PI merger

[Dont call me Shirley]

Was not online yesterday, so I could not post this, a tad disappointed on one else noted the date. Twenty years since the last flight of the speedbird. Many who were around back then remember PI with great fondness, many think the USAir's takeover was rather hamhanded.
Some now say they hadn't seen nothing yet.

Piedmont Airlines. 1985 Air Transport World "Airline of the Year". Route of the Pacemakers.
A damn good airline.

Remember Piedmont Punch? Goody's headache powder. The little speedbird chocolates.
Hot towel and free wine in coach on Calif flights. Launch order for the Boeing 737-400.
767 LAX-CLT/BWI.

Ah, the memories. OMG, 20 years does fly by fast.

 

[SS255]

Longing 4 Piedmont.

 

[N965VJ]

<SNIP> Ah, the memories. OMG, 20 years does fly by fast.

Ain’t that the truth!

 

[Pacemaker1977]

Remember a full can of Coca Cola, smiling people, not having to go through Philadelphia, Fokkers, the revolution of First Class that was truly First Class....

"A Model Of How Good An Airline Can Be"

 

[700UW]

The Florida Shuttle, Chateaubriand in First Class or Prime Rib carved at seat going to LGW and the Chipwiches on the 767s from LAX.

 

[wings396]

I didn't forget the date either. I does make me sad to see how far backwards the combined airlines have gone in the past 20 years. I recall that the combined PI/US MAINLINE fleet was somewhere in the area of 450 A/C. Here we are 20 years later with yet another airline merged into the fold, and almost 100 A/C less not to mention how many stations have gone express or closed completly. I know that many here will sing the praises of Uncle Ed, but he left a huge mess for Seth to deal with by leaving too soon after the PI & PSA mergers. And if that wasn't bad enough, the CCY gang got rid of a guy named Gordon Bethune too. I can only imagine how much different things would have been if Ed handed over the ship to Bethune instead. :huh:

 

[Dont call me Shirley]

Remember a full can of Coca Cola, smiling people, not having to go through Philadelphia, Fokkers, the revolution of First Class that was truly First Class....

"A Model Of How Good An Airline Can Be"

"US Westways" a model of (fill in the blank) airline can be

. And if that wasn't bad enough, the CCY gang got rid of a guy named Gordon Bethune too. I can only imagine how much different things would have been if Ed handed over the ship to Bethune instead. :huh:

Imagine (without crying, if you can) the powerhouse US/PI could have been under Gordon Bethune. He turned CO from the joke of the industry after what Lorenzo had done into what it is today. So sad. Maybe, just maybe, there is another Gordon Bethune out there. DP sure ain't it.

Imagine being proud of an airline.

 

[Barrister]

"US Westways" a model of (fill in the blank) airline can be


Imagine (without crying, if you can) the powerhouse US/PI could have been under Gordon Bethune. He turned CO from the joke of the industry after what Lorenzo had done into what it is today. So sad. Maybe, just maybe, there is another Gordon Bethune out there. DP sure ain't it.

Imagine being proud of an airline.

Friend of mine had Boss Hog (Bill Howard) on a flight about a year after he left U There were already signs of trouble. Friend asked him what he thought about the new Us Air. Howard told him point blank that he spent the first 2 months fighting with Colodny. Colodny wanted to sell the 767s, sell the London route and yank the First Class seats out of the PI jets. He may have been a nice man but he HAD NO CLUE what to do with a 454 plane airline. The stories are enless re: lost opportunities.

 

[Dont call me Shirley]

[

Friend of mine had Boss Hog (Bill Howard) on a flight about a year after he left U There were already signs of trouble. Friend asked him what he thought about the new Us Air. Howard told him point blank that he spent the first 2 months fighting with Colodny. Colodny wanted to sell the 767s, sell the London route and yank the First Class seats out of the PI jets. He may have been a nice man but he HAD NO CLUE what to do with a 454 plane airline. The stories are enless re: lost opportunities.

Remember, when the merger was announced, Boss hog was going to be president, with uncle Ed as CEO. Somewhere there was a falling out.

In all fairness to Uncle Ed and "Butch" Schofield for the failure of the PS merger and the gutting of its markets. Crandall did the very same thing with OC. And no one ever accused him of being stupid. The takeover of the Calif carriers by US and AA just did not work out.
All to WN's fortune.

On the PI merger, things very rough for a long time indeed. But US did end up being a pretty good airline. For a while. As I said, imagine what it could have been under good leadership.


Hmm.. still no takers for " a model of how ---- an airline can be?

How about "US Westworld. Where nothing can go wrong. Go wrong. Go wrong.



(for the under 30 crowd: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070909/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westworld)

 

[LD3]

"US Westways" a model of (fill in the blank) airline can be

I have some good ones, but I have been warned about using bad words...

 

[Dont call me Shirley]

You could always PM them!

 

[blueoceans]

Here's a good Piedmont Airlines commercial link below. Piedmont had beautiful planes and friendly associates. Free coffee at every gate each morning. Schedules seemed to run like clockwork. A Piedmont B-767 taking off for London from Charlotte was an impressive sight.

I remember when McClean Stevenson was the spokesperson for Piedmont Airlines commercials. As I understand the rumor, Piedmont accomodated very hasty plans to get McClean to travel to see his dying father. He was so impressed he did the commercials thereafter for free. Maybe just a rumor, but a nice comparison to how thousands of people felt.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9xt13SfqAM

 

[wings396]

Here's a good Piedmont Airlines commercial link below. Piedmont had beautiful planes and friendly associates. Free coffee at every gate each morning. Schedules seemed to run like clockwork. A Piedmont B-767 taking off for London from Charlotte was an impressive sight.

I remember when McClean Stevenson was the spokesperson for Piedmont Airlines commercials. As I understand the rumor, Piedmont accomodated very hasty plans to get McClean to travel to see his dying father. He was so impressed he did the commercials thereafter for free. Maybe just a rumor, but a nice comparison to how thousands of people felt.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9xt13SfqAM

This is a true story. He approached Piedmont about doing their commercials. From what I recall an agt in LAX drove him to the hospital just in time for him to see his Father prior to his passing.

 

[Barrister]

This is a true story. He approached Piedmont about doing their commercials. From what I recall an agt in LAX drove him to the hospital just in time for him to see his Father prior to his passing.

One of the more amazing thing was calling in with a mechanical problem......we would pull into the gate and the mechanic would be standing in the jetway with the part and his tool box just waiting for us to get out of his way so he could fix it. The first writeup I had post merger the mechanic walked on board the ac got the log book, walked out came back 40 minutes later with an orange sticker, placed it, walked out and never said a word. And don't forget U had to hire what.....600 additional mechs just to do pushbacks!! Brilliant

 

[crusher]

I think it was actually closer to 1500