Airline Pilot Central Forums - comments from CO CEO

Airline Pilot Central Forums (https://www.airlinepilotforums.com/)

- Major (https://www.airlinepilotforums.com/major/)

- - comments from CO CEO (https://www.airlinepilotforums.com/major/3886-comments-co-ceo.html)

I guess the trick to getting food and ameneties on United is to travel on the flights you travel on. I just got off the phone to a good friend who just stepped off a United transcon flight three hours ago and no food was available or offered on his six hour flight. Perhaps they were testing another idea?

It is obvious you are a United fan and you defending their service policies is OK by me. I am glad you have found a way to travel or commute comfortably. Participants on this forum are mature and smart enough to decide for themselves which airline or airlines they prefer to fly. Let's just leave it at that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by calcapt

Tomgoodman has some good points and as he noted CO has in fact been in BK twice before. Management did seek employee concessions at CO and the work groups recognized that some sacrifice was necessary to move the company forward and stepped up to the plate.

Perhaps you, cal capt, should follow your own advice. I work at CAL and along with 42% of my peers, didn't feel we needed to "step up to the plate" quite so vigorously or for quite so long a time.

Don't forget, we do not get to snap-back to where we were and this crappy contract lasts for 5 years. Isn't it amazing how close we are to profitability in our absolute worst quarter, (jan-mar), immediately after the company threatened that our jobs were in jeopordy and we might not make money for years unless we immediately voted in this joke of a contract?

I guess you voted "yes" for it and are happy to have helped out. I wonder if the guy on my picture has stopped laughing and slurping down champagne after finding out just how stupid we really are?

I did not get a chance to vote on that one because I was out on leave. I followed it very closely though and bought into the hard sell from our union. I hope the new regime will do a better job at representing us in the next contract and give us the facts as they are. What is done is done. It does nobody any good pointing fingers and placing blame.

Uninformed Opinions

I'm with you CALCAPT, people shouldn't pull comments out of their ass and pretend it's fact. I jumpseated on CAL last month (great experience if you remember my post) and got breakfast from IAH to the west coast. Granted I was in first class so I don't know about coach.

This Ryan guy is one of the most uninformed on the forum to be sure. I wonder how many times he's even been on an airliner in his life. We have guys on this forum who are actually airline pilots, who jumpseat all over the world on various carriers and we're supposed to believe the "facts" of a CFI? Sorry, I'll stick with the opinions of the pros.

S.B.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sr. Barco

I appreciate the support. I recognize that we all have our opinions and I don't suppose that mine are any more valid than any others, except to me of course. I don't know Ryan and I will give him the benefit of the doubt that he was just misinformed. It's quite amazing that our travel experiences on United have been so different. Just one of those aviation mysteries!

Don't jump to conclusions!

Quote:

Originally Posted by 757Driver

Follow my advice in what way? Be very careful putting me in a category based on how you feel I may of voted on our contract concession - you may be very surprised. This is not the time or the place to discuss your unhappiness with your work situation. I too was, and am still unhappy with the way our concessions were handled. I voiced my opinion strongly, loudly and voted accordingly. Despite that, the majority of pilots at CAL ratified this deal and it is what it is. Although I do not agree with the decision I will support it because that is how union democracy works. I just choose not to whine and ***** my life away for something I have no control over. If you feel it necessary to wallow in misery and complain about your sh$tty job then go for it. I can assure you that as a 757 driver for Continental, you won't get many tears shed for you on this forum.

A previous post which apparently you felt inclined to comment on was in response to a mis-guided youngster who was putting out incorrect information about Continental. I defended lumping us in with the other airlines who have essentially done away with any amenities. It seems to me that you are trying to find someone to pick a fight with over how bad you have it at Continental. I'm not your guy. If you don't want to be here then move on. AirTran, JB, SWA and a host of others are all hiring. BTW, your picture of Larry as your ID photo is not that funny anymore. Most don't even know who he is, and those of us that do don't find it that amusing or funny. Care to discuss anything else or make another guess on my opinion of something?

Quote:

Originally Posted by calcapt

BTW, your picture of Larry as your ID photo is not that funny anymore. Most don't even know who he is, and those of us that do don't find it that amusing or funny. Care to discuss anything else or make another guess on my opinion of something?

Picture being funny in what way? It is what is, a picture of our CEO, undoctored and taken directly off of the internet.

You said, and I quote, "stepped up to the plate" as if it were voluntary and was something that you approved of. If you voted "No" then I owe you an apology. If you voted "Yes", or didn't vote at all (which basically is a "Yes" vote), then my previous post stands.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 757Driver[B

Continental Airlines[/B] President Jeff Smisek was particularly candid in an address he gave at the Bear Stearns Global Transportation Conference last week in New York.

["Our network competitors have frankly screwed their employees by defaulting on their pension plans and taking away wage and benefits in a very hostile manner."

Translation: "We were much smarter, we threatened to screw the employees by defaulting on their pension plans and taking away wage and benefits and used bankruptcy to scare them. Then we took wages and benefits and froze the DBP outside of BK and saved a bundle on BK cost"

"Continental was international before international was cool."

Translation: " We figured out we could make a much better profit where the competitors we fewer and because we don't pay international overide to our flight crews and make them sit in coach for crew rest we make an even better profit then our competitors"

: "Our competitors have got a lot of gas-sucking pigs for aircraft."

Tranlation: " We also had a bunch of gas sucking pigs but we got ride of them first"

"We did not follow our competitors in a race to the bottom to achieve a crappy product. ... We did not take off pillows, we did not take off blankets, we did not take off meals at mealtime and we will not charge fifteen bucks for an aisle seat."

Translation: " We told the caterer that we would go out of business if they didn't lower their price by 50%, its so cheap now that it barely registers on the balance sheet"

"They are a low-cost carrier, they are also an extremely low-RASM carrier, and their customers don't pay them a penny to watch those I Love Lucy reruns. ... It is a wasted investment in my mind."

Translation: " We weren't far sighted enough to add it to our airplanes when we ordered them, so now we have to say it's a waste of money to save face."

"Our successful international expansion is being copied by a lot of people, including at least one bankrupt airline in Atlanta. They've already gone through their stockholders money; now they are using their creditors' money. They are throwing a lot of capacity into the market. I predict they will lose their shirts on it." Smisek added that when Continental adds routes, it is subject to "adult supervision."

Translation: " We hope Delta goes down so we can raise ticket prices."

This guy is a graduate of Princeton (A.B in economics) and has a Harvard law degree, it not suprising that he has an ego to go along with it. In his 11 yrs at CAL I hope he has learned enough about the industry to not repeat past mistakes, CAL's or anybody elses.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 757Driver

Stepped up to the plate was a "phrase" I used to describe to others on the forum that Continental employees took sacrifices, albeit, not all voluntary, to help Continentals position in the industry. Had I been addressing CO pilots it is not a phrase I would of used, and maybe shouldn't of used even on this forum. I was essentially giving credit to a great bunch of individuals who were getting beaten down rather than blessing the event itself. I am sorry you misunderstood my statement to mean I endorsed or agreed with the concessions. I did vote "NO" and your apology is accepted. Larry's picture issue is more my thing than others I guess. It just seems a little disrespectful to me but I will sleep well tonight if it stays or goes. I was just raised in a culture where respect was paramount. I disagree with many things about our leaders (Bush, Clinton, Sharpton, Kennedy etc.) but was taught that despite how I felt about them personally, I didn't have the right to disrespect their position in public - It's just the way it was. I flew with many captains early on that I had little personal respect for but I never forgot my place in the cockpit. He or she was the captain and I was not. Based on all that, The picture of Larry to me seems mocking and disrespectful. Sorry if you see it another way. Hope we are friends again?

Quote:

Originally Posted by calcapt

I disagree with many things about our leaders (Bush, Clinton, Sharpton, Kennedy etc.) but was taught that despite how I felt about them personally, I didn't have the right to disrespect their position in public - It's just the way it was.

Done.

Quote:

Originally Posted by calapt

Hope we are friends again?

As usual, a very classy reply. Never even considered we weren't.