I just saw on Washingtonpost.com that there will be an online chat session with Stephen Usery, VP of Marketing today at 1pm. I don't have a link to the chat location, but if you go to Washingtonpost.com, and click on "Live Online" you should be able to find it.

Hopefully there will be something on a future alliance.... (Anything positive would be welcome at this point.)

To submit advance questions:

http://discuss.washingtonpost.com/zforum/01/submit_business_alexander1128.htm

Here's a question:

US Airways has always stated that it needs to enter into a global alliance in order to gain new revenues and to offer additional choices. In an effort to do this, US Airways began offering three-class trans-Atlantic flights and commenced service to international gateways such as Paris and Brussels. However, recently, US Airways has discontinued trans-Atlantic First class service, has reduced international frequencies on some routes to less than daily service, and Aviation Daily has stated that US Airways is terminating service to Brussels in February. Is US Airways planning on joining an alliance or is it simply planning on shrinking to a regional carrier?

We'll see if he answers this one...

[This message has been edited by ITRADE (edited 11-28-2001).]

Here's the link to the live "chat" session:

http://discuss.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/zforum/01/business_alexander1128.htm

Still doesn't compare to my "private" chat with him and Randy last month in PHL http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

Washington, D.C.: Is USAirways looking into any other partners to use frequent flyer miles with? I have just switched to another airline's credit card because there are so few partners left worth anything. Anything in the future?

Stephen Usery: Yes. Stay tuned . . .

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by dca22201:
Hopefully there will be something on a future alliance.... (Anything positive would be welcome at this point.) </font>

Eighth question ... finally something useful ... they expect to resume CLT-FRA and CLT-CDG in the spring ...

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by ATC:
Washington, D.C.: Is USAirways looking into any other partners to use frequent flyer miles with?...

Stephen Usery: Yes. Stay tuned...</font>Gee Stephen, thanks for all of your wonderful insight... :rolleyes:

Can the responses get any more canned????

ps- any questions from Seeattle, WA are from yours truly.

[This message has been edited by chexfan (edited 11-28-2001).]

Well, he's confirmed that BRU goes bye-bye in February......

I liked how he answered the questions "what European cities have you dropped" with the ones they will serve (with BRU being absent).

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by ATC:
Stephen Usery: Yes. Stay tuned . . . </font>

We've been tuned for a loooong time now....

Wooo pigs soooie?

Geez ...

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Beckles:
Wooo pigs soooie?

Geez ...</font>

Must be the "comfort pig"

"I am proud to say that US Airways serves Little Rock and Northern Arkansas Regional Airport. Wooo pigs soooie! "

No wonder US is the huge global airline it is! Maybe the 767 that used to serve BRU will start serving Northern Arkansas?

:rolleyes:

[This message has been edited by geo1004 (edited 11-28-2001).]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by geo1004:
No wonder US is the huge global airline it is!

:rolleyes:</font>

I think I could have learned more from the gal over at the CTO desk downstairs. -grumble-

Is it just me, or did that suck?

The problem is that the morons get to ask moronic questions during these chats. They should let us send a few of our folks (I'd like to see deelmakur ask an uncensored question!) and then see them backpedal http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Needless to say, I was truly thrilled to learn that Rome is Stephen Usery's favorite destination and that he is from Clarksvile, AR. While I "stay tuned" for the major "alliance" announcement, maybe I can use my 400,000 miles to fly to the Northern Arkansas Regional Airport and back to DCA 20 times. In the interim, I look forward to finishing my PLT challenge on AA.

The interview was a major failure because of the interviewer. I usually read Kenneth Alexander's "Business Class" column online, and it generally sucks on a weekly basis. When it contains column space larger than his massive online picture (even Bob Woodward doesn't get a picture that big), it is usually filed with regurgitated press releases and information he has lifted from Flyertalk. This reconfirms my decision to dump the WP and get the New York Times.

My apology for directing everyone to this immense waste of time.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Beckles:
Is it just me, or did that suck?</font>Yep, as soon as I can find Keith Alexander's email, a message will be sent saying how horrible the interview and question selection was.

Mr Usery is the VP of Marketing and the purpose was to discuss U's "future and other airline issues including security." What place do q's like, "What is your favorite destination?" and the "Hello" from Northern Arkansas have in such a discussion?

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by dca22201:
My apology for directing everyone to this immense waste of time. </font>

We're not complaining about that buddy, I think we're all glad you posted it here!

What else would we have wasted our time at 1 PM ET on a Wednesday ... work? Like that would be any fun at all ...

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

It's Wednesday?!?!

POOP! I hate these freakin' blackouts!

Umm.. no one said anything stupid about pigs during this chat did they?

/me looks worried.

Regards,
-Bouncer-

I was trying to 'read between the lines' on the transcript to see if anything slipped through.

As noted above, BRU seems to be gone. Not a huge surprise with the demise of Sabena. It was obviously chosen originally as a connection point rather than a major tourist destination. Same with AMS.

I am actually a bit heartened by the news of increasing service frequencies to Europe in the Spring. The March Rome resumption to daily along with the resumption of the CLT flights is good news. I hope the PIT-CDG returns too.

While we're talking about alliances, one thing that seems clear is that US would have to fly to the hubs of the partners (duh!). This means the partner hub is either already being served, or will benefit from a cancelled BRU flight and the other service reductions by increasing service there. However, if we believe Usery, then this news is (still, after many months) coming soon. I can't imagine they would get in an alliance with someone that connections/intra-hub flights do not already exist. It would take MONTHS to get things worked out otherwise.

So who knows. The only European Star hub that US flies to is LH/FRA (via 2 US hubs, soon to be 3 again).

For oneworld, its not much better - they fly to LGW only (LHR would be the obvious preferred route to connect with BA), and BA only flies to PHL and CLT (1 stop). The main transatlantic hub for AA is JFK - and US has basically nothing there.

I wouldnt be surprised if something more were done with NW/KLM. Great connections everywhere (Atlantic/Pacific) with relatively little other weak alliance partners. The NW Pacific stuff is already done for mileage.

I guess I just sit here and wonder how many changes will have to come about to make a viable alliance partner out of US. As it stands now, they would be a 'within US' partner for the foreign carriers. Imagine the US equivalent of Austrian Airlines. Yuk.

HEY!

What's wrong with Austrian Airlines? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif I caught a Vienna to O'Hare flight in business and the food and service were terrific. The smoked salmon and dill sauce they opened with was fantastic and everything else was certainly very good. I especially liked the desert bar they set up at the end of meal service! Help yourself to Champagne and Chocolates!

Plus, I snagged an amenities kit, and frankly it's the best designed and toughest one I've ever seen. I still use the toothbrush/toothpaste on long haul flights!

Regards,
-Bouncer-

Sorry, bad sentence. Didn't mean to imply Austrian Airlines was lousy. I've never flown them, and based on Bouncer's comments they sound nice.

My point was they do not seem to be the airline everyone in Star dreams of flying for their trips - they seem to mostly get used for FRA-VIE kind of runs.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by hscottm:
The only European Star hub that US flies to is LH/FRA (via 2 US hubs, soon to be 3 again).</font>


MUC is also a LH hub - second only to FRA.

As I suspected from looking at flights, according to the new schedule MUC is buh bye as of 1/4/02, which is interesting since Mr. Usery specifically mentioned MUC as a destination that would be served in the February-March time frame ...

Maybe an alliance with the New York Subway is in order. Talk about maintaining quality in these alliances.....it'd be absolutely seamless.

beckles, I just priced a r/t to MUC for Feb. and it still shows in the system... $380 from PHL.

Now it would not surprise me at all to find discrepencies between timetables and the website. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif