US Airways, Inc. is a major airline based in the U.S. city of Tempe, Arizona. The airline is an operating unit of US Airways Group and is the 6th largest airline by traffic and 8th largest by market value in the country.[1] US Airways operates major hubs in Charlotte, Phoenix and Philadelphia and maintains focus city operations at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.[2]
A member of the Star Alliance, the airline has a fleet of 347 mainline jet aircraft and 319 regional jet and turbo-prop aircraft connecting 200 destinations in North America, South America, Europe and the Middle East.
The airline was acquired by America West Airlines in 2005, with the new airline retaining the US Airways name. The name choice was based on studies indicating that the US Airways name had better brand recognition worldwide than the America West name.
From underdog to over achiever, US Airways (NYSE:LCC) ranked first in baggage handling for 2010 among the major network carriers according to the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) December 2010 Air Travel Consumer Report released today. The airline's 2.6 mishandled bags per 1,000 passengers ratio for 2010 was US Airways' best baggage handling performance in company history.
In April 2011, it was announced tha US Airways had achieved the number one spot in 2011 in the annual Airline Quality Rating(AQR) report. The rating was out of the "Big-Five" hub-and-spoke network carriers.[3]
The carrier operates the US Airways Shuttle, a US Airways brand which provides hourly service between Boston, New York and Washington, D.C.. Regional airline service is branded as US Airways Express, operated by contract and subsidiary airline companies. As of December 2008, US Airways employed 33,765 people worldwide and operated 3,130 daily flights (1,312 US Airways Mainline, 1,818 US Airways Express as of December 2008).
Even before September 11, 2001, the airline industry faced many problems, including overcapacity, lower profits due to fierce competition, airport congestion, and antitrust concerns. The terrorist attacks of September 11 had the worst economic impact on the airline industry. Although some of the initial panic and fear of flying directly following September 11 has dissipated, more rigorous security screening and passengers’ perceptions of the risk of flying have altered the demand for and experience of air travel, especially in the United States.
The events of September 11 resulted in a transitory, negative demand of more than 30% in addition to an ongoing negative demand of approximately 7%. Since September 11, revenues have plummeted, and approximately 100,000 employees have been laid off. National, Midway and Vanguard Airlines are out of business. United, US Airways, ATA, and now Northwest and Delta are flying in bankruptcy. However, low fare carriers Southwest, Jet Blue, Frontier, and Airtran have been profitable in recent quarters, with Southwest being the best low-cost airline.1
Southwest has not laid anybody off and has not cut any flights since September 11. It has managed its business in good times and survived in bad times. Prior to September 11, Southwest amassed a $2 billion cash cushion. Why did it attain growth and maintain survival and even prosperity? The following are the reasons:
Great marketing strategy and long-term overall strategy
Competition requires companies to make choices as to what to do and what not to do to attain growth and maintain survival. Southwest has a strategy — the creation of a tailored set of best-fit activities. Southwest began as a low-cost, no frills airline 30 years ago.
Credit: Matt Coleman
It has grown to be a national airline, but still has its basic cost structure. Southwest has never served meals or reserved seats in advance. It still has what is basically a linear route structure. It only flies one type of airplane and it wants to stay in high-density markets. Its operation is highly efficient. The end result of this strategy is a sustainable, competitive advantage and superior profitability.2
Employee loyalty
Southwest treats its employees right. The airline adopted the first profit-sharing plan in the U.S. airline industry in 1973. Through this plan, its employees own at least 10 percent of the company stock. It has a highly motivated workforce. The employee retention rate is 92.3%. It lost a huge amount of business after September 11, but each of its 32,000 employees gave back some of their pay to help tide over the temporary difficulty of the company. Its corporate culture really stands out.3
Southwest fully utilizes its resources and capabilities to make up its core competencies. It focuses on short-haul, point-to-point routes, no-frills service and less-crowded airports. It minimizes turnaround times and keeps its planes in the air longer than its competitors. The design of these best-fit activities, the superior management skills and the employees’ commitment are its core competencies. They demonstrate three characteristics which are (1) it is valuable to the customers; (2) it is applicable in a variety of markets; and (3) it is difficult for competitors to imitate. That is why they result in a sustainable, competitive advantage.
Corporate social responsibility improves employee recruitment, motivation, and retention.
The reputation of a company as a corporate citizen affects its attractiveness as a prospective employer.
For example, a 1997 Walker Information Survey revealed that 42% of respondents took into account a
company’s ethics when deciding whether to accept a job.30 More recently, a study by Students for
Responsible Business found that 82.7% of respondents chose an offer from a more socially responsible
company if the salaries offered were equal, while over 50% were also willing to take a lower salary to
work for a company with a good sustainable development reputation.31 In contrast, companies with
tarnished reputations can face significant recruitment problems, higher levels of absenteeism, and reduced
employee motivation, commitment, and satisfaction.
US air transportation is one of the most highly unionized sectors, with an estimated 51.6% percent union
employees in 2006.32 As such, positive employee relations and transparency are especially critical for this
industry.
Disclosure can help improve operational efficiencies and profit margins.
• Disclosure of progress on key performance indicators (i.e. energy use, recycling, and waste
reduction) helps demonstrate quality management to investors—and often real cost savings.33
• With regards to workplace safety, improved sustainability disclosure can lead to indirect bottomline
benefits. Better employee training and increased employee awareness of health and safety
issues can lead to less errors and help drive down occupational injuries. This can provide real
cost savings in terms of insurance and workers’ compensation.
• Through Calvert’s own internal surveying of corporate sustainability leaders, we have learned
that sustainability reporting is an important management tool. The reporting process itself adds
value to companies because it helps management determine which indicators are most material to
their business and which should get prioritized.
• Higher employee retention often means lower recruiting costs and lower initial training cost
associated with new hires.
Take a closer look at everything we have to offer. When it comes to taking care of employees, we think our benefi ts are some of the best in the industry. Your benefits, along withyour travel privileges, complete your package. For information on benefits outside the U.S., please ask when you apply.
See for yourself:
Medical insurance
Vision plan
Prescription drug coverage
Dental insurance
401(k) with company contribution
Paid vacation and days off
Life insurance
Accidental death and dismemberment
Short and long-term disability
Flexible spending accounts
Tuition assistance
Domestic partner program
Employee assistance program
A member of the Star Alliance, the airline has a fleet of 347 mainline jet aircraft and 319 regional jet and turbo-prop aircraft connecting 200 destinations in North America, South America, Europe and the Middle East.
The airline was acquired by America West Airlines in 2005, with the new airline retaining the US Airways name. The name choice was based on studies indicating that the US Airways name had better brand recognition worldwide than the America West name.
From underdog to over achiever, US Airways (NYSE:LCC) ranked first in baggage handling for 2010 among the major network carriers according to the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) December 2010 Air Travel Consumer Report released today. The airline's 2.6 mishandled bags per 1,000 passengers ratio for 2010 was US Airways' best baggage handling performance in company history.
In April 2011, it was announced tha US Airways had achieved the number one spot in 2011 in the annual Airline Quality Rating(AQR) report. The rating was out of the "Big-Five" hub-and-spoke network carriers.[3]
The carrier operates the US Airways Shuttle, a US Airways brand which provides hourly service between Boston, New York and Washington, D.C.. Regional airline service is branded as US Airways Express, operated by contract and subsidiary airline companies. As of December 2008, US Airways employed 33,765 people worldwide and operated 3,130 daily flights (1,312 US Airways Mainline, 1,818 US Airways Express as of December 2008).
Even before September 11, 2001, the airline industry faced many problems, including overcapacity, lower profits due to fierce competition, airport congestion, and antitrust concerns. The terrorist attacks of September 11 had the worst economic impact on the airline industry. Although some of the initial panic and fear of flying directly following September 11 has dissipated, more rigorous security screening and passengers’ perceptions of the risk of flying have altered the demand for and experience of air travel, especially in the United States.
The events of September 11 resulted in a transitory, negative demand of more than 30% in addition to an ongoing negative demand of approximately 7%. Since September 11, revenues have plummeted, and approximately 100,000 employees have been laid off. National, Midway and Vanguard Airlines are out of business. United, US Airways, ATA, and now Northwest and Delta are flying in bankruptcy. However, low fare carriers Southwest, Jet Blue, Frontier, and Airtran have been profitable in recent quarters, with Southwest being the best low-cost airline.1
Southwest has not laid anybody off and has not cut any flights since September 11. It has managed its business in good times and survived in bad times. Prior to September 11, Southwest amassed a $2 billion cash cushion. Why did it attain growth and maintain survival and even prosperity? The following are the reasons:
Great marketing strategy and long-term overall strategy
Competition requires companies to make choices as to what to do and what not to do to attain growth and maintain survival. Southwest has a strategy — the creation of a tailored set of best-fit activities. Southwest began as a low-cost, no frills airline 30 years ago.
Credit: Matt Coleman
It has grown to be a national airline, but still has its basic cost structure. Southwest has never served meals or reserved seats in advance. It still has what is basically a linear route structure. It only flies one type of airplane and it wants to stay in high-density markets. Its operation is highly efficient. The end result of this strategy is a sustainable, competitive advantage and superior profitability.2
Employee loyalty
Southwest treats its employees right. The airline adopted the first profit-sharing plan in the U.S. airline industry in 1973. Through this plan, its employees own at least 10 percent of the company stock. It has a highly motivated workforce. The employee retention rate is 92.3%. It lost a huge amount of business after September 11, but each of its 32,000 employees gave back some of their pay to help tide over the temporary difficulty of the company. Its corporate culture really stands out.3
Southwest fully utilizes its resources and capabilities to make up its core competencies. It focuses on short-haul, point-to-point routes, no-frills service and less-crowded airports. It minimizes turnaround times and keeps its planes in the air longer than its competitors. The design of these best-fit activities, the superior management skills and the employees’ commitment are its core competencies. They demonstrate three characteristics which are (1) it is valuable to the customers; (2) it is applicable in a variety of markets; and (3) it is difficult for competitors to imitate. That is why they result in a sustainable, competitive advantage.
Corporate social responsibility improves employee recruitment, motivation, and retention.
The reputation of a company as a corporate citizen affects its attractiveness as a prospective employer.
For example, a 1997 Walker Information Survey revealed that 42% of respondents took into account a
company’s ethics when deciding whether to accept a job.30 More recently, a study by Students for
Responsible Business found that 82.7% of respondents chose an offer from a more socially responsible
company if the salaries offered were equal, while over 50% were also willing to take a lower salary to
work for a company with a good sustainable development reputation.31 In contrast, companies with
tarnished reputations can face significant recruitment problems, higher levels of absenteeism, and reduced
employee motivation, commitment, and satisfaction.
US air transportation is one of the most highly unionized sectors, with an estimated 51.6% percent union
employees in 2006.32 As such, positive employee relations and transparency are especially critical for this
industry.
Disclosure can help improve operational efficiencies and profit margins.
• Disclosure of progress on key performance indicators (i.e. energy use, recycling, and waste
reduction) helps demonstrate quality management to investors—and often real cost savings.33
• With regards to workplace safety, improved sustainability disclosure can lead to indirect bottomline
benefits. Better employee training and increased employee awareness of health and safety
issues can lead to less errors and help drive down occupational injuries. This can provide real
cost savings in terms of insurance and workers’ compensation.
• Through Calvert’s own internal surveying of corporate sustainability leaders, we have learned
that sustainability reporting is an important management tool. The reporting process itself adds
value to companies because it helps management determine which indicators are most material to
their business and which should get prioritized.
• Higher employee retention often means lower recruiting costs and lower initial training cost
associated with new hires.
Take a closer look at everything we have to offer. When it comes to taking care of employees, we think our benefi ts are some of the best in the industry. Your benefits, along withyour travel privileges, complete your package. For information on benefits outside the U.S., please ask when you apply.
See for yourself:
Medical insurance
Vision plan
Prescription drug coverage
Dental insurance
401(k) with company contribution
Paid vacation and days off
Life insurance
Accidental death and dismemberment
Short and long-term disability
Flexible spending accounts
Tuition assistance
Domestic partner program
Employee assistance program