I have been lurking this board for many months. I found this thread to be perhaps the most interesting I have read in the months I have been here.
First, I do not work for an airline, but I do travel often. I live in St. Louis and flew many many times on TWA. Now I fly on AA for obvious reasons.
When AA bought TWA I thought it was a good deal, especially when Uncle Carls good deal, regarding airline tickets was thrown out. I believe that if all went like AA said it was going to do, it would have been a good deal for everyone. But for many reasons this did not happen. Now STL is basicly just a feeder hub to ORD and DFW. Yes we do have non-stops but they are usually at bad times and are usually more expensive, than the ones with connections.
I feel what happened to most all of the TWA employees was very bad. I can understand that the AA employees did not want to be lowered in senority. I do not know if I was one of the AA employees that I would want to have that happen to me. BUT, as a member of the traveling public, I would rather have an ex-TWA F/A, pilot or mechanic with 25 - 30 years of expeirence over one that had 5 or 10.
I have never met a more dedicated employees than the TWA group. Working with bad management on older planes, they were always friendly and tried to do a great job. I feel sorry for them.
Several months ago, my wife and I went out for dinner and saw a F/A that I had flown with many times, she was a bartender and I know she had over 20 years with TWA. It was good to see her but I felt for her.
It seems that many AA F/As are not happy being in STL. I think it shows in the service that we get.
No matter where I flew, when I saw the TWA plane, I felt like I was almost home. Even though it may have been dirty and there was duct tape on the seats. When meals were removed from many meals in first class I figured, well at least my Bloody Mary glass is always full. Now, many times that does not even happen. In past posts there was discussion about the FAs taking the serving cart and searving the meals out of it. That is now, at least on my flight the rule and not the exception. I never, never saw that on a TWA flight.
This is just an observation from a person who takes at least one round trip a week in not two. I am not trying to flame anyone or get anyone upset.
I doubt that TWA would have been liquidated. I do not know if it could have survived after 9/11, but seeing how many airlines keep flying after being bankrupt I would think that they could have done it also.
I would love to have TWA back!!!
Thanks for all you do to keep me safe while I am flying. You all have a difficult job to do and have my respect.
Thank you for your kind comments. Many of our f/as have gone on to successful 2nd careers. Others still hope for the "magic recall letter". All things considering, we're doing well. I miss flying the same flights month after month, knowing our regulars, having that bloody mary waiting because it was Tues., and Mr./Ms. Smith always are traveling to SEA on Tues. Or checking (in a panic) because Mr./Ms. Jones aren't in 4A and for the past several years they have always connected to the LAX all nighter from the EWR flight on Fri. We enjoyed that special relationship with our customers and I believe that is the main reason we continued to win the JD Powers Award even with the obvious service barriers. AA (unfortunately) will never know the quality of f/a they so quickly disposed of in the TWA "cleansing". How brilliant they were to give us pay seniority and then use it against us as an excuse not to recall. As one of the lower paid work groups on the property, you would think that marketing would want to kill the customers with service, not strip it down to nonexistence. But then, there might not be those bonus compensations for productivity savings. All else being equal, (price choices and schedules), customer service will be the winner and I wonder if AA will ever understand that concept. You have to take care of the internal customer if you want the external customer to be happy. Such a loss. Again thanks.
