----what about furloghees and employees on leave status? all that is mentioned is active and retirees----Letter to Employees
November 24, 2003
Re: Employee Pleasure Travel
Dear Fellow US Airways Employee/Retiree:
After carefully evaluating our employee travel program, we have decided to continue to waive basic travel charges for active employees (and travel eligible family members) of US Airways and US Airways’ wholly-owned Express carriers, and for retirees (and their spouses or domestic partners) with twenty-five or more years of service.
We have made a few changes in the program for 2004. For those retirees with less than twenty-five years of service, we are changing from an optional term pass/service charge system to a service charge system. We have also simplified the domestic upgrade charge program, requiring a $20 fee regardless of the length of travel.
As of November 1 of this year, we have already begun an exciting new arrangement with Lufthansa Airlines, reflecting the benefits of our participation in the Star Alliance. Active and retired employees and their eligible family members can purchase ID95 reduced-rate tickets on Lufthansa. Eligible family members include spouses, children and dependents who meet eligibility requirements and are on the employee’s travel privilege. Domestic partners are also included in the new agreement, however they are eligible for ID90, and parents are eligible for ID75.
The changes that you'll be seeing, effective January 1, 2004, which continue to provide a highly competitive employee travel program, are as follows:
For retirees with less than 25 years of service, and for the dependents of other retirees, we will offer a Service Charge program only, thereby eliminating the Term Pass charge. Basically, this change means that you will only pay for travel when you travel. This change will provide better coverage of US Airways' costs for the employee travel program.
The Service Charge program will require a payment of $20 for one-way coach domestic travel and $40 for one-way coach international travel, plus applicable taxes. Retirees with less than 25 years of service, and the dependents of other retirees, will be responsible for these charges.
As they are today, all pass travelers will to be required to pay upgrade charges for travel in first or business class.
The domestic first class upgrade charge will be $20 per segment to all domestic destinations regardless of the number of miles, including Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, the Caribbean and Central America.
The upgrade charge to and from Europe will remain at $100 one-way.
The Registered Companion Program will be offered again to active single employees, but to avoid confusion with the Companion Pass program, its name will be changed to the Registered Guest program.
We will continue to offer the Companion Pass Program to both active and retired employees. Active employees will receive an allotment of eight companion passes and retirees will receive four.
We hope that you and your eligible family members will continue to enjoy travel on US Airways. Should you have any questions pertaining to the changes, please feel free to contact the Employee Travel Office at 1-800-872-4780, prompt 4 or dial-net 872-7421.
Sincerely,
John M. Hedblom