US Airways Dividend Miles (Pre-FlightFund Merger) - Cockroaches in the News - 02/28/03

WSJ today. Page W14. Sorry, no direct web link without paying an annual fee.

I'll be wearing the pin gifted to me by biggs on my upcoming FRA and AMS flights.

These US employees are beaten down. They are STILL the best in the business but they are tired and desreve a little notice. Tell them as you get your boarding pass, board the plane, and get you snack. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Umm..how about a higlight of what it said?

It said we are called "cockroaches" because we are being "stepped on". The original use of the term was actually a self deprecating reference to the low life form those of us high volume, low yield customers, seemed to represent, as depicted in the "Gospel According to Ben". I am, of course, referring to the orignal Tome by Himself, wherein new meaning was given to the word "disloyal".

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by JetTroop:
Umm..how about a higlight of what it said?</font>

Money Talks
Continental Airlines has become the latest carrier to join the chorus of "Hey, Big Spender." Starting this month, the Houston carrier made big-ticket buyers come first for upgrades -- a change from a system that used to favor frequent fliers. [...] But frequent-flier groups are staging proests. A fliers' group calling itself the US Airways Cockroaches (because its members feel stepped on) has come up with a lapel pin that features the insect bearing the carrier's logo.

By Paul Glader. Excerpted without permission.
[Edited to fix a typo.]

[This message has been edited by IndyDavid (edited 02-28-2003).]

Well we aren't done yet!! Our message is getting out without the huge collection of funds over on the Delta site. Randy kicked in $2,500.00! We started the uprising and we don't even get a thank you. Flyer Talk was mentioned in all three articles I was quoted in so it's not like Randy didn't get any free publicity.

Just to let you know what's coming I thought I'd post here. We will have available shortly a card for all of you to hand out about us. It will be e-mailed to you in a Word and PDF file formats for those who have real computers(Mac). You can print your own supply as needed. all you have to do is get them cut. They are business card size therefore easy to distribute as you see fit.

I have focused my energies lately on contacting the workers at US. I am cultivating some key contacts. My goal is to have as many front liners wearing the "Roach" as possible. Once we do that we can start to generate even more publicity.

Unlike Delta's movement we will have a unique positioning of workers and Passengers working together against what we see are boneheaded moves by management. that differentiation should allow us to garner more free publicity and keep our isses in the forefront at CCY.

To all who bought pins, my humble and sincere thanks. Please continue to "fly the flag" D

Distribute the card to as many as you see fit. We already have influenced this airlines management and I think we can continue to do so. We must build our strength while management is distracted so that we continue to grow and become a force to be reckoned with

As the assault on us cockroaches grows, I beginning to want to defect. After flying Easyjet recently, it's not so bad. In the US, I used to avoid WN like the plague but now other airlines are almost like it, except the seat assignment.

When I saw my travel go down sharply in the past year, I thought I would go out on an all out attempt to maintain elite on at least 1 or 2 airlines. Now I've given up. If it happen, it happens. I don't know how many are like me, but this isn't good for the airlines.

I pack a sandwich and if I don't get upgraded, fine. I eat the sandwich.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by PineyBob:
We will have available shortly a card for all of you to hand out about us. It will be e-mailed to you in a Word and PDF file formats for those who have real computers(Mac). You can print your own supply as needed. all you have to do is get them cut. They are business card size therefore easy to distribute as you see fit.</font>

Cool. If you need ANY help with this or other cockroach products, please email me. I'd be glad to provide any time or electronic resources that I have available to help the cause.

Yeah, bravo ROACHES!

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Human Unit 763246B:
As the assault on us cockroaches grows, I beginning to want to defect. After flying Easyjet recently, it's not so bad. In the US, I used to avoid WN like the plague but now other airlines are almost like it, except the seat assignment.

When I saw my travel go down sharply in the past year, I thought I would go out on an all out attempt to maintain elite on at least 1 or 2 airlines. Now I've given up. If it happen, it happens. I don't know how many are like me, but this isn't good for the airlines.

I pack a sandwich and if I don't get upgraded, fine. I eat the sandwich.</font>

Human Unit,

I don't think you are getting the message we cockroaches are trying to send. YES every airline is now the same as far as service. I had to fly NW at the end of last year, and recently flew HP. Guess what?! Both airlines are the same has US in the area of service. There was nothing to distinguish them from the other airlines. In fact, customer service was lacking so badly on those airlines (NW & HP), that I hope I don't have to fly them again.

The airlines need to know that the flying public will put up with decreases in everything they can offer, and still remain loyal to flying them. But NEVER say we are not the "loyal" type of passengers they want because we don't purchase the high dollar amount tickets!! That is ridiculous. They set the purchase price and I buy it to get where I'm going for that defined date and time. The airlines are also the ones that have these ridiculous airfare wars posted in the papers all the time. Why? To get people spending money and to show how many butts they can put on a plane to improve load factors.

This is all about money. We have it and they want it to survive. But don't alienate a group of passengers who fly your airline when they don't have to if they can find reasonable fares on another airline. Let's face it, the airline industry is nothing more than Greyhound in the sky.

So the point of this rather long posting is: We remain LOYAL to USAIRWAYS because they have a product that is worth saving. The frontline employees help to make sure of that. SCREW US's management. They don't care about their employees and I for one will keep flying US to keep them employed as long as possible.


[This message has been edited by trvlr64 (edited 03-01-2003).]

You are right. All the carriers are the same, and they are fighting for survival. In the process of arriving at this point, they have created too many elites, and instilled the belief that all benefits are created equally. Armed with a sense of entitlement, we are all pissed because we can't have a first class transcon seat for $200. On top of that, these guys had constructed a cost structure which cannot be sustained by what the public will pay, In the case of USAirways, they did nothing to rectify that during the protracted merger period a while back. It was management's payday, and they wanted it. 9/11 hit right on top of the failed merger, and there was no backup plan. New managmement's rather inelegant characterization of many regular customers as "liabilities" did not set well with some of us, and its resultant decision to surgically correct the line's problems with a meat cleaver has left just about everybody unhappy. One thing that seems inescapable is that each successive monthly loss, no matter how much better than the previous one, seems to reduce available cash by a like amount. It's sort of a law of physics that eventually the well runs dry. As a frequent critic, I will still give them their due. Even under enormous pressure, the average employee continues to deliver. Meanwhile, back in Rome (er, Crystal City), the fires continue to burn.

I can't find the WSJ article. I'm a member, but where is it?

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by kreeft:
I can't find the WSJ article. I'm a member, but where is it?</font>

Top right corner. First article in the Takeoffs and Landings Section