Thank you. This was one program that AA should have kept going. Like you said, it still gets a smile when you deliver it to someone who earned it.
Last summer I was on a flight and a business traveler came to me and actually handed me two SOS cards (the real ones) and said that I did an outstanding job. It seemed to me that everything that could go wrong for a pax in one day, it all happened to him. Somehow, I was able to get him to forget everything that happened because of my attitude and service. He stepped aside while deplaning and thanked me for making his day.
If there is a way that you guys can get this going again, even from Flyer Talk, that just some sort of instant recognition could boost the morale of your Flight Attendants. I'm sure in no time, you will see a change.
Thank you, and I look forward to hearing more about this.
<added later>
As nice as a letter to management is about your experience is on a flight, often times the flight crews don't/won't see those letters. All crew members receive a copy of the flight, even if it's specific pertaining to one crew member. It may even take months/years for a nice letter to get to the employee. So the instant recognition is a great idea.
However, I will say that if you write about your bad experience on a flight, no matter who you are writing about, all crew members receive the letter, almost immediately (within the month)