Originally Posted by
bearkatt
http://www.nytimes.com/1992/11/10/bu...ankruptcy.html Gordon Bethune took over from a great man named hollis harris. harris left continental and became head guy at air Canada. while at air Canada, he worked with david bonderman to provide cash to continental. this gave Gordon the oxygen to succeed. also, while at air Canada, hollis harris signed an agreement that later became star alliance. hollis harris was a man of vision and a savior for continental. Gordon Bethune was just in a position to take advantage of it.
It doesn't matter if he was in the right place at the right time, had he not made the efforts to improve things (be it the pizza analogy, or the on time bonus) it wouldn't have mattered. He would have easily squandered his ability to make it right... kinda like Jeff has.
Yes, there is a need to save money, but don't do it where it will face the customer. Outsourcing front line associates won't provide the same experience as someone who's actions can directly affect them. Cut back on office supplies, find a different vendor for napkins, but don't cut quality as a change. That is unfortunately what has been happening, and we've all noticed it.