Originally Posted by
*Propofol*
An Important Message from CEO Doug Parker
Unfortunately, the changes we are sharing with you today will impact a large number of our fellow employees. While we are still finalizing the details of our 2010 schedule and fleet plan, our initial forecast is that as many as 1,000 positions across the system will be eliminated in the first half of 2010 as these schedule changes are implemented. These reductions include approximately 600 airport passenger and ramp service employees; approximately 200 pilots (that breaks down to an estimated 165 pre-merger US Airways and 35 pre-merger America West pilots) and approximately 150 flight attendants (again, estimating 130 pre-merger US Airways and 20 pre-merger America West flight attendants.) As we work through these changes, we’ll do all we can to minimize the impact of these reductions on our current employees
Doug
As M&A activity picks up in all sectors, I think it's interesting reading these snippets about how cuts are made America West vs Us Airways, when effectively, they are *supposed to be* one cohesive unit, unlike say, Bank of America as a commercial bank bringing into the fold Merrill Lynch's investment bank unit. If BofA announced layoffs, it would make sense to identify which division is having the cuts, since the two aren't necessary in the same line of business.
I think the airline industry is one of the few where post-merger, identities are still so strongly held onto. This is for various reasons, probably chiefly the union labor aspect, but also geographical I would think, too.
Case in point, even with Republic now with Frontier & Midwest, okay, there will be initially some cuts and realignments. But from what I've read around FT is that US, and this letter proves, is that this was a VERY BAD and DIFFICULT merger, still showing itself all these years later.