Flight attendants scrap deal with American

CNN ^ | 041903 | AP

[Archangelsk]

FORT WORTH, Texas (CNN) -- Outraged by news that troubled American Airlines had planned to give its executives bonuses, flight attendants rescinded their approval of wage cuts and plan to vote again, a union official said late Friday.

No date for the new vote was set. Wednesday, the flight attendants agreed to more than $10 billion in wage concessions over six years. The airline had said it would file for bankruptcy protection if the union did not approve the cuts.

[need_a_screen_name]

Just so everyone knows, I posted this story about one o'clock in the morning here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/896199/posts

[lewislynn]

So, start your own business.

Yea, then we can model our business after those brilliant airline CEO's and go groveling to our friends in the government for handouts from the low-life taxpayers to make ourselves look like we actually know what we're doing.

[ClancyJ]

Corporate stealing from the top is being revealed here. I am sick and tired of the mantra - "to keep our executives from getting higher pay elsewhere and to stay".

They have been caught here. This is nothing new as it happens in all large corporations - but it is time for it to see the light of day. Bankruptcy? No wonder with all the padding of the executives' pockets. Let them find those higher paying jobs elsewhere - American Airlines might be fully able to survive without them.

I agree with the employees - "No". Why should the employees be forced to take cuts to make the company survive while the executives vote themselves MORE compensation from their operating funds?

[Archangelsk]

Whoops, I did do a search and came up with nada. Guess east coast exposure time is better at 1000 than at 0100. :-)

[cynicom]

Some people here would have you believe that unions are the evil of the world and that management and or money are the pious moralists of the world.

[The FRugitive]

I agree - these execs should be tried for some sort of war-time theft. Almost treasonous to take that money and put it in their pockets.

What about the politicanss who gave our money away? I'm sure they'll get their cut too.

They've got quite a racket going on there. Right in front of our eyes...

And yea, for these corporate and government crooks to have used OUR tragedy for their gain makes it all the worse.

[Archangelsk]

So sorry, I didn't catch because I'm slow. :-)

[JmyBryan]

I agree. I would like to see laws changed so that corporate officers cannot hide behind "the corporation" and get put in prison when they steal, just like common house burglars.

[JmyBryan]

I agree the bailout was not a good decision, but the politicians are subject to be voted out of office, unlike these stupid, greedy execs.

[stands2reason]

I don't think most of the people avoiding flying is because of terrorism. I think most of the people are annoyed by the "security" procedures, and it's not worth the hassle.

[El Gato]

Last time I looked, the number one fear of the flying public is - no big revelation here - terrorism. However, the numbers, in terms of fatalities, show CFIT (controlled flight into terrain) and loss of control as the two largest causes of death during accidents (terrorism, even with 911 accounted for, still ranks near the bottom).

With many people, myself included, the lack of desire to fly has nothing to do with fear. First high prices and then all the stupid and worthless "security", and most especially the extra time involved, have induced many to drive instead, even with the higher gasoline prices. If your flight is an hour, with it taking another hour at each end to get to/from the airport, adding another hour or 2 means that a 4 or 5 hour drive becomes just as about quick, not to mention a whole lot cheaper, and you have your own car to drive when you get to your destination.

[JaimeD2]

Is it just me, or does anybody else think that some competition might actually improve the airline business, improve service, and save everybody a bunch of money? If these inept carriers are confident of a couple hundred million from the government every year to ensure that they remain in business and continue to prove their "vital public service" - which, incidentally, should only be considered as vital as the public chooses to take advantage of it - they're not going to do anything to streamline themselves and not lose that billion or two per year. I know that I don't want so much of my money going, without my consent, to support outdated, inefficient business models. Let them declare bankruptcy and make it easier for the ones who know what they're doing to gain market share; they'll expand and provide jobs for many of the people who'll lose them in the process.

[Charliehorse]

Internet is cutting down on flying too. I am a consultant and recently I participated in writing a proposal.I was in Dallas, contributors were in Colorado Springs and the DC area. We wrote a splendid proposal using the iternet. Normally we would have to congregate in one spot.

[El Gato]

Does anyone really believe the top people won't ALWAYS have it better than the workers?

Of course not, but HOW MUCH better is what seems to be at issue. If they weren't pretty much setting their own salaries and benefits, does anybody really believe that executives are worth 10 and 20 times what the average worker gets? They seem also to be the last ones let go when times are bad, so you can't say they are taking more risk either? Just for illustrative purposes compare the compensation of a 4 star general over 26 years experience to a that of a 2nd Lt. with 2 years. The base pay of the General is 12,829.20 while that of the 2LT is 2,272.50, a factor of about 5.6. Or compare the General's salary to that of an E-7, comparable to a "line" supervisory type with long experience, but not "management" per se. An E-7 with over 20 years (and less than 22) makes 3,182.70 base pay.

[Archangelsk]

Those are the regional flights of 400 NM or less. You have to balance that out against longer range flights of 600 - 1000 NM, which take anywhere from 8 - 14 hours of driving. Also, don't blame the airlines for airport security, put the blame on the pinheads in DC who decided to federalize the whole system.

[cynicom]

My last trip out of O'Hare was on United. Ten minutes later AA was leaving, same destination. Both had less than half a load. That is competition but it is destructive.

The majors have needed a meat cleaver for a very long time. A scalpel will no longer do. Also the hub and spoke system has got to go or at least be downsized. Flying people to where they do not want to go has turned out to be a big loss for the consumer and the airlines.

[Archangelsk]

Internet is cutting down on flying too. I am a consultant and recently I participated in writing a proposal.I was in Dallas, contributors were in Colorado Springs and the DC area. We wrote a splendid proposal using the iternet. Normally we would have to congregate in one spot.

Yes, I agree that the Internet has reduced the need to have participants on site. However, and a big however, that's only during the overhead portion of the RFP. The customer still wants to see you to measure you, and, frankly, video conferencing doesn't cut it for me. (How'd you know I was going to say that? :-)).

[El Gato]

Plus they only fly 727s. The model doesn't work with a mixed fleet. The "open seating" concept applied to a 747 would lead to 45 minutes of confusion at the beginning of each flight.

Actually they fly 737s, and not all the same model of 737 at that. They tailor the model to the route and demand on that route. Being all Boeing, would be almost as good as being all 737 (like there is any other choice other than Airbuss when it comes to the bigger jets) The open seating concept would certainly have to be modified for 747s, but not necessarily all that much. A simple modification that would have the multiple sets of "passes" each with its own number sequence, but limited to a particular part of the aircraft, would work just fine I would think. ie. you'd have Red Section, a blue section, and a green section for say the left outside, the right outside and the center section, maybe add another color and divide the center section into two?

[longtermmemmory]

the union vote does not matter because they now have their parachutes. HOWEVER, it actually may be better to go into ch 11 and rescind these contracts as insider preferences.

[stboz]

...filling the sky with fast, efficient and inexpensive regional jets

The CRJ250 is really nice aircraft.