LaGuardia airport manager Tim Pierce (third from left) snips the ribbon at a ceremony re
cently held welcoming B737-400 service to LGA. Pierce is accompanied by (1 to r) CLT-
based flight attendant Cindy Friday; Jack Shelly, executive director of the Aviation
Development Council of New York City; LGA station manager Frank Austin; and CLT-based
flight attendant Terri Sgro. The ceremony occurred a few days after Piedmont was selected
to receive the Queens Borough President’s “Quiet Airline Award” for 1988 in recognition
of the company’s cooperation in complying with noise abatement procedures at LGA and
JFK.
Merger update news
The Central Baggage Services Depart
ments of USAir and Piedmont will be consol
idated and located in new facilities at the
RIDC Industrial Park West near the Greater
Pittsburgh International Airport.
Twenty-two positions will be relocated
from Charlotte, NC, to the Pittsburgh area as
a result of the move. USAir currently em
ploys 23 people in its Central Baggage Ser
vices Department at the Pittsburgh airport.
Consolidation of the two offices will take
place coincident with the operational inte
gration of Piedmont into USAir in early 1989.
* * *
In the October 21 issue of the USAir News.
Pat Goldman, senior vice president-corporate
communications, provided the following an
swer to a USAir employee's inquiry as to the
possibility of retaining Piedmont's blue and
gray interior color scheme which matches
USAir's blue uniforms:
With the merger of the Piedmont and PSA
fleet. USAir Group now has three different
style interior designs for oar fleet. Because we
wish to have an attractive and unified injage
for the company, we are now reviewing the in
terior designs of our planes to develop an ap
propriate color scheme that will be pleasing
to customers and blend well with our uni
forms. Because of the scope of this project, it
will be many months before a unified color
scheme can be selected and installed.
* * *
Several consolidations have taken place at
a number of Piedmont/USAir stations. Pied
mont has moved to the USAir counters in
Boston, Cleveland, Detroit, and Los Angeles.
Consolidation of operations was also com
pleted in Buffalo, Ithaca, Lexington, Chicago,
Albany, Montreal, Memphis, and West Palm
Beach. USAir now handles Piedmont opera
tions in Columbia, Indianapolis, Phoenix,
San Diego, and Seattle. USAir moved to Pied
mont facilities in Richmond, Jacksonville,
Tampa, Greenville/Spartanburg, Dallas/Fort
Worth, New Orleans, and Tri-Cities.
* ♦ *
USAir has combined the USAir Clubs and
Piedmont's Presidential Suites to create one
of the largest airline club networks. Although
the marketing, administrative and data base
functions of the Clubs and Presidential
Suites were combined this past summer and
moved to Winston-Salem, the actual identi
ties and operation of each carrier's clubs
won't be merged until later.
Members of the USAir Club and Pied
mont’s Presidential Suite now have dual
membership and can enjoy access to accom
modations at 23 major airports across the
country. In addition to enjoying the relaxing
atmosphere of these clubs and suites, mem
bers are entitled to reservations, seat assign
ments and boarding pass services, check
cashing privileges, local telephone calls, use
of private conference rooms, and complete
beverage services.
Memberships range from $75 per year to
$1,000 for a lifetime membership.
Piedmont Presidential Suites are located at
ATL, BWI, CLT (2), DFW, DAY, GSO, MIA,
LGA, EWR, MCO, RDU, SYR, TPA, and DCA
airports.
USAir Clubs are located in BWI, BOS, BUF,
CLE, BDL, LAX, LGA, PHL, PIT (2), ROC,
and DCA airports. Opening later this year are
Clubs in Indianapolis and Phoenix. Future
Clubs are also planned for San Francisco,
Chicago and West Palm Beach.
* ♦ *
On November I. Piedmont began offering a
50 percent discount on all U.S. domestic
flights to active-duty U.S. military personnel
and their dependents, a “mirror image" of
USAir's popular, industry-leading military
leave-fare.
* * *
Thomas “Jerry" Orr was recently named
to replace Charlotte/Douglas International's
retiring airport manager Josh Birmingham.
Orr has been the assistant manager for airport
operations at CLT for the past eight years. Orr,
whose new title will be aviation director, will
begin his duties January I, 1989.
* * *
In order to prevent the duplication of air
craft numbers on the Piedmont and USAir
aircraft after the merger, the entire Boeing
fleet for both carriers will be renumbered by
the end of the year. The aircraft will be
grouped according to fleet type. For example,
all B737-400s will be numbered in the 400
range, i.e., N408US. The B737-200s will be
numbered in the 200s, the B737-300s in the
300s, the B767-200S in the 600s, and the
B7 27-200s in the 700s.
on December 1
number of departures: 1,412
miles flown daily: 546,722
ASMs: 66,513,332
number of aircraft in fleet: 197
average aircraft hop: 387.2 miles
daily block time flown: 1,799 hours
34 minutes
next schedule change; January 4, 1989
around
^edmon
On December 1, the Piedmont fleet will total 197 air
craft which reflects the delivery of two new additional
737-400s during the month of November, The company
currently operates 62 737-200s, 42 737-300s, eight 737-
400s, six 767-200S, 34 Boeing 727-200s, 20 Fokker F28-
1000s, and 25 F28-4000s.
USAir has a total of 225 aircraft including 55 737 -300s,
23 737-2008, 10 727-200s. 74 DC-9s, 11 BAC I lls, 31
MD-80s, and 21 BAe-146s.
With the inauguration of our Kansas City service No
vember 1, Piedmont now serves 96 airports/123 cities in
29 states plus the District of Columbia, Ottawa, Montreal.
London, and Nassau. USAir serves 105 airports in 36
states plus the District of Columbia, Ottawa, Montreal,
and Toronto.
* *
Braxton Wilson, cargo sales manager (ORF), was re
cently elected first vice-president of the Hampton Roads
Air Cargo Association for 1988-89. Wilson’s responsibili
ties include conducting a membership drive and presid
ing over the meetings in the absence of the president.
* * *
Piedmont's new 737-300/400 flight simulator, in addi
tion to its regular duties training Piedmont pilots, will
serve as the demonstrator for McDonnell Douglas' VITAL
"VII computer-generated visual simulation system. Thir
teen groups of airline and military officials have already
been scheduled for demonstrations of the 'VITAL VII sys
tem at the training facility in CLT.
* * *
Sunday, November 27, is expected to be the busiest
holiday traffic day of the year for Piedmont, Other busy
days during the Thanksgiving holidays include Wednes
day, November 23, and Monday, November 28. During
the Christmas/New Year holidays traffic is expected to be
heavy on Friday and Saturday, December 23 and 24, and
Monday and Ttiesday, January 2 and 3.
around USAir
Steve Weidenmuller has joined USAir as supervisor of
defined contribution plans in personnel services. Weid
enmuller will be responsible for the administration of the
new 401(K) Savings Plan.
Weidenmuller was with First Virginia Bank where he
was a trust administrator responsible for several pension
and profit sharing plans. He has a B.S. degree from James
Madison University.
* * *
USAir will expand its flight schedule into Florida by 25
percent, from 40 to 50 daily flights, between November 1
and December 1 to meet the seasonal demands for more
seats. Flights will be increased at six of the seven air
ports USAir serves in the state including FLL, MCO,
MIA, PBI, TPA, and RSW. Jacksonville service will not be
increased.
jK * *
On September 29, the National Mediation Board is
sued a finding that calls for a representation election
among USAir's customer service employees performing
functions in the ramp, catering, air freight and opera
tions areas in over 100 cities served by USAir. The Inter
national Brotherhood of Teamsters currently represents
fleet service employees in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Buf
falo, and Boston.
The ballots were mailed to all eligible employees dur
ing the week of November 7. with the vote count to be
concluded December 14, 1988.
♦ * *
Henry A. Satterw'hite, retired chairman of the board
of USAir's predecessor company Allegheny Airlines,
passed away on Sunday, October 23, 1988.
Satterwhite became a member of the board of directors
of Allegheny Airlines in 1953 and was named chairman
in 1959. Satterwhite, along with then-president Leslie O.
Barnes, helped steer the carrier through mergers with
Mohawk and Lake Central Airlines. He retired in May
1978.
November 1988 • Piedmonitor