US Airways workers excited over company's possiblities
Karen Ferrick-Roman, Times Staff
09/17/2005
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As soon as news broke Friday morning that bankruptcy court approved US Airways' reorganization plan, Lewis Laniewski grabbed the phone to call his wife.
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Linda Laniewski of Ambridge, a 16-year US Airways flight attendant, was on a trip in Providence, R.I., when her husband told her the merger with America West will go forward.
"Linda's very happy about it," Laniewski reported. "She thinks it will be very good for US Airways employees. They've just been hit with so many uncertainties over the last number of years that I think any change would be good.
"These people around here, they've been battered, a lot of them."
Though uncertainties still surround the mechanics of the merger, all US Airways employees and former employees contacted Friday were pleased to see the airline heading into Mergerville.
"I still hope US Airway makes it," said Tim Baker of Kennedy Township, a pilot who left US Airways for another airline this spring. "I've got a lot of friends left up there."
"I think it's the much-needed positive energy that the airline, overall, needed," said flight attendant Carrie Davis of Moon Township. But she would have liked to see more of an impact in Pittsburgh and greater reassurance that jobs will remain - possibly, even grow - locally.
"I don't think that Pittsburgh will ever be an important city in the airline's eyes again," Davis said. "It was always a sore point of mine that management never thought we were important enough to be a major hub. I kind of took that personally.
"Overall, it's good," said the 18-year flight attendant who plans to leave the company in December. "On one hand, I'm excited for the airline, but melancholy that I'm going to be missing out on something in the long haul."
Another positive reaction came from longtime US Airways worker Debbie Scott of Chippewa Township.
"I think it's a good thing - as long as they, hopefully, stir up some of the management," Scott said. "It seems like we're management-heavy."
Now a mechanic, Scott came to the airline 21 years ago in the Piedmont Airlines merger, so she knows what a merger can mean.
"When we first went from Piedmont to US Airways, it was like a totally different environment and different standard of work."
Some colleagues carried over what Scott called the "old steel mill theory: If you don't do too much work, they'll hire another person to pick it up. Now it's gotten to where you work to save your job."
Scott has heard that America West Chief Executive Officer Doug Parker, who will be CEO and chairman of the new US Airways, "is supposed to be worker-friendly."
She's hoping Parker and the new airline will listen to money-saving suggestions from frontline people, ideas that have been cast aside to this point.
Parker is "saying he realizes the employees are an asset, and I hope in the long run, they prove that ... and we get rewarded for it," said Scott, who was disgusted with former executives walking away from the company with millions.
"Everybody's ready for a change," she said. "Everybody knows the economy's bad, but hopefully, there's a turnaround. And when it does turn around, hopefully, they'll start giving back instead of just giving to the stockholders and the people at the top."
The migration of money to top executives in this merger plan proved a disappointment to US Airways pilot Fred Freshwater.
As part of the plan, 11 top executives will share in a $12 million cash payment, the Associated Press reported. US Airways CEO Bruce Lakefield, who will be vice chairman of the new airline, will receive about four times his salary, $1.7 million.
"I'm certainly happy for the employees in that the merger provides a future promise of jobs, although at this point we're unsure of how many," said Freshwater, who lives in Robinson Township. "But I am quite disappointed in that, once again, the bankruptcy judge, Judge (Stephen) Mitchell, has given blanket approval for these 'valuable' managers to, once again, abscond with a large chunk of the funds that the airline has stated it so sorely needs."
Karen Ferrick-Roman can be reached online at [email protected].
©Beaver County Times Allegheny Times 2005
Karen Ferrick-Roman, Times Staff
09/17/2005
Email to a friend Printer-friendly
As soon as news broke Friday morning that bankruptcy court approved US Airways' reorganization plan, Lewis Laniewski grabbed the phone to call his wife.
Advertisement
Linda Laniewski of Ambridge, a 16-year US Airways flight attendant, was on a trip in Providence, R.I., when her husband told her the merger with America West will go forward.
"Linda's very happy about it," Laniewski reported. "She thinks it will be very good for US Airways employees. They've just been hit with so many uncertainties over the last number of years that I think any change would be good.
"These people around here, they've been battered, a lot of them."
Though uncertainties still surround the mechanics of the merger, all US Airways employees and former employees contacted Friday were pleased to see the airline heading into Mergerville.
"I still hope US Airway makes it," said Tim Baker of Kennedy Township, a pilot who left US Airways for another airline this spring. "I've got a lot of friends left up there."
"I think it's the much-needed positive energy that the airline, overall, needed," said flight attendant Carrie Davis of Moon Township. But she would have liked to see more of an impact in Pittsburgh and greater reassurance that jobs will remain - possibly, even grow - locally.
"I don't think that Pittsburgh will ever be an important city in the airline's eyes again," Davis said. "It was always a sore point of mine that management never thought we were important enough to be a major hub. I kind of took that personally.
"Overall, it's good," said the 18-year flight attendant who plans to leave the company in December. "On one hand, I'm excited for the airline, but melancholy that I'm going to be missing out on something in the long haul."
Another positive reaction came from longtime US Airways worker Debbie Scott of Chippewa Township.
"I think it's a good thing - as long as they, hopefully, stir up some of the management," Scott said. "It seems like we're management-heavy."
Now a mechanic, Scott came to the airline 21 years ago in the Piedmont Airlines merger, so she knows what a merger can mean.
"When we first went from Piedmont to US Airways, it was like a totally different environment and different standard of work."
Some colleagues carried over what Scott called the "old steel mill theory: If you don't do too much work, they'll hire another person to pick it up. Now it's gotten to where you work to save your job."
Scott has heard that America West Chief Executive Officer Doug Parker, who will be CEO and chairman of the new US Airways, "is supposed to be worker-friendly."
She's hoping Parker and the new airline will listen to money-saving suggestions from frontline people, ideas that have been cast aside to this point.
Parker is "saying he realizes the employees are an asset, and I hope in the long run, they prove that ... and we get rewarded for it," said Scott, who was disgusted with former executives walking away from the company with millions.
"Everybody's ready for a change," she said. "Everybody knows the economy's bad, but hopefully, there's a turnaround. And when it does turn around, hopefully, they'll start giving back instead of just giving to the stockholders and the people at the top."
The migration of money to top executives in this merger plan proved a disappointment to US Airways pilot Fred Freshwater.
As part of the plan, 11 top executives will share in a $12 million cash payment, the Associated Press reported. US Airways CEO Bruce Lakefield, who will be vice chairman of the new airline, will receive about four times his salary, $1.7 million.
"I'm certainly happy for the employees in that the merger provides a future promise of jobs, although at this point we're unsure of how many," said Freshwater, who lives in Robinson Township. "But I am quite disappointed in that, once again, the bankruptcy judge, Judge (Stephen) Mitchell, has given blanket approval for these 'valuable' managers to, once again, abscond with a large chunk of the funds that the airline has stated it so sorely needs."
Karen Ferrick-Roman can be reached online at [email protected].
©Beaver County Times Allegheny Times 2005
