Monday, October 23, 2023

- IT'S TIME FOR A HIGHER STANDARD -

This coming Thursday, October 26, 2023, United Airlines Flight Attendants will be gathering for another "Day of Action" at all United hubs and other large stations throughout their system.  These events are peaceful gatherings outside of busy airport terminals, and are just one way for the flight attendants to inform passengers and the public about the current state of contract negotiations with United's leadership team.  These events are also a way to bring together United's Flight Attendants for one common goal - to  make management understand that they are serious about the changes that are needed to their contract.   Not only in terms of positive changes in compensation, benefits and working conditions, but changes are needed that bring back some respect for a very difficult job.

The contract with United's Flight Attendants became amendable in 2021, and because United management got pressed to the wall in their negotiations with the Pilots' union, work on the contract with the Flight Attendants was, for the most part, pushed aside.  Two years is long enough to wait.  The pilots just recently ratified their own contract, securing big increases in pay and benefits for themselves, increases that are well-deserved.   Now, as United's management team focuses on the contract with the Flight Attendants, it appears that there may be a mandate coming down to reign in that generous spirit.  Management needs to find a way to pay for the more expensive pilots. 

United's senior management, led by Scott Kirby, is very "by the numbers," with their focus squarely on how well shares of United Airlines Holdings are trading on the stock market.  Investments in the customers and the front-line employees has to show an immediate return.  No one can argue that Mr. Kirby and his team are not doing a good job, they are definitely filling seats.  United Airlines is carrying more passengers across the Atlantic and  Pacific than any other airline.  It is still mostly leisure travel that fill seats now and leisure travel is less profitable than business travel.   This means United has to fill more seats, with more frequency, and at the same time cut costs where they can in order to show growth in their earnings numbers.  That cost cutting first focuses on behind the scenes operations support functions, and then the service offerings for the customers are cut back.  After that, management then looks at the front-line to identify opportunities to save money.  

I am sounding my age when I say that, for the most part and across all industries, the management style at big corporations has regressed into what is "good enough" for the customer.  This is the type of manager who thinks that customers will "settle" and accept the product put before them.  In all my years as a loyal United Airlines customer and shareholder, I have been witness to several changes in upper management, and with each change there have come cuts in the quality of in-flight service, especially in the premium cabins.  Years ago I used to look for excuses to get on a United flight, now I only travel when needed.  It is hard to accept "good enough," when you have had much better.  And "good enough" is not a way to win back premium business travelers.    

 There is also an attitude by some managers that employees are also supposed to accept "good enough," in terms of pay, benefits and working conditions.  Bad managers intimidate employees into thinking that they should consider themselves lucky to have a job.  Good leaders know that they have to work harder and continually motivate, continually train, continually support, and always reward.  Then there are those in the middle, those that work toward "good enough," - I call them mediocre managers.  

Mediocre leaders want to get by with "good enough."  Their compensation is based upon meeting specific, numerical profit goals.  These are the managers that only look at those numbers, and will only commit to the optimum investment that yields the highest return, in the shortest time period.  Mediocre managers also like to standardize everything because it is simpler.  Employees need to fall in line with what is standard and do as they are told, no matter the circumstance, and with no regard for the level of experience the employee brings to the job.  Any variance from the standard gets an employee fired.  Sadly, a lot of good people are no longer with United because they did not adapt quickly enough to the "dumbed down" standards being pushed on them.  As managers, I think Mr. Kirby and his team do fall into this category.   I hope I am proven wrong, but I cannot help but feel that this round of contract negotiations will be like all the others, with management having a mandate to offer only what is "good enough." 

So this "Day of Action" for United's Flight Attendants is about sending a message to Mr. Kirby and his team,  a message that says that they want more than "good enough" this time.  With each round of contract negotiations, management has always expected that the labor side needs to make more concessions.  If Flight Attendants are to receive a pay raise, they are going to have to produce more by putting in longer duty days.  If Flight Attendants want better benefits, then they are going to have to accept that on a flight normally staffed with ten flight attendants, they are going to have to work harder and get by with eight.  If Flight Attendants want profit-sharing, then they will need to accept that crew scheduling and hotel desks will have fewer staff to take their calls.  This "Day of Action" is about saying that this "give and take," that once was the norm, has to change.    

Looking at more than compensation, for those reading this that are outside of the airline industry, did you know that at United Airlines, the support center that Flight Attendants call for assistance with scheduling is outsourced to an offshore call center in the Phillipines?    Did you also know that when operations go irregular, say by weather, that staffing for the call center providing assistance with hotel scheduling is not increased?  When severe weather caused a serious meltdown in operations for United this last winter, too many flight attendants were left stranded having been unable to get help from either crew scheduling or the hotel desk.  With this "Day of Action" and the current negotiations, United's Flight Attendants are also saying that this cannot happen again, and want to force management to do better for the flight attendants, as well as every United Airlines employee, in every way possible.  They are also saying that if management will not own up to their mistakes, they need to be held accountable and shown the door.  Mr. Kirby, if you are going to hire a private jet to get to Aspen when things get bad, you need to make sure your employees that freezing on the tarmacs, or sleeping in terminals, do not find out.

The title of this post is "It's Time for a Higher Standard."  Here is where that came from.  I was saddened by a recent post I saw in one of the group pages for United Flight Attendants on Facebook.  The post was originated with a message from one flight attendant wanting to get the word out that success in these negotiations  is going to require being unified in their resolve to stand firm.  More importantly, success was also going to come by showing management how invaluable the flight attendants are as the face of the airline.  This would mean making customers a priority while on duty.  It would mean being gracious and attentive, and that down time should not be spent in the galley with ear buds on, playing Sudoko, or joking around all the while ignoring the customers.  Sadly, one of the first responses to that post was from another flight attendant who said that their ear buds will only come out after management gives them a decent contract.  

Success will not come from this kind of attitude.  United led the U.S. airline industry by having the first flight attendants.  United led the U.S. airline industry by keeping the Purser position after acquiring Pan Am's Pacific routes.  United's Flight Attendants have a chance to lead again, but only by working together.  Your value only comes through by showing that you are invaluable.  Be attentive to the passengers, be on time, adhere to uniform and appearance standards, have your Links charged, open and ready to up-sell, read announcements with grace and enthusiasm, offer assistance to new hires thrown on the line too soon.  Show management you are worth more than you get paid.  This does not mean you have to go overboard with the above and beyond, and you certainly do not need to do management any favors.  For example, you do not need to waive any rights and go illegal with your duty day.  This also does not mean that if a passenger asks about the red pins or red lanyards, that you cannot tell them about what is going on.  

Your strength comes from each other, and from the support you can garner from the customers.  You do not want to appear cliched or over-entitled to the customers, that is counter-productive.  Most customers are now given a chance to respond to surveys with feedback about their recent trip on United.  The part of the trip customers will remember first and foremost is how well they were treated by the flight attendants - especially the valued premium cabin customers.  These survey results become a part of the "numbers" that mediocre managers value so much.  United's Flight Attendants have the power to make sure those numbers are on their side.  

United management has already come out saying that they are working on what promises to be an "Industry Leading" contract for their Flight Attendants.  "Industry Leading" is just public relations spin and is another way of saying "good enough."   I urge United's Flight Attendants to stand together and remain firm in their resolve to get beyond what is "Industry Leading."  Not only for themselves, but for the other front-line employees, and for behind the scenes support functions, and for the customer.  This airline is nothing without its employees and it is nothing without its customers.  It is time that United's leadership recognize that the reputation for this company cannot stand to suffer any more setbacks.  Keeping customers loyal, and keeping valuable employees can only come if you set a higher standard.  

I am really going to try to be there at LAX on Thursday to show my support. I even ordered my own sign to carry - 


I urge all of United's Flight Attendants who are not on duty to get out there and stand with your flying partners to get the message out.  This higher standard that is needed begins with you.  Please do not accept "good enough."  You deserve better, and the customers deserve better.  

Sunday, September 10, 2023

22 Years - 22 Trips | It's about being proud...

Another September 11 anniversary is upon us, already.  The days are noticeably shorter, and football season is in full swing.  That year went by fast.  It was looking doubtful that I could make my annual cross country, round-trip this year.  Work stress, family stress, and stress at home, they were all coming together in a trinity that was saying "perhaps not this year."  I told myself I would never miss an anniversary, and it was only a couple of weeks ago when I finally gave myself the OK to do this.

We all want to take pride in who we are, in the work that we do, in our family and friends, and in our country.  If you wanted to find one good thing to come out of the events of 9/11/2001, it was the groundswell of pride that Americans suddenly seemed to have for their country.  For a short time there, everyone came together, even the politicians in Washington, and everyone was in agreement that something had to be done so that what happened would never happen again.  A lot has happened in the 22 years since.  That pride has waned, and the country appears to be more divided than it has ever been since the Civil War.  Still, every September 11, Americans do come together to honor those that were lost, and to "Never Forget" that there are forces out there that want to oppress, and take away the privilege of being a citizen of the United States.  I want to believe Americans are still proud to be Americans.  I know that I am.

What about pride in the work that we do?  We all want to be proud of what we produce and the contributions we make.  Any industry, any job, it is just natural that at the very base, we want to have some pride in what we put out there.  Without that, it is hard to go to work.  It was back in the 90's when I started to fly United Airlines exclusively, and with any frequency.  Back then you could really see that the front-line employees took pride in being part of the "Friendly Skies."  This was a period of expansion for the airline, going from a primarily domestic carrier to flying around the world in a very short time.  Beautiful "Friendships,"emblazoned with the red and blue tulip, were offering world-class service to all corners of the globe.  

It was also in the early 90's when Boeing began the design and development of the 777 wide body jet.  United saw the promise in the 777, and United was the first airline to put in orders for the new plane.  With that, Boeing sought the input of United employees for help with final design.  They wanted to come up with something that had what the employees needed in order to deliver a world class product to the passengers. The first 777 that United put in service, N777UA, was christened with the name "Working Together," you could see it painted on the plane right below door number 1.  Back then, United's senior management understood that if their front-line was not proud of what they were doing, then it would be hard to instill loyalty in the customers, especially the high-fare paying business travelers that were so coveted by all the major carriers.  I believe this 777 is still in service some 30 years later; however, the "Working Together" moniker and the tulips have been painted over.  Sadly, I sense that those paint jobs may have covered up a lot of the pride that was once there.   

Never was pride in the job more tested than on 9/11/2001.  From the 4 planes that went down, all combined, United and American lost 34 crew members.  Each one of those crew members had interacted with hundreds of their co-workers in one fashion or another.  There was not a base or a station, anywhere that United and American had a presence, that somebody knew one of those crew members.  To be able to get through the grief, the sadness and the anger, that strength had to come from pride in each other, pride in their airline, and pride in the service they provided to the customers each and every day.  If I had $20 million burning a hole in my pocket each year, for every 9/11 anniversary, I would ask Starbucks to send a gift card to every front-line employee at both United and American Airlines.

When the first anniversary of the attacks was coming up in 2002, I knew I wanted to do something.  I was not sure of what I wanted, or could, do. I do know that I wanted to say that this privilege of being able to travel safely to any destination around the world should not be taken for granted.  In my travels on United I had gotten to know a lot of those proud employees on the front line.  There was a lot of conjecture in the news that day asking if U.S. citizens would avoid traveling out of fear there would be another attack.  In addition, the events of 9/11/2001 triggered a world-wide recession which hit the travel industry hard.  United Airlines was going through a tough time in 2002.  I thought that the best thing I might be able to do is buy a ticket and go somewhere on United.    It was a solitary way of wanting to show my support, and I questioned if I was really doing something that mattered.  That question was answered when I got off the plane at O'Hare airport where passengers were greeted with patriotic music playing loudly throughout the terminal, and American flags were displayed everywhere.  On the flight back home to Los Angeles, as part of his pre-departure announcements, the Captain thanked all the passengers on board for being there on that particular day.  He also wanted to convey his pride in the crew members working with him that day, and he wanted to convey his pride in United Airlines   He wanted to assure us that United Airlines was strong.  It was a smooth, comfortable, uneventful ride to Los Angeles that evening, and I think that crew felt proud for being able to do that for the passengers.                

There is a change this year -

Tomorrow, Monday, September 11, 2023, I will be making my 22nd anniversary trip on United Airlines.  A cross country round-trip taking me from Los Angeles to the east coast, and back, on the same day.  There is a change this year - rather than going to New York and back, this year the trip is taking me to Washington-Dulles airport and back.  

It was back in 2004 when I last traveled to Dulles on 09/11.  When I first started making these trips, I would hit the hubs - in 2002, it was Los Angeles to Denver, then to Chicago, and then back to Los Angeles.  In 2003, the night before I flew up to San Francisco where I stayed overnight.  Then the next day, on September 11, 2003, that trip took me from San Francisco to Chicago, then to Dulles, back to Denver, and then home to Los Angeles.  All 4 segments of the trip that day were on 777's - that was a memorable trip.  It was a good thing everything was operating smoothly.  In 2004, the trip started in Albuquerque where I was visiting family.  From there it was to Denver, then on to Dulles, and then back to Los Angeles.  That was also a memorable trip. I do not know if these hubs still do it, but on 9/11 you could hear patriotic music playing loudly throughout the terminals and concourses.  It made traveling that day a little extra special.   

In 2005, United was having success with their "Premium Service (PS)" flights between LAX and New York's JFK airport.  I wanted to try it out and once I did, I kind of got hooked.  First Class passengers on those flights had a dedicated check-in desk, and could enjoy the International First Class lounges while they waited to board.  In-flight service was truly premium .  There were Hollywood celebrities on those trips. It was all very easy to to get used to, and that is why I kept kept flying LAX to JFK and back every September 11.  Sadly, after the merger with Continental, the premium suddenly disappeared from those trans-continental flights.  

A few years after the merger was completed, United decided to pull out of JFK.  Senior management was certain that their dilapidated Newark hub was good enough for the customers traveling to New York.  LAX to New York is a competitive route, and United's competitors, American, Delta and JetBlue all offered premium cabins, with premium service, in order to attract and keep their high-fare paying customers. But rather than deciding to bring back the premium and compete, United pulled up stakes and ran. After the premium service had gone, the celebrities and other high-fare paying customers that were regulars on United's "PS" flights, they left and went over to the competition.  United took the premium out of those flights, but they forgot to lower the airfares to make up for it.  A couple of years ago United's President and CEO, Scott Kirby, announced that the airline was going back to JFK.  He felt it was important that United have a presence at all three New York airports.  He was hoping to get back those high fare paying flyers traveling between both coasts that were lost to the competition.  The much lauded return to JFK lasted less than a year.  Mr. Kirby kept the premium airfares to match the competition, but forgot to bring back the premium service on those flights.  The competition did not.   

After United pulled out of JFK, I started going from LAX to Newark on 9/11. They had wide body flights with the new Polaris cabins on this route that were nice.  There was still some promise of "Premium Service," but it was never the same.  Last year's trip was a disappointment frankly.  This year, there are no flights with the Polaris cabins that would get me to Newark and back on the same day.  This was a sign that it was OK to make a change.  I tried building a trip that would hit multiple hubs, but connections were too tight, and it would have been expensive.  I am also not as young as I used to be. I will stay with my choice of going to Dulles and back.  I am proud of that choice, it will be a nice trip.  

Today there are United employees with 30, 40, 50 and even 60+ years of service that are still on the front line.  Senior management has made a lot of changes that have taken away a lot of what once made United great, but for these long-serving employees, you can tell that they have always wanted to be a part of the "Friendly Skies."  They come back for the customers, and they come back for themselves.  There are also a lot of new faces at United Airlines.  They need a little help in understanding the whole "Friendly Skies" vibe.  To those young people I say that you can learn a lot from your flying partners with all of the seniority.  You will learn how important the customers are, but at the same time you will learn that you are as equally important.  It is a delicate balance.  Give yourself some time, if you were meant for this job, the pride, in the face of all kinds of challenges, will come.  

Thank you all for keeping the skies friendly.  I do hope that I can cross paths with some of you tomorrow.

EPILOGUE

This goes out to Mr. Scott Kirby, Chairman and CEO at United Airlines -

Mr. Kirby, I cannot close this year's post without reiterating my plea to you to properly honor those United employees who were killed in the attacks on 9/11/2001.  I am not talking about just one day a year, where employees are left to come up with their own makeshift memorials at stations around the world.  You need to step up and get real about it.  You also need to do something to improve the declining morale as your front-line has endured a record number of operation challenges.  One way to do so is that for every one of those employees, as a new 777 or 787 rolls off the assembly line, have one of their names painted on it by door number 1, and along side their name should be the United Airlines tulip. These are good people who lost their lives trying to protect United Airlines passengers, and on their uniforms was the United tulip.  Their names may be on the memorial in New York, but they deserve to be a part of the "Friendly Skies."  They deserve that kind of legacy.  It would mean so much to your employees and to the customers.

 - Thank You -  James Anderson, Mileage Plus HVC21479.



Saturday, September 10, 2022

21 Years, 21 Trips - It Feels Like it was Yesterday -

However, at my age, trying to remember something that happened yesterday is like trying to remember something that happened 21 years ago.  All kidding aside, I think for most of us, as individuals, we have a day or days, happy occasions, that we think we remember as if they happened only yesterday.  We do not want to forget those days, but as time goes on, our recollection of the details gets fuzzy.  There are also sad or traumatic events in our lives that we would like to forget, the death of a loved one for example.  However, we are told that "time heals all wounds" and we eventually find ourselves remembering the good and forgetting the bad.

Then there are days such as September 11, 2001.  The events of that day elicited such strong emotions that left an imprint so deep that we cannot push those memories aside.  Sadness, anger, despair, disbelief, they are all very strong emotional reactions.  Now add on to those horror.  That last one is one we do not expect to be hitting us when we wake up on a quiet Tuesday morning in September.  Horror is what leaves the imprint so deep.  It leaves us confused and not knowing how to react.  In an instant that feeling of horror leads us into feeling helpless, and I think it is that feeling of helplessness that most of us remember, and regret, about that day.  

The rallying cry behind the events of September 11, 2001 is to "Never Forget."  We are to never forget how, for a brief time in history, the world came together to condemn what happened.  We are to never forget how, in hindsight, with better security, what happened would never have happened.  We are to never forget that there is evil in the world, and we were put on this earth to stop it.  Most of all, we are to never forget how we felt on that day, so that we never have to feel that way again.  To be honest, it took a few years and writing this blog before I truly understood why I think it is important to "Never Forget."

Tomorrow will be the 21st time that I am taking a trip somewhere on United Airlines just because it is September 11.  Ever since that first anniversary in 2002, I have been telling myself, and others, that I wanted to do this show my support for everyone at United Airlines.  After all, it was two of their planes, with crew members and passengers that were killed.  I wanted to let them know that I understood their grief.  I wanted to let them know that I understood how difficult their job is, and how because of what happened on 9/11, what they do every day to keep us passengers safe is so very important.  In writing this particular blog entry though, I now realize that there is a more personal, somewhat selfish, reason for these trips - I do not want to feel helpless again.

Every year on the anniversary of September 11 the media pulls out all of its coverage from that awful day.  News channels will broadcast clips of the planes hitting the World Trade Center towers, and then the horror of the towers coming down. They will provide live coverage of the President and his staff attending the different memorials.  Newspapers will post pictures, and list the names of those were killed as a result of the attacks.  For me spending the day on the airplane, I am able to shield myself from the news, but I could just turn off the TV if I wanted to not witness it all again.  Taking this point further, to turn that helpless feeling around, I told myself I needed to be on a United Airlines flight, and I needed a way to engage with as many as I could on the front line.  I needed to let them know that there is somebody who understands that feeling of helplessness.  

As the years have passed, my trips on United, and this blog, became a way to get the message out to the flying public that as customers we had become too complacent, and that those on the front line at United deserved more respect.  This same message applies to all of the other airlines as well.  In addition, these trips and the gift cards I hand out, became  a way to get a message across to management at United Airlines that the customers do see what is going on.  Service missteps are not the fault of the front line, the blame lies squarely on management.

People have asked me why United Airlines, and why the gift cards?  My response is just to say "I get it."  It is hard to explain, but United Airlines has a rich history, and being a part of the "Friendly Skies" meant something for a very long time.  For most of the front-line employees I now know, and will meet, they are proud of the work they do, and being part of the "Friendly Skies" is what they always wanted.  These trips and the gift cards just let them know that there are customers who "get it."

In closing, tomorrow we will be reminded once again to "Never Forget."  Yes, it has been 21 years, but time does not heal every wound.  Tomorrow is a Sunday, a good day to keep all those that were lost in our prayers.  Everyone born before 1995 should have some memory of what happened on 9/11/2001.  For us older folks, the memories are more present and emotional, but it is going to be up to the younger folks to make sure the message gets out.  To those of you born after 1995, when you watch coverage you may view it more as a history lesson, but there is a reason us older folks make a big deal out of it.  It may be hard for you to understand now, but as you get older, you may come to a better understanding.  God forbid that another attack like that happens again, but there may be a natural disaster or other humanitarian crisis that you witness as it unfolds.  You will be hit with a feeling of helplessness, and that is expected.  It is what you do with it that counts.  

EPILOGUE

This goes out to Mr. Scott Kirby, Chairman and CEO at United Airlines -

Mr. Kirby, I will once again renew my plea to you to properly honor those United employees who were killed in the attacks on 9/11/2001.  I am not talking about just one day a year, where employees are left to come up with their own makeshift memorials.  You need to get real about it and one way to do so is that for every one of those employees, as a new 777 or 787 rolls off the assembly line, have one of their names painted on it by door number 1, and along side their name should be the United Airlines tulip. These are good people who lost their lives trying to protect United Airlines passengers, and on their uniforms was the United tulip.  Their names may be on the memorial in New York, but they deserve to be a part of the "Friendly Skies."  They deserve that kind of legacy.  It would mean so much to your employees and to the customers.

 - Thank You -  James Anderson, Mileage Plus HVC21479.

Friday, September 10, 2021

20 Years, 20 Trips - It is all about RESPECT

Hard as it may be to believe, tomorrow marks the 20-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C..  On the morning of September 11, 2001, Al Qaeda terrorists commandeered four commercial aircraft, two belonging to United Airlines, and two belonging to American Airlines, and carried out the worst attack by an enemy against American citizens, on American soil, since the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese on December 7, 1941.  There were 2,977 lives lost as a direct result from the attacks on 9/11, and there have been countless numbers lost in the twenty years since.  Whether it be U.S. soldiers war in Afghanistan and Iraq, or fire and rescue personnel who succumbed to cancers and other diseases brought on by breathing in the debris from ground zero.  In addition, Since 9/11/2001, there have been hundreds of additional attacks by Muslim extremists, around the world - London, Manchester, Paris, Marseille, Brussels, Madrid, Barcelona, Istanbul, Ankara, Bangkok, Moscow, Nairobi, Israel, Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, and Afghanistan.  I may have missed some, but you get the point that the list is too long.

This year, the Covid-19 pandemic continues to dominate the lives of everyone around the world.  Vaccines were developed in record time to begin the effort to eradicate the virus; however, there are new variants emerging that get past the vaccine.  There are still a lot of people out there that have not been vaccinated.  The vaccines have not been approved for children under 12, and there are still regions around the world where the vaccine supply is limited or simply unavailable.  Then there are those that just simply refuse to get vaccinated.  As I write this, there are more and more hospitals reporting that they are being overwhelmed once again.  I just read on Wednesday that the small hospital in my home town or Rock Springs, Wyoming is having to add a second isolation unit to handle a new influx of Covid-19 cases.  I also heard on CNBC that the United States ranks up there with Kenya among the worst countries seeing a surge in new infections and hospitalizations.  Over 90% of these new cases are among the un-vaccinated.  On Thursday, President Biden made another attempt to reach out to the holdouts, urging them to get vaccinated, "for their own good, and for the good of others."  These holdouts continue to disregard the warnings, and offer many excuses.  I believe that behind these excuses is the lack of respect so many have for our President, his administration, Congress, and the courts.  

20 YEARS

I struggled with what to write about for this special 20-year post.  So much has happened in that time.  The man who planned the attacks on 9/11 and the leader of the Al Qaeda terrorist group, Osama bin Laden, was finally caught and assassinated in 2011.  U.S. Military forces invaded Afghanistan and Iraq with the goal of wiping out Al Qaeda and other Muslim extremists who sought to carry out more attacks on the United States and its allies.  Almost twenty years to the day after the attacks, President Biden ordered our military to turn tail, retreat and get out of Afghanistan.  This swift retreat left the door wide open for the Taliban to once again take power and put back in place a repressive government known for harboring terrorists.  Innocent Afghan citizens were left behind and we have to watch as the freedoms that our military worked so hard to gain for Afghani citizens just disappears.  Afghani women are once again going to be regarded as property.  With this fast exit out of Afghanistan, our military was forced to leave behind billions of dollars in sophisticated weapons and other equipment, which is now in the hands of radical Taliban forces.   The decision makers here seem to have forgotten their promises of twenty years ago to "never forget."

It took just over a year for the U.S. economy to emerge from the recession coming from the attacks, but it did rebound and and moved into a healthy and sustained expansion.  There have been setbacks such as the great recession caused by the lending meltdown in 2008, and then the Covid-19 pandemic which took hold in early 2020 and continues to hinder normal economic growth and expansion.  Since 2001, there have been four Presidents elected to lead the country.  Every candidate in every election has run on a platform that they are certain will unite the country; however, our country remains more divided than ever.  On 9/11/2001, the world came together like never before to support the United States.  Sadly, twenty years later, even with a global pandemic, the world seems more divided than ever.     

A lot has happened at United Airlines in the last twenty years.  Most notably, is the merger with Continental Airlines in 2010.  This merger was put together by Glenn Tilton, Jeff Smisek and their respective Boards, all of them eager to cash out.  What was billed as a merger, really was not, Mr. Tilton just wanted out and he just handed the keys over to Jeff Smisek.  Mr. Smisek proved to an arrogant son of a gun who was certain that customers and employees were going to like the changes he made with his United Airlines.   Well, the changes were not liked, long-time loyal premium customers were lured away by other carriers, and employee (Jeff's "Co-Workers") morale, especially with those coming from United Airlines, was the lowest it had ever been.  A bribery scandal involving Smisek and an official from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey cost Mr. Smisek his job in 2015.  Oscar Munoz succeeded Mr. Smisek as Chief Executive and Chairman of the Board.  Mr. Munoz was liked and employee morale turned around.  Mr. Munoz was not an airline person though, and Scott Kirby, a former executive from American Airlines was brought in to eventually assume the role as Chief Executive.  In 2021, Mr. Munoz stepped down and Mr. Kirby added the title of Chairman of the Board.  It was under Mr. Kirby's leadership that United has been able to manage through the devastating downturn in travel caused by the Covid-19 outbreak.  This United Airlines in 2021 is far different from the United Airlines in 2001, and I long for that carrier that ferried its "Friendships" all over the globe.  What is unchanged is that there is still a base of loyal customers, along with dedicated employees who truly appreciate what it means to be a part of the "Friendly Skies."    

RESPECT

I thought and thought about the one message that could define these last 20 years.  Respect is a concept that can have as many different meanings as there are people.  So to distill it down, I had to ask some questions like "is respect earned or is it simply deserved?"  Does a title, a position of authority, or even wealth automatically mean someone is to be respected?  Is respect a right or a privilege?  Do we think of respect as an argument we can use to our advantage, or do we honor the respect that is bestowed upon us?  When and how do we  teach, communicate and enforce this concept of respect? 

As children, we are told that we must respect our parents, family, teachers, clergy and other adults in our lives, but unless we question it, we are not taught why someone is worthy of our respect.  As we mature, we begin to learn how the respect we are supposed to have for others is respect that has been earned, and at the same time we begin to learn how we earn respect from others.  As adults, we have already learned that the respect we have earned is not something to take for granted.  As adults, we also find ourselves wanting to teach younger generations about respect, how it is earned, and how those who have earned it are to be respected.

How does all of this apply to the events of 9/11 and our lives twenty years later?  If you are like me, you have to be worried about the younger generations following us.  I worry that they cannot understand why the lessons coming out of this tragedy cannot be forgotten.  I worry that they do not understand that those of us who were witness to the event have something to teach them.  I worry that they do not understand why this one day - 20 years in the past - needs to carry so much weight.  Most of all, I worry that the younger generations do not have the proper examples to draw from that they can respect.  

Look at all the recent incidents of flight disruptions, and the violence toward crew members coming from passengers who refuse to follow instructions.  A common pattern is emerging that identifies these unruly passengers - they are younger, and it appears as if they have not been taught to respect those in authority that have earned it, or worse yet, the examples that they draw from in their lives have shown them that it is acceptable to defy and belittle anyone who does not agree with them.  It is a worrisome pattern.  The Federal Aviation Administration mandates that all passengers and crew members are to wear proper face coverings to help prevent the spread of Covid-19.  Passengers who do not comply can be taken off the flight and will be fined.  Some disagreements between flight attendants and non-complying passengers have led to violence and injuries to crew members.  Yet, there are those who insist it is their Constitutional right to not wear the mask if they so choose.  The Constitution was drafted to give our Federal government the power to protect our borders and the well-being of all U.S. citizens.  The FAA mandate is not un-Constitutional, and flight attendants have been put on the front line to enforce the mandate, a job that they do not want.  It is a difficult position to be in, and the respect that should be shown to them is respect that has been earned.     

The events of 9/11 were a stark reminder that pilots, flight attendants, and all the employees on the front lines of the airlines, have been charged with the momentous responsibility for passenger safety.  These good people are all highly trained, they are required to work long hours, and they have to be the ambassador for the airline - and it all has to done with a smile.  There are very few airlines that did not have to go through bankruptcy after 9/11.  With those bankruptcies, airline employees had to take pay cuts or be laid off, and many lost their pensions.  Then there is the slowdown in travel coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic.  Unsure of what was going to happen, airline employees came together to do what was needed to keep their carrier flying.  This level of dedication by front-line employees is real, they want to keep doing their job and get us traveling again.  With this kind of dedication, how can anyone argue that they have not earned the respect they should be shown.  

The events of 9/11 also made us aware that front-line employees at the airlines are the first responders in the event of a threat, and they were then tasked with the added responsibility of recognizing new threats before anyone could be hurt.  That alone is a burden very few can handle, so anyone willing to watch out for my safety while at the same time having to put up with the challenges that come with the job, there is no doubt in my mind that person has earned the respect they should be shown.  Sadly, this uptick in flight disruptions by unruly passengers only confirms that the younger generation has gotten the wrong message.  These miscreants think they have the right to be respected, they do not understand that respect has to be earned.  

IN CLOSING

It is getting late and I do have to get up early in the morning for my annual sojourn to New York and back on United Airlines.  My 20th trip on 9/11.  I promise to wear my mask, I found one with the United tulip on it.  If I slip up and have to be reminded by the flight crew, it will only happen once.  I apologize for any rambling in this post, I found myself with little time to come up with something before tomorrow.  The media has done a lot this year to help commemorate this anniversary which makes it extra special.  The message needs to keep getting out every year, if not every day, that what happened on September 11, 2001 cannot happen again.  

To all my friends at United Airlines - thank you for keeping me safe in my travels over the last 20 40 years.  Thank you for always making me feel special, and THANK YOU FOR KEEPING THE SKIES FRIENDLY! ☺ 

Wednesday, September 9, 2020

19 Years, 19 Trips

This Friday, September 11, 2020, marks the 19th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the United States, which occurred on September 11, 2001.  It is a day when we are tasked to never forget what happened, as well as to never forget the lessons that came out of that horrific day.  More importantly it is a day to never forget all of the lives that were lost, from the crew and passengers on the four planes that went down, to the people in the World Trade Center Towers in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, and to the first responders on the ground.  There were many brave souls who gave their lives for others on that day, and in the the subsequent wars that came out of the attacks.  There would also be more loss of life in terrorist attacks that have occured around the world over the last 19 years.  All of this loss, and the evil that is behind all of it, is why we must "never forget."  As I have done for the last 18 years, I will be getting on a plane, flying United Airlines from Los Angeles to Newark in the morning, and returning the same day.

With the Covid-19 pandemic, 2020 is turning out to be an especially difficult year, and it is understandable that any remembrances of the events from nineteen years ago may not carry the same weight for some as they did before the pandemic.  Sadly the pandemic is forcing the cancellation of many annual events commemorating the day; however, there are a couple of positive notes.  The first is that the 9/11 Memorial in New York will re-open for families this Friday, and will be open to the public beginning September 12.  The second is that 19th Annual Anniversary Observance will go on as planned at the United 93 Memorial in Pennsylvania. As in years past, the President and other dignitaries will be in attendance.  

What is common to the events of 9/11/2001 and this year's pandemic is the impact on the airline industry and the travel industry at large.  Just as with 9/11, the Covid-19 pandemic has led to an unprecedented drop in demand for travel.  For airlines, 2019 was a record year in terms of number of passengers carried, as well as profits.  Then in 2020, with a flick of the switch, as the virus began its spread across the globe, airlines saw demand drop precipitously.  Average load factors dropped down to the single digits.  Daily screening counts for the TSA went from millions of passengers to less than 25,000.  Demand has rebounded, but for this fall, it is expected to remain at less than 50% of the levels for the same period last year.    

I have been wanting to write about what has been going on for months now, but could not put together anything with any note of optimism.  The loss of jobs is staggering, and the resulting hit to the economy is even more staggering.  With the hopes that this crisis would resolve itself in less than a year, the U.S. government has has already pumped $6 trillion in the economy to soften the blow.  Everyone is hoping that Congress will approve another aid package to add another $3 to $4 trillion.  The unanswered question is when and where to stop.   Projections show that total U.S. debt in 2021 will exceed our annual Gross Domestic Product.  Everyone agrees that we will not see any significant recovery until a safe vaccine or cure has been developed.   We just do not know when that will happen.    

Unless another economic aid package is passed by Congress and the President before the end of September, U.S. airlines will be laying off hundreds of thousands of employees.  There just is not enough demand to support current levels of staffing without sending an airline into bankruptcy.  Not only will there be layoffs of airline employees, there will be more layoffs in airline related services such as catering, aircraft servicing, baggage handling, and TSA screening.  Then there are layoffs in airport food service and retail outlets, layoffs in air traffic control, as well as airport infrastructure services such as police and parking.  Many small airports could lose all airline service.  U.S. airlines are also the largest purchasers of U.S. oil.  The ripple effect will put millions more on the unemployment rolls for years to come.    

The point of all this is to give you an understanding of why the current battle in Congress for additional aid focuses a lot of attention on the airlines.  It also heightens the debate of whether propping them up with printed money is the right thing to do in the long term.  The only answer right now is "yes."  Before the pandemic set in, the U.S. economy was expanding at record levels not seen since World War II.  It has been six months since everything started shutting down in the U.S., but there remain hopeful signs in the economy, housing being a good example.  In addition, there is pent up demand for services that were forced to shut down.  People want to  get out of the house and go to the office or to school.  They want to go shopping, eat out at restaurants, see a movie, get a haircut and go to the gym.  The sooner a vaccine is available, the sooner that this pent up demand will be released and turn things around.  It is that pent up demand that is the key, and the best way to keep that demand level up is by keeping people optimistic.  The more people become disillusioned, the more they will hold back on their spending, and the changes we were forced to make to ride out the pandemic will lead to a permanent retraction in our economy.

To clarify - taxpayers are not handing out free money to the airlines.  They will be required to pay it back.  In addition, those that remain employed will continue to pay income and payroll taxes, and they will not be receiving unemployment benefits.  The sooner the airlines and travel related business get back to profitability, the sooner they will be paying corporate income taxes.  The challenge to get the additional aid package passed is Congress.  This is no time for our representatives in Congress to be adding on extras such as aid to cities who have mismanaged their pensions, or to charitable organizations with large endowments such as the Ford Foundation or Kennedy Center.  The aid package should focus on two things, (1) businesses that have been impacted by the pandemic, large and small.  Businesses that will keep people employed and re-hire those that have been laid off; and (2) the unemployed, so that they can continue to remain in their homes and feed their families until they can go back to work.  I would like to urge everyone reading this to contact both U.S. Senators from their respective states, as well as their congressional representative from their district.  You can find telephone and e-mail contact information at https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials. Your vote keeps them in office, and you have the right to demand that they act in the best interest of all citizens.  To make an impact, this Friday, September 11, would be a good day to let your voice be heard.  

I would like to end this post by talking about United Airlines.  As I write this, there are a couple of bits of positive news.  First, an agreement has been reached to avoid involuntary furloughs for United pilots.  I do not know all of the details, and I wish I could report the same news for United Flight Attendants and other employee groups, but this is positive news, and I hope for more to come.  Second, United has announced new service to Hawaii, India and South Africa beginning in December.   To make such an announcement, United management must see some recovery on the horizon.  

As you all know, every year on September 11, I fly cross country on United Airlines to show my support and to thank as many employees as I can for their hard work and dedication.  This is especially important this year as they continue to put themselves on the front line of the battle to make sure our journeys are safe.  I have been asked if getting on a plane is wise right now, especially if I do not need to make the trip.  My response is that United has taken every precaution to make sure employees and customers are as safe as possible, and more importantly, I do need to make the trip

To close - I would like to repeat my call to action and plead with United management to bring back the tulip, if only on enough planes to remember the United employees, and the United planes that were lost on September 11, 2001.  I cannot think of a better way for United management to show their commitment and appreciation to those on the front line keeping the skies friendly.  

Safe travels to you all, and thank you for everything that you do for us customers. 

Monday, September 9, 2019

18 Years, 18 Trips...

This Wednesday, September 11, 2019, marks the 18th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, DC.  It is not an anniversary to celebrate, but it is a day to be commemorated.  It is a day to remember what happened not only on that day, but also to remember what has happened in the eighteen years since, and reflect on how it all applies to the world we are living in today.

As I thought about what to write this year, realizing that 18 years have passed already, my thoughts went to my niece who turns 18 in January.  She just started her senior year in high school and will be graduating in May of 2020.  Taking the thought further, I realized that this class of 2020 is the first class of high school graduates where most of them were born after September 11, 2001.   This is the first set of graduates who are being sent out into an adult world that was completely changed by the events of a single day.

So to all my younger nieces and nephews, and all others reading this that were born after September 11, 2001, this post is for you.   There is no way to pass on the same feelings of grief, horror, fear and anger that those of us who were witnesses, either direct or indirect, had on that day and in the days that followed.  I would never wish anything like that upon you, but for the world to hold on to the lessons that were learned, it is important that you get more of a personal perspective that cannot be passed on with history lessons in school, or documentaries on television.

Like many Americans, I watched the events unfold on live television.  It was just after 5:45 AM here in Los Angeles and I was getting ready to leave for work.  The local morning news that I was watching was interrupted by a live feed of the "Today" show with Matt Lauer telling the audience that a plane had crashed into the North tower of the World Trade Center.  There were no details available yet as to the type of plane, and my first thoughts were that it was a private plane.  It was only a year and half before that a man who had a beef with the IRS crashed his private plane into a government building in Austin.

I continued to watch the news with the cameras carrying live images of smoke pouring out of the north tower.  With the cameras still on the towers, the world watched in horror as at 9:03 AM eastern time, United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the south tower.  Flames shot out of the tower and debris from the building and plane began falling to the ground.  I became sick to my stomach and the reporters on television did not know how to react.  Those of us watching were also told that the first plane that crashed into the north tower was American Airlines Flight 11, another Boeing 767.  I sat there in disbelief knowing that there had to be several hundred people on those planes and even more in the towers that had been killed.  Reporters began to describe the events as deliberate acts tantamount to terrorism.

Unable to watch the television any longer, I got in the car to drive into work.  I had the radio on and listened as there were reports of two more planes that had crashed, one into the Pentagon and another in rural Pennsylvania.  The government then orders the shutdown of U.S. airspace and all planes in flight are ordered to land as soon as possible.  Many on those flights are still not aware of what is going on.

For a Tuesday morning, the freeway traffic was light, no doubt many stayed home to watch the news.  I was the first to arrive at the office and went into my boss' office to watch his TV.  It was about 7:00 AM and I, along with the rest of the world, watched in horror as the south tower collapses entirely, just as any building does that is brought down by a controlled explosion.  Reporters begin to talk about tens of thousands of people that could possibly be in the tower.  A half hour later, the north tower collapses in the same fashion.  

A minute or two later and the phone rings at the office.  It is my boss who, just as I am, is in disbelief about what is happening.  He then instructs me to contact other employees to let them know they do not have to go into work.  The offices will be closed for the day. Local reporters advise listeners that schools and universities will be closed.  

Almost every media outlet, whether television, radio or internet, is carrying coverage of the events in New York, Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania.  We learn that the two planes that crashed into the World Trade Center towers had taken off from Boston and were both bound for Los Angeles.  The plane that crashed into the Pentagon was American Airlines flight 77, a Boeing 757, had taken off from Washington Dulles International Airport, also bound for Los Angeles.  The fourth plane, United Airlines Flight 93, also a Boeing 757, had taken off from Newark and was headed for San Francisco.  We would soon learn that passengers and crew members on that flight either had their cell phones or were using the Airphone to alert airline operations, the police and family on the ground that the pilots had been killed and hijackers were in command.  With those calls, they would learn that other planes had been hijacked and what had happened to them.  United 93 was hijacked over Ohio and was turned back, heading southeast.  Rather than let the plane be used to bring down another building, a group of passengers bravely stormed the cockpit and the plane came down outside of Shanksville, Pennsylvania.  There were no survivors. 

As the day goes on, more and more is being learned.  With U.S. airspace shut down, international flights that were in transit are forced to turn back, or land at remote airports in Canada, Mexico or any other location that can take them.  The only planes in  U.S. skies that day are military jets patrolling airports, escorting commercial flights in transit as they are directed to land at their destination, or other available airports.  All U.S. airports are shut down and would remain closed for several days.  In the days afterward, stranded passengers pack trains and buses, or rent cars to find their way home. 

We would also learn that the mastermind behind the attacks is Osama Bin Laden, the leader of the Al Qaeda terrorist network.  Bin Laden was at the top of the U.S. government's most-wanted list for his attack on the USS Cole in 2000, and for his first attempt to bring down the World Trade Center on my birthday in 1993.  We also learn that Bin Laden is hiding somewhere in Afghanistan, protected by that country's government run by the Taliban, an ultra-conservative, radical, and oppressive Islamic sect.  

In the days after September 11, the country comes together in a renewed sense of patriotism not seen since World War II.  Churches, Temples, Mosques and other houses of worship are packed by those seeking comfort, and seeking answers.  U.S. flags are flying everywhere.  Airports remain closed with everyone wondering when they will re-open, and what changes to security are needed before they can open.  We also learn in that week how Bin Laden's men were able to get through lax security at airports in smaller cities, with box cutters in their carry-ons.  

Like most of the world, I had a hard time processing what had happened.  As a frequent flyer, I had many friends at United Airlines and worried about how they were handling all of this.  They just lost friends, they did not know when they were going back to work, they also did not know if their job would still be there.  Flight attendants are filled with dread as it hits home that their co-workers on those planes were the "first responders," and that their job, already difficult, now comes with risks they never imagined.  I had worked as a flight attendant for another airline in the eighties, and wondered if in the same position, I would be able to go back facing the same risks.

For my younger readers, those born close to or after September 11, 2001, this world is far different than what it was on September 10, 2001 and before.  Us older folks who were witnesses to the events carry some feelings that are hard to describe.  We were witness to events that can only be described as evil.  Before 9/11 we felt more secure and more positive.  The economy felt more stable, we did not feel afraid to travel.  Heck, we were able to breeze through security at the airport, and we could even go to the gate without a boarding pass to pick up family or friends who were flying in.  That one day changed all that.  The next time you travel and find yourself standing in a long security line at the airport, be grateful, don't be aggravated.  That additional security comes from some very hard lessons learned.  

More for the younger readers - when traveling, appreciate the airline employees you encounter.  9/11 hit the travel industry hard, and their jobs are significantly more difficult.  Some airlines are no longer in business.  Front line employees at the airlines have to constantly be vigilant, and carry the worry that they not be the one who misses the next terrorist that is able to hijack a plane.  They are trying to get by with lower pay and benefits than they may have been getting before 9/11.  They also have to deal with increasing numbers of travelers with a sense of entitlement and faded memories of 9/11.  Before 9/11, it would have been unbelievable that pilots could be faced with the thought of carrying firearms.  

For the Flight Attendants, they have the most face time with customers, yet they are constantly under pressure from airline management to do more with less.  They are always expected to be friendly, courteous, and professional.  On top of that, they have to be trained and prepared to act as first responders, as Homeland Security cannot put Air Marshals on every flight.  And on every September 11 they are reminded that it was Flight Attendants who were among the first to lose their lives on that day in 2001.

As I do not have any kids of my own, I'm not sure what is being taught now in schools about the events of September 11, 2001.  It is not enough to recap those events in textbook history lessons, or watch documentaries on the History or Smithsonian channels.  There is 18 years of history, with wars, recessions, and ever-increasing political divisiveness, all of which we can trace the cause back to what happened on September 11, 2001.  That day taught us something else, that with television and the internet, we are no longer on the sidelines.  The most important lesson from that day is that freedom came under attack.  This is why it is so important that we "Never Forget."  

A closing personal note to my all my nieces and nephews - you will hear about your eccentric Uncle Jim who buys a ticket on United Airlines to fly from Los Angeles to New York and back on the same day every year.  With him he carries as many Starbucks gift cards as he can afford to hand out to United employees as a way of showing his appreciation that they are there on a difficult day.  It is also his way of letting them know that it is because of them that I can make that trip.  18 years ago, the choice to make such a trip was taken away from me and millions of others.  The responsibility to make sure that does not happen again will be passed on to you - this is why I take this trip every year.

A final closing personal note to Oscar Munoz and Scott Kirby.  You took great pride when the new livery was unveiled this year.  It looks great, but I need to keep up my challenge to you to put the United Tulip back on just 20 planes, 18 to represent the United employees killed on 9/11 , and 2 to represent the United planes that were used to carry out the attacks.  Those employees and those planes all wore the United Tulip that day.  Take 20 of your new 777's and 787's, paint the tulip on them by the front door along with the name of one of those employees that gave their life on that day.  I know you go around talking to employees about how today's United Airlines is not the United Airlines that was.  It was not random that United and American planes were used in the attacks.  They were chosen because of each airline's dominance around the world.  For your employees, there is no such thing as a United Airlines that belongs in the past.  Honor all your employees by honoring, not in words, but in deeds, those 20 Tulips that were lost on that dreadful day.  You are repainting the planes anyway, how much more could it cost to put a little extra color on just 20 of them?