Man to have this kind of insight is right down scary. Nostradamus has nothing on this.

 

This merger would be management's wet dream. You guys will be flying a bankruptcy contract for the next decade while East versus West versus TWA versus Eagle versus American ensues.

 

I think there is some truth to that. As a AA pilot I would have questioned some things?? (Did you ever wonder) Why or where is all the (TWA) Middle East Flying going? TWA was the only US airline doing it for so long. Now CAL/DAL/US. Unions have forced companies to think long term before. I think the baby was thrown out with the bath water. The way the TWA guys were pushed out of JFK not even given a notice ,moving expenses, moving days or even time to find a crash pad in STL was criminal. I am sure it was a violation of APA and ALPA contracts. If I was an AA pilot I would have cried foul for the TWA guys at a minimum to protect the flying or delay its lost. Now Jet Blue has what AA had and needs to buy again The old (NY) TWA flying Terminal 3/4 or 5/6.

 

Being aloft this week at the controls of a 757 reminds me why most of us are in this profession. Partly, it is the sense of independence and control we feel, that for a while, most of the troubles we encounter remain earthbound at least for a few hours or more.

The completion of a successful flight and a good landing gives us immediate gratification. We sometimes believe this immediacy extends to how our companies are or should be run, and most of us come up disappointed when it doesn't. We tend to see our careers on a upward linear progression. The vagaries of the marketplace we operate in leaves us befuddled and wondering how we came to the place we are.

Here we have the US guys and gals chomping at the bit to be at AA's or DAL wages so it's no wonder they've taken over the AA forum. My fellow AAer's in their desire to have anybody but the current AA leadership at the helm are willing to sell themselves to the unknown for a chance to be in "control" of their destiny all the while knowing that it's mostly a pipe dream. We have a CEO like Doug who longs to be ranked with the Titans of the airline industry so he'll go to any means and make any offer to massage his ego.

Life has a way of bringing us all back to earth. There are very few pipe dreams, if any in this world. It's about doing the hard work, and building something that will endure. Unfortunately, there are so few great leaders in this business and I include all of us as well. The amount of dissent on this forum especially among the US group, not to mention the friction between some of the AA and ex-TWA folks tells me we'll find ourselves as the most dysfunctional airline were we to merge with US. I'd love to be proven wrong! The fact that Doug showed none of the outpouring of blessing upon his own team tells me this is really about stroking his ego more than it is about bringing teams together.

I don't know the future with Tom Horton and his new team seeing as how he's only has the top job for 5 months.

But I am an AAer through and through, so this is my team through thick and thin.

I do wish everyone who post here the best for the remainder of your careers. If you're in this profession to chase the last marginal dollar, you'll never be satisfied no matter who's at the controls.

 

Tom,
First, how well do you know Mr.Parker? Very well to address him as "Doug" so often in your posts? I guess all Managers do know each other.

Lastly, I personally am sick of hearing about your man crash on Mr. Horton. Do a all a favor and dry up and blow away.

 

Is that that new thing called sarcasm? Glad I entertain you...

 

A heartwarming statement. Unfortunately, from my POV anyway, the remainder of this post is more indicative of somebody who spent the last week in Manhattan, some of it on the witness stand.

AA's wages under Horton are likely to eventually be LESS than U's current wages, but that matters little. You keep focusing on pay rate only (something that management wants dopey little pilots to do), instead of the whole package. As it stands now, even WITH the APA/U agreement, U west has other aspects of their CBA that equalize the packages or even make the final combined package concessionary. The statements from both East and West reps, aren't endorsements and are filled with caution and concern.

Pipe dreams and Titans ?

Well, let's examine that a bit closer in light of the last decade and this last week in New York. For the past 5 years at least, the pilots have been simply "bricks in the backpack" according to AMR management and this week, Mr. Brundage seemed to all but admit that AMR's business strategy over the last 9 years was to simply "kick the can down the road" and hope that OUTSIDE forces turned in their favor.

Do I need to repeat the significance of that ?

It says to me, there WAS no real business plan and the "leadership" of AMR was hoping things OUTSIDE their contol would "help them out". That's not very comforting considering this is essentially the same management team that claims to have the right answer for AA's future. The other term used was that AA was simply "limping along" all these years under this same team who now claims to be AA's long-distance champ. An entity that limped along for 9 years (mostly in circles), now claiming to be the long-distance victor for AA seems more of a "pipe dream", then the assertions of another management who has actually DONE something OTHER then limp along or kick the can down the road, don't you think, Tom ?

Additionally, I don't see any "Titans" among the limping can kickers. An industry titan would seem to be one who performs and/or produces. In fact, one could say they GOT that limp from repeatedly kicking their employees for too long a period of time. I'm still deciding whether I want to be a can that is kicked or a brick to be shrugged off, but either way, I'm sore and dented enough as is. For thos who want more insight on the weeks events in New York, I'd recommend Holly Hegeman's "plane Banter" piece on 4/25 of her perceptions. Normally not a cozy friend of labor, it sounds as even she is beginning to see a clearer picture of what has and is happening at AA.


All of us at AA want the best for AA, in that there is no question. But, considering the past and present, the continued game of the past played in perpituity has not only not moved AA forward, it's dragging it further down. I'd be willing to go with Horton and their supposed plan, but I literally have nothing to work with. The frayed rope dangled down to me is bad enough, but for them to grease it repeatedly over the last 5 months only ensures I look for any other life raft available, as unappealing as it is.

I don't know what the future is either, but considering what I've seen in the last 5 months both from the lack of value and disregard expressed toward the employees and a smoky, murky business plan that has convinced no one inside or outside AA, I'm not optimistic. In fact, aside from all the above, you know what the cherry on the Christmas tree of pessimism is for me, Tom ?

It's the fact AMR has hired attorney Harvey Miller to assist during the restructuring. You know who he is, don't you Tom ?

For those that don't, he's FRANK LORENZO'S former attorney and we all know what Frank thought of and did to unions. IMO, that's what this is all about. It's not about any "business plan", it's not about getting "competitive" labor costs and it's not even about getting the cheapest labor costs in the industry. It's about once and for all BUSTING the unions at AA, at least to such a point they become irrelevent, that's what. I think they think this is their one and only opportunity and then the cherry for them will be to hand it over to someone else to "make it work" and make a nice buck in the process.

......and you seem perplexed that 55,000 of 70,000 AA employees are fleeing anywhere they can at this point ?

Come on Tom, I mean really.

 

Now get back to your video game.

 

Fair enough, so here's a challenge. If as it seem, most here believe this to be a marriage made in pilot haven, I challenge the entire forum to go one month without a single negative post about the pilots at AA, and US East and West!

How many are up for that? The combined AA/US(E/W)/EX-TWA pilot group will not engage in a single negative post about one another.

Game on.

 

easy way to do this Tom:

DON"T LOG ON

Thank you