TEMPE — Echoing Doug Parker’s plea for the government to “do no harm” to the airline industry, C. A. Howlett, US Airways’ top government affairs officer, outlined the challenges the industry — and US Airways in particular — face in the policy environment. His primary focus was the pending FAA reauthorization bill. Put off since [...]
Posts Tagged ‘us airways’
“There’s no part of our operation that government can’t find a way to improve.”
Posted in Evan's Commentary, tagged air traffic control, competition, congress, consumer advocacy, environment, faa, labor, politics, regulation, us airways on March 24, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
US Airways’ Doug Parker on challenges for the airline industry
Posted in Evan's Commentary, tagged business, consumer advocacy, labor, mergers, regulation, us airways on March 24, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
TEMPE — US Airways chairman and CEO Doug Parker opened the airline’s annual media day with remarks on the state of the airline industry, pointing out financial, political, and labor-related challenges in the year ahead and calling on airline managers to change the way they think about industry competition.
Parker has long been an apostle of [...]
Continental’s Kellner (and US’s Parker) revisit reregulation
Posted in Evan's News and Quick Takes, tagged business, continental, regulation, us airways on March 24, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
TEMPE — US Airways’ media day program is about to begin, but I wanted to share this non-US related interview by Loren Steffy from the Houston Chronicle:
Larry Kellner served me a cup of coffee with the aplomb of a veteran flight attendant, and then, a few moments later, served up a stunning comment about the [...]
The toxic tango of United and US Airways
Posted in Evan's Commentary, tagged airports, business, competition, Merger Mania 2008, mergers, network airlines, regulation, united, us airways on April 28, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Now that Continental has turned down suitor United, the latter is weighing a desperation move: merging with US Airways to create the world’s new largest airline (surpassing Delta-Northwest, assuming that goes through). The airlines may announce a tie-up within the next fortnight. Therefore, it’s time for another Merger Mania 2008 antitrust evaluation.
As you’ll remember from [...]
More merger skepticism
Posted in Evan's News and Quick Takes, tagged delta, mergers, us airways, usa on January 25, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
There’s a good article today in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about value of airline mergers. The AJC focuses on lessons for its hometown airline, Delta. It confirms what I wrote on January 17, exposing the flaws in the US Airways-America West merger obscured by Wall Street’s enthusiasm. Some key points:
“Mergers often look good on paper – [...]
Happy-dancing, sure, but where’s the value in airline mergers?
Posted in Evan's Commentary, tagged competition, mergers, travel, us airways on January 17, 2008 | 3 Comments »
So, all the airlines are talking mergers. The investors–especially big institutional investors like hedge funds–are happy, because stocks tend to do a sort of happy-dance after a merger, and right now airline stocks are dancing to a dirge. With mergers, there are tons of issues to discuss: labor, antitrust, operations. Lots of people will make [...]
US Airways responds to Bardach’s allegations
Posted in Evan's Debates, tagged misc., travel, us airways on October 17, 2007 | 1 Comment »
US Airways has responded to A. L. Bardach’s article (fisked here by yours truly) on the Carol Gotbaum incident. I received the letter in an email. It is reprinted with permission after the jump.
Fisking: US Airways did not kill Carol Gotbaum
Posted in Evan's Fiskings, tagged airports, regulation, travel, us airways, usa on October 16, 2007 | 7 Comments »
Sunday’s Washington Post featured an insanely over-the-top airline crisis story by A. L. Bardach. It begins with what should be a Bulwer-Lytton finalist:
I am haunted by the death of Carol Anne Gotbaum.
Yes, the death of Carol Gotbaum in a Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport holding cell was sad. She was a young mother: one might [...]
Pittsburgh sees the light on incentives
Posted in Evan's Commentary, tagged airports, budget airlines, competition, prestige, travel, us airways, usa on September 16, 2007 | 2 Comments »
In 2004, US Airways downgraded its operations at Pittsburgh International Airport from hub to focus city status, taking with it half its flights and leaving swathes of terminal unused. Scott McCartney relates the story of what happened next: fares fell through the floor and low-cost carriers rushed in to take advantage of the situation. For [...]
US Airways on perimeter restrictions at DCA, LGA
Posted in Evan's Commentary, tagged airports, congress, delays, us airways on March 25, 2009 | 2 Comments »
TEMPE — On most policy issues at the national level, airlines work through their trade association, ATA. Yesterday, I asked C. A. Howlett, US Airways senior VP for public affairs, about what issues he works on that the ATA does not get very involved in. “The biggest issue that is US Airways-specific is the Reagan [...]
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