The way they're talking about in ib57, the regional jets will operate out of hub airports on routes that have customer demand more appropriate to RJ passenger sizes. They estimate that this step alone will save them $132 million. So much for higher pilot salaries drastically affecting the bottom line! Be careful US Air, you might set a trend that the airlines will curse you for!!
Other key points of the plan in more detail are,
Enhanced use of larger aircraft on routes between hub cities and key Florida destinations. This step will increase capacity to Florida destinations while reducing the number of actual flights and associated expenses as larger aircraft replace smaller ones. This redeployment of Florida aircraft is made possible by the entry into service of 23 Airbus A321 aircraft into the fleet during 2001. The A321s, with greater passenger appeal, will be deployed on transcontinental routes. The current transcontinental aircraft, Boeing 757s, with a higher seat count, will be
used for Florida service.
Continued expansion of regional jet flights by US Airways Express at Logan, LaGuardia and Washington Reagan. Regional jets can fly some routes out of these major cities more profitably than larger jets. These aircraft will be flown by US Airways Express carriers and will be inside the cap of 70 regional
jets allowed by the contract with US Airways pilots.
Introduction of new service to Austin, Texas; Portland, Ore., and San Antonio, Texas. This service will utilize the larger mainline aircraft made available by the increased use of regional jets at Boston, New York and Washington. Initially, Austin and San Antonio will be served via the
Charlotte hub and Portland via the Pittsburgh hub. In addition, US Airways'
presence on the West Coast will be further expanded upon completion of new
arrangements with Express carriers to feed US Airways' long-haul system, including Europe and the Caribbean.
Participation in a premier global alliance in the near future, providing enhanced profitability along with customer benefits such as access to broader frequent flyer awards and, most importantly, increased global travel opportunities through ties to a major international network.
Closure of the San Diego reservations center and the Albany, N.Y. overnight maintenance unit. The employees affected -- 560 in San Diego and 19 in Albany -- will be offered positions elsewhere in the system.
A targeted $75 million annual reduction in overhead infrastructure costs.
Begin discussions with
non-pilot employee groups on a reduction in MetroJet expenses. While load factors on MetroJet consistently are higher than competing low-cost Airlines, underscoring the popularity of the service, these employee costs continue to be high relative to those of competing airlines. Absent an agreement to lower these costs, plans will be implemented to retire 18 of the 42 MetroJet 737-200 aircraft, which could result in employee furloughs.
Deferring firm Airbus single-aisle aircraft deliveries scheduled for 2003 through 2006 to the 2005 through 2009 period.
Elimination of another fleet type -- the MD-80 -- by the end of 2002. All
B-727s have been retired and the last of the DC-9s will be retired this
coming Saturday, August 18.
All the above information was obtained by
speednews.com
[ 18 August 2001: Message edited by: OneWorld22 ]