The article below from NYTimes.com has been sent to you by psa188@xxxxxxxxx /--------- E-mail Sponsored by Fox Searchlight ------------\ SIDEWAYS IS THE BEST PICTURE OF THE YEAR! Critics in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Boston agree... SIDEWAYS is the BEST PICTURE of the year. The award-winning film from Alexander Payne has also earned 7 GOLDEN GLOBE NOMINATIONS including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Screenplay. SIDEWAYS stars Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Sandra Oh and Virginia Madsen. SIDEWAYS is now playing in select theaters. Watch the trailer at: http://www.foxsearchlight.com/sideways/index_nyt.html \----------------------------------------------------------/ US Airways Is Predicting a Smoother Weekend December 30, 2004 By DAVID CAY JOHNSTON US Airways said yesterday that with the help of employees volunteering their time, it expected a smooth weekend at its Philadelphia hub after a Christmas weekend in which thousands of bags were mishandled. The carrier can ill afford a repeat of the Christmas weekend problems, which left many people stranded. A snowstorm in the Midwest and a large number of baggage handlers calling in sick in Philadelphia caused disruptions that led to more than 10,000 bags being mishandled. A spokesman for the airline, David Castleveter, said yesterday that nearly all bags had been returned to their owners and the last would be delivered by tomorrow. He said several hundred employees, mostly salaried personnel, had been volunteering in Philadelphia since Christmas Eve, where the airline and its commuter affiliates have 460 daily flights. The request for volunteers initially stirred confusion among workers, Mr. Castleveter said. The airline, in a telephone message for its workers, said an Associated Press report caused some employees to conclude that they were not going to be paid for scheduled shifts this weekend. Mr. Castleveter said that "if you read through the entire story, and no one ever does, it was clear" that workers would be paid, but those who read only the first sentence may have mistakenly believed they would not be paid for scheduled work. Workers scheduled for duty will be paid, he said, and so will those who show up as replacements for any who call in sick. The company is asking for volunteers in Philadelphia to deal with the crush of holiday weekend travelers by directing people to the right gates, handing out refreshments and helping people obtain boarding passes from self-service kiosks. In a sign of its contentious relations with its unions, the airline said it planned an "enhanced review" of those who call in sick from Dec. 23 to Jan. 3, threatening loss of pay and disciplinary action against abusers. A leader of the flight attendants said yesterday that the union's members had not abused the sick leave system but, in fact, had been trying to help the airline fill its needs. Many attendants who were scheduled to be off on Christmas Eve and Christmas offered to fly instead, said John Humphrey, the grievance committee chairman for Association of Flight Attendants Local 709, which represents those based in Philadelphia. "Many flight attendants stepped up to the needs of travelers and gave up their scheduled Christmas weekends with their families to make sure customers could fly," Mr. Humphreys said. "It is not unusual for people to answer the call to come in and if there is a critical staffing shortage I would expect flight attendants who are not scheduled to work to come in and work paid shifts." The union said that 238 US Airways flight attendants nationwide called in sick on Friday, down from 261 a year earlier. On Saturday, 306 called in sick, up from 298 a year earlier. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/30/business/30air.html?ex=1105426800&ei=1&en=e6d93d45befaa2d3 --------------------------------- Get Home Delivery of The New York Times Newspaper. Imagine reading The New York Times any time & anywhere you like! Leisurely catch up on events & expand your horizons. Enjoy now for 50% off Home Delivery! Click here: http://homedelivery.nytimes.com/HDS/SubscriptionT1.do?mode=SubscriptionT1&ExternalMediaCode=W24AF HOW TO ADVERTISE --------------------------------- For information on advertising in e-mail newsletters or other creative advertising opportunities with The New York Times on the Web, please contact onlinesales@xxxxxxxxxxx or visit our online media kit at http://www.nytimes.com/adinfo For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help@xxxxxxxxxxxx Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company