The Up-And-Coming Airline
3
Piedmont Empire to sliore codes and some facilities
May 1, 1986 remains the target
date for an integration of the Pied
mont/Empire route systems, and
everything seems to be rolling on
target towards that goal.
From a technical side, the meet
ing of Empire stockholders to vote
on the issue has been scheduled
for January 15, 1986, in Syracuse.
All legal filings involved in the pro
ceedings have been delivered to
the Department of TVansportation,
and the time to file has passed
with no opposition to the merger
on record.
“We have every reason to believe
the merger will be approved by
Empire stockholders,” Joe Healy,
senior vice president—general
counsel and secretary said, “and it
is a very easy decision for the
government to make. Their pri
mary concern is what effect the
merger will have on competition,
and this merger has no anti
competitive effects whatever.”
expansion
While the technicalities of the
merger have progressed, planning
and coordination activities have
been speeding up rapidly.
Decisions have been reached to
not only retain the Empire reserva
tions center at the Utica/Rome air
port in New York, but to expand it
as well. A flight crew base for both
flight officers and flight attendants
will be domiciled at Syracuse, and
the Empire maintenance work at
Utica/Rome will be continued, and
expanded, also.
The City of Syracuse has a
request from Piedmont to expand
the terminal facilities now being
used by Empire to accommodate
more flights, flights using larger
aircraft, and longer haul flights
as well.
On January 15 Empire flights
will begin sharing the PI code
under a joint marketing arrange
ment between the two companies.
A number of stations where Pied
mont and Empire both operate
today will combine facilities of the
two carriers.
reservations
“All Empire reservations calls
will be temporarily transferred to
the Piedmont Dayton reservations
center on January 15,” Don
Shanks, vice president—customer
relations said. “On that day we
will begin an intense, five-day,
three-shift training program to
acquaint Empire personnel with
the Piedmont reservations system.
At the end of that training pro
gram, calls will be restored to the
Empire facility, and employees
there will answer with Piedmont
equipment and procedures.”
FinaJ contracts are being worked
out now with Oneida County offi
cials to begin construction of the
expanded reservations facility
there.
The combination of Piedmont/
Empire operations at stations
where both carriers presently oper
ate will not affect present work
rules and reporting relationships
of employees at either airline. All
employees will continue to work
under their present rules and con
tinue to report to their present
supervisors and managers.
"The Empire acquisition is very
important to Piedmont,” Dan
Brock, vice president—marketing,
said. "But that importance
depends to some degree on how
successfully we reintroduce the
Empire services as Piedmont
services.
To do that. Piedmont will begin
a series of marketing blitzes and
receptions for travel agents and
community leaders all across the
Empire system on Januaiy 6.
Those receptions will continue
until mid-Januar>'.
"We will also have blitzes in our
historic Piedmont markets to intro
duce our ability to provide service
to a wider array of destinations in
upstate New York and New Eng
land as well," Brock said.
Negotiations are underway for
establishing seniority rules for job
bidding, pay scales, vacations and
other career considerations alter
the merger is complete.
"Our foremost goal is to achieve
a program that will be advanta
geous to the employees of both
Piedmont and Empire," Jim
Bradley—assistant vice president,
industrial relations, said. "We are
fortunate that the Empire portion
of the airline will bring with it
more job opportunities than
Empire employees. This means
there are literally more jobs to be
tilled alter the merger than the two
airlines presently have enough
people to man."
Further details of the merger
progress will be available as they
develop.
Ralph Hicks
(left) and Roy
Westbrook show
how the new
carousel wheel
cleaning sys-
lem. the only
one of Its kind
in the country,
will operate.
Engine, brake shops to open in January
When the addition to our main
tenance facility opens at GSO next
month, it will be one of the most
modern such facilities in the coun
try. In fact, representatives from
other airlines are already looking
over the 127,000-square-foot
building for ways to improve their
own.
Much of the credit for the build
ing’s state-of-the-art design goes
to Ralph Hicks, Maintenance
Department engineer, and more
recently, Roy Westbrook, now
manager-maintenance shops-GSO.
Hicks traveled around Europe to
determine the best way to set up
the wheel and brake shop, and
Westbrook toured other mainte
nance facilities across the country
before the design was completed
for our engine shop.
“We think we have come up
with one of the best designs
around,” Hicks said. “The working
conditions will be much better in
this building and that will result in
a savings of time, money, and
manpower. Many of our mechanics
have already received treiining here
and seem very satisfied with the
new facility.
“We have stressed safety in par
ticular in designing this building
as well as making conditions bet
ter so we can improve the quality
of our workmanship.' ’
The new building includes:
• a carousel wheel cleaning sys
tem which can clean up to 160
wheels in a 24-hour period.
This system is the only one of
its kind in the country.
• a carousel penetrant system
which shows up any cracks in a
wheel.
• a tire storage area which auto
matically feeds tires to mechan
ics as requested.
• a 16,577-square-foot wheel and
brake shop which will repair
and assemble wheels and
brakes for our aircraft. Among
the shop’s features are auto
matic torque equipment and
computer printouts which give
the wheel type, serial number,
and payroll number of the per
son doing the work.
• a 21,300-square-foot engine
build-up shop where such items
as generators, starters, tubing,
fuel controls, gear boxes and
wiring harnesses will be
installed on engines. The shop
has 14 stations, each with
15,000-pound capacity, and a
bridge control to move the
engines from the loading dock
to the bay.
• spreader bars which hold the
engines up in the air for easier
accessibility for maintenance.
• a wash bay just for the engines.
“In the engine shop, we have the
capability to handle any engine on
the drafting boards through the
year 2000,” Hicks said.
"We also have room for a future
hangar on the east side of the
building.”
In addition, the building will
house a 54,000-square-foot area
for the stockroom and shipping
and receiving and about 16,800
square feet for offices, breakroom,
corridors and lavatories on the first
floor.