From "the Motley Fool" Newsletter

[avek00]

Avek is slumming over here now that he has pizzed off Randy Peterson of FlyerTalk.

Isn't it time for you to give Gordon the blowhard his sponge bath now Avek?

1. I do not consider USaviation a "slum", period. I'm shocked that you consider this site as such.

2. Say what you will about CO, but IIRC, your preferred airline treats its customers like cockroaches, and doesn't even have the decency to serve respectable meal offerings in transcon F (forget about eating in Y if you're not seated in the first two rows and don't have exact change).

 

[Busdrvr]

"Say what you will about CO, but IIRC, your preferred airline treats its customers like cockroaches, and doesn't even have the decency to serve respectable meal offerings in transcon F (forget about eating in Y if you're not seated in the first two rows and don't have exact change)."

which explains the higher level of customer complaint's at Cal. Sure Avek, hold on to the lie... . you're more biased than we are. We just admit it. But just curious, you proud of the class exhibited by Cals front man on this board? Is it appropriate? Is he "your kind of guy"?

 

[iflyjetz]

everyone at United...get to work.....my husband just suggested that I have another baby OMG....Now we gotta make this work! Motley Fool....I intend to prove this wrong.

Fly, you beat me to it.

For all current employees of UAL, please go out and continue to prove the pundits who predict UAL's demise incorrect.
Post these kinds of messages on crew boards and inspire fellow UAL employees to deliver the best possible product.

I'd like to throw out special kudos to all of the UAL CSRs and FAs out there. In the last year, you have really been great in terms of customer service. (I've reved and nonreved a lot, and have noticed a tremendous improvement). Your employee groups will be the ones that ultimately determine the fate of this airline because you have the greatest effect on customer satisfaction. You are WAY underpaid.

I can't wait for the day that UAL recalls me. (I just hope that borescope's history by then; he's one rotten apple).

 

[JAMAKE1]

I am a United employee who is on a voluntary furlough through 2007. I happen to very much respect Continental's product. Hands down, they deliver probably the best business class product in the business (well...Virgin may have them beat). And no, I would not classify Continental as a SCAB airline. I know there are many good people at CO from the likes of TI, PE, NY, the original FL, as well as the pre-Lorenzo Continental. I just do not get what purpose it serves you guys...CALno.1, Bizman, and AVEK whatever... to come on the boards and hurl a bunch of flaming remarks regarding your delight at United's misfortunes. Are your lives that unproductive that you have nothing better to do with your time? I just don't get it. Call me sensitive, but when I read a posting that relishes in the idea of a United demise...with laughing smiley faces for emphasis...I do find it offensive. What purpose does that serve? I was a loyal Continental customer in the early 1990's when their reputation was still tarnished from the Lorenzo legacy. Believe it or not, I even participated in prayer vigils that were held when the airline was close to being liquidated. This was when Hollis Harris was at the helm. Anyone who currently works for a legacy carrier is at risk of having their pay and benefits diminished due to the current environment. None of us are immune from having our livelihoods altered. We all have covert hostilities at times. But sometimes it's better to keep those thoughts and feelings private. The only differences we share are the paint jobs on the airplanes. So, can we back to a respectful dialogue? We don't have to agree, but at least keep it productive....

 

[avek00]

AVEK00

Deflect and deny! Why address the reasonyou're posting here instead of attacking me?


4. The only reason you're here is Randy booted your assets OFF Flyer Talk. So you sir are slumming.

5. UA is struggling and you're over here trying to urinate on the grave and I resent that. UA is not my favorite airline, but their are people involved here and some are rather nice.

6. as to CO, I think they are a fine airline, One Pass sucks compared to DM and the Star Alliance. and CO can never manage to post code share tickets in my experience without customer intervention and to my mind that is a deliberate to defraud the customer. If US can get that IT issue resolved then so can CO, especially in light of what passes for a web site at US.

1. If you read my earlier posting carefully, you would see that I referred to US as your "preferred" airline. That does not imply ownership in any way, only usage.

2. Unlike BBB and his cronies, the folks at CO actually DO have some grasp of what their customers want and are willing to pay for. For all of the griping, CO FFers have had no need to waste time and resources on a large-scale collective effort to make our airline listen to us. Sure, there have been some individual-level discussions with CO, and said discussions are producing results. Good luck on your mass effort though.

3. It's sad that your preferred airline has engendered such low expectations even in its best customers.

4. I have been posting on USaviation.net for several years, so I am by no means new here. Besides, this site allows for more discussion of the industry from the corporate side, something which I am particularly interested in. Thus, you characterization that I am slumming here is false, to say the least.

5. UA is struggling because of bad decisions made by past and present management and labor. I do not see a problem in criticizing United because of that.

6. Last time I checked, close to half of Star Alliance is in some form of serious financial distress, including ALL of the Western Hemisphere members save US Airways (e.g., formal bankruptcy/liquidation/de facto creditor protection/ward of the state). Additionally, once CO joins SkyTeam, it will be in a FAR more integrated alliance than Star -- remember, SkyTeam is the ONLY alliance to enjoy TATL AND TPAC ATI, allowing for genuine alliance cooperation, not just FF-related stuff.

 

[avek00]

Call me sensitive, but when I read a posting that relishes in the idea of a United demise...with laughing smiley faces for emphasis...I do find it offensive. What purpose does that serve?

Unfortunately, many people inside and outside of the industry strongly believe that the loss of a major carrier is essential for the industry to regain sufficient traction for a genuine recovery. It stands to reason that the sacrificial lamb should be an airline that has not had its house in order for several years, and continues to resist transforming itself into a viable enterprise. The management and employees of the airline had no qualms about setting the company up for disaster, so why the heck should an outsider to UA want to see it live?

 

[magsau]

Ditto for you my friend.

The world could use one less self promoting uninformed egotist and I am willing to nominate you for the hanging.

Seems there are too many people like yourself. You and CAL1 have stepped to the fore front and should be rewarded for not having your social graces house in order.

No hard feelings, just business.

 

[avek00]

Ditto for you my friend.

The world could use one less self promoting uninformed egotist and I am willing to nominate you for the hanging.

Seems there are too many people like yourself. You and CAL1 have stepped to the fore front and should be rewarded for not having your social graces house in order.

No hard feelings, just business.

I'd rather be deficient in social graces than lose my grip on reality ala United Airlines...

 

[mweiss]

I'd rather be deficient in social graces than lose my grip on reality ala United Airlines...

Unfortunately, it would appear you're 0 for 2...

 

[ClueByFour]

1. I do not consider USaviation a "slum", period. I'm shocked that you consider this site as such.

2. Say what you will about CO, but IIRC, your preferred airline treats its customers like cockroaches, and doesn't even have the decency to serve respectable meal offerings in transcon F (forget about eating in Y if you're not seated in the first two rows and don't have exact change).

1. I think what Bob meant was that trolling every forum on every airline related website has gotten you banned from one, but I could be mistaken.

2. If you consider what CO (or any domestic airline) serves in any class domestically to be respectable (or better), I suggest that maybe dorm food has gone to your head.

 

[mweiss]

If you consider what CO (or any domestic airline) serves in any class domestically to be respectable (or better), I suggest that maybe dorm food has gone to your head.

Granted, I haven't flown in CO FC since they changed their elite qualification rules, thus chasing me out the door...

My experiences in CO FC have generally been surprisingly good. I found their domestic transcon service to be something special...especially if I happen to be lucky enough to fly on one of the international configured aircraft.

It still doesn't hold a candle to much of the terrestrial cuisine, but one can't expect miracles from those little ovens.

 

[Whadayano]

I still think alot of UA's troubles trace back to a sense of entitlement by the pilots when they were riding high, as evidenced by the work to rule dispute in the summer of 2000, I think it was...I was on vacation in Kona when in 4 days the then 1 flight a day plane (from SFO) didn't make it on 2 of them, and the other 2 was over 4 hours late. This in a market where the typical customer is on a special vacation. I must have had 20 people at the resort I was at vow to never fly United again--some turning purple as they said so---and I suspect many of them were fflyers...so I think pilots do have to take some responsibility for what has happened to a great airline, one with hubs any airline (including CAL) would give an arm for. That said, there is clearly no danger of liquidation and CAL does need to focus on their own issues--see my post in that forum today. Because I fly out of NWK alot I do end up flying CAL alot, and they aren't what they were 4 years ago either, I assure you.

 

[Light Years]

I've only scanned quickly through this thread, but I just want to say two quick things...

1. Wishing ill will upon anyone or thier company is just plain wrong, and the person who started this thread clearly has alot of issues.

2. Not to defend him, but lets talk about these bag tags for a minute. It seems to be a UAL thing. In 2000, when US Airways was to be acquired by United Airlines, many UA F/As strapped tags and stickers onto thier luggage that said either US Airways or USAir with a line through it (you know, the Ghostbusters/No Smoking thing). Some even had the logo on it. There were stickers placed all over the US ticket counter, gates and jetways at ORD.

Why? Its obnoxious and immature, and doesnt serve any purpose. A customer who sees you walk through the terminal couldnt care less about some F/As opinion on anything at all, much less whos merging with who etc. They likely wouldnt even notice if all of the major airlines merged into one. The only reaction a customer might have is to see that corporate symbol with a line through it and think theres something wrong with, or unsafe about the company, particularly seeing it on an airline employees person (do people really think the common public can tell all the ugly blue uniforms apart or who works for who? Or care, really?)

In the future lets show a little more sensitivity and class. Lets not take on concieted attitudes if our airline happens to be the biggest that year, or have the best contract that year, or be the most profitable that year. Lets not slander, spit on, give dirty looks to, or refuse to share vans with employees of other airlines. Lets not take joy in another company's misfortune, or that of its employees, your comrades. Lets be civil when companies decide to merge us and not fight to help people lose jobs or have to start over again because you want good trips.

We all see that everyone is on the losing team and winning teams at different times. I just hope when and if people are on a winning team again, they dont forget how much it hurt when someone took pleasure in kicking you when you were losing.

 

[JAMAKE1]

Light Years:

You always have the best interactive screens (I am not sure what to call them). I love your latest. Thank you for your posting. A breath of fresh air after numerous provocative postings. I just want to shed some light on the stickers that some of my colleagues displayed back in 2000-2001. I am not trying to justify their behavior, but on the line there was a great deal of ill will toward management at United. After the summer of 2000 debacle, their was a lot of anger among the ranks and the collective feeling was that United was more interested in pursuing the USAirways merger rather than focusing on their own dishevelled house. The collective felt ignored and not respected by management and so the anger toward the merger started to intensify. It was perceived that a few parting executives would stand to gain at the expense of the collective. Added to that, among the flight attendants at UAL, there was concern about the seniority issue and how the AFA by-laws are written. While I can tell you that I am a proponent of date-of-hire, most of my colleagues were very threatened by it as United was both a very junior as well as very senior airline during that time period. I can tell you that the anti- USAir stickers were more of a statement against UAL management and it was a plea for management to focus inward. During this time, UAL management started to take their off the ball (the UAL operation). Significant investments were made in starting subsidiary companies such as Avolar (a corporate jet operation) and the acquisition of Net Ventures. Meanwhile the airline operation totally fell apart. Furthermore, the pilots felt betrayed because ESOP was coming to an end and their contract was amendable. Rather than focusing on completing contract agreements, all of management's attention was turned toward the USAir acquisition. This is what led to the summer of 2000 mess. Like I said, I am not trying to make excuses or justify anyone's behavior. I just want to provide you with a bit of framework for what was going on at United at the time. Basically, the message to management through the use of those stickers was, "We're angry, we feel ignored, and we are NOT going to support this merger!" I can see how the stickers could be perceived as attacking USAir and its employees, but I honestly believe that that wasn't the intent and purpose of them. Hope this provides a little insight anyway. Peace.

 

[Hula Girl]

Jamake1,
I was on a hotel van with my crew and had the misfortune of having a United crew grace us with their presence during the merger fiasco. We were told by the flight attendants that we were not welcome on United property and were certainly not welcome to wear the United uniform. Those actions were directed at US-your flying brothers and sisters- not at management. I have yet to see an apology from any United employee and there were many of my coworkers who saw similar actions from other United f/as and pilots. And a heartfelt thanks to the other United crews who refused to get on hotel vans with us. We enjoyed the peace! I wish you well in these tumultuous times as I truly believe in the quote-There, but for the grace of God, go I, but please remember all of the other airline employees who were drowning at one time or another and all we got was a smirk from your airline as it was apparent that our demises were being prayed for.