Last edit by: WineCountryUA
Please do not modify or remove
In recent days a number of threads have started touching on the impacts on UA as a business going forward due to the travel disruption of COVID-19 --- including multiple Viability / Bankruptcy / Bailout discussions. While inconceivable a few months ago, UA (and all commercial airlines) is facing challenges that are uncharted.
This consolidated thread has been created by merging a number of existing threads that trend to address essentially the same subjects.
Some thread guidelines
-- This thread / forum is for discussing UA and the UA traveler, so please focus on UA in these discussions. Other forums exist to discuss other carriers or the industry in general -- we do just UA here.
-- This thread is for discussion of how UA gets from here to its future state.
-- All the standard FT rules apply. We will have a civil, constructive, collegial discussion -- even in these turbulent times.
-- While much of this will play out in the political arena, this forum is not the place for political / OMNI discussions. Please use threads in appropriate forums for that, such as Covid-19 US tax cuts or fiscal stimulus
-- Similarly, discussions of the evils / greed of corporations or other broad societal issues are out of scope, those are for OMNI -- let's stick to discussing UA, its past and its future here
-- Please do not start new threads on these topics in the UA forum. One reason for this consolidated thread was to minimize the redundant posts in separate threads. There is plenty of room in the scope of this thread to cover all aspects of these topics. (Note things like M&A, restructuring, ... would all be in scope).
-- Please once you have laid out your position, do not repetitively re-state that opinion. It is usually a better discussion if many participate vs a few dominating the thread
On behalf of the UA Moderator Team
WineCountryUA
In recent days a number of threads have started touching on the impacts on UA as a business going forward due to the travel disruption of COVID-19 --- including multiple Viability / Bankruptcy / Bailout discussions. While inconceivable a few months ago, UA (and all commercial airlines) is facing challenges that are uncharted.
This consolidated thread has been created by merging a number of existing threads that trend to address essentially the same subjects.
Some thread guidelines
-- This thread / forum is for discussing UA and the UA traveler, so please focus on UA in these discussions. Other forums exist to discuss other carriers or the industry in general -- we do just UA here.
-- This thread is for discussion of how UA gets from here to its future state.
-- All the standard FT rules apply. We will have a civil, constructive, collegial discussion -- even in these turbulent times.
-- While much of this will play out in the political arena, this forum is not the place for political / OMNI discussions. Please use threads in appropriate forums for that, such as Covid-19 US tax cuts or fiscal stimulus
-- Similarly, discussions of the evils / greed of corporations or other broad societal issues are out of scope, those are for OMNI -- let's stick to discussing UA, its past and its future here
-- Please do not start new threads on these topics in the UA forum. One reason for this consolidated thread was to minimize the redundant posts in separate threads. There is plenty of room in the scope of this thread to cover all aspects of these topics. (Note things like M&A, restructuring, ... would all be in scope).
-- Please once you have laid out your position, do not repetitively re-state that opinion. It is usually a better discussion if many participate vs a few dominating the thread
On behalf of the UA Moderator Team
WineCountryUA
UA's Viability / Financial Future due to the COVID-19 Era [Consolidated]
#1081
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: CLE
Programs: UA:1K 0.81M
Posts: 135
Slight tangent - If only Gold and higher can select seats at booking, is the thinking that they all selected E- seats? Or is this something else I don't understand like gold and higher on BE? Random allocation on seatmap to somewhat reflect load? Have I really forgotten how all of this works after all this time....Still remember my MP number though
#1082
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2017
Programs: AS 75K, DL Silver, UA Platinum, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Platinum + LT Gold
Posts: 10,517
Slight tangent - If only Gold and higher can select seats at booking, is the thinking that they all selected E- seats? Or is this something else I don't understand like gold and higher on BE? Random allocation on seatmap to somewhat reflect load? Have I really forgotten how all of this works after all this time....Still remember my MP number though
#1083
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2017
Programs: AS 75K, DL Silver, UA Platinum, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Platinum + LT Gold
Posts: 10,517
Poor planning on UA for adding new routes to Florida
How is it going: more airlines have added new routes to Florida from the northeast just this week.
How is it going: more airlines have added new routes to Florida from the northeast just this week.
#1084
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Haze gray and underway
Programs: UA 1K 2MM, HH Diamond, Marriott 'clink clink' Titanium
Posts: 1,784
The high point of my work trip to LAS on Monday was taking a customer out to dinner at a nice restaurant, just saying.
#1085
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.997MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,859
Appears with today's COVID relief bill, some furlough employees will come back for 3 months per this message to UA employees
A Message From Scott Kirby and Brett Hart
CHICAGO, Dec. 21, 2020 /
-- J. Scott Kirby, Chief Executive Officer, and Brett Hart, President, today issued the following message to all United Airlines employees:
United Team:
We're writing today with some really good news: the Administration and Congress have come together in a bipartisan way on a relief bill that includes several items, including an extension of the Payroll Support Program (PSP) for the airlines.
As you know, United has aggressively advocated for this extension for months and our airline has publicly supported similar efforts by our union partners. And we both have personally spoken to leaders in D.C. about the unique impact the crisis has had on our industry and the need for relief. Our appreciation goes out to all the elected officials who helped make this happen – we also know many of you lent your voices to the fight, so thank you as well.
So what does this mean for us? Well, to start, it means United intends to offer temporary employment to thousands of our team members who were impacted on September 30.
As you know, involuntary furloughs were always a last resort for us and we worked really hard over the summer – through cost-cutting, capital-raising, and partnering with our unions – to make the number of people who were ultimately impacted as small as possible.
Now, those employees who are eligible under the terms of the PSP extension can temporarily come back to United through March 2021. This is certainly good news for our economy, our industry, and our airline - but it's especially good news for those who have been without a paycheck, and we can't wait to welcome them back.
Importantly, though, we don't expect customer demand to change much between now and the end of the first quarter of 2021. United has been realistic about our outlook throughout the crisis, and we've tried to give you an honest assessment every step of the way. The truth is, we just don't see anything in the data that shows a huge difference in bookings over the next few months. That is why we expect the recall will be temporary.
But as we've said before, we do see the light at the end of the tunnel. The recent vaccine developments have been nothing short of extraordinary. And we're so proud of our team for playing an important role in the global distribution of those treatments. But even though vaccinations have started and there are millions of doses being distributed around the country, we're still months and months away from the majority of the population getting vaccinated.
There are still some details to work out before the PSP extension is finalized, and we expect that you will hear from your leaders over the next several days about what's next for your specific workgroup. And for those employees who will be returning to work, we'll continue to work closely with our union partners to make the process as easy as possible.
So let us end where we started – having our team members back working at United - even in some cases temporarily – is good news. The PSP extension will provide much needed relief for these team members and their families.
Thanks for all you continue to do to take care of our customers and one another.
Scott and Brett
CHICAGO, Dec. 21, 2020 /
-- J. Scott Kirby, Chief Executive Officer, and Brett Hart, President, today issued the following message to all United Airlines employees:
United Team:
We're writing today with some really good news: the Administration and Congress have come together in a bipartisan way on a relief bill that includes several items, including an extension of the Payroll Support Program (PSP) for the airlines.
As you know, United has aggressively advocated for this extension for months and our airline has publicly supported similar efforts by our union partners. And we both have personally spoken to leaders in D.C. about the unique impact the crisis has had on our industry and the need for relief. Our appreciation goes out to all the elected officials who helped make this happen – we also know many of you lent your voices to the fight, so thank you as well.
So what does this mean for us? Well, to start, it means United intends to offer temporary employment to thousands of our team members who were impacted on September 30.
As you know, involuntary furloughs were always a last resort for us and we worked really hard over the summer – through cost-cutting, capital-raising, and partnering with our unions – to make the number of people who were ultimately impacted as small as possible.
Now, those employees who are eligible under the terms of the PSP extension can temporarily come back to United through March 2021. This is certainly good news for our economy, our industry, and our airline - but it's especially good news for those who have been without a paycheck, and we can't wait to welcome them back.
Importantly, though, we don't expect customer demand to change much between now and the end of the first quarter of 2021. United has been realistic about our outlook throughout the crisis, and we've tried to give you an honest assessment every step of the way. The truth is, we just don't see anything in the data that shows a huge difference in bookings over the next few months. That is why we expect the recall will be temporary.
But as we've said before, we do see the light at the end of the tunnel. The recent vaccine developments have been nothing short of extraordinary. And we're so proud of our team for playing an important role in the global distribution of those treatments. But even though vaccinations have started and there are millions of doses being distributed around the country, we're still months and months away from the majority of the population getting vaccinated.
There are still some details to work out before the PSP extension is finalized, and we expect that you will hear from your leaders over the next several days about what's next for your specific workgroup. And for those employees who will be returning to work, we'll continue to work closely with our union partners to make the process as easy as possible.
So let us end where we started – having our team members back working at United - even in some cases temporarily – is good news. The PSP extension will provide much needed relief for these team members and their families.
Thanks for all you continue to do to take care of our customers and one another.
Scott and Brett
#1086
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: HNL
Programs: UA GS4MM, MR LT Plat, Hilton Gold
Posts: 6,447
Glad to see some getting back to work.
#1087
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2012
Location: MCO
Programs: AA, B6, DL, EK, EY, QR, SQ, UA, Amex Plat, Marriott Tit, HHonors Gold
Posts: 12,809
Honestly it seems kind of stupid to re-hire a bunch of people for just three months only to let them go again. Just let them collect their unemployment (which with the $300/week bonus will likely be more than many of them make working for UA) and call them back when they’re actually needed.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d rather see them working than collecting unemployment and I’m sure many would rather be at work, but for only three months just to be let go again, I don’t really see the point.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d rather see them working than collecting unemployment and I’m sure many would rather be at work, but for only three months just to be let go again, I don’t really see the point.
#1088
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: New York, NY, USA
Posts: 12,483
#1091
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,324
I think it’s important to recognize which airlines were wholly backed extensions of their state in non-Covid time s.g. Singapore, Emirates, etc., and which are receiving loans and payroll assistance during Covid. I’d argue you’re only a state airline if you’re the former.
#1093
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: USA
Programs: UA Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,195
Honestly it seems kind of stupid to re-hire a bunch of people for just three months only to let them go again. Just let them collect their unemployment (which with the $300/week bonus will likely be more than many of them make working for UA) and call them back when they’re actually needed.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d rather see them working than collecting unemployment and I’m sure many would rather be at work, but for only three months just to be let go again, I don’t really see the point.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d rather see them working than collecting unemployment and I’m sure many would rather be at work, but for only three months just to be let go again, I don’t really see the point.
People need to work -- and for more reasons than just income.
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Dec 22, 2020 at 7:47 pm Reason: OMNI comments removed
#1094
Join Date: Dec 2016
Posts: 1,485
That seems to be a rather narrow way of looking at it to me. The employees affected can certainly opt to stay home and collect unemployment but a lot of people would rather be doing something. Being able to work will definitely help some with the mental health aspects of dealing with this situation for over a year and the time on payroll will give them and United a chance at refresher training. Bring them onboard for the three months they can afford and see how the situation changes over the next few months, what's wrong with that?
People need to work -- and for more reasons than just income.
People need to work -- and for more reasons than just income.
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Dec 22, 2020 at 7:48 pm Reason: Quote updated to reflect Moderator edit and response to deleted content removed
#1095
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.997MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,859
Role / intent of the COVID relief package is a topic for OMNI. Let's stick to discussing how UA will make use of these funds. and/or what it will mean to the employees and/or travelers
WineCountryUA
UA coModerator
WineCountryUA
UA coModerator
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Dec 22, 2020 at 8:10 pm Reason: expanded scope