From what I read, we never really got anything out of the deal. Jeff got played. Added the flight, and then as soon as he figured out that the things he wanted "The General" couldn't deliver, he dropped it. My guess is UAL won't be implicated in much. Jeff on the other hand.... Here's to hoping!

 

Flight benefits for life? Useless seeing as he openly stated he never flies United "to see how the other other airlines operate" **cough cough Hates his own company cough cough**

 

Two thoughts: first, I was a board member of an organization for around a decade. Obviously not the same as being on the board of a major airline, but in my case I was completely removed from the operation. You tend to count on the admin team to tell you the situation and update you on the operation and trust what they tell you. We all know how much you can trust Jeff... So I'm not sure that just being on the board will tell you much. We also don't know how Mr. Munoz voted in those board meetings.

I'm not at all cautiously optimistic. I've seen a lot of CEO's come and go, and I'm still waiting for my first really good one. I'm completely neutral. No idea whether this guy is going to be good, bad, or ugly. But I think you're making a mistake to pigeon hole him before he has even opened the door to his office for the first time. Time will tell what he's like and how he handles things. As long term, dedicated employees, time is something we all have.

 

Late yesterday, AV Week had an article on our new CEO, by Brian Sumers. Here's hoping for the best. Talked about his new priorities: United CEO promises labor contract focus | Commercial Aviation content from Aviation Week

United Airlines will make securing labor contracts with flight attendants and maintenance technicians a priority under new CEO Oscar Munoz, two airline executives told analysts at a Sept. 9 investor conference.

Interim CFO Gerry Laderman said Munoz spoke told to him about the importance of finishing new contracts just after Munoz took the job. “We are very focused on getting those labor contracts done,” Laderman said at the Cowen & Company Global Transportation Conference.

Of the two, the flight-attendant contract could be more challenging. One major problem is United Airlines and Continental Airlines flight attendants historically have had different pay rates and work rules. Eventually, however, those disparate work groups will have to endorse one contract. United had set a July 23 target date for a new tentative agreement, but the sides could not meet that deadline.

United and the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) will have their first National Mediation Board (NMB)-mediated session from Oct. 20-22 in Chicago, and those sessions could help lead to a deal. The AFA had asked the NMB to step in, though the airline preferred hiring a private mediator, which it said would make the process faster.

The AFA is optimistic Munoz will improve the tenor of negotiations. In his introductory call with analysts Sept. 8, Munoz said that as president and chief operating officer of CSX, he led a workforce that was roughly 90% union.

“We believe a fresh perspective will be healthy for United Airlines in all areas, especially where labor relations languished under previous leadership,” AFA President Sara Nelson said. “Oscar Munoz has an impressive business record, including at other highly unionized companies.”

United’s pilots, who already have a joint labor contract, also said they endorsed Munoz. “Our pilots welcome the opportunity to work with Mr. Munoz and his team to build, from a new perspective, a culture at United Airlines where management and employees work together for the betterment of our airline,” Master Executive Council Chairman Jay Heppner said.

United must also reach a deal with more than 9,000 maintenance technicians represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Their contract became amendable in January 2013. In June, when Teamsters members protested at United’s annual shareholder meeting, the union said workers were “losing patience,” because the company “drag[ed] its feet” on a new agreement.

Also in June, United had an unusually high number of maintenance-related cancellations, and one industry source told Aviation Daily some of them likely were related to unhappy mechanics. United acknowledged maintenance troubles in June, but also blamed poor weather.

At this week’s Cowen Conference, United Chief Revenue Officer Jim Compton said the airline had sorted out its June on-time performance troubles. In part, United improved its performance later this summer by adding more spares to the operation (Aviation Daily, July 16).

Despite speaking one day after United’s big executive shake-up, Compton and Laderman said little about the management changes, only promising that the airline’s overall strategy would change little (Aviation Daily, Sept. 9). They said United would continue improving reliability, optimizing its network and upgauging its United Express operation. As part of its United Express strategy, United is trying to reduce the number of partners that fly in each hub.

In research notes, analysts generally endorsed United’s decision to hire Munoz, a longtime Continental and United board member. Julie Yates of Credit Suisse said a new CEO “ . . . might be just what UAL needs (and investors have silently wanted),” and she predicted that labor relations probably will improve.

Meanwhile, CRT Research analyst Michael Derchin said the CEO change may have been “ . . . a blessing in disguise,” noting that Munoz transformed CSX into “an industry leader in customer focus, reliability and financial performance.”

 

In flight ops it is definitely a United peg. Regardless, the way Delta is stealing our corporate customers, who are really our bread and butter, we better start figuring it out.

 

Regardless is right. I couldn't agree with you more.

 

surely our brain trust senior level managers, directors, vice presidents, executive vice presidents, and controllers dream team can figure out how to keep our best customers right?

 

i had no idea there was a 1988 crystal light aerobics championship.

very inspiring, however I am very concerned about some of those pelvic moves; they were certainly not Elvis inspired. A little too "Richard Simmons inspired for me."

 

You are so "last" Century. Try to keep up.

I fear I am stuck at least two centuries in the past.

 

So I guess Jeffy won't be able to run this company with conviction......