Galley chatter

Crew chatter from the galley can tell you a lot - if you have no shame about eavesdropping or more properly bulkhead-dropping. On a recent America West long-haul flight, the cabin crew were like excited kids talking about the merger with US Airways this fall.

The new aircraft livery was topic A. When airline people talk about the paint scheme and not about how lousy the pay is or how mean or dim the bosses are, perhaps that's a good sign. One gate agent proudly told a flyer headed for a Hawaii-bound codeshare connection, "we'll be flying there ourselves in a few months". Pride in the era of concessions, cutbacks and walk-outs may be the first good news in a long while.

But like all things aesthetic, this new look of blue and white will doubtless displease someone. In this case, that's probably Steve Wolf, who led US Airways in the 1990s. He is doubtless grumbling into his vintage wine about the sorry fate of the livery he inspired, the dark-blue and red "business suit" that was meant to make a big regional named US Air into a little major called US Airways.

For more information see "US Airways and America West unveil new livery."