Originally Posted by
Herb687
If AA really wants to capture premium customers, it has to improve the product. Product is key. Everything else is secondary at best, maybe even tertiary (and that certainly includes miles and points).
(And, yes, obviously, the network IS part of the product. But the network is only part of the product, much to AA's chagrin)
Originally Posted by
Antarius
Product also includes things like reliability. This is where DL blows AA out of the water.
Table stakes. Then they can start talking about a "premium" product.
UA is having a phenomenal run of success based on operational excellence. UA's recent success is certainly not based on their soft product. And people tend to forget that before Delta became known as a "premium" airline it developed a reputation for unsurpassed operational excellence. Again, this is table stakes. AA
cannot move meaningfully forward without developing operational reliability.