I'm sure during Tilton's time was much better!

Valid. How quickly legacy U forgets.

Or not.

Operationally we were much better then than now.
From an IT standpoint, the comparison is laughable, likewise our FC service was superior then. Additionally, there are a ton of givebacks and concessionary allowances in the current contract which weren't in the last. Training took a massive steamer. And while I applaud the overall maintenance of the planes, the paperwork trail is now a joke. Dispatch often stinks. We are treated more like children now. So, I find your premise flawed and easily debunked. I only post this to offset the 'fog of innernets lore' lest the FNGs swallow it as gospel. I wish we could stop the internecine bickering and start focusing on repairing the next contract.

Tilton was a hatchet man who was focused on two things, labor and consolidation. The actual airline operation was certainly no worse, and I submit was actually much better than it has been these days.

Have to say I don't share the doom and gloom. I compare our numbers and operation to where we were one, two or three years ago. What DL and AA does is beyond what we can influence .
The real threat is the trio of sandbox airlines and their government subsidies...
Level playing field indeed. The current silver lining is that our fuel bill will mask mediocre management....

At least you guys at mainline don't have to deal with the incompetence olympics in DEN that is Simplicity (pronounced Simplyschitty).

I appreciate your upbeat attitude, and share it to a large degree. But our inferiority to the performance of DAL and AMR is scary. We happen to be in a boom cycle. I pray to God our management can get this thing firing on all cylinders before the next bust cycle