"In a Class of our own"

[UPNAWAY]

At last you guys are now being honest and not blaming Tempe for everything. Management has been bad by these accounts at least since 1989. Ultimately all any of this airline is, is people. Things change, management comes a goes but many of the bad attitudes stay. I think the chronic complainers really need to take a look inside to find the real problems. There is an attitude problem and from what I can tell it isn’t upper management it is mostly associated with Allegheny people.
Piedmont, PSI, AWA folks seem to have a completely different outlook on life. Someone else once posted that Jesus could runs this airline and unless Jesus was a former AL employee I think the same complainers would continue to complain. This company needs a cultural enema and if I were in charge that is where I would start.

 

[Travelpro72]

Post #33 above is about as far OFF BASE as you can get. Employees need to look at their inner selves basically? Ummm ok Dr. Phil. This place is ran by the most unprofessional, employee unfriendly management group. When you can make some of the former CCY management individuals look good thats not saying much. But back to the topic....being "in a class of our own" is a VERY dangerous place to be. I believe that the current management is cost driven alone. I'll give them that. They have the talent of pissing off the most employees and customers of any other airline out there. The DOT numbers will prove any dispute from anyone on here basically. Thumbs up. Ya'll (uper management) better start listening to your employees and taking them seriously and showing respect before it's too late. Regardless of how hard you crunch numbers, switch a/c on routes, pull out or start new service if your employees of ALL labor groups are unhappy and feel cheated/slighted/disrespected/irrelevant this baby will go down and no SULLY will be able to save it.

 

[EastUS]

At last you guys are now being honest and not blaming Tempe for everything.

This company needs a cultural enema and if I were in charge that is where I would start.

Would you care to explain, as merely one issue, the recently demonstrated brilliance in being able to squander away somewhere over half a BILLION dollars in inept fuel "hedging" and pathetically insane "securities" alone? I won't even overly address the literally obscene levels of "compensation" the captain and officers of this sorry Titanic take for such incredible genius and limitless talent. "This company needs a cultural enema...." It most certainly does...and desperately. For starters: Just put the plastic cup down...back away from the Koolaide slowly..and no one needs to get hurt 🙄

 

[jetjok1]

At last you guys are now being honest and not blaming Tempe for everything. Management has been bad by these accounts at least since 1989. Ultimately all any of this airline is, is people. Things change, management comes a goes but many of the bad attitudes stay. I think the chronic complainers really need to take a look inside to find the real problems. There is an attitude problem and from what I can tell it isn’t upper management it is mostly associated with Allegheny people.
Piedmont, PSI, AWA folks seem to have a completely different outlook on life. Someone else once posted that Jesus could runs this airline and unless Jesus was a former AL employee I think the same complainers would continue to complain. This company needs a cultural enema and if I were in charge that is where I would start.

Well, I'm glad you're not in charge. Travelpro is right. Your way off base. You might want to read her post. She's right on the money.

EastUS- HaHa. that was good. thanks for the laugh!!

 

[EastUS]

But, don't forgot- they are the HIGHEST paid management team of all the carriers no matter how you cut it, slice it or dice it.
What a bunch of buffoons!!!

I believe that your post is entirely unfair to actual, honest and decent buffoons everywhere The average buffoon at least serves some usefull purpose, by way of inducing laughter and amusement, generally shows some slight respect to other people, and expects no ridiculous "compensation" for his/her efforts.

 

[Dog Wonder]

There is an attitude problem and from what I can tell it isn’t upper management it is mostly associated with Allegheny people.

Ok, now you have nailed it down to the Allegheny people.

Thinking upper management needs three hands to find their rear end will be an attitude problem if you can find your own with one.

 

[NCFL]

There is an attitude problem...mostly associated with Allegheny people. Piedmont, PSI, AWA folks seem to have a completely different outlook on life.

This airline is one big fetid mixing pot of people from a jillion also-ran carriers, and if you've been paying attention, you know which one I came from. I'm not taking your flame bait.

The real attitude problem, UP, is from the people -- exactly like you seem to be doing in this post -- who point fingers at everyone else as the source of the problem and who don't look in the mirror to determine their responsibility. No work group, no set of employees from X airline, no CEO, no West vs East vs North vs South is singlehandedly responsible.

Everyone is.

And until people stop pointing fingers elsewhere and start looking inward, this outfit is doomed to failure.

 

[Crzipilot]

No No No...you took it wrong. It's not that GLASS is not still present he is I believe. He just isn't present as an employee. He is now "consulting" which means he can charge US that much more money for screwing over their employees....

 

[autofixer]

http://www.fordharrison.com/shownews.aspx?show=1113

http://www.fhsolutionsgroup.com/shownews.a...39&Show=790

 

[BajaBabe]

Well if todays big announcement is that we will no longer charge for beverages .....That is just one tiny pimple on the face. Our passengers are prepared to pay two dollars, they just do not like being abused. Why doesn't the airline provide passengers with chits that enforce a no torture pass. Let the personnel take note that your clients are your future. As far as the Union, it's impossible because the majority do not care. You allow yourselves to be led around like steerage.

Mike Flores at this point is beating a drum and the Company can not take any of us seriously. Mike has a lot to prove and there should be an agenda item that states that if you negotiate a contract you need to stay and work with your co-brothers and sisters for at least a year. Wear the suit, you can not just cut and run. 😛

 

[galley princess]

Freedom,
Admittedly, this is a lousy economy. But did you read the previous posts? The flight attendants and pilots are in a different situation than the day to day US employees.

Day to day being the operative words. Flight attendants and pilots don't work everyday at US.

Didja happen to notice that Sully has an outside gig?

Think he's the only one?

During this messy past eight years, a great deal of F/As and pilots have quietly gone about assuring their future with back-ups. And if they haven't, they've been flying their keisters off getting out of debt and paying off their mortgages. I am talking about Senior f/as here, who make up the majority of US F/As. They're within shouting distance of retirement, and they've got a lot of reasons to be bitter, and hence uncooperative.

We are also talking about 2011. Not 2009. Everyone expects this downturn/recession/ mess to have made its bloody way through by then. Throw in the fact that you have a management that routinely rewards itself with high salaries and sorry, I'm made of granite by now.

That's another thing. I don't know about anyone else, but I don't hear a lot of whining from F/As or pilots about this economy. More like, well, welcome to the party folks, the beer's almost gone. We all dealt with a depression years ago.

If US goes down, the textbooks will not blame it on the employees. They will cite the abysmal management that US has suffered for years. You can't fix attitude problems without offering something in return. As usual, this management wants everything for free. You can't get that from people you've already robbed. All you can do is beat them up.

 

[UPNAWAY]

No work group, no set of employees from X airline, no CEO, no West vs East vs North vs South is singlehandedly responsible.

Everyone is.

And until people stop pointing fingers elsewhere and start looking inward, this outfit is doomed to failure.

OK NCFL, I can agree with that. Everyone has a stake and everyone shares some blame. I guess my point is the AL people will not stop complaining no matter what.....and I mean no matter what. Gordon Bethune could come in tomorrow and we would hear nothing but compliants about all the changes.

 

[N965VJ]

<SNIP> This company needs a cultural enema and if I were in charge that is where I would start.

Great idea! Be sure to mail out enema kits to those pesky customers, too.

 

[vantheman63]

At last you guys are now being honest and not blaming Tempe for everything. Management has been bad by these accounts at least since 1989. Ultimately all any of this airline is, is people. Things change, management comes a goes but many of the bad attitudes stay. I think the chronic complainers really need to take a look inside to find the real problems. There is an attitude problem and from what I can tell it isn’t upper management it is mostly associated with Allegheny people.
Piedmont, PSI, AWA folks seem to have a completely different outlook on life. Someone else once posted that Jesus could runs this airline and unless Jesus was a former AL employee I think the same complainers would continue to complain. This company needs a cultural enema and if I were in charge that is where I would start.

Fascinating...

Tell me something...after being and "Elite Customer" on US from the day they invented it (US Air "Priority Gold Plus) and then a CP for most of the past 13 years...exactly what part of the company's culture, that needs an enema, created the hostility toward passengers? Specifically high yield and VFFers?

Who was it that said:

- (with regards to the stripping of the A321 when asked if that stripping would stop) "No it won's stop, we've always said we would be willing to sacrifice customer perception for revenue." - May 10, 2005

- (When asked at an INT CSA "town hall") If there is one group we'll collect EVERY fee from, it's the CP group.

Seems to me...well....never mind...it really doesn't matter.

That's pretty amazing though...that ANYONE would find this type of attitude remotely acceptable...and for God's sake, it came from the leader of the company!

 

[NCFL]

OK NCFL, I can agree with that. Everyone has a stake and everyone shares some blame. I guess my point is the AL people will not stop complaining no matter what.....and I mean no matter what.

You should have been around on August 5, 1989. You want to talk about complaining! And it wasn't just from AL. It was from everyone.

It's human nature to find something to complain about. Some are better at it than others, but I don't think it's AL-specific. Maybe we'll just have to agree to disagree on that one.

Consider this:
In 1988, PS employees saw AL management rob them of their smiles. California cool was replaced by dark blue suits, white button-down shirts and red ties. I can't speak too much about that merger because I wasn't around then. I'll bet someone else here can enlighten us.

In 1989, PI employees saw AL management come in and dismantle their fine, customer-focused airline with the Draconian application of their "cool northern efficiency" and their "mirror image" approach to things. The Internet didn't exist back then, so we didn't hear from organized groups who could band together as a single voice to say "this sucks" like we do today. I'm talking about FFOCUS, FlyerTalk, etc. We also didn't have USAV, so employees had to rely even more on the rumor mill for things to filter between stations. The dialogue we have here was non-existent. There was this wacky page in PACER...was it G/9/13/69...but I digress.

At the time of AL/PI, I worked on the phones in Consumer Affairs. Customers held for > 1 hour to get through and were SCREAMING mad when they got to us. Practically every call said "it wasn't like this when it was Piedmont," or "you all ruined Piedmont," or "XYZ Piedmont." What the customer didn't know is they were talking to an office populated by 99.999% Piedmont employees who sat there and professionally took the beatings. This "blah blah blah Piedmont" stuff went on for a very, very long time. I live in Winston-Salem, and old-timers still gripe about what USAir did to Piedmont. You still see people proudly wearing the speedbird.

It can best be compared to the loyalty and spirit present today at WN. And USAir ruined it.

Fast forward to today...The wounds of the AL/PI/PS mergers were well scabbed over. Enter Parker and company and their approach of "The HP Way or the Highway." Those scabs got ripped off pretty quickly, and while nobody used the words "mirror image," they might as well have. Those words (or anything that smacks of them) strike fear in the minds of most East employees and instantly raise their hackles.

So. You wonder why they gripe? They've been down this path before. It sucked then, and it sucks now. Only now, there's a palpable reality the company may go out of business.

As with most things in life, self-centered fear is the root of our problems. People gripe because they are scared.