US Airways' Rehiring Spree

TheStreet.com ^ | 5/23/2006 | Ted Reed

[Dan Nunn]

It's not just shareholders who have benefited from the US Airways merger.

Last year's combination of US Airways and America West Airlines is also creating jobs at the airline, including 600 reservations jobs that had been outsourced abroad.

The return of reservations jobs from San Salvador, Mexico City and Manila to Phoenix, Reno, Nev., and Winston-Salem, N.C. -- including 200 jobs that have already been restored -- represents a reversal of the widespread trend to outsource customer service jobs to other countries.

"Our reservations team does a much better job than those the work has been outsourced to," said US Airways CEO Doug Parker, in an interview with TheStreet.com. "Despite our efforts to improve the outsourcing, it will never be as good as having our own employees do it."

[Dan Nunn]

Looks like some companies realize the shoddy work that outsourced industries commonly see, especially in customer service. I had to deal with US Airways' customer support center on some occasions, and it was a real chore talking to someone with a thick Phillipino accent who didn't know what a Boston was. Hopefully more companies take this position.

[Dan Nunn]

Ping

[Vigilanteman]

"Our reservations team does a much better job than those the work has been outsourced to," said US Airways CEO Doug Parker, . . .

I used to ask them "How's the weather in Bengalore" and get a reply like "I'm in Pusan."

Of course, foreigness doesn't always mean incoherence. A buddy of mune transfered from New York to Tokyo and said the cabbies in Tokyo spoke better English. Seriously.

[LdSentinal]

Is 'Eastern Airlines' still hiring?

[for-q-clinton]

It's not just shareholders who have benefited from the US Airways merger

This is a LIE! I was a shareholder and they bascially said all common stocks are worth ZERO then reissued new shares to new buyers. I'm sure the board was taken care of but the stockholders were screwed on that deal. It should be illegal to have the owners (that's me) go to zero in value, but the company keeps the assests, board of directors remain the same, and they keep on flying. They should be out of business!

[in hoc signo vinces]

Yeah, along with BRANIFF...

[Herakles]

Actually I think this is once again a poorly education journalist indulging in "false cause, false effect" logic and only writing what he was told by a corporate spin doctor.

The only reason this company has cash to hire anyone is because they unloaded their wildly extravagant, poorly negotiated pension benefits on the government so we (the people) could end up paying for their mismanagement. If a company goes bankrupt, everyone involved in it should loose and it should not be the responsibility of the government to protect anyones pension.

In the 1930's (for those of you who who have a hard time learning things) we call this corporate socialism; Hitler called it Nation Socialism; the people who died fighting it called it Fascism.

It pays to know history; something our stupid leaders should indulge in from time to time!