Originally Posted by
formeraa
I'm sure it wasn't a "bean counter". I'm positive the F&B decisions were made by so-called "business analysts" with MBAs.
You couldn't be more spot on. Unfortunately for the business analysts, it's next-to-impossible to calculate the impact these actions have on peoples' long-term decisions. Sure, they're saving a little money here and there with the cuts, and sure, their internal metrics may not initially see much of a blip in terms of booked revenue. However, there is a long term hit to the brand image. People like me, who once booked AA automatically because I believed in the turnaround and AA's premium reputation versus the other legacy carriers, are now saying, "Gee, what's the sense in loyalty now? I don't feel the same pride in the brand. You're giving me a degraded product, and if I'm going to book into F anyway, why be so faithful to AA?" Over time, that does hurt the bottom line, and those types of feelings can't be quantified. As Bob Farrell once said in his now famous book, "Give them the pickle."