I was sorry to read about the Chap 11 filing.
Considering how much USAirways' traffic goes through Wash. National Airport (DCA), and how long the airport remained closed last fall, maybe the government (I don't work for USAirways) should have given the airline a large chunk of money as a gift. The airline was partly crippled by the fact that our govt allowed such a small airport with short runways to operate for so many decades after it had passed its prime, in order for our govt reps to be able to avoid flying out of Wash Dulles or Baltimore, and then USAirways admittedly risked its future and invested so much money in their operation at this prime location with a fairly new terminal which must have cost them many megabucks (all for the convenience of regular civilian and govt passengers in the "heart of the action").
How ironic would it be if more govt inter-agency coordination (maybe via more federal funding for intel. and counter-intell. activities) could have prevented the Sept 11 attacks, as many agency employee saved lots of time by flying on USAirways through this hub? As our panicked government required months to figure out how to re-open DCA, the financial losses were devastating to the airline, from what I've read in other sources. Any airport gate which boards passengers on flights to DCA now resembles Checkpoint Charlie a bit, as it looked years ago in West Berlin when I walked through it).
Therefore, in my opinion, our govt should already have given the airline a huge cash gift (i.e. many millions), with no payback required, and maybe they could have avoided Chap 11 reorganization. Bankruptcy is a different concept in this country, compared to many others. USAirways was apparently seriously damaged by the "Wolfbite" and the "Gangb**g" ; both former 'leaders', and I use the term very loosely in this case, admitted that there was "no plan B" if the United buyout failed to happen. Maybe such a gift appears unjustifiable by other folks, but look at the benefit to travelers at such a prime location, which was an important hub for the company and quite accessible by thousands of our federal government personnel.
Good luck USAirways: if some portions are sold off, there had better be a normal proportion of employee jobs transferred with the assets, including routes.
Last edited by Ignition Override; 12th Aug 2002 at 04:36.