The medical situation has only been the last 6mo. I was applying to to Alaska with over 2000 PIC while at the same time interviewing guys to fly for the commuter I was at that are know flying for Alaska. It's not like I'm over the hill, I'm in my mid 30's. I grew up in the NW, 4 year degree, check airman, chief pilot, clean record, recomendations walked in, yada, yada, yada. Don't worry though I'm working on those DUI's. The guy that did get hired with the DUI's is a good pilot, but it only grinds in the fact I should have at least gotten called for an interview a long, long time ago. If I had put half the effort into Southwest I'd put into Alaska I'd be a Captain full of LUV.

 

Sorry to report guys....Their will be no A330 on the property at US Airways anytime soon. I am sure China route will be given to someone else by 2010. Not alot of expansion in China in 2009 with the economy.

US Airways management only knows how to shrink to profitability. Eventually you just cease to exist, because you shrank so much, now you can no longer compete.

I use to have hope for US Airways, now it is just like the Titanic, slowly going down, and taking for people within.

 

That's probably true. See this link:
US Airways | Press Releases

 

Okay I am scratching my head now.

Three new routes: PHL to Oslow
PHL to Birmingham
PHL to Tel Aviv
Resumption of CLT to CDG

Meanwhile the current Int'l fleet is barely keeping up with what they have already. So HOW are they going to handle the addtl flying without the 330 deliverys slated for 09????

What am I missing here?

 

Now admittedly it's a different management from when I was working (PHX versus PIT), but the decision methodology seems to be the same. Often over the course of my time there something would happen that was incomprehensible. My thoughts usually were that I didn't have the big picture and that I was missing something. I wasn't - the decision was just stupid. It's entirely possible that "one hand isn't talking to the other". I (and many others here) could go on literally forever. I'm just glad I'm gone. Titanic metaphor - no, I didn't don women's clothing and sneak onto a lifeboat. I retired VERY early!

There could be a good reason for this disparity, but obviously I doubt it.

 

OK, the link didn't go exactly to the press release I wanted but it's one of those. Sorry so here's a cut and paste of some of it. Note second bullet point:

US Airways Accelerates Business Model Transformation
TEMPE, Ariz., Jun 12, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- US Airways (NYSE: LCC) today announced that it is making additional domestic capacity reductions, reducing headcount and implementing several new revenue initiatives to help expedite the airline's return to sustained profitability in this new and challenging environment.

Major changes and initiatives announced today include:


* Reducing fourth quarter domestic mainline capacity by six to eight percent on a year-over-year basis.


* Returning 10 mainline aircraft in 2008 and 2009, canceling the leases of two A330 aircraft that were scheduled for delivery in 2009, and planning to reduce additional aircraft in 2009 and 2010.

 

From what I vaguely recall ... AWA management wanted to serve the Hawaiin Islands from PHX / LAS for YEARS ! But low and behold, the Airbus was not capable.

FINALLY someone figured out that their fleet of B757s could be taken off the PHX-TUS-PHX-LAX-PHX-LAS-PHX non-stops and converted to ETOPS birds for the Hawaii flights.

But it was a revelation that they had such a capable a/c in their inventory already ... FWIW

What am I trying to say ? The names and faces have changed, but don't expect to be impressed by the PHX decisions.

Later

 

Well one thing they MIGHT do is replace domestic 757's with newly arrived A-321's and then convert the 75's to ETOPS.

However I have NOT seen any annoucement of canceling the 5 330's that are slated for 2009 delivery.

 

I would guess that if they are planning on new destinations while acquiring no new international aircraft, they will cut existing international service. They could eliminate destinations, or they could simply reduce frequencies to existing destinations to free up airframes.

 

First 2 A321s for the West come Dec 1st. New jets off the Airbus line, no pax entertainment systems.

I was told by the Maui station manager we are going to 2 flights a day in Dec for OGG, HNL and KOA (2 a day is new for KOA) and 1 a day for LIH. We are down to 10 757s out west with the last non ETOPs jet going away in Jan. Don't know how we are going to do all those flights and still operate our slots out of DCA with the 757s we are mandated. Oh well, more West flying for East crews while our guys are furloughed out of seniority.