CLE..We Hardly Knew You...Bye
Jun 6, 2014, 12:00 am
#46
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: CLE
Programs: UA GS+LT UC, AA EXP+LT PLT, Fairmont LT PLT, Marriott PLT, Hilton DIA, Hyatt Glob, Avis CHM
Posts: 4,684
Not unlike his other lies.
2. Jeff isn't "CO management."
CO management was Bethune and Kellner. They had no interest in a merger so Jeff was brought on to make it happen and destroy 2 proud airlines while enriching the board.
Jun 6, 2014, 12:08 am
#47
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: CLE
Programs: UA,WN,AA,DL, B6
Posts: 4,175
Flying WN today CLE-BNA-MSY-EYW. Do I dare even go down C to see my friends at the United Club. Have seen the empty gates at PIT,STL, CVG and even BNA. Very Sad but on the positive side the city has so much going on, alot of events, new construction, timing sucks. Thanks Jeff.
Jun 6, 2014, 12:15 am
#48
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: CLE
Programs: UA GS+LT UC, AA EXP+LT PLT, Fairmont LT PLT, Marriott PLT, Hilton DIA, Hyatt Glob, Avis CHM
Posts: 4,684
Flying WN today CLE-BNA-MSY-EYW. Do I dare even go down C to see my friends at the United Club. Have seen the empty gates at PIT,STL, CVG and even BNA. Very Sad but on the positive side the city has so much going on, alot of events, new construction, timing sucks. Thanks Jeff.
Jun 6, 2014, 12:19 am
#49
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 260
1. Jeff lied about the the decade remark: http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/40226
Not unlike his other lies.
2. Jeff isn't "CO management."
CO management was Bethune and Kellner. They had no interest in a merger so Jeff was brought on to make it happen and destroy 2 proud airlines while enriching the board.
Not unlike his other lies.
2. Jeff isn't "CO management."
CO management was Bethune and Kellner. They had no interest in a merger so Jeff was brought on to make it happen and destroy 2 proud airlines while enriching the board.
Jeff is CO management, he came from CO and was groomed by Gordon Bethune and Larry Kellner, all of whom are friends and Gordon Bethune has spoken highly of Jeff during the merger. Obviously he's not the same as his predecessors, which makes it even more baffling.
Jun 6, 2014, 12:25 am
#50
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: MDE
Programs: AA EP, CM PP, AV GM, UA Silver, SPG Gold, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Plat, Marriott Plat, Accor Plat
Posts: 1,002
My connection at CLE is still on for June 30
Mainline to mainline. These days, that has me almost excited to fly! Now I'm just praying it sticks.
Will there still be a UC for me to use? I'm going to need a place to check email and make a couple of calls.
I haven't been to CLE in a couple of years, so I can't believe my timing. Last time I was there I bought a really cool shirt at a cigar shop in the terminal! They sold cigars, but you couldn't smoke them. That struck me as a rather odd place to put that store.
Edit: I just noticed that the MCO-CLE flight says "Refreshments." I could have sworn that it said "Lunch" when I bought it. Is Smisek playing golf with Doug Parker these days, or just parroting him? Sheesh!
Jun 6, 2014, 12:31 am
#51
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: CLE
Programs: UA GS+LT UC, AA EXP+LT PLT, Fairmont LT PLT, Marriott PLT, Hilton DIA, Hyatt Glob, Avis CHM
Posts: 4,684
I have no doubt that $mi$ek is a lying scumbag. The link you provided however has no data on how much money CLE was bringing in and if it was profitable or not. The recent statements that contradict current ones are interesting, however. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle.
Jeff is CO management, he came from CO and was groomed by Gordon Bethune and Larry Kellner, all of whom are friends and Gordon Bethune has spoken highly of Jeff during the merger. Obviously he's not the same as his predecessors, which makes it even more baffling.
Jeff is CO management, he came from CO and was groomed by Gordon Bethune and Larry Kellner, all of whom are friends and Gordon Bethune has spoken highly of Jeff during the merger. Obviously he's not the same as his predecessors, which makes it even more baffling.
All we have are lots of statements indicating that Jeff lied (or is relying on absurd accounting) about the decade of losses statement.
He should've just said that an RJ hub no longer make sense in 2014 due to the new pilot regs and the high cost of fuel. And he should've called CLE a focus city (which is exactly what it is today, though who knows how long that will last under heavy F9 competition) to soften the blow.
2. Gordo and Larry may have groomed Jeff, but neither would condone the actions he has taken the past few years.
Indeed Larry was forced out for concluding a merger would be a bad idea.
And just read Gordo's book, Jeff has done everything in his power to bring the merged airline back to how the Frank Lorenzo CO operated that Gordo worked so hard to turn around.
Jun 6, 2014, 12:31 am
#52
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: SF, CA, US
Programs: AA Plat Pro, UA MM Gold, HHonors Silver, Marriott Bonvoy Plat, IHG Ambassador
Posts: 1,238
Connected in CLE yesterday. Inbound on the last scheduled CMH-CLE flight. Parts of Concourse C seemed deserted, but other parts had decent amount of traffic. Had a burger and beer at Great Lakes. Will definitely miss the CLE hub.
Jun 6, 2014, 7:40 am
#53
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: JZRO
Posts: 9,169
RNE, advising that it's important to remember that there are still United employees at CLE who need their jobs. I'll be at the club today, helping it remain viable. ^
Jun 6, 2014, 7:48 am
#54
In Memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Durham, NC (RDU/GSO/CLT)
Programs: AA EXP/MM, DL GM, UA Platinum, HH DIA, Hyatt Explorist, IHG Platinum, Marriott Titanium, Hertz PC
Posts: 33,857
I'm sad myself. Back in 2007 when I commuted between PHX and BOS flying PHX-CLE-BOS was my favorite. Upgrades were far easier than EWR/IAH and I liked transiting the airport, especially as they had a Max & Ermas them.
My last visit was in 2012, RDU-CLE-DAY which was far easier than DAY-ORD-RDU on the way home. I'll miss the option of connecting there
My last visit was in 2012, RDU-CLE-DAY which was far easier than DAY-ORD-RDU on the way home. I'll miss the option of connecting there
Jun 6, 2014, 8:17 am
#56
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 143
This letter to the editor was in the Plain Dealer yesterday. I read in on my Southwest flight to Midway that was $100 cheaper round trip than a UA flight to ORD.
http://blog.cleveland.com/letters/20...united_em.html
I just wanted to write about us - the 400+ employees who are leaving our jobs at Cleveland Hopkins Airport. We all enjoyed our jobs with United Airlines and were quite shocked when we were told that Cleveland Hopkins was no longer a hub in the eyes of upper management. We all will miss our mileage plus frequent flyer members who put up with that merge of Continental and United Airlines. Some of us are retiring, some are moving across country to keep our jobs, and most are being laid off. Some have up to 17 years seniority, we will miss serving our passengers on United flights in Cleveland. Thanks for the good run!
Kathy Dougherty,
Cleveland
http://blog.cleveland.com/letters/20...united_em.html
I just wanted to write about us - the 400+ employees who are leaving our jobs at Cleveland Hopkins Airport. We all enjoyed our jobs with United Airlines and were quite shocked when we were told that Cleveland Hopkins was no longer a hub in the eyes of upper management. We all will miss our mileage plus frequent flyer members who put up with that merge of Continental and United Airlines. Some of us are retiring, some are moving across country to keep our jobs, and most are being laid off. Some have up to 17 years seniority, we will miss serving our passengers on United flights in Cleveland. Thanks for the good run!
Kathy Dougherty,
Cleveland
Jun 6, 2014, 10:00 am
#57
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Posts: 5,825
As a card carrying Presidential Plus member of the United Club, I hereby forbid United to close the CLE club on pain of my canceling the card. (This dire prospect will have Jeff quaking in his boots!)
RNE, advising that it's important to remember that there are still United employees at CLE who need their jobs. I'll be at the club today, helping it remain viable. ^
RNE, advising that it's important to remember that there are still United employees at CLE who need their jobs. I'll be at the club today, helping it remain viable. ^
(and have fun at your convention!)
Jun 6, 2014, 10:29 am
#58
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: NYC
Programs: UA Gold 0.664MM, MR LT Titanium, IHG Platinum, Hertz PC
Posts: 748
Can't say we didn't see this coming. I do wonder how long folks like Great Lakes Brewing are locked into their leases. Some vendors even in C may be seeing reduced traffic. GLB in particular was at a crossroads in the terminal and fewer UA pax means fewer dining customers.
Jun 6, 2014, 10:45 am
#59
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: CLE or EWR or ORD
Programs: UA Gold
Posts: 134
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPad; CPU OS 7_1_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/537.51.2 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/7.0 Mobile/11D201 Safari/9537.53)
Yeah, yeah, Cleveland has claimed to be on the upswing for 20 years ever since Gateway was built. The city will need a lot more than the Gay Games to prop it up. Even the movie industry has by and large failed only to see a big swinging d--- like Chris Nolan fall in love with PIT.
Originally Posted by buckeyefanflyer
Flying WN today CLE-BNA-MSY-EYW. Do I dare even go down C to see my friends at the United Club. Have seen the empty gates at PIT,STL, CVG and even BNA. Very Sad but on the positive side the city has so much going on, alot of events, new construction, timing sucks. Thanks Jeff.
Jun 6, 2014, 11:21 am
#60
Suspended
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: DEN
Programs: Delta Silver. Former AA gold. UA MP and DL Plat AMEX cardholder
Posts: 1,254
1. We'll never have that data. Even after the OH AG audit is complete, all data on CLE profitability will remain sealed.
All we have are lots of statements indicating that Jeff lied (or is relying on absurd accounting) about the decade of losses statement.
He should've just said that an RJ hub no longer make sense in 2014 due to the new pilot regs and the high cost of fuel. And he should've called CLE a focus city (which is exactly what it is today, though who knows how long that will last under heavy F9 competition) to soften the blow.
2. Gordo and Larry may have groomed Jeff, but neither would condone the actions he has taken the past few years.
Indeed Larry was forced out for concluding a merger would be a bad idea.
And just read Gordo's book, Jeff has done everything in his power to bring the merged airline back to how the Frank Lorenzo CO operated that Gordo worked so hard to turn around.
All we have are lots of statements indicating that Jeff lied (or is relying on absurd accounting) about the decade of losses statement.
He should've just said that an RJ hub no longer make sense in 2014 due to the new pilot regs and the high cost of fuel. And he should've called CLE a focus city (which is exactly what it is today, though who knows how long that will last under heavy F9 competition) to soften the blow.
2. Gordo and Larry may have groomed Jeff, but neither would condone the actions he has taken the past few years.
Indeed Larry was forced out for concluding a merger would be a bad idea.
And just read Gordo's book, Jeff has done everything in his power to bring the merged airline back to how the Frank Lorenzo CO operated that Gordo worked so hard to turn around.
But I agree, Bethune worked hard to turn CO around after Lorenzo decimated EA. While I don't agree with everything he did (EWR was still a hot mess when he was in-charge) he definitely made sure that CLE was an important part of the network. CLE's role dimished over the years as CO went ERJ crazy and Kellner cut it in 2008.
But CLE not being profitable in 10 years? I don't believe it. Just like I don't believe that the new 739s save 2 million a year per 757 replacement (like CLE lease space, they had to make payments for 757 leases they terminated.) He's a GD liar and I am more than satisfied that I went back to Delta in spite of his mess. Just sad I can't use PMUA as a backup like I used to.