Fangs A Lot!

EyeInTheSky

Veteran
Dec 2, 2003
2,836
74
Pittsburgh
Somebody e-mailed this to me. I think it's hysterical and I think the AAA pilot group better break out the Count Chocula and Don Ho CDs :p

Subject: Letter to the AAA pilots
Date: 10 Dec 2005 07:27 PM
Letter to the AAA pilots

Just after the announcement of the merger between our two companies I went on a Boston layover. While waiting for my food order, I struck up a conversation with a UAL Captain, who stated (talking about USAir) “I am glad somebody else is taking this b*tch off the marketâ€!! I did not understand what he meant then but now I do.
When I woke up this morning, I realized that we, the AWA pilot group, were indeed married to this b*tch.
Pretty harsh you say? Well consider this.
The last meeting between our two merger committees did not go very well. In fact, not only did our (AWA) committee walk out but it also cancelled all future meetings for the

“…there is no movement in our negotiations on the following key points: Integration methodology – AAA continues to insist that Date of Hire is a legitimate basis for integrating the two lists.
Placement of furloughed pilots – AAA continues to reject the concept that active pilots who come to the merged airline associated with flying jobs should be placed on the combined seniority list ahead of furloughed pilots.
Credit to AWA for Hawaii flying – AAA has not acknowledged that AWA Hawaiian flying that was planned well before the merger should be “credited†to AWA pilots…â€
-excerpt from AWA merger committee to the pilot group on 12/9/05-

Let us be very clear on several points.
• The end result will not include any date of hire (if you base your position on past arbitration cases). Remember the Shuttle integration guys?
• The furloughed pilots will be back when recalled at the bottom of the merged list. (again based on past cases)
• AAA pilots could not spell Hawaii until after the merger announcement.
So why bother with this letter if I am not worried about the result?
I do so because the position of the AAA merger committee reflects the deeply flawed culture of US East. After being in a free fall for many years and being rescued by AWA at the last hour, this grateful and friendly pilot group would have no problem taking our jobs, our seniority, our contract and our Hawaii flying!?! Your contempt for the AWA pilot group is astonishing. Your self-centered bloated arrogance has no bounds. Your thirst for blood rivals vampires only, however your collective IQ barely equals room temperature. You don’t live in the real world or for that matter, do you care about the real world. It is all about you and it is always somebody else’s fault. No wonder you had the crappiest airline for so long, and no wonder you became the lowest paid pilots in this industry after years of gloating about being the highest. Early on, I decided to take the high road. I decided to make an effort to know and give you the benefit of the doubt. It stops right now. And please, please, stop whining! Nobody cares about your problems……Certainly not America West. Too bad, so sad!
***** *******
Capt A320 PHX
 
This guy makes the mistake of taking a bargaining position personally. I fully expect the USA guys to fight for a favorable integration just as we shall.

AWA FO (junior)
ex-TWA
 
This guy makes the mistake of taking a bargaining position personally. I fully expect the USA guys to fight for a favorable integration just as we shall.

AWA FO (junior)
ex-TWA


I agree with you. In any negotiation, you have your dream list put out there first. I would hope the US West pilots would be doing the same.

As far as UAL, there are two sides to that story. I pity ANY airline that even considers a merger with them. CAL, turn around and RUN!! :mf_boff:

These kind of postings are just senseless.
 
Early on, I decided to take the high road. I decided to make an effort to know and give you the benefit of the doubt. It stops right now. And please, please, stop whining! Nobody cares about your problems……Certainly not America West. Too bad, so sad!
***** *******
Capt A320 PHX
[/quote]


Another no-name lashing out, lol

Grow up
 
Guys, we're all just little cogs in the big machine and we really don't have a lot of control over this. All the pilots know this will go to an arbitrator. I can assure you if the senority shoe was on the AWA pilot groups' foot they would doing likewise. There are guys furloughed at this airline with June 1988 senority, we need to fight for their jobs too. As far as Hawaii goes, please, I am sure Doug and Scott are looking at a non-stop PHL-HNL routing.
 
Of course a UAL pilot is going to have nothing good to say about U's pilot group...a couple of years ago, I bet that same UAL pilot was screaming bloody murder about protecting his/her 767 skipper slot with less then 10 years seniority.

It's like just like the news....

Look at the source!
 
Of course a UAL pilot is going to have nothing good to say about U's pilot group...a couple of years ago, I bet that same UAL pilot was screaming bloody murder about protecting his/her 767 skipper slot with less then 10 years seniority.

Uhhh... this thread referenced a AWA pilot's view. He only refered to what a UA pilot said to illustrate that while he didn't initially agree, now he sees what the UA guy was talking about.

I had a similar view myself in 2000. I didn't believe all the hype and just saw it as a negtiating posture at first. That was until I personally ran into enough US guys who gave me the standard lecture about DOH and their "right" to fly UA's 777's.

You see, the problem is that the very vocal minority spoil the good will between parties. These guys really BELIEVE the posture and do not just see it as a negotiating stance or starting point.

The AWA pilots are starting to figure it out for themselves. It is interesting to see people from different places leveling the same criticism toward the US pilots, and the US guys using the same exuses and defenses, in effect claiming that it's all untrue and it must be everyone else who's wrong. After a while it becomes obvious who's really at fault.
 
Self-promoting jerks are the problem. They're everywhere, but are over represented on the internet. They don't care about the truth or reason, they just look to find away to screw others over with manipulation, intimidation and bile.
 
After a while it becomes obvious who's really at fault.
[/quote]



Wow....are you really saying that every US pilot is at fault? Or am I reading way more into it than what is there?

Take the name of the airline away.....You're talking pilots here. And every one of them (you) are after the same thing....what is best for you. Cause thats how pilots think.
 
So good or bad ideas are equally welcomed?

To find the good ideas you have to wade through many bad ideas (kind of like kissing frogs). The advantage of the internet is that you don't actually have to MEET the jerks, personally, to get a notion of what they are thinking. And it's easier to ignore the repetitive or unreasonable. Like life, those folks that are somewhere in between being always useless and sometimes insightful or informative require more work.
 
From a different perspective, US-East is NOTHING BUT merged airlines... DOH is all most of these employees own. You won't meet many people who started with "USAir".. everyone is Allegheny, PSA, Piedmont, Trump Shuttle, Mohawk, Empire, etc.

I'm not saying we must merge DOH, but it would make it easier for the West folks to realize that DOH is all that the East work groups know of, as that's how *every* merger involving this airline has worked.
 
Early on, I decided to take the high road. I decided to make an effort to know and give you the benefit of the doubt. It stops right now. And please, please, stop whining! Nobody cares about your problems……Certainly not America West. Too bad, so sad!
***** *******
Capt A320 PHX
Another no-name lashing out, lol

Grow up
Southwest, JBlu, Air Tran, Spirit; they are licking their chops as they watch US Airways devour itself from with in.
We can't get past the internal fight in order to focus on running an airline and competing in this business enviornment. Individually, neither airline could attract investors yet "AWA saved UAir". Gerrod Glass cleaned house at both airlines because of this insane thinking. Remember Dougie has Gerrod on retainer as a consultant. Good luck to us all in our next careers.
 
:ph34r: The US folks should have "GRATITUDE NOT ATTITUDE"....after all, if the truth be told they where very close to becoming the TWA of 2005..........they had not a pot to pee in... nor a window to throw it out of. I have always said God is slow but he is sure.....after what US has done to all the other airlines it has gobbled up....I wonder if this is their pay-back. As the wife of a AWA pilot and someone who has been in the aviation biz for over 20 years.....the writing is on the board. And if the US folks think DP will spend an extra penny to protect them...they are dreaming...BIG TIME. Date of hire is a dream of US and not AWA corporate culture. Welcome to the REAL WORLD....boys and girls. B)

This article is from Nov of 2005 but it tells the real story;

US Airways warns on America West integration
Deal faces ‘significant challenges’; combined firm may not perform as hoped

The Associated Press
Updated: 12:29 p.m. ET Nov. 23, 2005


TEMPE, Ariz. - US Airways Group Inc. said its acquisition by America West — the cornerstone of its bankruptcy exit — will face “significant challenges†and the combined company may not perform as expected.

While the acquisition will result in certain synergies and growth opportunities in the future, the company said its significant operating losses have not subsided and will likely continue into 2006.

US Airways was acquired by America West Holdings Corp. in September as part of its strategy to emerge from more than two years of Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The combined company retained the US Airways name.

US Airways had estimated that the combined company would see about $600 million in operating cost savings and revenue synergies. However, in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing, US Airways said Tuesday it “cannot assure†the synergies will be realized.

“We may not perform as well financially as we expect following the merger,†the company cautioned.

The integration of the two air carriers “will be costly, complex and time consuming,†US Airways said, and management “will have to devote substantial effort to such integration that could otherwise be spent on operational matters or other strategic opportunities.â€

In a separate filing, US Airways said America West Holdings issued warrants to purchase 386,925 common shares at a price of $7.27 per share. The warrants — a substantial discount to the company’s Monday closing stock price of $31.99 — may be exercised any time before Jan. 18, 2012.

The company said it will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of the warrants.

The new warrants replace those issued in 2002 to the Air Transportation Stabilization Board, an arm of the government, and to AFS Cayman Ltd. In October, US Airways Group agreed with the transportation stabilization board to buy back all of its outstanding warrants for $115.8 million.

© 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

© 2005 MSNBC.com
 
Start focusing on the big picture. WE are the new USAir. DP said AWA would have been in Us easts shoes had they not done this deal. Together we are something...something that generated alot of money. It is what it is.
Regardless of names we have a chance to kick some LCC ass. We are a melting pot of a lot of airlines and yes DOH was all we had. If you have faith in DP prove it by seeing this airline grow. It will.