Originally Posted by
iahphx
a respected Wall Street analyst
I was unaware such a creature existed...
Originally Posted by
iahphx
Actually, I've been hearing mixed reports about the customer service at the "new" American. There certainly hasn't been any wholesale reduction in food and beverage expense: some things were harmonized, some were reduced, then some stuff was added back. I think most believe that Parker does not want to run AA as a "budget airline." That's why this soda thing may not fly. We'll see.
As far as the smaller airlines offering more value, that can certainly be true -- especially for non-elite travelers. Honestly, without status, I'm really not sure why anyone would prefer AA, UA or DL over JetBlue, Southwest, Alaska or Virgin. I wouldn't.
I can guarantee customer service at the new American is complete garbage. The food is total swill in general and many respectable foreign airlines would be embarrassed to imagine serving such meals even in Y. Anything that may have been added back is quite minimal and akin to placing a band-aid over an amputation wound. I wouldn't be shocked to see AA charge for soft drinks at all.
I struggle to figure out what the point of status is at all these days. Why be loyal to an airline in the off chance you get an upgrade to a product of crappy quality anyway? The only time I choose AA/DL/UA over another airline is if it's severely difficult to make a trip work on some other carrier. VX is great, as is AS for shorter flights. Their F seats are just not very comfortable for anything over about 2.5-3 hours.