Something Positive about United
 

It's nice to know that at least the employees care about their passengers.

Sometimes Airlines Aren?t Evil: A Positive Story | Reuters

Keep this is mind as tensions between pilots and the company heat up in the future.

Our customers are the reason that we are employed. Their revenue keeps us employed and pays our salary. No matter how upset I get with the company, I would never do anything to upset a customer. Likewise, no matter how upset I am, I will never forget to keep a positive attitude and relationship with our customers. This story is a great example of a crew doing this, despite all the labor tension in the air.

The "old" United pilots forgot this in 2000. Now look what happened.

We can ask for any contract we want, but it won't mean anything unless we have happy customers buying tickets on our airline, effectively paying our salaries.

Don't ever forget who we work for.

Do you believe everything you read?

In the future when you read articles, press releases, about our on going contract endeavors, you won't check your brain at the door. Hopefully you will entertain critical thought regarding who the article is intended for, who is disseminating the information, and what is the purpose of the article.

We work for ourselves ... the pilots as a brotherhood. I certainly don't work for the management that has raped me and has taken undue wealth from the company who's airplanes I fly. While I applaud this pilot for paying respect for a fallen military family ... I'll do much more for the customers when I'm paid what I'm worth! I'll stike as soon as the times comes and IT WILL negatively affect the customers. Let's not forget the customers don't come to UCAL for what we do ... they come for the cheapest fare ... and I'll treat them as such.

And bye the bye ... the summer of love in 2000 wasn't the pilots. It was the weather. C2000 was a result of Dubinsky leveraging the pending USAIR merger ... NOT the management caving AFTER the summer was over ... Ocotber 2000. Think about it ... October after the summer rush was over and manpower shortages were over and the USAIR merger just coming up before the DOJ?

Gotta love the press
 

What's the next spectacular news headline? Maybe:

"Police report that a quiet, elderly lady on Maple street was in reality a law-abiding citizen."

Just curious.....
Now that we have been well under way for several months following the Oct 1st financial closing (with the NMB currently in tow), what happens "IF" both parties (JNC v MGT) hit the wall, and through proper channels this pilot group(s) is (are) released to "self help" in the future??

In the wake of your above statements....Are you going to choose to not 'texture the water' upon fears of 'upsetting' our customers.....Or are you willing to hold the line against MGT along with your fellow pilots during such a time that 'self help' is approved by the appropriate powers.....What's your poison??

With a broad-brush.......Happy Front Line Employees = Happy "Traveling Public"/Customers.

(Disclaimer: With respect to the OP's attached story, much respect.)

I understand your basic point and agree to an extent; however, your "old" UAL pilots and 2000 are a range foul.

As one working for the SSC during that time, I can tell you the company was warned numerous times regarding the aggressive summer schedule that was built on the hopes of pilot "good will" in picking up flying during the summer. When I say "warned", it wasn't a threat made to the company. It was rather a statement of fact considering that they were relying on a percentage of flying above the then CAP that went light years beyond historical averages.

They were warned that expecting more flying than the 78 hour line build was not a good idea.

Now, you weren't on the property then, but I can say from my experience that summer, I saw no shenanigans going on other than pilots I flew with flying their schedule. That was from my observation as a domestic guppy FO. I'll grant that I wasn't observing what might have gone on in the Int'l WB world.

To be honest, weather that summer made it pretty much happen on it's own regarding domestic flying. I can remember 2 occasions sitting on taxiways at DEN that I had never come close to before, in a huge line of aircraft from all carriers, waiting for the previous bank that still hadn't been unloaded due to TS and lightening, to push off the gate. Again, hours of delays that just rippled through the already over zealous schedule without any means to flex up. Especially with a pilot group that had no motivation to voluntarily go above and beyond their contract max.

I can provide numerous other examples if you'd like.

Again, the company's expectations for pilot good will caused the summer of 2000 to happen pretty much on it's own. Who's to blame, the pilot who worked to the requirements of the contract and decided to not go beyond those same limits voluntarily, or the company, that was warned well in advance, of their flawed plans and assumptions?

Frats,
Lee

I remember quite well the company being advised to not expect "extra help" due to their planning an overly aggressive summer schedule, especially considering the mood of the pilot group. And I do recall the SSC advising them, just as you have stated above, several times. As you say, not a threat, just a real world assessment which the company, with their usual great lack of wisdom, choose to ignore.

Its very easy to put the blame on the pilots, which management loves to do, but they needed to look inward for the root cause.

And of course at time we had Goodwin at the helm. He wasn't what could be considered one of the sharper tools in the shed.

iahflyr,

You are making some pretty huge assumptions based on scant information and management propaganda. I was there and it didn't play out quite like you are portraying it. You then make the comment "Now look what happened"

I say yes lets look what happened. 9-11, SARS, the great recession, and the largest string of economic disasters to ever hit the airline industry. Which put multiple airlines into chapter 11. But somehow through all of this you can still find in your mind that we the pilots were somehow responsible for it all?

You need to educate yourself before mouthing off like that. You sound like a poster boy for management.

While in theory I might agree with some of this, coming from you I just dismiss it as more anti labor, pro management blather.

Here's a little reminder of how much this company cares about YOU and the other little worker bees who actually provide the product.

2010 Executive Compensation-

Glenn Tilton $16,844,026
John Tague $11,728,990
Kathryn Mikells $9,400,143
Graham Atkinson $6,922,079
Jeff Smisek $4,359,766
Pete McDonald $3,901,478
James Compton $2,540,725
Irene Foxhall $1,938,362

Average 12th year Airbus Reserve F/O ... $78,000

To leap to the conclusion that C2000 and Dubinski ruined the airline only underscores how little you actually know about the managerial blunders and economic issues which led up to the failure of UAL.

The airline was a festering turd in 2000. The weather was the worst I have seen in my career, ATC was implementing interesting ways of (not) moving airplanes. The pilots were but a bit player in the horrific product that our pax were experiencing.

Have a swell day.