But Show Of Unity Is Just That For Protesting Pilots

There's no going back now. This week, US Airways -- the carrier formed after the September 2005 merger of the old US Air and America West -- received a single operating certificate from the FAA.

"This is a very important milestone, reflecting two years of hard work combining and refining two sets of policies, procedures, manuals, checklists and computer systems for virtually every area of the airline," said US Airways Chairman and CEO Doug Parker. "Achieving an integration of this magnitude in just 24 months is unheard of in the airline industry and a fantastic result."

As ANN reported, the two carriers merged -- with America West lifting US Air out of bankruptcy in the process -- on September 27, 2005.

Senior Vice President of Technical Operations Hal Heule -- who led the effort -- congratulated the Operations and I.T. teams and thanked the FAA for their guidance, oversight and support.

"This very complex process proceeded on time, smoothly, and was a testament to cooperation between our work groups and regulators. I'm very proud of this team and the important work they accomplished here," Heule said.

Achieving the single certificate allows the airline to operate as one US Airways with one set of policies, procedures, computer systems, maintenance and flight control systems.

The next step in the airline's integration is to achieve single contracts with pilots, flight attendants, and ground and maintenance employees -- who will continue to work under terms of transition agreements reached after the merger.

Merging the two workforces has proven to be no easy task. On Thursday -- the one year anniversary of the merger -- US Airways pilots planned to picket at Reagan National Airport to demand that management provide them with the same wages as their America West counterparts.

Both pilot groups, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int'l (ALPA), fly the same aircraft, routes and passengers.

America West pilots now earn about $20,000 more per year under their old contract, than US Air pilots do under theirs. US Airways pilots initially believed the merger would bring about pay parity... but that hasn't happened.

Furthering the animosity between the two pilots groups, in May a federal arbitrator ruled pilots coming from America West should receive seniority over those at US Airways who are returning off furlough, as a reflection of that company's importance in rescuing US Air from Chapter 11.

"Our pilots committed an astounding $6.8 billion to enable US Airways to successfully reorganize. Our wages were reduced by nearly fifty percent and our pensions were terminated. We agreed to more flexible schedules that separate us from our families more each month and work us to the legal maximum, which has caused fatigue among the pilot group," said US Airways Master Executive Council Chairman Captain Jack Stephan.

"While we could rightfully expect to be treated much differently for making truly heroic decisions, we simply ask that we be treated the same as the America West pilots," Stephan added. "Instead, two years have passed, and we're still waiting. Even worse, we watch management reward themselves with lucrative bonuses paid for by the loss of our pensions. We call that bankruptcy profiteering."

As part of Thursday's picket action at Reagan International, US Airways pilots engaged in a "Do Your Own Job" campaign... which encouraged pilots to focus solely on their responsibilities, and not cover for any operational shortfalls until they are compensated accordingly.

US Airways pilots have also said they sympathize with passengers' frustration about the state of US Airways operations -- including the airline's "well-documented customer service problems."

"We've watched as management attempts to whitewash US Airways' dismal operations and dismal employee relations," Stephan said. "It is apparent that management's attention to customer service is indicative of how they treat their employees.

"A motivated and invested workforce may be in the distant future, but for now, management will not see any degree of labor peace until they treat employees like the integral part of the airline that they are," he added.

FMI: www.alpa.org, www.usairways.com