think it could be done. Probably the whole idea of giving peon employees the weekend off is a deadly sin to some in management. Weekends off is THEIR little perk and they almost seem to enjoy seeing others work it.

Also, they just moved the maintenance planners off a compressed work week to five-eights. This was management and the IAM's retarded idea. (No, that wasn't a poor choice of words - it was downright moronic.) It created a personell shortage that didn't exist before hand, to begin with. It added in an additional turnover each day, which is an hour of lost productivity (at least). Plus, it really pissed off the employees, who made a heck of a lot of noise about it. Duh, it keeps us happy and saves money?! Why are we changing it.

Again, I think it comes down to some in managment who like to d-ck with employees with contracts in any way possible. They view a compressed work week as a special perk that should be taken away even if it costs more to do so.

Anyway, as you've all pointed out - this company is taking on water through the thousands of holes in it, but the answer is to throw us overboard. It may delay the sinking, but the holes are still there and the ship will sink.

However, our management corporate culture doesn't like change. Perhaps even moreso than the union employees. I've made my suggestions clear to management, even going to the point of writing to Siegel and several VPs about the compressed work week issue. No one really seemed to care.

 

[CS-pro]

[BR][BR]
[BLOCKQUOTE][BR]----------------[BR]On 10/30/2002 2:24:20 AM Res wrote:[BR][BR]In reservations we have too many specialty areas.....we should all be able to do everything....except maybe International...more cross training is needed...that would stop all the transferring around of passengers...and making them explain everything 2- 3times.[BR][BR]----------------[BR][BR][BR][BR][FONT face=Verdana size=3]I disagree. The proficency of res agents over the last couple of years has been diluted terribly by the wearing too many hats brigade. There is too much cross responsibility,way too much information to remember and store in a normal human brain, and not enough time dedicated to training and retraining to stay accurate and efficient . Additionally, Non general sales agents are taking calls, booking pnrs and making grave mistakes in policies,procedures, and non advisements of specifics that passengers need to be told. Many more errors are happening, according to history of the record which show a XTM or QSE location, rather than the UFO offcies of PIT1 INT and MCO.[/FONT][BR][BR][FONT face=Verdana size=3]Too much time is being dedicated to time metrics than education, and as a result, we are losing many thousands a day in improperly reissued tickets, among other reasons. [/FONT][/BLOCKQUOTE]