PIT,
Don't you think that what's going on now is a reaction to WolfGang? If it wasn't for Dave, we'd already be history... there is no doubt about that. As painful as it is, he is doing what needs to be done. I don't think it will be bad forever, but we need to survive this economy (and let's hope it lasts only until 2004 and the Shrub doesn't get re-selected). Dave has pulled us through, evidenced by the fact that we WILL be out of bankruptcy on Monday. That in itself is nothing short of miraculous and a testimony to what management AND employees have done together. But with all due respect, you are burying your your head in the sand if you thing that Wolf and Gangwal have not raped, pillaged, and plundered this company into near oblivion. THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO MANAGE. THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO MOTIVATE. THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO RESPECT. Now, I realize there is an argument that what current management has done is worse. But what was Dave supposed to do. The company simply doesn't have the money. Now that we have the cost thing in check, light years ahead of OALs in my opinion, we are poised to kick butt, and I think we will. FINALLY we have an unique opportunity to look at strategic growth, thanks to Dave and no thanks to Wolf or Gangwal. They came to CCY to pick us clean and sell us off. They succeded in the first part.
The truth is, PIT, there is a new reality in the aviation industry on how things need to get done. Airlines can adapt or parish. The employees at U have decided to adapt. It ain't easy, but it can be done. And it will be done. But the us vs. them attitudes of years past won't work anymore. It is up to us AND management to find ways to respect each other and protect ourselves. It is not Dave's fault that the economy stinks, that air travel is down, and the low cost competition is springing up all over the place.
Simple economics dictates that you cannot pay out more money than you are bringing in. Wolf and Gangwal should have addressed this years ago. They should have addressed the route network years ago. They should have addressed the RJ issue years ago, rather than let DAL encroach on many of our routes with lower cost RJ structures. They should have paid more attention to running an airline and less attention to selling it off in potential a deal that had almost no chance of getting federal approval at the time. They should have finessed their labor groups instead of pitting them against each other. They should have stepped onto the front lines and talked with the employees. They should have fostered an environment of trust rather than hide behind the great wall of CCY.
I submit to you that this company is exactly where it is because of them. Now Dave has to clean things up. But economies are cyclical and I think things will get better. It's sad to say that some airlines are probably going to die off. It is a testimony to Dave that we probably won't be one of them.