Us Airways' Rising Star Now Closer To The Top

[USA320Pilot]

Ashby, who has been with the airline since 1996, was in charge of the successful cost-cutting negotiations completed last year with the flight attendants and pilots. Pilots chairman Bill Pollock referred to Ashby yesterday as a "rising star" within the company.

In a message to employees yesterday, Ashby said, "There is much to be optimistic about. We have turned the corner with our labor groups, and we are now engaged together in the competitive fight that the company faces. We are leaner, tougher and ready to win."

Chicago airline analyst Bill Warlick also expects US Airways to find the $100 million in new equity necessary to keep a financing deal with General Electric, the airline's largest creditor. The GE commitment also requires action by tomorrow, and GE "clearly has signaled its willingness to continue funding the company and keep those planes in the air," Warlick said.

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Regards,

USA320Pilot

 

[700UW]

All except 25 that is.

 

[PITbull]

Ashby states we turned the corner with our labor groups? as a company?

And where is the change in managment culture to uplift the morale of a workforce that is necessary in turning this corner in a "people business"?

Or is that not a serious concern that will take more than "lip service"?


I expect a major culture change in senior managment, especially after giving approx $265 million per year in 3 TOTAL concessions from just our labor group alone. That's someth'in I'm not readily able to forget. And I won't let managment forget it either.

When Corporate culture changes, morale gets lifted, and we turn a profit, that is when management will get their first kudos.

Until then...."smoke and mirrors", my friend. B) and just public relations BS in the media.

 

[LGA / 037]

Ashby should have been the marketing man from the beginning. ( Siegal to Lakefield ERA ) In my opinion, Baldanza rubbed the consumer the wrong way. Although Baldanza made the Customer Svc group feel a bit better with his whole " If you no-showed for a theatre show would you expect a credit or refund ?" gig, it really rubbed the consumer the wrong way ! He ( Ashby ) has experience in MDA, Star Alliance , as well as the airline operation as a whole.

 

[bookmdano]

"We have turned the corner with our labor groups"....Whew! This spews seagull poop. No one turned the corner with labor groups other than worthless, filthy thieves with "knives to the throats" of labor. Every single labor contract was agreed upon by labor to save a few from carnage as anyone with a conscience would do. Unfortunatly, the top of the pyramid is a wobbling ferocity from the extreme weight. Something has to give, no? Obviously there are a few at the top of this wobbling pyramid that are breaking their arms patting each other on the back as they change name plates on their executive bathroom doors.

 

[Winglet]

Good Lord. Sounds like the only "successful" thing he's done is break the unions and employee morale. Geez. Where was this "rising star" when U should have been doing real restructuring of it's business strategy 2-3 years ago . . . . and STILL hasn't done. A "protege of former Chairman Stephen Wolf and former CEO Rakesh Gangwal." Now THAT'S a REAL recommendation.

What a bunch of Stalinist tripe.

 

[Justaramper]

Bruce Ashby will probably replace Lakefield, in the near future....

 

[usfliboi]

Usairways union leaders also have a responsiblity in being a part of that culture change... To constantly bash management , and not look in its own house, is reckless at best. Teddy and others need to start practicing what they preach..

 

[mbmbbost]

Ashby should have been the marketing man from the beginning. ( Siegal to Lakefield ERA ) In my opinion, Baldanza rubbed the consumer the wrong way. Although Baldanza made the Customer Svc group feel a bit better with his whole " If you no-showed for a theatre show would you expect a credit or refund ?" gig, it really rubbed the consumer the wrong way ! He ( Ashby ) has experience in MDA, Star Alliance , as well as the airline operation as a whole.

[post="238682"][/post]​

And I can't think of anything marketing DID in the past three or four years that was particularly positive. There was a lot of talk, and there were some really stupid moves. Hopefully now there'll be some forward thinking, and actual action.

 

[Finish or Ignore]

PITbull,

I
NOPE, US Airways is going to have to go it alone with the HR folks and internal training folks they currently have IMO.

I see little rays of hope slowly creeping out of CCY regarding how employees are treated. Even with boatloads of consultants and training it takes YEARS to affect a culture change.

[post="238710"][/post]​

Bob,
I agree that help could come from the outside, but, The treatment of employees AND customers must come from within and from the top. US adopted GOFARES because they were forced to, not because it was clearly the way of the future. Until employees feel they are part of the team I feel there will be problems. I hope you are right about the "rays of hope", but, I KNOW the folks in charge of morale don't get it.

 

[Bob Owens]

In a message to employees yesterday, Ashby said, "There is much to be optimistic about. We have turned the corner with our labor groups, and we are now engaged together in the competitive fight that the company faces. We are leaner, tougher and ready to win."

[post="238671"][/post]​

"Ready to Win" what? The race to the bottom in compensation? Forget it, you guys will not win as long as the TWU is around, no matter how low you go, Jim (without further ratification) Little will simply bring us lower, then give himself another pay raise for doing so.

2011 2011, 2011. So if USAIR does "win" why are they trying to lock you out from sharing in their success till 2011?

No matter how well USAIR does your real income will be lower in 2011 than it was in 2001.

 

[WorldTraveler]

Change management is NOT about high priced consultants or expensive bills.

It IS about having a well-developed business plan, making all stakeholders a part of the process of change, and communicating often and honestly. Those are not expensive habits but they are very countercultural to American business.

US employees as well as those at all legacy carriers will continue to undergo a huge amount of change in the next 12-24 months but it doesn’t mean they can’t be treated with respect.

 

[whlinder]

And I can't think of anything marketing DID in the past three or four years that was particularly positive.

[post="238740"][/post]​

You don't think Seth was positive?

 

[RowUnderDCA]

I do.

There's a group of folks who control millions of dollars of discretionary air travel business who live, learn and work in U's urban markets that would never think about accessing air travel in any manner other than the internet. Guess what, they don't think about going to USAirways.com. They zip onto jetblue or SWA or Orbitz or hotwire and buy from some other carrier or buy bottom bottom basement fares from hotwire.

I know the OLD OLD OLD demographic that makes up the readers and posters of this forum barely recoginize this group... they're called twenty somethings. And there are more and more of them everyday.

They probably think Seth is lame too, but they don't care and neither should you. Just relax.

 

[SVQLBA]

Pitbull said:

When Corporate culture changes, morale gets lifted, and we turn a profit, that is when management will get their first kudos.

And Piney said:

The kind of management development/change management effort you are looking for is just way to expensive for ANY of the legacy carriers to afford right now. The consultants that are any good charge a small fortune and are busy busy busy, so no need to take on a US Airways or any other legacy carrier were getting paid could be at issue.

"

Couple of points:
1) It's too late for good change management. US has done much of the hard change the brutal, painful way. I know there's more to go (looks like yet another reorg is in the plans based on the Ashby appointment press release), but much of the most painful stuff (job losses, network changes) should be (please) almost over

2) Changing the tone / culture of management doesn't necessarily need lots of expensive consultants. It DOES need leadership from the top. Read up on jetBlue. As jB expanded, Neeleman noticed a dip in morale. Many of the people moving into mgt positions weren't good at managing people in the right way. Neeleman spotted this and fixed it (jetBlue University I think they call it). It was Neeleman's leadership that allowed it to be spotted, and a solution developed (I think it was in house, not consultants).

Arpey is attempting something similar at AMR. They are using consultants (a boutique focused on union / employee / management relations) and reading the AA boards they have a long way to go, but they wouldn't be making any progress if it wasn't for Arpey leading and championing the effort.

I think what PitBull's saying is that Ashby now has to show some leadership in this area. Who he promotes and doesn't promote, what he holds his management accountable for, etc., especially when it comes to employee relations and morale, will be key and go a very long way to addressing the issues. Spending time on the frontline would be invaluable. I think Neeleman gets both kudos and direct benfits for taking on FA duties weekly; and Bethune got a lot of respect and developed front line rapport by having pilot and A&P licenses, and by occassionally flying the line.

Any views from Express folks on Ashby's leadership in this regard?