USAirways failing .......
 

Today it was reported in the media that passengers flying on USAirways should check with the company before going to the airport because flights were being cancelld due to the FAs having a sickout.
The truth was overlooked by the media when they neglected to report that Steve "wolf in wolfs clothing" Wolf, the CEO of USAirways had furloughed too many of his employees and as a result the company is totally understaffed. The FAs are all running out of legal and contractual time with days left in the month.
That company is going to go in my opinion because no one is running the place with foresight.
First it was a "pilot sickout" now its an FA "sickout". Pity it couldn't be a management WALKOUT!!!! <img src="mad.gif" border="0"> <img src="mad.gif" border="0"> <img src="mad.gif" border="0">

By the way, USAirways had to cancel one international flight last night because of FA shortages and operated an A330 with a three class service with 8 FAs!!!!!
Today the company has cancelled 145 flights and yesterday 124. Still they plan on going ahead with the furlough of in excess of 11,000 employees! <img src="confused.gif" border="0">

Perfectly legal. 1 F/A per door is all that is legally required, but the normal complement should be 11.

Clearly the issues go beyond manning.

Yeah...such as the highest fixed costs in the US airline industry. If US Air does not cut costs soon, it will fold....then the hostie's can remain home and not worry about being "sick".

[quote]Kubota
Perfectly legal. 1 F/A per door is all that is legally required, but the normal complement should be 11.<hr></blockquote>


FAR's are one flight attendant for every 50 seats.

Ask a First Class pax paying $6,000 plus for the "service" if they would come back after an 8 FA flight on a 3 class service for 10 or so hours.

Gee, reckon those pax on the shoe-bomber's flight wanted more or less flight attendants onboard?

I'm based in Europe so I do not have the advantage of local insight into the problems facing US Airways...but surely a lot of it must be down to the common denominators of

(a)Stephen Wolf
(b)Rakesh Gangwal
I would say Wolf was good for US Airways in the beginning...The purchase of Airbus a/c...A change from the previous thrown to-gether collection of machines,Atlantic expansion and doubling the company's profits in 1996 to over $260 million...not bad for a first year.

Wolf's track record speaks for itself

(1) Improve the balance sheet
(2) Sell the company

Look at Flying Tigers,Republic etc.

The failure of the sale of US Airways to United Airlines arguably has this company where it is now.There is no point in blaming the employees
for the woes inflicted by nothing more than lack of leadership.Gangwal has since departed.

The collapse of US Airways would be to the advantage of all operators since Sept 11,But not in the interest those of who have spent their working lives in it's service or the shareholders to whom the company owe a return on their investment...I wish US Airways the very best in 2002...

Looks like SW is winning (Steven Wolf) = SW getting his way!

I think the key is going to be profitability regardless of what airplanes are flown. I would happily fly a C-310 if it happened to be for a successful company. What is required at US Airways is a complete culture change where everybody is accountable for their actions which includes doing whichever job they are assigned plus more, in other words taking ownership in the company. This goes all the way from rampers to the CEO. The key to a successful company is to create an environment where everybody enjoys their job, does their job, wants to come to work, and have supervision that cares if a job is not done. Regretfully, I have not seen anybody put any emphasis on this issue regarding a future US Airways, and that is why and only why US Airways will not make it. A god CEO should lead the way! Put bluntly the company is rotten to the core and nobody cares!!!! That is kind of harsh, but I don't think you can prove me wrong. There is a reason Southwest Airlines is rated as one of the best companies to work for in the US, and they also happen to be profitable!!

US Airways' reputation seems to be haunted way back to their origins from Allegheny. That airline had a bad reputation also, and it just carried over.

I remember when US Air bought PSA out here in California. PSA had a very large chunk of the market share and a loyal following. US Air totally dropped the ball, lost or ran away all the business and then basically broke down the PSA route structure and redistributed the planes. Southwest came in and filled the void. Once again, Southwest was in the right place at the right time, and it certainly helped that US Air totally blew it.

Maybe they can ask the Government for an additional bail out. <img src="rolleyes.gif" border="0">

We all know that US AIR stood for Unfortunately Still Allegheny In Reality. <img src="frown.gif" border="0">

USAirways is very dysfunctional--more so than the average airline.
The management has no deep loyalty to the organization; in fact, the current leadership is known for packaging an airline for sale and walking away with the merger-related inflated stock profits.
The pilot's union has a vise-like grip on alot of the details of management without the long-term
plan or ability or power to make it all work: witness the obstructionist attitude toward Regional Jets at their own subsidiary Regional Airlines (Allegheny, Piedmont and PSA).
In the face of the highest costs in the industry the management and pilots jointly agreed to a contract keeping their costs the highest in the industry! Go figure!
Making USAirways work is like trying to negotiate peace in the Middle East--it might happen but don't invest the rent money betting on a successful outcome!

Its possibly common knowledge that US Air are looking to park their entire Fokker 100 fleet - 12 are on the market at the moment

2 points - such an act would surely have a devastating impact on worldwide demand for this aircraft type and its market value

Secondly, would US Air reduce capacity on routes flown by that aircraft, give up the routes or employ more expensive to operate aircraft as a replacement?

It doesnt quite add up...

It will be interesting to see which folds first, US Airways or United (both of which, by sheer coincidence, have enjoyed the managerial attentions of Mr Wolf).

Any airline that doesn't cut its overheads to a point where costs are lower than income is going to go under as surely as the Titanic. At the moment, the majority of the US Majors are still running with costs at unfeasibly high levels - thanks in very large part to pay awards over the last few years - and their cash reserves are becoming seriously depleted.

Put bluntly, those carriers that can eke out their reserves until others go out of business - and therefore reduce overall capacity - will survive. Those that can't, won't.

The current downturn looks set to continue for at least another two years - and probably a lot longer than that - especially if operating costs start to rise with the OPEC cut in production of crude. I regret to say that we ain't seen nothin' yet.

Wolf = Idiot
Gangwal = Idiot

Nothing else needs to be said

And Guvnerd=Total idiot and failure, but always ready to preach to us all 'how to do it'!

I agree Wolf's record is to rebuild an airline, make it look profitable and then sell it. I bet UAL management are counting their blessings that the merger deal didn't go through. Besides UAL have enough problems of their own to deal with at the moment.

To much over capacity and too few passengers means something has to give and my vote goes to US Airways and America West.

A simple fact of management is that if employees do not trust their leaders then employees will not try and help management.
Nothing Steven "wolf in wolfs clothing" Wolf can say or promise will make the employees at USAirways have belief in their company short of Wolf leaving. He is nothing more than an airline asset rapist. The sad thing about all of this is that the unions are just sitting back and watching it all happen.
Asking someone to run an airline for $22,000,000 per annum, regardless as to whether it succeeds or not, is bound for failure. Where is the incentive to succeed?
Alas, ole USAirways, I knew her well...... <img src="mad.gif" border="0"> <img src="mad.gif" border="0"> <img src="mad.gif" border="0">

U3K - What seniority # did you end up getting, and are they adding airplanes?

Guv,

You sure like to predict doom and misfortune. But wait, you're not running an airline in America, so atleast we are safe. If it were up to the Guv, everyone would be flying vintage airplanes like L1011's. Guv old buddy, most airline business leaders in the U.S. of A (Like Leo Mullin and Gordon Bethune---who actually have RUN successful airlines--unlike you) have stated that the industry should be back to pre-9-11 levels by mid-2002. Where did you get 2 years? Did you pull that out of your bum? Sure you did.
Wut wut?? I can't hear you!!?? You're wrong!
Loads are increasing, atleast here in the states.
Yields will eventually go up, and the economy is turning the corner. Gas prices will go up slightly, but there is still a glut because airline schedules are still cut by 15%. And almost all of the L1011's out there are parked, which means there is a lot of avgas left for the rest of us. Sorry Guv, you and Nostrodaumus are wrong again. But, I enjoy your postings.

Thanks. Donkey Duke <img src="cool.gif" border="0"> <img src="cool.gif" border="0">

US Airways won't fail. It is in a restructuring phase at the moment and is working hard to get its high costs down.Part of that means bringing in Regional Jets in a bigger way. It needs to get the pilots to agree to expanding the regional jet fleeet past the currently agreed number of 70.Look at Delta and Continental, they are both expanding their regional jet fleet. This is about Wolf, but its also about the pilots and flight attendants, if they want to work in the future, they need to realise they have to change their outlook and start to work with these airlines a little more. The future of aviation is in their hands, as much as it is the CEO's that run the airlines.