View Single Post
Old 07-04-2009, 01:21 PM
  #17  
III Corps
No one's home
 
III Corps's Avatar
 
Joined APC: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,091
Default

Originally Posted by mkoffman221 View Post
I do have that in mind. The PSA merger seems to have alot more information as PSA was a popular airline. If anyone knows where I can look for info on Piedmont I would appriciate that.
Two sites have some info and the first has a bunch of old Pied-Monsters available. '
JetPiedmont.com || A Tribute to Piedmont Airlines 1948 - 1989 | Official Web Site of The Piedmont Aviation Historical Society

The second has some background.
Piedmont Airlines Barrett’s Book

Piedmont expanded considerably in the 80s adding 727-200s to the fleet along with 767-200ERs for international routes beginning with London. The advertising campaign was 'the up and coming airline'. The airline was airline of the year in 84 or 86 so it too was quite popular.

The problem with the merger was combining three completely different cultures. USAir was typical NE with its dominance in the NE. PSA was anything but a typical east coast carrier (FWIW PSA was studied as a prototype on how to dominate a state with a single carrier, in this case Texas). And Piedmont was a typical southern company. It was a train wreck.

In short order, the USAIr management had abandoned most of the west coast cities previously served by PSA. The marketing dept had completely revised PI's Florida Shuttle which used F-28-1000s. And sold the operating rights from BWI to London to BA.

PI had expanded rapidly in the 80s. USAir had not. The combined seniority list went straight date of hire with NO slotting. It was not uncommon for PI to lose more than 1000+ numbers in the combined list.

The mergers were a prelude to what is happening now between AW and USAirways. And along the way, USAir's ALPA MEC backtracked on a pledge to draw a sign in the land on the pension. That line was washed away fairly easily and the USAir pilots saw their pensions trashed.

Short version.. the USAir guys had been hosed time and time again and they saw, right or wrong (no dog in this fight) the AW-USAir merger as more of the same. Thus 1+1 = ???
III Corps is offline