MorningBird

US AIRWAYS--LET IT DIE!

US AIR is now US AIRWAYS.  Or is it America West under wraps?  One thing it is--on this day--is an incompetent and rude airline.  At 10:15 this morning, US AIRWAYS gave another slipshod performance as they obstructed my check-in for a flight from Philadelphia to Houston (within the 24-hour window).

"Sorry we can't access the seating chart at this time, see an agent at the airport ticket counter or use an automated ticketing kiosk," the message read, as it rejected me yet again (I tried 3 or 4 times before I gave up).  By the way, this is standard operating procedure for US AIRWAYS, especially when one is flying on a US AIRWAYS affiliate.  They can't run their own airplanes on time, and so what do they do?  They add another party to the equation and then hide behind an automated computer message.

But AHOY--there was help.  "Click on Live Help!", the screen read.  I did.  Guess what?  I was greeted by a form to fill out, before I was permitted to chat with a "Live Help" agent.  And the form included a box with space to describe my problem.  I filled out the form--with the same information on my reservation--and I described my problem, which was that I was traveling with a 9-year old kid, and waiting until I got to the airport to check in was a large hassle, which is why I had accepted their offer to check-in online. 

I clicked again--on the "Live Help" icon.  "Sorry, all of our representatives are busy," it read.  Could I make it up?  No queue to get in, no alternative suggestions, no nothing.  ("Kiss off," is my interpretation of that screen.)   And so, in desperation, I clicked the back arrow to retrieve the words I had written to describe my dilemma, because I stupidly thought I might try again later, and that would save me from having to compose another message.  The words were gone.

For 5 years, my family has used this airline to shuttle 3 children between parents and grandparents in Houston and Philadelphia.  We have used US AIRWAYS simply because the parents live close to George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.  It is rare to enjoy a hassle-free flight with this company;  Late departures, late arrivals (very late), tardy baggage retrieval, rude agents (there are some nice employees, but I wonder how any of them keep their heads up with so many unhappy customers).  And did I mention high prices? Thank you Southwest for bringing down the cost of travel in Philadelphia. 

Never again.  I hate US AIRWAYS--and I hate myself more for giving them my money.  From hence forth it will be SOUTHWEST AIR.  I will gladly drive the extra miles to and from Houston's Hobby Airport and when I roll past George Bush Intercontinental Airport on I-45, I will hoist a middle finger to salute US AIRWAYS. 

When will the government stop bailing out these losers, and let them die?

CARLESS

I discovered something recently; a car is a very expensive appliance. When I went hiking last fall for two months, I put my car in storage--it is still there. How did that happen? Well, I stored the car in Delaware, about an hour from Philadelphia, and when I returned from the hike, days before Thanksgiving, I didn't need a car for the holiday, and so I left it there. The days turned into weeks--and I didn't miss it. And then it was XMAS and I was on my way to Houston for the holidays.

When I returned from Houston, I was weaned. This is not an inconvenient dilemma for me, because I reside only two blocks from the bus stop. The bus takes me to the King of Prussia mall--the largest retail space in America--in a mere ten minutes, and to downtown Philadelphia in 45 minutes. And because of my age, it's free. And I can read the newspaper on the way. And there is no parking tab to pay--and no parking tickets. And once I get to Philadelphia, the subway is free, and the regional trains are only a dollar. Old age has a few benefits (but off hand, I can't remember another one).

I checked on my car last week and she was still there. I started her up, charged the battery and then I said bye-bye--again. For how long I don't know. And so, here I am, still without wheels. A dull and colorless story no doubt, but do you know what I discovered? This: without a car, I spend a lot less money.

An auto is the retail devil's friend. Once I get in the car, there are unlimited opportunities to get in trouble. And it's insidious; I come home and my pockets are filled with little-bitty receipts--Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, the convenience store, the pharmacy, the diner, etc., etc., etc....and they add up to $100! I must have enough Radio Shack batteries to launch the next shuttle.

And do you know what the most expensive by-product of owning an automobile is? Wasted time. The time spent behind the wheel, motoring here and there on mundane errands to the same places I went to yesterday....and the day before. I have more time now. (Whether or not I have anything useful to fill it with, is another question.)

I'm pretty happy without my car. My wife hates it! You know why? Because now she has to run her own errands. Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha...

KATRINA ONE WEEK LATER

I watched the disaster on TV last week.

The authorities looked helpless—all of them. The Mayor of New Orleans pointed a finger at everyone but himself. The Governor of Louisiana looked like a deer in the headlights, and the Director of FEMA seemed to be on another planet. Where was Rudy when we needed him?

Meanwhile, Texas, first in executions, last in education and largest in hearts, opened it’s arms and said, “Come on in, we’ll take care of you.” Houston absorbed over 100,000 refugees and thousands of other homeless victims were shunted off to other Texas communities. San Antonio even volunteered to house the impotent New Orleans Saints, a sacrifice they will surely regret.

Sunday night, 60 Minutes had its “get even for Dan Rather” moment when Scott Pelley fawned over the hapless, helpless Mayor of New Orleans. This was not an interview, but a sugarcoated attempt to focus the blame on anyone and everyone—read George W. Bush—but the city and the state. But it is obvious the mayor and the governor failed their constituents in the days leading up to Katrina and CBS can’t cover that up; the dozens of inquiries and commissions to come will reveal that. Today New Orleans looks like Haiti, but what do you expect from the Banana Republic of Louisiana?

One week after the storm, I awoke on Labor Day morning to an NPR newscast from New Orleans. In the background I heard music and the tinkling of ice. A bar in the French Quarter was open for business. (Did it ever close?) The bartender was selling alcohol and giving away water. The Big Easy is down, but don’t count her out.

US Airways & Uncle Sam

US Airways is back for more food stamps; they filed Chapter 11—again. We gave them $650,000,000.00 after 9-11, but that ran out. Actually, we (the taxpayers) did not give it to them then, we simply guaranteed their loans; the loans they can’t pay now. Now we’ll give it to them, so they can pay the banks.

But there is more. US Airways wants us to pick-up their pension costs too. And to get our attention, they stopped making payments to the machinist’s and flight attendant’s retirement funds.

The employees and retirees covered by those plans are remarkably silent. Why aren’t they screaming their heads off? Because the Federal Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation will pick up the tab. Who is the Federal Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation? You got it; taxpayers to the rescue again. If US Airways goes down for the count, retirees will get their pension checks from Uncle Sam.

The airline industry is in the pits. A lot of things are going on; 9-11 was one factor, but other structural changes were in the works long before that. Low cost airlines, for one. Years ago, Southwest Air pioneered a novel concept, which was that low-cost, no frills, on time service would sell. And that with rigid attention to costs—like flying one product, the Boeing 737, which simplified training of pilots and maintenance personnel, not to mention the savings and efficiency of maintaining one spare parts inventory—it could make a reasonable profit. They have. Eventually others saw the light, and now we have a plethora of low cost alternatives, e.g. Jet Blue, Air Tran, Frontier and others. (US Airways is not one of them.)

How do they do that? There are two major cost centers in the airline business, fuel and labor; everything else takes a back seat. Fuel is fuel; they all use the same stuff. Costs can be shaved by gambling on the future price of fuel (they call that hedging and Southwest is good at it), but still, they all use the same fuel. It’s not as if they can wean themselves off premium.

However, labor costs are another matter; not all airlines were created equal, with the same inalienable rights to manage their destiny. A long time ago, before the airline industry was deregulated, the government regulated airline prices and we all know what that means. High prices and high costs were the rule. Airline pilots were paid like rock stars, and worked less. That privileged concept rippled throughout the industry and flight attendants, ticket agents and machinists reaped the benefits of an inflated wage structure. Today, US Airways and other traditional carriers are shackled with those out-of-date labor contracts. According to those who know, workers take home 40% of the ticket price.

The unions are not blind; they have made concessions, but still, US Airways cannot survive with its current wage structure. So what will happen? I do not know, but here is one scenario:

US Airways will fail. Employees will lose their jobs. Discount airlines will move in, hire the same employees, and pay them less.

Meanwhile the Federal Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation will make good on the pension payments to the US Airways employees who now work at a discount airline for the same wages they rejected at US Airways. Guess who will pick up the tab.