Wow! I'm really enjoying all this hearsay and conjecture over who does what to whom. Please, keep it coming. Anyone know that guy, who's cousin's, friend's, sister dated a gate agent? Should be some great information there.
First, Milton is not responsible for 9/11, SARS, OPEC or other spontaneous outbreaks of terrorism in Bali, Spain and Eastern Europe. He was responsible for the AC/CAIL integration, the introduction of Tango and related fares, the competitive re-alignment of AC.com to include one-way faring, and yes, all of the tough decisions that had to be made on manpower, cutbacks, restructuring, CCAA and future financial partners. Some of the decisions to these issues have come across better than others, but the fact remains that he has made the decisions and stuck with them. He certainly does not need to be lectured on business acumen by a number of arm-chair CEO's. I'm not defending nor condoning all of the decisions that were made, simply stating that there was a lot of influences (internal and external) that shaped the current landscape. Decisions (tough ones) have been made, and I for one, accepted them for what they sometimes were....strong medicine
Second, Unions were also not responsible for the outside forces listed above with Mr. Milton. They are partly responsible for some of the mis-trust and some times bad sentiment between themselves and Mgmt (which may I say, is often overplayed in the media, and this forum). They are also partly responsible for some of the inflexibility in work rules that have dogged many of the decisions that had to be made. They are responsible for performing their duties in a professional manner, to which I believe they perform admirably, especially given the circumstances under which they operate. They are responsible for acting as the face of the company to the customer, and while that face is not necessarily as youthful or exuberant as the face at the other end of the terminal, it is a face of committment and experience. I would gladly take this face under any circumstance.
Finally, Mgmt. Again, not directly responsible for the aforementioned outside forces that have shaped the industry. Equally responsible (along with Unions) for any mis-trust, bad sentiment and stiff work rules. Please remember that it takes two to Tango...and that it also took two to make Tango operate every day. Mgmt is reponsible for realignment of the business to meet the needs of the customer and to remain competitve against its low-cost and traditional rivals. To this end, I believe they have done an excellent job. Restructuring their fares, yield mgmt practices, business rules, routes and incentives is not always a simple task. While some of these decisions often conflict with their unionized colleagues (read: check in kiosks), they are still made with the consumer in mind. This often maligned group is equally committed and dedicated to a new future for AC.
Please note that I am not making excuses for any group or individual. I am only asking for a degree of objectivity in the comments about who bears the ultimate responsibility for decisions and outcomes of AC.