USAir (3 threads combined)

[TravelingDi]

Just reported in the last 5 minutes. The announcer stated that in the next 24 hours we will see if US Air lives or dies. It is thought that the machinists will walk.

 

So, I have just booked a back up flight with Airtran for my 1-15-05 cruise on the Magic. Not inexpensive and not non-stop, but now I will can let it rest. The tickets can be canceled and re-used for a $50 fee if it comes to that.

[stillfrantic]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=&e=6&u=/ap/20050106/ap_on_bi_ge/us_airways

[joedebnh]

Looks Like Short Term Labor Issues At Usair Are Settled For At Least The Short Time.

[stillfrantic]

But if the machinists walk off the job, then they can't fly. If the judge ruled the other way, they couldn't fly. Is there anyway the company can kep flying? Are the machinists going to keep working for the reduced wages?

 

Golly I'm glad my husband doesn't work for a bankrupt company!

[TravelingDi]

I say - stick a fork in it! I have been tuned into local talk radio all morning - it is the non-stop subject and the general consensus is that this is about the worst it has ever been. It is sad for our local area and all of us regular travelers. I have been positive about them sticking around until now, but I do think that this may be it.

[bilgeboyPa]

Just goes to show you how destructive unions can be today. I was in the IBEW for 19 years and got laid off. If there was no union, I would have kept my job.There were guys there with more time and less technicals skills than me. They stayed, I went. It hurts the company by having to let good people go and keeping less qualified people, just because of longevity. Yet they have to pay these large salaries, tons of benefits and other perks. No wonder companies can't survive. Unions have long past their usefulness. Over 90 percent of the work force is non-union and things are going just fine. What companies are going bankrupt for the most part? Union shops. I still don't know why State workers are union. What makes them any better than anyone else. Why should they be "guarenteed" a lifetime job. It makes no sense. I say " Dump every Union" and let them realize how the rest of us do it everyday...do a good job and you won't have to worry about your postion.

 

Jeff

[JandD Mom]

Another thing running through my mind is what about safety of the airline. I thought they were supposed to undergo increased monitoring by the FAA, but even if they do, that does not mean every plane is checked by the FAA before it goes out.

 

So who is maintaining the planes? What happens if these people start calling in sick (I am assuming that the machinists are the people who maintain the planes).

[hdawson]

The judge just cancelled the union contract between US Airways and it's machinest union. Who knows what now happens? Stay tuned. The union will have comments later this afternoon.

[LoneStarJeffe]

All,

 

The action by the judge today does not mean there will be no more labor problems at USAIR. It only means the company is no longer obligated to follow the terms of the contract regarding salaries, pensions, and rules for layoffs.

 

The IAM is now in the position of negotiating with a company that does not have to have a contract in place. Instead, USAIR can layoff some and tell the others this is your new salary. Although that seems like a poor bargaining position, the IAM members can still cause problems with USAIR's system while not compromising safety. That was demonstrated by so many people calling in sick over the holidays trigggering the cancelled flights/missing baggage mess. So USAIR does have an incentive to settle since their cash flow will not sustain a loss of confidence by the flying public.

 

At this point, both sides enter into a final game of "chicken" testing to see if the other side will blink first. Any miscalculation will likely result in chaos. While it is still possible for USAIR to emerge out of this situation successfully, it requires perfect decision making over the next few weeks by both the union and management. The question one asks is that if they are capable of perfect decision making, why are they in this crisis?

 

Bottom line? Hope for the best and plan for the worst. Do NOT trust a critical flight on USAIR without a plan B in place.

[kiefaber455]

Hey bilgeboy, things are going so fine that the labor department reported today that first time claims for unemployment rose 43,000 last week. I'll bet your one of the first people to complain if your roads aren't plowed but be damned that state or county worker for wanting more money. Unions serve a purpose and for the most part they're there to protect the lowest people on the work scale. As with anything there are abuses--gee, look at the government--hopefully unions will help in stopping those abuses.

 

My father was just put into a nursing home, and he has people around him working for $6 an hour changing things I didn't want to change on my own kids when they were babies. These are the type of unskilled, under educated people that unions were intended to help.

 

BTW, nobody put a gun to USAirways managers to sign those contract.

 

I have tickets on USAir in 2 weeks and I'm probably not going to get to use them, but why is it that the union workers are the ones getting all the flack. Half the machinist won't have a job and the other half could be getting a 25% pay cut. Management should be held more accountable than they are.

[hdawson]

How much of the traveling public will have confidence in booking US Airways after the holiday fiasco and their financial insolvancy? The fact is many of the legacy airlines don't have the income and money to pay the salaries they agreed to in years past. The alternatives are to park the airplanes. But hey, the desert is getting full of retired aircraft. Good luck to all headed for their cruises. I have 35 more days and booked on AirTran.

[bernman]

This article seems encouraging if your travel on US Airways is completed by 1/21.

 

http://www.usairways.com/about/press/nw_05_0106.htm

[pasto5]

This article seems encouraging if your travel on US Airways is completed by 1/21.

 

http://www.usairways.com/about/press/nw_05_0106.htm

That makes our trip smoother. We fly out on the 12th and come back on the 17th. Looks like I can cancel my refundable tickets on Southwest!

[bernman]

That makes our trip smoother. We fly out on the 12th and come back on the 17th. Looks like I can cancel my refundable tickets on Southwest!

Us too. We leave on the 8th and return on the 17th.

[phlydude]

All this baggage stuff and workers being lazy is not a problem that just happened recently. As long as I can remember, the baggage people in PHL have been slow as molasses. You don't find that in MCO or BOS or FLL where I have traveled on USAir in the past 2 years. The worst was July of 2003, we waited over 2 hours for our bags coming from Punta Cana, DR. I've also waited over 45 minutes for flights from BOS and MCO. The workers are lazy there and haven't wanted to work for a while - it's typical of the area though in alot of industry that doesn't pay the best wages for manual labor.

 

The scariest part of this whole US Air thing is that if the airline truly does fold, the PHL International will have to find tenants for 100 of 124 gates because US Air has that large of a strangle hold over the airport.

 

With all this airline talk, it ALMOST makes me wish for gov't regulated fares again (but who wants to pay those high prices and get GREAT service?) ;)

 

I don't live far from PHL, less than 30 miles (always have) but when I fly now, I pay the extra money to fly Delta or American or deal with the cattle call of Southwest or the last minute seat assignment of AirTran because I don't want my bag left behind and I want my bag within minutes of arriving back from the gate area on my way home.

[hdawson]

Phylidude. You can get your AirTran seat assignment and checkin online the day before your flight. Also, AirTran was recently named by the FAA as having the best baggage handling of all reporting airlines for the first 10 months of 2004.

[Globaliser]

This article seems encouraging if your travel on US Airways is completed by 1/21.

 

http://www.usairways.com/about/press/nw_05_0106.htm

It would be more encouraging for the longer term if there was a single word in it about the IAM recommending ratification to their members.

 

Does anyone know whether the IAM will take any position on it, or will they just let the membership decide without recommending either way?

Looks like I can cancel my refundable tickets on Southwest!

If they are truly fully refundable, as in full refunds even after no-showing on your flights, I'd personally leave the cancelling and refunding business until after you get home. Many a slip 'twixt cup and lip, and all that.

[hdawson]

Globaliser. The union has said it will take no position on the vote.

[Breezey]

So here's my deal. We are using points using Aeroplan from Toronto to San Diego (not directly). On the way there the only flights we could get were using an Air Canada partner - USAir, yet on the way home we are going Air Canada. So we call Aeroplan tonight to find out our options based on the current USAir issue and the rep tells first she had not idea what the US air situation was and for us not to worry that if USAir goes under by the time we fly (i.e, Jan 27th) then Aeroplan would find us seats even if they were revenued (i.e. by now there would be no point allotted seats). So do we trust this information or pay for one way fares just in case? And yes, dumb of us to even consider USAir when we booked but when you fly with points sometimes options are limited.

[Cancruz]

Flew US Air from CLT to FLL today. No problems. Everyone was extra kind and all luggage arrived in good shape. Hope all remains the same until the 18th.

 

Bon Voyage to all!

[greatam]

This article seems encouraging if your travel on US Airways is completed by 1/21.

 

http://www.usairways.com/about/press/nw_05_0106.htm

 

What would you expect from a US Airways press release? Doom and Gloom???

 

I wouldn't be cancelling ANY refundable tickets until you know you have transport to wherever.

 

And just so you can feel really good about the press release, please take note of the transfer of US Air pension benefits to Pension Benefit Guarantee. That is a US government, Department of Labor division. So now, all the US taxpayers can pay for the future, UNFUNDED liabilities that US Air has incurred. US Air will kick in what they have put away for pension payments SO FAR (looking at the financials, the amount is not much), BUT that leaves a VERY wide gap between actual pension benefits paid to retirees and what is in the pot to pay those. That difference will be paid by YOU, the American taxpayor.

[phlydude]

Phylidude. You can get your AirTran seat assignment and checkin online the day before your flight. Also, AirTran was recently named by the FAA as having the best baggage handling of all reporting airlines for the first 10 months of 2004.

I understand that, I guess I consider last minute seat assignment the 24-hour rule that AirTran has as opposed to selecting my seat at time of booking without the outrageous up charge!:eek:

 

I have never had a problem with bags on AirTran. US Scare and Southwest, yes but never United, American or AirTran.

[greatam]

Just goes to show you how destructive unions can be today. I was in the IBEW for 19 years and got laid off. If there was no union, I would have kept my job.There were guys there with more time and less technicals skills than me. They stayed, I went. It hurts the company by having to let good people go and keeping less qualified people, just because of longevity. Yet they have to pay these large salaries, tons of benefits and other perks. No wonder companies can't survive. Unions have long past their usefulness. Over 90 percent of the work force is non-union and things are going just fine. What companies are going bankrupt for the most part? Union shops. I still don't know why State workers are union. What makes them any better than anyone else. Why should they be "guarenteed" a lifetime job. It makes no sense. I say " Dump every Union" and let them realize how the rest of us do it everyday...do a good job and you won't have to worry about your postion.

 

Jeff

 

I have to agree with almost everything you posted. I watched the meat packing industry in the Midwest go from some of the better paying jobs in the Midwest to jobs which are staffed with lots of illegals for $7.00 hr. And all because the unions wouldn't bend on very small amounts per hour. Short story:

 

1982. Had a contract with Dubuque Packing company to haul their meat to the East Coast. Got a phone call "you better get to Dubuque-they are going to strike and all your trailers will be tied up".

 

Got to Dubuque, found out that the packing house and the union were EXACTLY $.58 CENTS per hour apart in negotiations. Packing house had papers to sell the plant at 2:00PM, which would void all the union contracts. I talked to a lot of the workers-they didn't seem to realize, had NOT been told by the union reps that the negotiations were close. Union reps were screaming "we're not giving in, they will give us everything we want or we walk". Well, walk they did. And at 4:00PM that afternoon, I watched the Dubuque Packing house signs come down, FDL Foods signs go up. New company. Sure, there were lawsuits and all that stuff. Union strike benefits don't feed families very well.

 

Moral of the story: Most of the local people walking the picket line went back to work within a month for FDL, AT $1.23 LESS per hour than they had been making. They listened and believed in the out of state reps, with their large salaries and benefits paid for by the workers. Shame on the Union!!!

[hdawson]

Let's get the thread back to cruising and getting to the ports.

[DianeB1]

I am booked on US Air 1-29 and Return on 2-7-04 from LGA to SJU. As the Rates are good right now, Do I go for it and buy more tickets? I only bought the tickets last week as I had no clue what was going on with this airline. Just flew from Philly in Oct to Orlando with NO problems. I booked the Cruise last week and then got the air. I wish I read this board first. As I bought the tickets directly through the web site, Can I call the Credit card company to cancel the transaction? Diane:(