This thread is off-topic, except in that US Airways has some service to Europe. Since everyone else is commenting, I'll put in my two cents...

Employers shouldn't take advantage of their employees, but employees also shouldn't take advantage of their employers. US Airways has reiterated that it will pay people who were scheduled to work over the holidays. The airline is looking for extra volunteers, who will not be paid. Executives and managers are among the people who are volunteering. I think any employee who called in sick last week but wasn't really sick ought to volunteer. Beyond that, no.

Regarding pay for airline employees... To say that they are low-paid workers doesn't tell the whole story. I read the US Airways flight attendant contract the other day, just for fun. It is sprinkled with restrictive work rules (certain flight attendants can only work on certain flights, etc.) and illogical bonuses (depending where the flight attendant sits, where the plane is going, or what type of plane it is). The health insurance provisions are generous. The vacation provisions are very generous. And, as is typical with unions, the union has negotiated a seniority-based wage progression (14 years in this contract), rather than equal pay for work of equal value, or (gasp!) pay for performance. A young flight attendant earns 54% less than his older colleagues, but does essentially the same work. The young person may be the most conscientious person on the plane, but she gets the least.

One really interesting thing about flight attendant contracts is that the pay is based primarily on hours flown, not on hours worked. This, coupled with bonuses and the unpredictable effects of the restrictive work rules, makes it impossible to calculate the true hourly wage of a flight attendant. I think a set hourly wage would be a fairer, more above-board arrangement.

To clear up another misconception: US Airways is not demanding further wage reductions. The tentative agreement replaces a court-imposed, across-the-board 21% wage cut with a 9% wage cut, more-flexible work rules, and temporary suspension of some bonuses. The agreement guarantees nominal raises in the later years. Active employees will continue to receive health benefits, and with the same percentage contribution from US Airways as in the past.

The fate of the pension plan is a separate issue, to be decided by the bankruptcy court. If the plan ends, US Airways won't pocket the money (it will go to the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation), retirees won't lose their pensions, and active employees won't lose the value of their existing, vested accruals.

To the person who has qualms picking the lowest fare, note that Southwest is a fully-unionized airline and that it pays some of the highest wages in the industry. Southwest uses its planes more efficiently, flies only to profitable destinations, and probably doesn't have as many restrictive work rules in its contracts.

I hope that the employees at US Airways will make the wise choice of saving their airline, and their jobs. I am not even convinced that this tentative agreement helps, because the structure is still the same, and there are still plenty of restrictive work rules. Every one of those rules makes it harder for US Airways to compete.

Paul Marcelin-Sampson
Santa Cruz, California, USA

My friend is a reservation agent with USAir. In the last year, he's seen his pay drop by a third. On the other hand, management gave themselves a 4% raise and then after making the rest of the employees take more cuts, management took a 5% cut.

He says the reasoning is "we have to pay management well, otherwise they'll leave for a more lucrative opportunity" . (Yeah, they'll leave and make another company run itself into the ground!)

The request sounds like a last gasp to me. It's very sad.

There have been some very insightful analyses here of the situation. I hope the airline stays aloft, but there is a major storm to be weathered.

Something has got to give or there is going to be a major restructuring.

I fly mostly out of Atlanta these days because the US Airways commuter line, which passed to separate ownership I was told, is vastly unreliable.
Cancelled flights were all too prevalent for various reasons!
Weather of some sort being the most popular culprit.