WASHINGTON, Aug 20, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ --
WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Flight attendants at US
Airways, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA
(AFA-CWA), are outraged over the announcement that seven of the
airline's top executives were recently awarded stock appreciation
grants totaling millions of dollars. On August 5, 2008, less than one
week after US Airways began charging passengers two dollars for
non-alcoholic beverages, the company's Board of Directors Compensation
Committee approved over 800,000 shares as part of the airline's "Equity
Incentive Plan". Chairman and CEO Doug Parker received 275,000 shares.

The stock appreciation
rights have an exercise price of $6.70, the fair market value of the
company's common stock on the date of grant. The stock appreciation
rights have a seven year term and vest in one-third increments on each
of the first three anniversaries of the date of grant. The stock
appreciation rights also become fully vested upon termination due to
death, disability, retirement, or in the event of a change in control
of the company.

"It is disheartening to
watch US Airways top executives enrich themselves with 'performance'
based stock awards while flight attendants continue to work under a
bankruptcy driven contract that slashed wages and eliminated pensions
and benefits," said US Airways East AFA-CWA President Mike Flores.
"While US Airways has improved its on time performance, the airline
still ranks number one in customer complaints which makes it even
harder to justify this 'performance' bonus."

US Airways West
AFA-CWA President Lisa LeCarre, who represents the America West flight
attendants of US Airways added, "While management has every right to
award themselves performance based stock grants, it is a slap in the
face to the hard working flight attendants who are facing job losses
and have not received a simple cost-of-living increase in almost six
years. It is also an affront to the passengers being nickel and dimed
for such comforts as a glass of water. When will corporate America
understand the devastating effects of this erosion on public and
employee moral and trust?"

For over 60 years, the
Association of Flight Attendants has been serving as the voice for
flight attendants in the workplace, in the aviation industry, in the
media and on Capitol Hill. More than 55,000 flight attendants at 20
airlines come together to form AFA-CWA, the world's largest flight
attendant union. AFA is part of the 700,000-member strong
Communications Workers of America (CWA), AFL-CIO. Visit us at http://www.afanet.org.

SOURCE Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO

 http://www.afanet.org