Welcome to the US Airways #### #### #### forum!

[Fly4Free]

It's not about griping Sparky. The vast majority of "gripes" are legitimate complaints about a poorly run airline. An airline that is profitable simply because of the advantages it took while in BK. If you think any different you aren't paying attention.

I totally understand this airline is far from perfect. Calling this airline "embarrassing" and calling the merger of the reservations system a failure, stuff like that is just plain wrong. Half the people here probably don't even use the reservation system. Maybe they are just ticked because the company switched to SHARES instead of using SABRE. Who knows, but I have seen many changes because of this. I know that having two different systems can hinder the operations of other things like our website, customer services, etc. But now that we have one system at least, it means the customer will have a WAY better experience. Having to memorize 10 phone numbers for service really sucks, for any customer. (I'm not exxagerating here! Pre-merger there was: Dividend Miles number, US East number, US East Intl, US East Seat Reservations, HP West Number.) Maybe not ten, but anyhow. People here are either chosing to ignore the benefits that having one system will have, or are just got a foot so far up their butt all they want to do is complain. I'm NOT saying things are perfect! People are misunderstanding me.

The operation itself is seriously flawed. The employees are treated as liabilities. The "leadership" in Tempe is non-existent. Negotiations yield only frustration while pax are treated to inop Kiosks and the like after an integration of computer systems, in the planning since the merger, still isn't fixed.

I could go on but you'd just think I was "griping".

Many of those kiosks in question are common-use kiosks. Read About Us and it'll tell you that. I don't think you're griping, as I am sure most of what you said are legitimate concerns all of us have. Take a look at the topics in the forum. "When will the firings be annouced?", etc. One even blames the employees for the past weeks migration. "An Embarassing Airline" heck.. they did this three times before the real thing. I'm not sticking up for them, but I've been in their situation before. Anyone in IT knows that when you do a business-critical system change, it has to be done right. They did everything they could have done, they had three practice runs, they hired some leading system migration personel.. even government officials to help with this migration. Many parts were a success.. some parts were not. Please.. it was not a failure. If it were a failure, do you think we'd stil be flying right now?

If this airline is going to succeed it will take some serious leadership that recognizes its failings, acknowledges its employees as assets, and embraces a Southwest concept of how a service business is supposed to be run.

If we did it southwest's way.. things well.. would definitely be different. I wish this "LCC" thing would go away though.. US Airways wasn't a ghetto airline and it shouldn't progress into one either. The first flight I ever flew on was a US Air flight from DFW to CLT back in 1995.. yeah, first flight my sister and I ever had. (On an airplane..) I had no idea I'd move to the opposite end of the country and actually work for the first airline I'd ever flown on.

But you go ahead and put your head in the sand. When you pull it out the next BK will result in liquidation. While DP and his boys walk away with enough cash to buy all the breweries in the country.

pilot

I don't have anything to do with DP and his boys. I'm not a management official at this point, so I could care less what they do as long as I'm able to do the job I was hired to do. Right now, I'm finishing my Technical Management degree and then I'll go from there.

 

[john john]

I know that having two different systems can hinder the operations of other things like our website, customer services, etc. But now that we have one system at least, it means the customer will have a WAY better experience.

LCC still has two major systems running day to day operations SHARES & SABER

 

[700UW]

Have some crow:

Caribbean vacations are a MESS. I can't set up island hopping anymore for vacation packages.

Nice flaming, I think you have a case of DKS. Don't know ####.

It's a shame. Working for companies whose goals involve penny counting because they think it's saving them money is just wrong. It's like cutting corners.

Makes me wonder.. like how NASA, basically those astronauts ARE sitting on a big rocket made out of parts made by the lowest bidder.

It would be awesome if we had realiable services that would actually count for the long run, not some short term goal to have "barely working" tools to make the company run.

I glanced at the technology in use at the airports, the computers there are probably as old as the ones here in USV!! They are ancient PCs from the late 90s. Even at AB, we did desktop refreshes once every 3 years. And we were BEHIND everyone else, running 2000 when they had 2003, etc.

It's not just the technology we use to book trips for customers on, this phone system is horrible. 1/4 the time it's too loud, 1/4 the time it's too quiet, 1/4 the time there is a loud echo / interference / etc. 1/4 the time calls don't even go through.

I submitted my resume to Wells Fargo today, Unix Administrator, at least they would pay me $100,000.. no chance in hell US Airways would ever pay that salary.

I'm on a string PineyBob, and it's stretching to it's limit.. it's time for serious job search to continue. Maybe I'd return (if I left) to US Airways if it ever got it's act together, but I can't deal with the customers, the company, and being blamed for things outside of my control anymore. (I book vacations, not watch your baggage.. please..)

eh when pax ask for good fares, they are looking for the cardboard box and a free seat in the back of the bus.

I hope I'm not whining, nor do I want to seem like the type that does.. but when it comes to my advancement and "moving up" in the company, don't I have some right to complain?

Here's the deal. There's a few promotional opportunities in the dept. where I work. Well, there's a certain supervisor (mine) that won't let any of us go for those opportunities. His reasoning is there are only 20 of us in this part of the department. It's not really my fault for their lack of staffing, nor do I feel like any of us should suffer because of it. I am rather disappointed and discouraged as to whether or not he'll let me apply for other jobs in the department.. all this "we would be happy if you advanced in your career" said to me at orientation earlier this year turns out to be all rubbish. I figured hey, if I can't get ahead by switching departments, let's try to get ahead in the department I'm in.

NOPE.

Well, it's great you got to work on Thanksgiving (sorry, coming from a single, low-paid employee).. I actually wanted to come to work on Thursday. I had a TV dinner at home, bah. That was my Thanksgiving day.

Sorry, that's not what I pay in rent, it's how much I owe. (Whole other story. Mostly fees, attorney costs, etc. Bottom line, paycheck doesn't cover the full amount, and at the time I choose my apartment, it was the cheapest on apartmentguide.com .. $484/mn .. they rose it to $529/mn. My last 80hr paycheck was for $458.)

When I applied for US Airways, they do a credit check too. I deal with taking credit card numbers every day. I am about 2 years behind on my payments though.. which is due to unemployment and that's what ruined my credit. I want to hire a lawyer to get my landlord to accept my rent payment. That's what I want to do.

I came home to a note on my door today. They reversed the rent payments I made back to my account. They won't take my partial payments. (1/2 beginning of month 1/2 at end of month)

I feel lost. I am an employee of a company that has posted a rather nice profit for the last year. I started working for the airline in May. Before that, I had an average salary of ~20-35/hour. I took a job that had benefits, travel, and an admired local company (America West) were the items the drew me in. I thought I could work where I was for 3 months, move into another job at work. Well.. it partially happened, I got promoted to International sales 2 months after my hire date. (They usually won't even consider promotion before 90 days.)

<SCREECHING TIRES> Hold it here.. I have a degree, credentials and references. I worked for companies like Intel, Anheuser-Busch and even the MLB.

Sad fact.. I'm now facing the possibility of not having a roof over my head. I can't afford the rising costs of STUDIO apartments in PHOENIX. When I shopped around, I got the CHEAPEST place I could find, $419/mn with utils. Now it's $530/mn with utils. I've lived here 2 years. They won't give me a break and my paycheck each pay period is what.. $450.

I have no idea what to do. I've submitted my resume for part time jobs. I've applied for full time jobs. I've looked at other apartments, they are about $600/mn. I am single. I have two cats. I tried roommates.com, no luck there.

I don't know what to do. Anyone have any suggestions?

 

[Fly4Free]

Have some crow:

Why, I never said I don't complain. A lot of those aren't even complaints, as back in November I was asking for ideas on what to do to afford to live. Working full time and not being able to live? Unheard of for me. I received a lot of advice from people both here and at work.

I have seen a lot coming out of your mouth too. I don't care if you have a personal grudge against me, I don't know you and you don't know me! So we're even.

 

[700UW]

You dont know me nor ever met me, does your own words bother you?

Glad to see you have to insult, as I did not use one insult in the previous post.

Those are your own words.

 

[Fly4Free]

You dont know me nor ever met me, does your own words bother you?

Glad to see you have to insult, as I did not use one insult in the previous post.

Those are your own words.

I'd be happy to discuss with you my life in private if you're interested. I'm not a bad person, and I don't think anyone else here is a bad person. I just think that sometimes we all let things get to us. That does not make me "kool aide" or whatever you called me back in February in private. The fact I choose to work for an airline knowing that it's far from perfect.. well, it's on me and not you or anyone else. It's just that when people constantly trash "america west" "Doug parker" call the airline a joke, say that migration was a failure, etc.. well, it just adds up. I've always had the luxury of loving who I work for. They pay me and I do my job. That's all I really want.. is to be able to work and make a living.

 

[700UW]

You will need to learn, no matter how good or how bad you do your job doogie and his band of thieves are all about thier wallets, not what makes money, not what makes the airline run better, not what makes passengers and employees happy.

They are the Demi-gods of US and know it all and you all are their slaves to do their bidding.

No we need spartacus to rebel and take control and right the ship before it sinks.

 

[Art at ISP]

I totally understand this airline is far from perfect. Calling this airline "embarrassing" and calling the merger of the reservations system a failure, stuff like that is just plain wrong.
Sorry to say, but at this point in time this whole situation is in fact an embarrassment-not only to the employees, but to those of us loyal customers who have remained faithful and kept flying US all these years. There is not one acceptable reason for this migration to continue cause havoc in the system a full 8 days after the cutover. NOT ONE. People have had enough.

Half the people here probably don't even use the reservation system. Maybe they are just ticked because the company switched to SHARES instead of using SABRE. Who knows, but I have seen many changes because of this. I know that having two different systems can hinder the operations of other things like our website, customer services, etc. But now that we have one system at least, it means the customer will have a WAY better experience. Having to memorize 10 phone numbers for service really sucks, for any customer. (I'm not exxagerating here! Pre-merger there was: Dividend Miles number, US East number, US East Intl, US East Seat Reservations, HP West Number.)

We as customers and most of the employees I have spoken to have not seen one tangible benefit of the new system. From personal experience, I had such a hard time booking a trip to PHX with the CHP desk (OK an overflow agent), that I considered booking away. The new system does not populate customer information so each and every time I make a new res with CHP I have to give my billing information and contact information over and over again. The agent I dealt with kept having to put me on hold--the system did not want to take my credit card, then it did not want to give me a mileage upgrade (finally did). With all due respect, I don't have the time to spend 30 minutes on the phone to book a trip, which, ironically is for the purpose of supporting US Airways.


Maybe not ten, but anyhow. People here are either chosing to ignore the benefits that having one system will have, or are just got a foot so far up their butt all they want to do is complain. I'm NOT saying things are perfect! People are misunderstanding me.
Many of those kiosks in question are common-use kiosks. Read About Us and it'll tell you that. I don't think you're griping, as I am sure most of what you said are legitimate concerns all of us have. Take a look at the topics in the forum. "When will the firings be annouced?", etc. One even blames the employees for the past weeks migration. "An Embarassing Airline" heck.. they did this three times before the real thing. I'm not sticking up for them, but I've been in their situation before. Anyone in IT knows that when you do a business-critical system change, it has to be done right. They did everything they could have done, they had three practice runs, they hired some leading system migration personel.. even government officials to help with this migration. Many parts were a success.. some parts were not. Please.. it was not a failure. If it were a failure, do you think we'd stil be flying right now?
If we did it southwest's way.. things well.. would definitely be different. I wish this "LCC" thing would go away though.. US Airways wasn't a ghetto airline and it shouldn't progress into one either. The first flight I ever flew on was a US Air flight from DFW to CLT back in 1995.. yeah, first flight my sister and I ever had. (On an airplane..) I had no idea I'd move to the opposite end of the country and actually work for the first airline I'd ever flown on.
I don't have anything to do with DP and his boys. I'm not a management official at this point, so I could care less what they do as long as I'm able to do the job I was hired to do. Right now, I'm finishing my Technical Management degree and then I'll go from there.

When someone like me is to the point that I have to consider moving to another carrier, what does it tell you? And for what it's worth, I have heard from almost 100 other people in the last 5 days who are just about ready themselves.

The natives are getting restless, folks.

Fly4Free, I know you mean well, and that you are loyal to your employer, but the current situation the company finds itself in is indefensible.

 

[Harry Callahan]

FLY4Free if this is not an enbarssment, you should've seen the long lines outside CLT baggage service office last night & the police had been called. Or better yet the lady in tears with a small child whose vacation had been ruined.
Edit to add one other thing: Employees are seeing & dealing with this & other stuff night after night day after day. Pretty soon there will be more employees out on mental. Just say this comes from some one who deals with this.

 

[2clippedwings]

Fly4free hasn't worked long enough at U to understand the "back story" and the reason why longer term U employees are out of patience.

Fly4free, please do not take personally the replies to your posts. Frankly, you are naive. While this is a charming trait, it really doesn't fly amongst the people who post here.
You may have noticed that most of the posters at USAviation have a wealth of ideas and a fierce desire to work for an airline they can be proud of.
That is NOT the case now.

 

[Prince of PAWOBs]

Okay. I'll admit it. It's all my fault. I'm the miscreant who's whipping everyone into a frenzy.

LOL! My whispering campaign is working. Soon I will have them right where they want me! MWAHAHAHA!

But seriously folks, I used to have the rosy view that things would improve after the merger, and I couldn't have been more wrong. I'm almost nostalgic for the salad days of Siegel and Bronner. That in itself says volumes about how confusing things have become at this airline.

So, someone tell me what our illustrious leaders in Tempe are doing day-to-day to examine and fix these problems. I would love to be a fly on the wall and see what actually goes on there.

I'm guessing most of them are out of the office.

 

[crusher]

How can anyone with any sense not see that this res migration for the absolute,total failure that it is. We are into week 2 of this mess and things have not improved and have actually worsened. Come to an east city and look at the chaos that Qik/Shares has caused. How can anything related to this be a success? When all of the other members of the Star Alliance are all moving towards a common res system (Amadeus), we go to a bush league system . And Dougie wants to go to China? Shares doesn't work for international, just ask PHL.

 

[barbeetantrums]

Whiners in History -by Barbeetantrums

What if these whiners never whined?

Martin Luther King: What if he didn't compain anout segregation and racism? What if he didn't want to appear as an uppity Negro who didn't know how good he had it?

Gandhi: Imagine Gandhi didn't whine about the British rule of India? So what if the British plundered India's wealth and left the Indians in poverty and British shot and beat whiners? At least they brought vaccines and malaria pills!

Paul Revere: Okay, the British are coming. Shut up and mind your own business. They beat the French in the French-Indian War. What the hell is your problem?

Nelson Mandela: So the Whites put you in prison and oppressed the Black majority. At least they didn't kill you. Jeez.

Founding Fathers of America: You don't like the British, we get it. But wait! You ARE British! Does that mean you hate yourselves? Call 1-800-CRY-BABY.

I could go on but I need to complain about the ETC not working.

 

[Fly4Free]

Fly4free hasn't worked long enough at U to understand the "back story" and the reason why longer term U employees are out of patience.

Fly4free, please do not take personally the replies to your posts. Frankly, you are naive. While this is a charming trait, it really doesn't fly amongst the people who post here.
You may have noticed that most of the posters at USAviation have a wealth of ideas and a fierce desire to work for an airline they can be proud of.
That is NOT the case now.

As a matter of fact, you're probably right. I only see the past year when I'm discussing this, My hire date was in May of last year, so Yeah. Of course I'm going to base what I say on only what I know, since I am obviously not familiar with pre-2006 US Airways or America West. America West was "the" place to work here, from what I heard. They were an admired company here. I'm sorry that things aren't going perfectly. I understand that. I can add my own horror stories to all the ones here, but I drew the line. I don't want to complain and know when the right time to complain and to who to complain to is. I made a mistake of starting this thread. Robert, you were right, unfortunately all the employees of West/ America West have to take the fall for the demise of Charlotte's shared kiosk issue. Please close the thread when you feel enough is enough. it was a mistake on my part!

 

[aerosmith]

Fly4free stinks.

That cat go to bed with itchy bum. Wake up with stinky paw.
HAHAHAHAHAHA