Who remembers Piedmont Airlines?

pettyfog · Oct 14, 2007

Once upon a time, there was a little regional from out of the Carolina's named Piedmont Airlines.. they were noted for their customer service and strict attention to being on time.

At the same moment in time another regional named Allegheny .. which was not so affectionately nicknamed 'Agony" Airlines.

So.. the Sharpie who ran Allegheny figured he could BUY a reputation and get away with it.. just by SAYING he was going to incorporate Piedmont's Customer service.

Yeah, right... that lasted all of about 2 years, till the MBA's got the upper hand again.

Result: USAir

Well, they have indirectly figured into this weeksAirline Outrage in which the deranged suicidal woman died in police custody.

There's every reason to believe that Gotbaum would be alive today if she had been allowed to board her flight to Tucson and take her rightful seat. While her tragedy has been a Page One story in many newspapers, few reports have focused on the fact that the airlines involved, US Airways and its subcontractor, Mesa Airlines, are notorious for overbooked flights. According to the New York Times, US Air had revenue last year of $11.56 billion. Of that, $1 billion was the result of diligent overbooking.

The stressful, often incendiary situations created by overbooking infuriate perfectly healthy, well-adjusted passengers. It's not hard for me to imagine that an emotionally fragile, vulnerable person like Gotbaum could have felt absolutely desperate.

Gotbaum wasn't late for boarding. She didn't forfeit her place by ignoring the airline's procedures. Her only mistake was showing up at the US Airways gate and believing that her paid-in-full, reserved-seat airline ticket meant that she would actually have a seat on the plane.
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If you can use them... SKYBUS!!!! You get what you pay for, you pay for what you get!

HatterDon · Oct 14, 2007

I flew a lot on Piedmont in the early 80s when I worked for [name censored]. They were a fun bunch, and there was a significant drop off in quality when they went to US Air.

However, it's really not fair to single them or Mesa for overbooking. All flights are overbooked and leave late -- the result of airlines cutting back on flights that are less than 80% full on a regular basis. If you travel as much as I do on business, you've figured this out when almost every flight you take is full -- as opposed to several years ago -- and, according to the airlines, ridership is down for all carriers.

DCDave · Oct 14, 2007

I've "flown" Mesa Air in the past and they are pitiful at best. Let's put it this way--I have to fly for work soon an the best flight schedule-wise involved Mesa. I'm on another flight.

jaxcottager · Oct 15, 2007

I flew with Piedmont from National Airport (Ronald Reagen now) to the Robbie Tournament in Toronto way back when.

Who remembers Piedmont Airlines?

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Who remembers Piedmont Airlines?

pettyfog Well-Known Member

HatterDon Moderator

DCDave Member

jaxcottager New Member

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