The Skies Are Turning Ugly, Combative for Business Travelers in 2007

The big hammering of business travelers would come if the Justice Department rolls over and approves US Airways’ $8.8 billion hostile takeover bid for Delta, thwarting the Atlanta carrier’s exit from Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

besides immediate slashing of flights, fewer reward seats and upgrades, higher fares; it’s a certainty employee mood aloft and on the ground will be grim to grumpy. USAir has a notoriously poor reputation of merging airline cultures when it acquires other carriers. And if you talk to America West and USAir cabin crews—and I have—nobody’s happy with that consolidation. Plus, it hasn’t even been fully consummated yet.

There are gripes galore and it’s the passengers who bear the brunt of that bloodshed. Delta’s workforce has long been battered under inept management and hopeful of a turnaround under current chairman/CEO Gerald Grinstein who’s fiercely fighting the US Air attack.

Meantime, will United swallow Continental and AirTran gobble up Midwest? Certainly hope not, because no good will come out of it for those of us who pay the freight. I recently flew roundtrip on United from Kona, Hawaii to SFO and had superb service from the flight attendants in both directions. Was almost like flying used to be. But in both cases, the attendants were former Pan Am crewmembers who still have their loyalties to their previous employer.

Despite the cuts and cutbacks in pay and benefits they’ve endured, both said they look after passengers “the way we did at Pan Am.” What can you do to preserve some independence? Write your Congressperson and let the free market pilot the planes.

Written by admin on January 11th, 2007 with no comments.
Read more articles on cheap flights.