Positive Article About U/hp

[wnbubbleboy]

Merger benefits business travelers
US Airways would offer low fares,

Pittsburgh Business Times


The proposed US Airways/America West merger would create an attractive new option for business travelers looking for both low fares and full-service amenities -- giving the new airline an edge over low-cost giant Southwest Airlines, industry analysts said this week.

A combined US Airways/America West, while continuing as a hub-and-spoke carrier, would feature simplified pricing and lower fares, but also would keep many of the amenities local fliers of Alexandria, Va.-based US Airways have grown accustomed to, including airport clubs, assigned seating and first-class cabin service. The new $10 billion airline, which would operate under the US Airways banner, would serve more than 200 cities, including international destinations.

Other low-cost carriers, including Dallas-based Southwest, do not offer many of these amenities or as many destinations. US Airways currently is Pittsburgh International Airport's dominant carrier and employs roughly 5,000 in the region.

"The combination (of US Airways and America West) is more attractive to business travelers than the companies on a stand-alone basis because the route network is more spread out, and they are maintaining their frequent-flier service, airport clubs and elite travel programs," said Jim Corridore, a logistics and airline industry analyst with the credit rating firm Standard & Poor's.

The new US Airways could help draw business travelers away from other low-cost airlines. Monica Smith, a Dayton, Ohio-based senior consultant with travel and transportation industry consulting group Teradata and a former America West employee, said the new airline likely would provide everything the typical business traveler expects.

Ms. Smith added that America West has been competing with Southwest for a number of years in Phoenix and Las Vegas, so it knows what it is going up against.

"They have a lot of experience going head-to-head with Southwest Airlines," she said. "That's been a big problem for US Airways."

'Challenging competitor
America West has had some trouble in the past attracting business travelers, according to Mr. Corridore. The airline showed a tendency to wait until other airlines had put their fares on sale and started to sell out before it would put its fares on sale, in order to get business travelers flying at the last minute to pay higher fares.

The airline's merger with US Airways, which is navigating its second Chapter 11 filing, still needs the approval of federal regulators, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, America West's shareholders and the Air Transportation Stabilization Board. US Airways has said it hopes the transaction will be approved by the end of this summer. Until then, it will be business as usual for both airlines, which will maintain separate ticketing, route structures and frequent-flier programs in the interim.

Several local companies said they'll be watching to see what type of airline emerges.

"If they can provide low-cost pricing and full service, then that's a real plus," said Paul Lang, manager of travel services at Bayer Corp., which has its North American headquarters in Robinson Township.

Bayer, which purchases more than 70,000 tickets for employees traveling in the United States each year, currently uses all of the domestic carriers, including US Airways, and it has specific travel agreements with some carriers, whose names Mr. Lang did not disclose.

When selecting a carrier, Mr. Lang said Bayer considers both price and convenience. He said Bayer is taking "a wait-and-see attitude" about the new airline.

"The route structure may change; the fare structure may change," Mr. Lang said.

Kevin Lowery, a spokesman for North Side-based Alcoa Inc., the world's largest aluminum maker, said Alcoa would be open to discussing ways it could work with the new US Airways. Alcoa, which does not currently have any travel agreements with US Airways, encourages employees to purchase the lowest-priced fare, he said.

Whitney Eichinger, a spokeswoman for Southwest, said the airline is accustomed to competition and successfully has competed with America West over the years in some of its key markets, including Phoenix and Las Vegas.

"We see consolidation in the industry as good because of the reduction in the capacity," Ms. Eichinger said. "We will keep costs lower than America West and US Airways. Southwest will continue to offer what we are known for."

US Airways spokesman David Castelveter said the new US Airways will offer low fares -- and more.

"What customers will see is that they will have the first truly global network low-cost, low-fare carrier," Mr. Castelveter said. "It will offer a breadth of service they don't have today."

Keeping costs down and fares low may be one of the merged airline's biggest challenges. Michael Boyd, an Evergreen, Colo.-based airline industry analyst and president of The Boyd Group Inc., said it's unlikely fares will dip much lower than their current levels.

Mr. Corridore added that it will be difficult for US Airways to maintain its hub-and-spoke system while lowering costs.

 

[Cfm56]

Sounds like the same rah rah stuff United Shuttle and CAL-Lite used to put out. Both got their butts kicked by SWA. Although terms like "global network" sounds glorious to management and employees, the majority of fliers just don't care about "global networks". Most simply just want to get from PHX to LAX or MDW to CLE or DAL to ABQ the cheapest way with a reliable airline with decent frequency. Despite vain-glorious sounding sound bites, doing the basics well with simple good low cost service and friendly employees is all it takes. The politics of this merger with disgrunteld employes making 70% of what Southwest employyes earn is not going to give a lot of incentive for friendly employees knocking themselves out for the customer.

 

[calibrator]

Sounds like the same rah rah stuff United Shuttle and CAL-Lite used to put out. Both got their butts kicked by SWA. Although terms like "global network" sounds glorious to management and employees, the majority of fliers just don't care about "global networks". Most simply just want to get from PHX to LAX or MDW to CLE or DAL to ABQ the cheapest way with a reliable airline with decent frequency. Despite vain-glorious sounding sound bites, doing the basics well with simple good low cost service and friendly employees is all it takes. The politics of this merger with disgrunteld employes making 70% of what Southwest employyes earn is not going to give a lot of incentive for friendly employees knocking themselves out for the customer.

[post="274145"][/post]​

Aye Yes, a poster with uncommon common sense.

A group of malcontents will never out play the very content LUV employee at their game, which they perfected.

The only ones that will benefit are the very same vermin who make their money with a wrecking ball.

As far as being global, LUV has a firm foundation while these two jokes of an airline have decaying bodies as their foundations which will rot and sink just like this whole fiasco surely will.

 

[ClueByFour]

A combined US Airways/America West, while continuing as a hub-and-spoke carrier, would feature simplified pricing and lower fares, but also would keep many of the amenities local fliers of Alexandria, Va.-based US Airways have grown accustomed to, including airport clubs,

All three that remain open.

assigned seating

in a cabin that has not been cleaned (above the tidying the FAs do) since before the second bankruptcy

and first-class cabin service.

Excellent--because one cannot buy a happy meal at the concourses in PIT, CLT, and PHL in any case.

 

[hp_fa]

Ever been to Cibo in B Concourse in PHL? Pretty nice place to sit and enjoy a nce meal

[post="274188"][/post]​

We are used to the "King of Pizza".

 

[El Gato]

Sounds like the same rah rah stuff United Shuttle and CAL-Lite used to put out. Both got their butts kicked by SWA. Although terms like "global network" sounds glorious to management and employees, the majority of fliers just don't care about "global networks". Most simply just want to get from PHX to LAX or MDW to CLE or DAL to ABQ the cheapest way with a reliable airline with decent frequency. Despite vain-glorious sounding sound bites, doing the basics well with simple good low cost service and friendly employees is all it takes. The politics of this merger with disgrunteld employes making 70% of what Southwest employyes earn is not going to give a lot of incentive for friendly employees knocking themselves out for the customer.

[post="274145"][/post]​

Yeah, that's all true, but don't you realize that there are SOME people left in this nation who don't want to sit next to the dirtbags, burnouts, sweat drenched(and usually obese) midwesterners, amateur comedians, obnoxious families on way to vacation, prostitutes on way to vegas, and other personalities who you can meet on a Southwest flight. There are people left out there who like a little class in their service, like a decent seat, some modicum of food, and some in flight entertainment other than some giggling airhead laughing at her own jokes. Not everyone wants to feel the "LUV". A cheap seat may be fine for some, but travel is not just about being cheap. It's about being treated decently. Southwest may be good for some, but not all.

The idea that another airline employee making 70% less than a Southwest employee being unfriendly is stupid. People know they have a job to do no matter what their salary is. If they don't feel happy with what is offered, they usually go and find greener pastures for themselves.

 

[700UW]

Funny if people don't like what you say then why does Southwest carry more passengers domestically then any other carrier?

Why do they pay their employees more then any other carrier?

Why are they the highest percentage of Unionized employees?

And

Why have they made a profit for over 30 years straight?

 

[El Gato]

Funny if people don't like what you say then why does Southwest carry more passengers domestically then any other carrier?

Why do they pay their employees more then any other carrier?

Why are they the highest percentage of Unionized employees?

And

Why have they made a profit for over 30 years straight?

[post="274216"][/post]​

How about competant and aggressive management for one? I don't give a damn what the product is, if you don't have someone running the show who knows and cares about the business, than it all is just a waste of time and money. US for years has been saddled with a bunch that never really cared or had the foresight to change/adapt when needed. WN had a crew that took the job seriously and had the guts to accept change.

Now we come to the merger. Bronner himself said that the US heads were "more interested in playing golf than running a company". This statement, is from a man who plunked into US to the tune of $250 million dollars. Truer words can not be used to describe it all. Doug Parker is a guy who has managed to accomplish what no one else in this industry has. Maintain two hubs in cities that Southwest has hubs in as well. Compete aggressively in routes against them. Try to think of another carrier that has pulled that off, all while avoiding the threat of Chapter 11 post 9/11. There isn't.

Why is the merger good? Simply put, it is like taking a diseased brain and removing it from the skull of a man who is only partly infected(PHL) and putting the brain of a healthy man(HP) into it. It does not matter what the quality of any organization is. What matters most is the skill of the people running it. And Mr. Parker has the skill that US so desperately needs.

 

[Heinrich]

Funny if people don't like what you say then why does Southwest carry more passengers domestically then any other carrier?

Is there room for only one airline with only one route network and style of business? Popularity has never meant quality, in politics, music, theater, or consumer goods.

Why do they pay their employees more then any other carrier?

Why are they the highest percentage of Unionized employees?

And

Why have they made a profit for over 30 years straight?

[post="274216"][/post]​

Why aren't you working there?

 

[700UW]

Because they do not fly into the city where I choose to live.

And when I started my career 20 years ago in aviation they were not on the east coast.

 

[Cfm56]

>>>>>A cheap seat may be fine for some, but travel is not just about being cheap. It's about being treated decently. <<<<<<<<

Exactly why people fly SWA. At least they know their bags won't be part of a new man made mountain and they won't sit at the gate "waiting on a push crew" or stopped on the taxiway waiting for people to guide the plane in (while they are told on the PA that "there is 'traffic' blocking the way to the gate")...or the biggest reason as part of being treated "decently" -- not getting raped by high airfares till a LCC carrier comes to down. People remember that the old airfares were triple till competition came to town and resent the old monopolistic raping that they use to endure to the point they'd rather fly SWA/Airtran/jetBlue even if the same airfare as U.

SWA can have corny f/a announcments and goofy songs. Yes, it may not be for everyone but more people enjoy it over the dour, deadly serious, bitchy, leave me alone, sit down and shut-up atitudes that other vest wearing (so 70's!) airline employees have. As corny as it sometimes is, most find it refreshing. I have seen SWA flights that were an hour or two late but by the time they got to their destination everyone had such a nice time on the airplane that they completely forgot the hour late and all they could say was how much they enjoyed the flight.

 

[ClueByFour]

Yeah, that's all true, but don't you realize that there are SOME people left in this nation who don't want to sit next to the dirtbags, burnouts, sweat drenched(and usually obese) midwesterners, amateur comedians, obnoxious families on way to vacation, prostitutes on way to vegas, and other personalities who you can meet on a Southwest flight.

On a LUV flight? You can get these on any airline. US is certainly not immune.

On the flipside of things, when you jump on one of the hourly DAL-HOU shuttles, you are more likely to be sitting next to someone in a $1000 suit and an even more expensive watch.

You (like most) miss the point on where Southwest really makes their money, and it's not hauling mom, dad, and the kids to see the mouse.

There are people left out there who like a little class in their service, like a decent seat, some modicum of food, and some in flight entertainment other than some giggling airhead laughing at her own jokes.

Where, prey tell, in the US Express network can I get any of these? Sure as h#ll not on Mesa.

The only domestic market that support any tangible pricing power with regard to service are transcons (which UA and AA have wrapped with 3 class service) and the small volume that Midwest Express already does.

 

[luvn737s]

I just got off my first USAirways flight in 7 years and I was very impressed. The 757 was clean, the employees friendly and the service had a polished look and feel to it. And it was full. My only complaint was that it was a redeye and they didn't show a movie, but that was no big deal.

Maybe some of the bashers here should try riding on the airline they love to hate and see what a bunch of "malcontents" can do.

 

[LD3]

Now we come to the merger. Bronner himself said that the US heads were "more interested in playing golf than running a company".



And these are the guys that deserve retention money????

 

[calibrator]

And these are the guys that deserve retention money????

[post="274301"][/post]​

According to the Pollyanna morons and tediously dull minds that post on here.

You have a F/A posting on here that believes no matter what management does was sent from heaven and to question it is blasphemy.

This is what the foundation is made of expecting a new superior LCC to take off....

LUV will crush this thing by merely existing and without any effort they are so far ahead of the 8 ball.

The real job was accomplished, a few vermin at the top made millions while the employees got crapped on with the remaining employees chanting the coming paradise lead by a pilot.