US Airways to merge with American West

[phaedra]

Just received this email from US Airways, things look a bit brighter for their future!.

quote

Because of your loyalty to US Airways, I want to make you aware of an important step our company has taken.
US Airways Group, Inc. and America West Holding Corp. today announced a merger that will expand service, create more choice for our customers, and enhance opportunities for you to earn and redeem Dividend Miles for award travel or upgrades.

The combined airline, which will be called US Airways, will create the first nationwide, full-service, low-cost, low-fare network airline, with service extending from coast-to-coast, as well as Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Latin America and Europe. With this merger, we are pioneering a new airline business model that has distinct advantages over other competitors:

Service, network, cost-structure and simplified pricing that you have come to expect; and
Customer amenities such as a world-class frequent flyer program, airport clubs, pre-assigned seating and
First Class upgrades.
Until approval of the merger, a process expected to take several months, it will be business as usual for US Airways and America West customers, and there will be no joint marketing or operations between the two airlines. You should continue to book flights through www.usairways.com, US Airways reservations or your travel agent, check in for flights at US Airways counters and redeem Dividend Miles for flights on US Airways or any of our Star Alliance or frequent flyer program partners.

Upon approval of the merger, we will clearly communicate various customer initiatives, such as combining frequent flyer programs, co-locating airport gates and ticket counters, integrating Internet Web sites, and implementing other sales and marketing enhancements.

We have enclosed answers to a number of questions that you may have. Please be assured that as we move through this exciting process, we will keep you informed of important developments.

A dedicated section of www.usairways.com has been created to provide additional background information about this merger. As this process continues, we will be updating the site regularly.

Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to seeing you on your next US Airways flight.

Sincerely,


N. Bruce Ashby
Executive Vice President,
Marketing and Planning

end quote

[flyrr100]

The bottom line on US Airways:

They will still be US Airways for around three years. Expect a full merge in around 2008. The America West management will be in charge. But I hear they still plan to be called US Airways. Eventually their corperate HQ will be in Pheonix. They still plan to serve Europe and the Carribean. Charlotte and Philly will be the major east coast hubs, with Pheonix on the west coast. Ft Lauderdale will be a smaller hub so maybe they'll have non-stops from Europe to South Florida.

Seems a good move for both carriers. The delay on the merge is due to the FAA getting the certificates together, and the crews and ground staff somehow merging their seniority lists. The airline industry here is run on seniority. From shifts to days off to pay. So you can imagine the mess when two large airlines try to merge their employee groups!

I think this is the nail being pulled from US Airway's coffin. Expect them to rise out of bankrupcy and become a powerhouse in the lower fare/full servive industry.

[E. Cosgrove]

Do you reckon there's any chance of a direct flight from UK to Phoenix? BA have the monopoly on this at the moment and it would be great to have some choice as we visit Arizona fairly regularly.