BaltACD If you are not paying a credit card off in full monthly you are not using it correctly - from a consumer perspective. From the card issuer, they hope you never pay off the balance and continue to accrue interest and penalty charges.
If you are not paying a credit card off in full monthly you are not using it correctly - from a consumer perspective. From the card issuer, they hope you never pay off the balance and continue to accrue interest and penalty charges.
For the most part yes but there are times when the interest rate charged on a Credit Card is lower than the expected return of an item you can purchase with it.
In those limited cases the spread between the CC interest rate and what you can bring to the bottom line via return of the item purchased. Makes sense to incur the CC Debt to obtain the item now vs waiting.
Thats really how Corporate Debt should work with a company like Amtrak but what happens of course is forecasted returns are sometimes wrong.
I concur, I saw Anderson wreck Northwest Airlines, then Delta was gullible and took him on. He seems to operate as a human wrecking ball.
If it is in some semblence of working - wreck it.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Az Pecan I concur, I saw Anderson wreck Northwest Airlines, then Delta was gullible and took him on. He seems to operate as a human wrecking ball.
From what perspective did you observe Anderson's wrecking of Northwest Airlines? As an employee? Shareholder? Investment Banker? Passenger?
Unless you sit in the room when the executive committee is making a decision, you cannot even be sure that decisions attributed to the CEO were really made by her. Maybe the CFO was the engine behind the decision, and the CEO just put her stamp of approval on it. Happens frequently!
Rio Grande Valley, CFI,CFII
PJS1 Maybe the CFO was the engine behind the decision, and the CEO just put her stamp of approval on it. Happens frequently!
But the CEO stamped it. Can't pass the buck.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.
I have been riding the rails since I was a kid. Even then, I remember the great meals in the dining cars, great service and clean, operational equipment. Still riding the AMTRAK sleepers at age 71. When I tell friends my wife and I are getting a sleeper on the train they look at me like "What planet are you on?" I explain my love of the rails and tell them, however, I would not recommend they try it. Then they tell me they've never even thought of the train and how fun it might be. I still won't recommend it. With duck taped doors, upper bunks tied with rope, hit-and-miss malfunctioning equipment, and the same mediocre food on all diners. As much as I would like to, I still can't recommend it?
Something to think about: (This is not a statement about whether AMTRAK is a business, or should make a profit, etc) What if Congress gave AMTRAK a one-time budget allotment to upgrade all LD equipment, including locomotives and even add more capacity? What if chefs actually prepared meals with regional menu selections? Dome cars return?
Forget it!! I'm dreaming!!
zugmann PJS1 Maybe the CFO was the engine behind the decision, and the CEO just put her stamp of approval on it. Happens frequently! But the CEO stamped it. Can't pass the buck.
Not trying to pass the buck! Just pointing out that not all corporate decisions that carry the CEO's signature have been made by her. She gets the glory if it goes well, the goat if it doesn't. And that is one of the reasons CEO's get paid well.
PJS1 zugmann PJS1 Maybe the CFO was the engine behind the decision, and the CEO just put her stamp of approval on it. Happens frequently! But the CEO stamped it. Can't pass the buck. Not trying to pass the buck! Just pointing out that not all corporate decisions that carry the CEO's signature have been made by her. She gets the glory if it goes well, the goat if it doesn't. And that is one of the reasons CEO's get paid well.
Unfortunately we see way too many CEO's get well paid for their successes and also be well paid for the failures, sometimes even better paid for their failures than their successes. And from time to time you see CEO's try to play the blame game to excuse their failures.
PJS1 Az Pecan I concur, I saw Anderson wreck Northwest Airlines, then Delta was gullible and took him on. He seems to operate as a human wrecking ball. From what perspective did you observe Anderson's wrecking of Northwest Airlines? As an employee? Shareholder? Investment Banker? Passenger? Unless you sit in the room when the executive committee is making a decision, you cannot even be sure that decisions attributed to the CEO were really made by her. Maybe the CFO was the engine behind the decision, and the CEO just put her stamp of approval on it. Happens frequently!
Even more important than the process is the record. Did NW fall apart under Anderson's tenure? Were they bought out by Delta for scrap value? How did Delta do during Anderson's tenure? Let's see some objective numbers, not just some unsourced acecdote or an opinion possibly stemming from a grudge.
Backshop Northwest had terrible labor relations and always did. Anderson did a good job with Delta and made it the powerhouse that it is today. It is generally acknowledged as the best of the US3 and the leader of Skyteam.
Did Northwest Airlines have terrible labor relations before Anderson took over or were they terrible because of him?
They ALWAYS had them. My brother is a Delta captain (ex-NW) and says Delta is better (for the pilots).
RailSpikeI have been riding the rails since I was a kid. Even then, I remember the great meals in the dining cars, great service and clean, operational equipment. Still riding the AMTRAK sleepers at age 71.
Geez, when I tell Amtrak onboard staff I have been riding passenger trains since before Amtrak existed and know where everything is..... they look at me like I am an escaped Museum exhibit and I am only in my 50's.
BaltACDand also be well paid for the failures,
A lot of times that is viewed as the "good ole boy network" or the chumminess between CEO and Board of Directors that sets salaries.
In reality, most of the time they don't penalize the guy too heavily because they are thinking already of the next guy. Say you were an Executive in a job search and you were pretty good with fixing or running things. Would you be attracted to a firm that nailed it's last CEO to the wall financially? Probably not.
RailSpike I have been riding the rails since I was a kid. Even then, I remember the great meals in the dining cars, great service and clean, operational equipment. Still riding the AMTRAK sleepers at age 71. When I tell friends my wife and I are getting a sleeper on the train they look at me like "What planet are you on?" I explain my love of the rails and tell them, however, I would not recommend they try it. Then they tell me they've never even thought of the train and how fun it might be. I still won't recommend it. With duck taped doors, upper bunks tied with rope, hit-and-miss malfunctioning equipment, and the same mediocre food on all diners. As much as I would like to, I still can't recommend it? Something to think about: (This is not a statement about whether AMTRAK is a business, or should make a profit, etc) What if Congress gave AMTRAK a one-time budget allotment to upgrade all LD equipment, including locomotives and even add more capacity? What if chefs actually prepared meals with regional menu selections? Dome cars return? Forget it!! I'm dreaming!!
Your dream could come true if Amtrak ceased running 'LD' trains in the winter and ran them in the summer months as tour trains with golden age equipment and amenities of yore.
Backshop They ALWAYS had them. My brother is a Delta captain (ex-NW) and says Delta is better (for the pilots).
So, my take away is Anderson inherited bad labor relations at Northwest and, therefore, was not the cause of them.
243129Your dream could come true if Amtrak ceased running 'LD' trains in the winter and ran them in the summer months as tour trains with golden age equipment and amenities of yore.
Nice idea, except take the responsibility from Amtrak and let some private operators bid to do it if they think it would be popular and worth their while. I doubt the latter so it will never happen.
PJS1 Backshop They ALWAYS had them. My brother is a Delta captain (ex-NW) and says Delta is better (for the pilots). So, my take away is Anderson inherited bad labor relations at Northwest and, therefore, was not the cause of them.
So when you come into such a situation you have three options, you can try to improve relations, you can maintain the relations at the same bad level, or you can work to make the bad level worse. Which did Anderson choose?
BaltACD So when you come into such a situation you have three options, you can try to improve relations, you can maintain the relations at the same bad level, or you can work to make the bad level worse. Which did Anderson choose?
Unless you were part of Northwest Airlines or have verifiable data to determine whether Anderson helped improve the relations or made them worse, you don't know.
Without access to the company, an outsider does not know the extent of ill feelings. Were they wide spread or just the rantings of a few vocal employees?
I worked decades for a Fortune 200 Corporation that was unionized at some locations but not all. Overall, employee relations were pretty good. At most locations the opinions of the bargaining unit employees, as measured by an annual employee opinion survey, did not differ significantly from those of non-union employees performing similar work.
One group of bargaining unit employees, however, had decided management was rotten to the core, and there was nothing anyone, including the CEO, could have done to change their opinions.
The company that I worked for was not perfect. Management made mistakes. But it gave me numerous opportunities for job enrichment and compensated me well for my contributions. I would never critize the company, especially in a public forum.
PJS1 BaltACD So when you come into such a situation you have three options, you can try to improve relations, you can maintain the relations at the same bad level, or you can work to make the bad level worse. Which did Anderson choose? Unless you were part of Northwest Airlines or have verifiable data to determine whether Anderson helped improve the relations or made them worse, you don't know. Without access to the company, an outsider does not know the extent of ill feelings. Were they wide spread or just the rantings of a few vocal employees?
Which is why I asked the question. Personal perceptions of a company's labor relations depends on if 'you' are being disadvantaged by the labor relations activities or not.
I think it speaks volumes on Anderson's leadership ability that the Delta-Northwest merger went many times smoother than the American-US Air or United-Continental ones. Employee groups were merged much faster and with much less strife. Delta employees have pride in their company.
Too many here want the passenger trains of 50 years ago. There's a reason they aren't around any more. It's because they were money pits.
BackshopToo many here want the passenger trains of 50 years ago. There's a reason they aren't around any more. It's because they were money pits.
Yet, today we have a major world airline in the passenger business that just bought into the HSR market in the United States (Virgin).
Sure, and there are reasons why the streetcars and interurbans of 80 years ago are not around today. But new streetcar lines and interurbans are being built, some called light rail, despite Cato, O' Toole, and the Koch Brothers.
So maybe today or tomorrow there will be a profitable market for a Pullman-Fred Harvey grade of passenger service above Amtrak or whatever basic transportation.
Why cannot the Rocky Mountain operation have a coach for low-fare riders? And the California Zephyr and Empire Builder have a Rocky Mountain class pair of cars attached for those willing to pay the extra price?
I saw the old streetcar tracks on Howard Street in Baltimore in 1947, then the new ones being installed in the 1980s, and then rode on them.
The Rocky Mountaineer is not transportation, it is a high-end scenery excursion into the Canadian Rockies. An economy-class coach wouldn't bring much to the operation. Also note that the Rocky Mountaineer consist does not include sleeping cars, overnight layovers are at various resort hotels.
CMStPnP Backshop Too many here want the passenger trains of 50 years ago. There's a reason they aren't around any more. It's because they were money pits. Yet, today we have a major world airline in the passenger business that just bought into the HSR market in the United States (Virgin).
Backshop Too many here want the passenger trains of 50 years ago. There's a reason they aren't around any more. It's because they were money pits.
Good clarification CSS&SB. But isn't VIA trying out that concept on the Canadian right now?
Hopefully everyone here has sent their comments to Amtrak in the hope that someone reads them vs just venting on here. Venting here won't inspire changes.
Frank Kenny Hopefully everyone here has sent their comments to Amtrak in the hope that someone reads them vs just venting on here. Venting here won't inspire changes.
I would be surprised if any decision maker pays attention to what we say on Trains' blogs and forums.
I have shared my views on Amtrak with the President of the company as well as my Congress persons. In doing so I have followed the advice of a former member of the Texas Legislature that I got to know in a University of Texas continuing education program.
Her advice is to express your views in a hard copy letter vs. email. The decision makers get so many emails that they and their staffs don't have the time to read them. She said, however, that her office usually paid attention to a well written letter, which was one that stated the issue and the writer's views without political rancor.
I have gotten a reply to all of the letters that I have sent to Amtrak and my Congress persons. Not so much with respect to the emails.
Amtrak has what they call a "passenger advocate" that you can Email. She meets with some mid to high level Amtrak executives monthly to give input to them. Passenger Advocate is a voluntary position that is filled via ordinary Amtrak riders. To qualify you have to travel so many segments on a specific market line like Corridor or Long Distance measured on an annual basis.........I think that is how they prequalify you.
Note though what the UP RR CEO stated about their Steam Program that it's value is more to railfans than potential clients of UP RR. Moral of that quip.... Senior Executives know where the comments are comming from just by reading some of them you can read between the lines and tell sometimes.
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