US Airways is a "Pretty Girl," Damn It! Really, She is!
Continental Airlines (CAL) chief executive Jeff Smisek stirred up trouble recently in a conference call about Continental's merger with United Airlines when he likened US Airways (LCC) to an "ugly girl." While US Airways chief Doug Parker took the opportunity to be offended at the "chauvinistic and offensive" comment (I bet that's the first time he's ever said that!) he also didn't want to be the ugly girl.
From the Associated Press story:
"I recognized that United is the best possible partner for Continental," Smisek said on a conference call. Referring to United Airlines CEO Glenn Tilton, he said, "I didn't want him to marry the ugly girl; I wanted him to marry the pretty one, and I'm much prettier."
And from the Arizona Republic:
"Like me, many of you found his comment both chauvinistic and offensive to the hard-working people of US Airways," Parker said.Parker then uses several paragraphs to outline to employees just why US Airways is, indeed, a prettier girl than that wench, Continental. There's her sparkling on-time performance, her attractive stock price rising a buxom 42% while plain-as-a-mud-fence Continental only rose 15%. In short, US Airways would be getting a date for the Prom!He said Smisek sent him an apology in which he said he "got carried away in the moment" and "really felt badly."
"I believe Jeff was sincere in his apology, have accepted it on behalf of all of us and am ready to move past it," Parker's memo said.
He said one employee asked, "Why are we the ugly girl?"
Does anyone else find this whole debacle amazing simply because it shows us how little we have come from the 1960s? In a male-dominated industry, a big insult is being called an ugly girl. Parker, instead of calling it sexist or chauvinist and letting it go, seems determined to let everyone know that his Tempe, Ariz. girl isn't ugly. Why?
Some critics, who cite industry machismo, liken it to being called the most worthless kind of woman -- the ugly one. Not the stupid one, not the vapid one, not the snob or the mean one, but the un-pretty one. (Isn't the saying, "Pretty is as pretty does"? But that's probably something US Airways' mother said to her while she mutinously ate carrot sticks.)
But I think it's even worse than that, and goes one step further. Not only is she being called ugly, but she's also single and publicly scorned. US Airways just watched the wedding between United and Continental and could only get through it by telling everyone else the bride looked fat.
Photo: Drewski2112