NeoOfTheCRS

Found out today that the downtown DC CTO will close on January 21st. Apparently all of the CTO's will close soon (except for the CTO in Crystal City)

Over the years the agents there have been extraordinarily helpful to me (and I am sure a few others on the board)

So if anyone is so inclined as to join me in organizing some sort of gift or special thank you for the folks there, please PM me. We could order them some goodies, take them out for a drink etc. Open to any ideas. Would make a good DC FT event too!

jetsetter

Approximately a couple of weeks ago they had a story in US Airways Today (company internal news daily publication) siting the closure of several CTOs. I remember BOS was on the list too, but I cannot specifically recall the others. I am not sure also if the company is offering the displaced employees jobs if they agree to commute and/or relocate to other facilities, etc., or if the employees would be eligible for ATO CSA or CSS positions. I would tend to doubt that the company is offering any great benefits to these people. E.g. maybe if your a DC CTO person, they'll tell you you can pick up and move to INT for the same wage, etc.

I know at the BOS Federal Street address, where in the hay day of the industry evry airline was represented and the place was hopping with customers, now today only CO and US (and not US for long) remain. And the last time I went in there during rush hour to get a paper ticket reissued I was the only customer in the whole place including for CO.

My recollection of the story is these folks will be working until 1/25 a couple of days after the formal closing.

Its thoughtful to organize something to show community appreciation and respect for these employees, but after 1/25/2005 they are most likely going to be out of a job. I don't know if on FT we have any connection to career people. resume writers, head hunters, etc. I know a lot of times these companys hire outplacement services but a lot of it is wishy washy, rather than getting the person a new job period!

I even sat next to someone randomly on a recent flight in the "careers business," and they proclaimed that these outplacement firms are largely BS, and llargely serve to rid the guilt of the senior execs who authorize the downsizing. I have very little personal experience with outplacement firms except that I knew someone who went through it and they reported that they try to have you go through some protracted and long process which can make you take longer to get your next job. Also many of them are paid only say if the employee attends the sessions over the several month period as opposed to say paid based on how successfully they are at getting people new pay checks evry two weeks.

I appologize for interrupting the intended spirit of giving in the thread, which I think is genuine (and I don't even live in DC), but at the same time we should recognize what this really means for the displaced employees and how forces that we in a sense "like" (such as internet technologies) are putting people out of work.

cedric

US also had the distinction of having the last CTO in the basement of the Royal York downtown Toronto, an area where almost all the carriers had their offices. It even outlasted AC. Although it was a useful place for reedeming vouchers, I used it for little else.

ButIsItArt

Today is the last day of existence for the Crystal City, Virginia CTO, as it will close permanently at the end of the day. I learned that today when I went in to take care of some future PNR's. The regular personnel were moving, and the office was starting to look rather bare bones. Very somber atmosphere