| Trans World Airlines | One City Centre, 515 North Sixth Street, St. Louis, MO 63101 |
| www.twa.com | (314) 589-3000 Fax: (314) 589-3129 |
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Coast-to-coast
When TWA first conquered the vast American continent and began offering coast-to-coast flights, it gave itself the grand name of Transcontinental and Western Air. In 1950, when it became the first airline to offer transcontinental service, it changed its name to Trans World Airlines. Despite these landmark achievements in air travel, however, TWA today is a troubled airline that has stalled into bankruptcy twice in four years. The company's gradual comeback, begun in 1995, received an early, tragic setback in 1996 when a TWA jet exploded over Long Island.
Bottoming out in '95
In 1995, there was little that TWA could do worse. The firm had just emerged from its second bankruptcy, but flight cancellations and late planes continued to tarnish the airline's reputation. In an effort to improve its core business, the company cut its service in the Northeast and Europe and sold off its hotel and cable television operations. Because of these measures and because of increased air travel in 1995, TWA emerged from the worst of its financial troubles and that year actually posted a profit. In 1996, however, TWA suffered a drop in bookings when TWA Flight 800 to Paris exploded off the coast of Long Island, NY, killing all 230 people on board.
One step forward, one step back
As a result of the Flight 800 disaster, crew costs shot up. The company responded by buying smaller, cheaper planes and trying to attract more business customers. The strategy was partly successful: TWA has expanded its first class section, and led the industry in on-time performance for late 1998. That same year, TWA reported the highest number of passenger boardings since 1990. Unfortunately, the emphasis on business passengers means that the airline lost out on discounted seats to leisure travelers. So while 1998 proved to be the best year for the airline industry since it was deregulated in 1978, TWA still lost money.
Underpaid? Play hooky
TWA's financial woes have also affected the airline's labor relations. TWA's top flight attendants still earn 25 percent below the industry average. In 1998, TWA endured four high-profile labor disputes with angry unions. The last disturbance, led by flight attendants who staged a "sick-out" by calling in sick en masse, forced TWA to pay passengers' bills for 1,372 hotel rooms plus meals and long-distance phone calls.
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Like many airlines, TWA's job prerequisites vary by position. TWA's web site lists contacts for each employment division: customer service, ground service, sales agent, flight attendant, or management. For more information, check out TWA's hiring Web page at www.twa.com/about_twa/at_employment.html. Pilots applying to TWA, however, should call the Universal Pilot Application Service at (800) PILOT-AP since that agency handles pilot hiring for TWA. In addition to flight attendants, TWA is currently recruiting persons for its electronic distribution team.
For nearly all of its entry-level positions, TWA offers some form of training. TWA is especially proud of its "Trans World Technical Academy," an airline maintenance school that focuses on training mechnanics to work on high-paying repair work on commercial jumbo jets. The 80,000 sq. ft. school is located near TWA's Overhaul Base at Kansas City International Airport. Call 800-TWA-TECH or visit the Trans World Technical Academy site at www.twa.com/about_twa/at_tech_academy.html.
"Remember, this business is a highly 'people related' business and therefore a person who is outgoing, friendly, neat in appearance, and who works well with people will receive good marks on an interview," says one TWA insider.
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Not the best of all possible worlds
Employees from TWA, perhaps the most troubled of the top-tier airlines (and the least profitable of the bunch), realize their condition could be better. "Life at TWA? Great people, good benefits, moderate pay, poor management, terrible union-management relationship," sums up one insider. But for those with the right temperament, working in an airline can be a demanding yet satisfying job. "In transportation, you have the ability to affect people for the good and for the bad," says one insider. "You just have to know your temperament and decide if the job is right for your personality." Adds another: "As a pilot, I was away from home about half of my life! That can be stressful from a family standpoint, and I missed some important occasions in the lives of my children because of that fact. I thoroughly enjoyed my work though, and actually looked forward to going to work."
As with any airline, taking personal flights for next to nothing is a perk that few other industries can offer. "Travel is the biggest perk anyone in the airline business has," says one former TWA employee. "As a retired pilot, I have a lifetime travel pass that allows me and my spouse free coach travel on TWA on a space-available basis."
Life and death on Long Island
The 1996 explosion of a TWA flight off the coast of Long Island has hurt morale. "JFK isn't looking so good anymore," says one insider at TWA's New York City hub. "There's too much going on here right now," comments another employee nervous about TWA's future. Nevertheless, employees continue to insist that safety has not suffered because of the financial crisis, and add that "the management and all the employees make safety a priority."
Still flying and still trying to make a difference
While the travails of recent years have battered corporate morale, many insiders say the TWA spirit isn't broken. "Even though all the other big airlines are making money, TWA isn't," says one insider. "Yet we've been struggling for a long time and we're still here. TWA has been through some very tough times in the past two or three decades, including two bankruptcies, but we're still here, still flying, and still trying to make a difference."
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