American Airlines Places Order for 460 Narrowbody Planes from Boeing & Airbus
Jul 20, 2011, 9:44 am
#91
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: DCA
Programs: AA EXP sad former CK, Bonvoy LT Plat, BAEC Gold, VS, former UA, UA no longer, never, ever, QF
Posts: 228
I can’t believe they are throwing fleet commonality out the window, AA must think they know something LUV does not. That said, with the A320 NEO is a big jump in fuel economy with winglets and new engines at the same time.
I also can’t believe they are buying pre-NEO A320 family aircraft. The current 737 is better than the current A320 family in every way; especially in fuel burn which AA says is important. I guess they are desperate to replace the MD-88's. Or Airbus gave them a super deal on the crappy current A320 to keep the line full until the NEO is out. I can’t imagine anyone in their right mind ordering a pre NEO A320 considering it is inferior to the current competition and far inferior to the new one coming out in two years.
I also can’t believe they are buying pre-NEO A320 family aircraft. The current 737 is better than the current A320 family in every way; especially in fuel burn which AA says is important. I guess they are desperate to replace the MD-88's. Or Airbus gave them a super deal on the crappy current A320 to keep the line full until the NEO is out. I can’t imagine anyone in their right mind ordering a pre NEO A320 considering it is inferior to the current competition and far inferior to the new one coming out in two years.
Lastly, with the LUV merger, aren't they no longer "one type"? Isn't AS the last?
Jul 20, 2011, 9:45 am
#92
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Boston-Atlanta Metropolitan Axis
Posts: 208
http://www.aa.com/i18n/urls/aanews.jsp?cd=110719
Jul 20, 2011, 9:47 am
#93
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Mostly AUS or rural England
Programs: BAEC redundant Bronze, AAdvantage Lifetime PLT, CO, WN, B6
Posts: 6,526
The neo's, from either Airbus or Boeing, may never happen, but in their present state of c. $1billion a year losses it's far from certain AA will make it to the end of the decade in its present form so the questions may very well be academic.
Jul 20, 2011, 9:48 am
#94
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Now:AUS (again); Previous: LGA/EWR (BLKYN, missing JFK), AUS, SAT
Programs: Current: UA-Silver, Former AA Plat, DL Silver
Posts: 593
Jul 20, 2011, 9:49 am
#95
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: PHL, NYC
Programs: AA PLT, DL SLV, UA SLV, MR LTT, HH DIA
Posts: 10,073
There are more factors to WN's success than just a single fleet type. Their entire operating model is different than any of the legacies like AA. They also have no long haul flights that would dictate the need for anything larger than a 737.
Jul 20, 2011, 9:50 am
#96
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: PDK/ATL/TNG (ex-MIA)
Programs: DL Platinum, AA Platinum, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Gold
Posts: 664
It's too bad that most of what is being posted here is negative commentary about a historic and momentous decision that AA has made, which (along with a few more) will significantly increase AA's ability to compete with DL and UA on its own domestically, and with foreign carriers abroad.
- is that AA is still alive and well in 5-10 years. I've made a significant investment in AA flying in large part due to the AAdvantage program. All I want is to keep getting upgrades reasonably often as a gold and to have fantastic opportunities to burn miles (like my CX F trip to Asia this fall). If the new aircraft allow new routes and markets, that'll be gravy.
Jul 20, 2011, 9:51 am
#97
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2001
Location: LAX; AA EXP, MM; HH Gold
Posts: 31,789
Besides, plenty of pundits still think WN will eventually replace them with 737s.
Agree completely with the rest of your post - the old-style A320s are being sold at fire-sale prices, so even if they last only 15-20 years (since A320s have proven to have a much shorter service life than 737s), they are still a pretty economical solution, offsetting the increased expense of maintenance (such as maintaining two sets of spare parts and tooling, training, etc).
Jul 20, 2011, 9:52 am
#98
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: SJC
Programs: AA EXP, BA Silver, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 33,535
(Finally, I can post something in this thread that isn't going to be summarily, and justifiably, deleted
)Cheers.
Jul 20, 2011, 9:53 am
#99
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Austin
Programs: AA EXP +2MM- LT PLT! HH Diamond
Posts: 6,087
Jul 20, 2011, 9:54 am
#100
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Bay Area, California
Posts: 272
Let's discuss what REALLY matters!
I'm SHOCKED that your post is the only one so far asking the most obvious question - will all this mean a better experience for the consumer while flying the plane? I can't believe people are so passionate about where the plane is going to be manufactured, as opposed to the more pressing concern that fliers will have to deal with - will AA finally introduce seat-back IFE?. There is NO mention of this in any of the promotional material or AA's website. In fact, the photo on AA's website of 737-800 BSI has naked seat back. If AA does not introduce IFE in their all new fleet, it will be a serious disappointment. Be prepared to be stuck with overheads for another 15 years!
Jul 20, 2011, 9:59 am
#101
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Boston-Atlanta Metropolitan Axis
Posts: 208
I'm SHOCKED that your post is the only one so far asking the most obvious question - will all this mean a better experience for the consumer while flying the plane? I can't believe people are so passionate about where the plane is going to be manufactured, as opposed to the more pressing concern that fliers will have to deal with - will AA finally introduce seat-back IFE?. There is NO mention of this in any of the promotional material or AA's website. In fact, the photo on AA's website of 737-800 BSI has naked seat back. If AA does not introduce IFE in their all new fleet, it will be a serious disappointment. Be prepared to be stuck with overheads for another 15 years!
The big upcoming news to watch for on this front will be satellite-based wifi connections for transoceanic flights.
Jul 20, 2011, 10:00 am
#102
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Chicago, IL
Programs: AA PPro, 1MM
Posts: 505
Amen. My number one concern - even higher than the country of manufacture of the aircraft - is that AA is still alive and well in 5-10 years. I've made a significant investment in AA flying in large part due to the AAdvantage program. All I want is to keep getting upgrades reasonably often as a gold and to have fantastic opportunities to burn miles (like my CX F trip to Asia this fall). If the new aircraft allow new routes and markets, that'll be gravy.
- is that AA is still alive and well in 5-10 years. I've made a significant investment in AA flying in large part due to the AAdvantage program. All I want is to keep getting upgrades reasonably often as a gold and to have fantastic opportunities to burn miles (like my CX F trip to Asia this fall). If the new aircraft allow new routes and markets, that'll be gravy.
Jul 20, 2011, 10:00 am
#103
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: SJC
Programs: AA EXP, Marriott PLT
Posts: 42
Jul 20, 2011, 10:01 am
#104
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
It's not a given that this will improve their performance - it seems to be laregly a bet on the cost of oil. The cost they're paying for this is enormous lease payments which could well bite them in the butt if circumstances change, just as they bit UA. One of the weird things is AA avoided Chapter 11 in 2002/3 in part because they had more owned aircraft than the other carriers and more flexibility to change the fleet.
EADS' financing arrangements are a pretty sweet deal for AA compared to what AA would otherwise get. That sweetheart financing and the fuel efficiency aspect of the deal may help offset some of the company's disadvantaged position, but by itself those indeed won't make or break AA in an attempt to thrive economically relative to the other US majors.
Jul 20, 2011, 10:02 am
#105
Join Date: Jun 2008
Programs: AA Lifetime Platnum, Marriott Lifetime Platnum
Posts: 48
New Planes--Lie Flat Seats?
Do we know yet if there is a commitment for any 180 degree life FLAT seats with either in 1st Class?