Originally Posted by
readywhenyouare
At least I've provided some evidence. I'd love to see some actual proof of these angelic Eastern pilots. Militant is how I frequently heard them described.
Without a doubt, union actions/poor labor relations were a significant contributor to Easterns demise. However, that oversimplifies the absolutely toxic work environment Lorenzo and his management team created. His business plan was to union bust and create a low cost carrier… a completely different business model than the airlines he purchased.
Predating Lorenzo (and allowing the purchase by Texas Air), Eastern struggled to compete in the immediate deregulation period. This left a very weak
airline.
Eastern continued to be in a perilous financial situation heading into the early 1990s recession. Lorenzo had sold off EA assets, with the courts finding that they were sold below market rates to Continental and others. The dramatic fuel price increase associated with the First Gulf War was the absolutely last nail in the coffin.