LV braces for possible America West strike

Thursday, March 18, 1999 | 11:37 a.m.

The Las Vegas traveling public braced for the worst even as negotiations began turning hopeful between America West Airlines and its flight attendants.

Contract talks took an optimistic course on Wednesday when the airline disclosed a proposal that would bring the flight attendants' pay scale to within 90 percent of Southwest Airlines' salaries.

"That may form the basis of a settlement," Bill McGlashen, president of the Association of Flight Attendants Council 66, said outside the offices of the National Mediation Board just before the start of talks.

Southwest's wage scale ranges from $15,500 to $44,000 per year, according to the AFA. America West's current scale ranges from about $12,000 to $22,000 per year.

America West Chairman William Franke disclosed the offer in a letter Feb. 12 to each flight attendant.

Although flight attendants are buoyed by the proposal that could head off a strike deadline of 9:01 p.m. PST on Friday, Las Vegas is bracing for the potential damage a strike could have on the city.

"Like everybody else, we're cautiously optimistic," said Rob Powers, a spokesman for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. "We'd like to see the flight attendants settle. But there's no question a strike would temporarily cripple America West Airlines and would have a negative impact on Las Vegas. It's the second biggest carrier in here and it would affect the travel plans of thousands of people."

The timing of a strike couldn't be worse for Las Vegas and America West's headquarters, Phoenix. Las Vegas is beginning to enjoy increases in traffic after a year of no growth. March usually is a good month for the city because it's a spring vacation destination.

Next week, the every-three-year ConExpo-Con/Agg show begins at the Las Vegas Convention Center. An estimated 115,000 will register for this year's show, which is rotated annually between three cities. It's Las Vegas' second largest convention of the year behind Comdex.

"Any action by any of the airlines would have an effect on the show," said Peter Vlahos, exposition director for ConExpo-Con/Agg, a show for the construction, aggregate and ready-mix concrete industries. "It's unknown to us how many people attending are flying in on America West, but we know it is one of the major carriers here."

For Phoenix, the city is in the heart of Major League Baseball's spring training. And, the NCAA West Regional basketball tournament semifinals will be played there this weekend.

Las Vegas travelers hoping to get out of town for spring break may be out of luck if they want to avoid using America West. Most flights on other airlines are already full.

Still, travel agents and competitors are making some contingency plans if a strike occurs.

Kathy Falkensammer, president of Prestige Travel American Express in Las Vegas, said passengers with tickets on America West should try to convert them to paper tickets if they made electronic ticket reservations.

"We love e-tickets because you can't lose them and all you have to do is give a number at the gate," Falkensammer said. "But in this case, having a paper ticket is better."

That's because other airlines are more likely to honor those tickets if an America West flight doesn't go out as scheduled.

Most of America West's competitors haven't specifically said they would accept America West tickets, but Dennis Casteel, operations manager of Carlson Wagolit Summerlin Travel, said that usually occurs.

Southwest Airlines, one of America West's biggest competitors in Las Vegas and the largest carrier at McCarran International Airport, accepts tickets on other carriers on a case-by-case basis. If America West strikes on Friday, Southwest indicated it would honor America West paper tickets issued on or before March 19 only if the exact destinations are listed on the ticket.

Roz Santangelo of Southwest's Las Vegas office said the airline also would only credit the face value of the ticket. In other words, if travelers hold an America West ticket to Los Angeles and it cost less than Southwest's walk-up rate, the value of the America West ticket would be credited toward a Southwest ticket.

The nature of the America West strike could have an impact on what happens to travelers. Union officials have promised CHAOS -- Creating Havoc Around Our System -- which are unannounced strikes at individual cities or specific flights.

The results can be more devastating than a systemwide strike because travelers fearful of having their flight canceled are likely to go to another carrier rather than take the chance there flight won't depart on schedule. CHAOS actions also disrupt schedules elsewhere in the system.

Because Las Vegas is an America West hub, any action is likely to affect the city. America West has about 78 flights a day and in February, the company carried 14 percent of McCarran's traffic.

Although there have been reports that the airline is considering shutting down rather than withstand a CHAOS action, analysts said that isn't a likely scenario. The airline is recommending that passengers be at the airport for their scheduled flights.