What gives?

[Dont call me Shirley]

We all know that US Airways is the smallest network carrier. So it seems odd that with fewer employees and customers it gets far more attention on this forum site than its larger brethren.

Let's see 16,990 Topics 419,658 Replies for US. A far distant second is AA: 6,663 Topics
122,617 Replies DL, the largest carrier, has a paltry 2,979 Topics46,497 Replies.


Is the Tempe based airline that much more interesting? DL/NW just went through a merger (and a rather big one), you'd think there would be some meat on the bone there.

Are US posters more internet savvy, perhaps people interested in those other carriers have never heard of this site? Or do they have better stuff to do than kvetch here?

 

[SparrowHawk]

Maybe we are all just Masochists?

Whip me, Beat me, make me write bad checks Doug

 

[wasone]

We all know that US Airways is the smallest network carrier. So it seems odd that with fewer employees and customers it gets far more attention on this forum site than its larger brethren.

Let's see 16,990 Topics 419,658 Replies for US. A far distant second is AA: 6,663 Topics
122,617 Replies DL, the largest carrier, has a paltry 2,979 Topics46,497 Replies.


Is the Tempe based airline that much more interesting? DL/NW just went through a merger (and a rather big one), you'd think there would be some meat on the bone there.

Are US posters more internet savvy, perhaps people interested in those other carriers have never heard of this site? Or do they have better stuff to do than kvetch here?

I just think that more USAirways employees ####, moan, groan and complain than other airlines employees do. Who knows maybe other airline employees are trying to work together??

 

[Be Careful What You Wish For.]

I just think that more USAirways employees ####, moan, groan and complain than other airlines employees do. Who knows maybe other airline employees are trying to work together??

airlinecrew.net used to have all of CO's b&m sessions but doesn't seem to work anymore. Where did they go?
AA doesn't do so badly on US Aviation.

 

[Kev3188]

It's been far and away the dominant carrier on here for as long as I've been a member. If you look, 6 of the top 10 posters are (or were) either US employees, or US frequent flyers.

Most of the topics in the NW/DL forum came from the NW side when they were merged. prior to that, you could hear crickets in the DL forums. Same with NW, from time to time.

Careful brings up a good point: Some employees of given carriers flock to a particular site over others. CO still dominates airlinecrew.net by about 4-1 over the next closest.

P.S. I was just over there; the site is alive and well.

 

[WorldTraveler]

While it is true that different airline fans congregate on different websites, it is also noteworthy that the three largest and probably most stable US airlines -DL, UA, and WN - probably have the least amount of activity.
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There is very much an element of uncertainty that drives online activity; online activity involving DL reached a near frenzy in the BK, post BK, and merger periods but has settled down, esp. in light of a lack of any resolution regarding the labor representation issues which is what drove a disproportionate amount of activity on this forum.
Online activity from UA supporters/employees has always been well below average and has picked up primarily as a result of the merger - but there is a disproportionate amount of that activity coming from the CO side - which is seeing more changes than PMUA.
Similar but smaller scale regarding WN'FL.
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People aren't much interested in talking about companies that are doing relatively well and doing what mgmt said they would do.
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IN contrast, AA and US have had some of the most uncertain futures and that has been the case for years.
The future of both airlines - and thus the future of their employees and customers - is still very much up in the air.
The fact that mergers, aircraft acquisitions, and labor resolution are some of the hottest topics on this and other forums shows that change and transition are bigger conversation topics than stable and succeeding at what the companies said they would do.

 

[signals]

I just think that more USAirways employees ####, moan, groan and complain than other airlines employees do. Who knows maybe other airline employees are trying to work together??

I agree! US was putting more of their dirty laundry on these boards than anyone else. It's calmed down alot since the sandcastle sent out agents to have 'bad' employees sign a cease and desist order or something! B)

 

[Barrister]

We all know that US Airways is the smallest network carrier. So it seems odd that with fewer employees and customers it gets far more attention on this forum site than its larger brethren.

Let's see 16,990 Topics 419,658 Replies for US. A far distant second is AA: 6,663 Topics
122,617 Replies DL, the largest carrier, has a paltry 2,979 Topics46,497 Replies.


Is the Tempe based airline that much more interesting? DL/NW just went through a merger (and a rather big one), you'd think there would be some meat on the bone there.

Are US posters more internet savvy, perhaps people interested in those other carriers have never heard of this site? Or do they have better stuff to do than kvetch here?
[/quote

 

[Art at ISP]

I agree! US was putting more of their dirty laundry on these boards than anyone else. It's calmed down alot since the sandcastle sent out agents to have 'bad' employees sign a cease and desist order or something! B)

Calmed down alot? Have you read some of the pilot remarks lately in their thread?

One reason this board is mainly US centric is that the founder and owner is a former US pilot, so it was natural that the original emphasis was there. US has created a good number of controversies on it's own over the years, so one would expect the traffic here to center around the airline that everyone loves to hate.

Personally I am very grateful to this site. While FFOCUS didn't start here it grew and and I have had the good fortune to meet some of the fine employees and my fellow customers through this board....friendships I hold near and dear to this day.

I just wish that some of the discussions here could be more civil and address the issues more than the personal animosities ....I truly think that if the energy spent attacking each other was focused on solving some of the issues things might get a little better out there...but it takes two to tango and the sandcastle apparently has two left feet.

I wish everyone a happy healthy and safe 4th....

 

[SparrowHawk]

I want to echo Art's assessment and add to to it if I may.

I think what Art said is the primary reason. However consider that a large portion of the US workforce works in PHL.

If you've ever been to a sporting event in PHL you know the fans will let you know in no uncertain terms what they think of you even if they aren't sure, they'll tell you anyway just in case.

It's been my experience that the "Toode" carries over to the business world. To me it's no surprise. Think about it for a second, this is a city that booed Santa Claus and is proud of it! So I mean really who the F is Doug Parker?

 

[SegmentKing]

well.. it *was* called USaviationforums.com

 

[ContUNITEus]

The high amount of postings about US Airways has something to do with the culture of alienating employees and customers at the same time. US aka (AWA) executives have done a lot of things to piss off passengers and employees, hence the reputation on the internet. AWA management operates the airlines without regard to anything or anyone. There is no aspiration to be better than anyone, just a forced sense of at least to try come half way to what other companies offer that might be a positive. US Airways management does not put any effort in trying to be a leader of anything that is good or positive. Now, on the other hand, if it's something bad - like taking something away from customers or employees, then yes, they will always strive to be the leader in that area, and/or try to outdo someone else already doing it.

It is not very easy to name something that US Airways does better than its competitors. I cannot think of anything.

 

[Dont call me Shirley]

Now that we've (hopefully) completed our grammar lesson, the only thing I will say on the subject is something I've said before.

AA is a fine airline indeed. There truly are synergies. What gives me pause is what has happened in past AA mergers. (OK, maybe not with TransCarribean). Look at what happened in the AirCal, Reno Air, and TWA mergers; the route networks of the absorbed carriers were eliminated and, in large parts, the aircraft picked up in the mergers were disposed of. As were many emplyees.

Until AA's recent and (to me, at least, surprising) forray into the LAX-SFO market, how much is left of OC and QQ? Does the city of Reno have nonstop flights to the cities it had when QQ was around? And look what happened to TW's markets and people. (Although, thanks in large part to Senator McCaskill, there will no more "stapling').

While much - while by no means all - of what happened to the former TW network and TWAers can be blamed on 9/11's effects on the industry, the OC/QQ mergers are cause for headshaking. We all know what happened to USAir's former PSA markets. (20 years ago in May). There has been much blame for that put on AL's management at the time. (Yes,it was still AL back then.) But while many people have called Bob Crandal many things, he is no slouch. Yet AA pissed away OC just as badly as USAir pissed away PSA. (And, in doing so, gave WN a gold mine) . One might think they had learned their lesson but then they go and do the very same thing with Reno Air. (Which I always thought was nice airline).

Fast forward to the TWA merger. What is left of TWA?

Why does AA keep spending money to take over carriers only to pull up stakes?

If AA can somehow manage to somehow not repeat the pattern, AA/US would be a great powerhouse and the careers of US employees would be far more secure. But, being rather cynical, I can see history repeating itself.

That said, who is is left for the smallest network carrier in this country to merge with? I am by no means a DOJ antitrust laywer, but I don't see that either an R or a D White House allowing a UA/CO/US tie up. Just too big. With DL there is - Doug Parker's reasoning a few years back notwithwstanding - too much overlap to avoid "rightsizing".

Does US have the "oompf" to succeed in the age of the mega carriers? I sure so.

 

[john john]

Now that we've (hopefully) completed our grammar lesson, the only thing I will say on the subject is something I've said before.

AA is a fine airline indeed. There truly are synergies. What gives me pause is what has happened in past AA mergers. (OK, maybe not with TransCarribean). Look at what happened in the AirCal, Reno Air, and TWA mergers; the route networks of the absorbed carriers were eliminated and, in large parts, the aircraft picked up in the mergers were disposed of. As were many emplyees.

Until AA's recent and (to me, at least, surprising) forray into the LAX-SFO market, how much is left of OC and QQ? Does the city of Reno have nonstop flights to the cities it had when QQ was around? And look what happened to TW's markets and people. (Although, thanks in large part to Senator McCaskill, there will no more "stapling').

While much - while by no means all - of what happened to the former TW network and TWAers can be blamed on 9/11's effects on the industry, the OC/QQ mergers are cause for headshaking. We all know what happened to USAir's former PSA markets. (20 years ago in May). There has been much blame for that put on AL's management at the time. (Yes,it was still AL back then.) But while many people have called Bob Crandal many things, he is no slouch. Yet AA pissed away OC just as badly as USAir pissed away PSA. (And, in doing so, gave WN a gold mine) . One might think they had learned their lesson but then they go and do the very same thing with Reno Air. (Which I always thought was nice airline).

Fast forward to the TWA merger. What is left of TWA?

Why does AA keep spending money to take over carriers only to pull up stakes?

If AA can somehow manage to somehow not repeat the pattern, AA/US would be a great powerhouse and the careers of US employees would be far more secure. But, being rather cynical, I can see history repeating itself.

That said, who is is left for the smallest network carrier in this country to merge with? I am by no means a DOJ antitrust laywer, but I don't see that either an R or a D White House allowing a UA/CO/US tie up. Just too big. With DL there is - Doug Parker's reasoning a few years back notwithwstanding - too much overlap to avoid "rightsizing".

Does US have the "oompf" to succeed in the age of the mega carriers? I sure so.

You are right on about carriers merging and dismantling……..
That is why the unions need strong successorship language something that is sometimes overlook for the sake of the carrot

 

[WorldTraveler]

not Shirley,
it would appear that your reply belongs on one of the two merger related threads but....

the point is that nearly AA or US want each other in the current condition either is in.... US still has not resolved its last merger... and the core part of US that AA would want is East.... which is probably why there are rumors that a merger involving US would also involve splitting East and West. Even if AA/AMR managed to acquire US, there are duplications in their networks that would have to be resolved at the risk aof dissatisfaction to one group or the other.

AA may have far better access than US to major markets but it doesn't have the cost structure to make that network work - largely because of labor productivity. US would only gain control of AA in bankruptcy when AA's costs would be reduced dramatically - but it would likely come at the cost of huge employee dissatisfaction - and AA employees are not a terribly happy crowd right now.

So far as I know, UA/CO has not laid off any employees even though they are understaffed in one or more areas at one airline or the other in order to try to to avoid layoffs.
DL and NW did their merger when times were better and they were able to redeploy the capacity from the cities that were cut to other locations - and are now using early outs/early retirements to avoid layoffs.
The only way a AA and US merger can avoid huge problems (which in AA/TW's case reached government levels) is to come up w/ some combination of what DL and UA have done (temporary understaffing, shifting work (which upsets the different unions involved), or early outs etc.
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There is no example of a merger in the airline industry - and few elsewhere - that has worked when you combine even one unhealthy airline with another - healthy or not. You must have two healthy companies in order to create a healthy company.
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For either AA or US to look for someone else to make them successful is a recipe for problems to become disasters.
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The only viable strategy is for each company to become healthy on its own - and that is also the best formula for employee security and financial success - at least to the extent that is possible in the airline industry.