I recall back in '96 when the rebranding effort took place that it was basically priority #1 for the corporation because "US Air" invoked a very "budget airline" perception about it. The line of reasoning was that all "real" airlines are called "Airlines" or "Airways". "US Air" connoted something more along the lines of Viscount, Key Air, Allegiant, or some other leisure operation. Of course, such prioritization could be why the airline had so many problems back in the day.