Res A White Elephant

[Iflyem]

Look for our new leader to quickly focus on eliminating ALL or MOST of the reservations agents and the few remaining res centers. This is a sad, but necessary move given the cost of delivering our product to the public.

Just look at the US AIRWAYS.COM livery, and you will understand the direction that managenent is going.

I predict that there will be a core team of Res people (perhaps in India?) who will handle the tougher, international situations, but for the general public, online reservations will become commonplace.

 

[Bradly71]

While that is a thought, I'm not sure of how likely that is. If anything, I would say that consolidation might happen. Perhaps closing the PIT facilities and moving them to Winston. Closing them altogether though would not be a very smart move at all. The worst thing that could be done would be move them to India, that is the quickest way to alienate passengers. While I'm sure CCY would love for most people to book online, they need to remember that in the big scheme of things a majority of people in the country still don't have internet access. When you skew that to be only airline passengers I'm sure that more do than don't depending on the market or airline. Delta is wrestling with the same thing, you can read about their joy with the subject on this thread :

Delta Thread

There also was an interesting artical in the local paper this week about outsourcing to India and how it's not working out as planned for companies. It's an interesting read as well:

IndyStar

 

[mweiss]

Iflyem, it may happen someday, but that day is not soon and certainly not now.

I'm a pretty savvy traveler, and I use the web sites, but there are still many, many things the web sites don't yet do, so I end up talking to Res fairly often.

 

[700UW]

Look at Dell Computer as an example they moved their Tech Support to India and they were losing business as people stopped purchasing Dell's as they could not understand the tech support people, they closed the Indian Center and moved it back to the US.

 

[mweiss]

700, that is true, but it's not only a solvable problem but I can guarantee that it's being solved and will no longer be an issue within a decade.

As long as they're willing to work for 1/10 of their US counterparts, there are extremely powerful forces pushing work in that direction.

 

[700UW]

I agree and corporate America does not realize they are eliminating the middle class the very same people that buy their products that won't be able to anymore.

 

[mweiss]

It'd be a more interesting idea to ponder if it weren't so serious. There are so many factors at work that it's unclear what the long-term ramifications are.

 

[deltawatch]

A few weeks ago I expected outsouresing, now after taking a closer look at Mr Bronner I don't think so. Read what he wrote in his Apr news letter. But I do beleive there's some lead-way between Walmart wages and those in reservations. I think he will do eveything he can to save this comany, but he will need some help. And I think if he pulls it off he will pay industry standard wages ASAP.

Quote Bronner "Multimillionaires can range from those who care deeply about their fellow man like the late Winton ‘Red’ Blount, to the cockroaches of the corporate scandals all over the world. All too often today, individuals who are paid millions of dollars a year want to take anything and everything away from the working person. It is difficult for me to see how these millionaires think they will remain in good shape if most of the good paying jobs are in India or China, and the rest of us are all Wal-Mart employees."

Bronner News Letter

 

[bobcat]

It is highly unlikely that Res. will be entirely eliminated. At this point in time they can not even afford to furlough anyone due to the high call volume, 150 - 200 calls on hold daily. The only way they could consolidate to one office would be if business dropped off significantly.

As I stated in another post...from what I have heard from Pit and Int agents the "NO" vote will prevail this time around. It seems at this point in time and as time goes by more and more agents are no longer afraid of losing their job. The more time that goes by with no announcement of "the plan" or what is needed in concessions the more angry everyone is becoming and the less anyone cares if US survives or not. Everyone is just biding their time and doing their job until the final outcome, whatever it may be. The longer this process takes more Agents are coming up with plans for life after US and the less they care about being furloughed. We have a very diverse group of individuals in Res. We have many many agents with degrees, skills and backgrounds in other fields. We have agents who were nurses and other fields of health care, teachers, writers, environmental specialists, salesman, printers, mechanics, librarians, stenographers, builders, small business owners, EMTs, firefighters, music teachers, bartenders and the list goes on. These people are more and more becoming confident that they will be ok if US shuts the doors. There will be options and life will go on after US.

Mangagement just needs to get on with it already! We all need to know where we are headed. The longer this drags on the more restless the "indians" are becoming.

 

[Revolutions]

One of the few, readily identifiable benefits of being US elite includes the reservation agents. I'd let them work from home and dump the office space (like Jet Blue does) I'd take a pay cut if I could work from home.

 

[RWerksman]

One of the few, readily identifiable benefits of being US elite includes the reservation agents. I'd let them work from home and dump the office space (like Jet Blue does) I'd take a pay cut if I could work from home.

That is an outstanding idea. Studies have been done, and the general consensus is that people that work from home are more productive and happier.

Do a search on google to find the case studies. It is really a mystery to me why this hasn't become mainstream yet.

 

[Piedmont4US]

I agree and corporate America does not realize they are eliminating the middle class the very same people that buy their products that won't be able to anymore.

The economy is coming back and you can see it as the the milk industry has their pricing power coming back to them among other industries. Look how much you are paying for a gallon of milk now, definitely not the same as last year as then they were at a 25 year low.

Now only if the LCCs would follow the trend, but they know by doing so it would help the legacies.

 

[usflyman]

I would like to add my thoughts. I first agree with Bobcats remarks in this thread. Thank you for your insights.

My second thought would be to remark about the outsourcing issue. As our contract reads they cannot outsource our res jobs at least until 2008. We have a contract that agrees to let us do that work.. Unless the company decides to go back to Bankruptcy court to try and aborgate this agreement, they cannot outsource.. They could downsize by office closures, or furloughing, but our contract, which i believe should NOT be reopened is a binding agreement signed by both sides.

My last thought would be to again say that i feel, that the passenger service contract should not be opened again. The company has a contract now, that allows for built in paycuts(by a mainline city becoming mainline express) and pays its employees less then the dreaded competitor Southwest. the concession stand should be closed.

 

[delldude]

so if outsourcing to india creates a problem with verbal communication...whats to stop them from filling a room here in the good 'ol usa with college students for $6.50/hour?

 

[700UW]

My second thought would be to remark about the outsourcing issue. As our contract reads they cannot outsource our res jobs at least until 2008. We have a contract that agrees to let us do that work.. Unless the company decides to go back to Bankruptcy court to try and aborgate this agreement, they cannot outsource.. They could downsize by office closures, or furloughing, but our contract, which i believe should NOT be reopened is a binding agreement signed by both sides.

My last thought would be to again say that i feel, that the passenger service contract should not be opened again. The company has a contract now, that allows for built in paycuts(by a mainline city becoming mainline express) and pays its employees less then the dreaded competitor Southwest. the concession stand should be closed.

The company can do whatever they choose.

Look at the Airbus issue, it is our job and the union's job to fight and stop this.

Don't ever think the company won't try it.

My contract says ALL overhauling of airplanes is MY work!