It would be so easy to take the "whiny complaint" direction that Paul Stifflemire (letter, Jan. 29) paints about US Airways employees. In fact, I spent the better part of an hour putting those words on paper. After a few deep breaths outside with the dog, I changed my mind.

After more than 30 years flying for Piedmont Airlines and US Airways, I have seen my share of people just like this gentleman. To them, the flight crew and all other employees of an airline are always at fault for every late flight and diversion.

Stifflemire says that over the last 30 years, one could find many instances of major mistakes by management that were compounded by recalcitrant employees. More than 30 years ago, we were a profitable airline known as Piedmont Airlines. The merger with US Air did not take effect until 1989. We were still a well-managed and profitable airline at that time.

I was about to go off on that tangent I dropped before I took deep breaths. Stifflemire seems to say that we are the only airline in trouble. Every airline is in the same position where US Airways now finds itself, at least in the loss department.

We were the first to go into bankruptcy, but now you are seeing the other airlines suffering huge losses. The airlines are losing billions and the oil companies are making billions of dollars.

What makes Stifflemire an expert on US Airways? Management and employees are working diligently to change this airline to profitability. The running of an airline has changed dramatically in the last 30 years, from the days of regulation through deregulation. US Airways and its employees are trying to change the shape of this company to compete in the airline world of today.

All of the airlines are bleeding billions of dollars and trying to do the same thing. Hopefully, Stifflemire, an airline industry analyst and "expert on US Airways," is wrong and we will survive.

Ronald M. Carter
The writer is a retired US Airways captain who lives in High Point.