Return of Eastern Airlines?
Mar 10, 2009, 8:20 am
#16
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Madison NJ; Watopia
Posts: 3,161
Mar 10, 2009, 11:27 am
#17
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: FLL -> Where The Boyars Are
Programs: AA EXP 1.7 M, Hilton Gold, Hertz 5*, AARP Sophomore, 14-time Croix de Candlestick
Posts: 18,669
Actually one part of Eastern still lives. When Lorenzo took over EA, he pulled the res system (System One Direct Access (SODA)) out of EA, pulled Continental Computer Services (CCS) out of CO, and formed a subsidiary called System One Corp. That entity, much changed, lives on as aMaDEUS North America.
Mar 11, 2009, 1:26 pm
#19
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: FLL -> Where The Boyars Are
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Lorenzo was a piece of work, no? To 'pay' EA and CO for the assets that were merged into the new System One entity (probably around late 1986, he issued a promissory note (don't remember the amount), due in 2012. I'm sure that he knew that EA would never survive long enough to receive that payment.
(A few years after Lorenzo was out of the picture, System One was made a wholly-owned subsidiary of Continental Airlines, just in time for CO's 1994 Chapter 11 filing, one of the results of which was that the 1986 notes became moot).
(A few years after Lorenzo was out of the picture, System One was made a wholly-owned subsidiary of Continental Airlines, just in time for CO's 1994 Chapter 11 filing, one of the results of which was that the 1986 notes became moot).
Mar 11, 2009, 3:22 pm
#20
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Posts: 805
I hope Eastern never comes back. I had by far my worst experience with an airline on Eastern ever (even counting US) and was never so happy to see a company go under. I'm sure there were some good employees. I just happened not to have interacted with them.
My parents and I (I was about 15) were traveling to my grandfather's funeral from New York (don't remember if it was EWR, JFK or LGA) to FLL on a bereavement fare. Eastern changed equipment to a much smaller plane and bumped us. The GA refused to even ask for volunteers to allow us to get to the funeral on time. We had to fly the day of the funeral due to the fact that my parents were vacationing out of the country at the time and, in the Jewish faith, the funeral should take place the day after the death, except on the Sabbath.
The Delta flight on which we were placed, was arriving into FLL only 3 hours later. However, I have no doubt that there would have been 3 people on that plane who would have given up their seats so we could get to a funeral. Even though it was only 3 hour delay, it required my grandmother to reschedule the funeral from Sunday to Monday so my grandfather's son and granddaughter could attend. Many other people were forced to miss the funeral due to work schedules.
I remember standing at the podium with my parents and my father begging the GA to do something. I will always remember the guy's response as if it was yesterday: "If you don't hurry up, you'll miss that (Delta) flight, too." He was a miserable excuse for a human being.
On the other hand, the Delta FAs were wonderful. Delta had not stocked enough meals for all the bumpees and the FA asked for volunteers to give up their meals for us and practically the entire plane offered up their food.
The compensation we received was to have the return flight on Eastern in First Class. Wow. Good riddance, Eastern.
My parents and I (I was about 15) were traveling to my grandfather's funeral from New York (don't remember if it was EWR, JFK or LGA) to FLL on a bereavement fare. Eastern changed equipment to a much smaller plane and bumped us. The GA refused to even ask for volunteers to allow us to get to the funeral on time. We had to fly the day of the funeral due to the fact that my parents were vacationing out of the country at the time and, in the Jewish faith, the funeral should take place the day after the death, except on the Sabbath.
The Delta flight on which we were placed, was arriving into FLL only 3 hours later. However, I have no doubt that there would have been 3 people on that plane who would have given up their seats so we could get to a funeral. Even though it was only 3 hour delay, it required my grandmother to reschedule the funeral from Sunday to Monday so my grandfather's son and granddaughter could attend. Many other people were forced to miss the funeral due to work schedules.
I remember standing at the podium with my parents and my father begging the GA to do something. I will always remember the guy's response as if it was yesterday: "If you don't hurry up, you'll miss that (Delta) flight, too." He was a miserable excuse for a human being.
On the other hand, the Delta FAs were wonderful. Delta had not stocked enough meals for all the bumpees and the FA asked for volunteers to give up their meals for us and practically the entire plane offered up their food.
The compensation we received was to have the return flight on Eastern in First Class. Wow. Good riddance, Eastern.
Last edited by jennj99738; Mar 11, 2009 at 3:40 pm
Mar 11, 2009, 9:16 pm
#21
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 302
Lorenzo was a piece of work, no? To 'pay' EA and CO for the assets that were merged into the new System One entity (probably around late 1986, he issued a promissory note (don't remember the amount), due in 2012. I'm sure that he knew that EA would never survive long enough to receive that payment.
(A few years after Lorenzo was out of the picture, System One was made a wholly-owned subsidiary of Continental Airlines, just in time for CO's 1994 Chapter 11 filing, one of the results of which was that the 1986 notes became moot).
(A few years after Lorenzo was out of the picture, System One was made a wholly-owned subsidiary of Continental Airlines, just in time for CO's 1994 Chapter 11 filing, one of the results of which was that the 1986 notes became moot).
Mar 12, 2009, 12:53 am
#22
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: 神奈川県
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Posts: 526
Why not? More competition couldn't hurt.
Admittedly, my last flight on Eastern was so long ago that I found seats in Y to be quite roomy.
Admittedly, my last flight on Eastern was so long ago that I found seats in Y to be quite roomy.