Originally Posted by alhcfp (Post 19343625)

I think thread title is misleading.

This is a WSJ blog. Big difference then "WSJ Recommends"

Originally Posted by fishferbrains (Post 19343434)

I think people overlook a bigger statistic (particularly for those of us who make connections): Earlier this week the "on-time" arrival (less than 14 minutes late) was only 39%.

Originally Posted by gemac (Post 19343365)

When reading articles like this in the WSJ, the Sun Sentinel, or elsewhere, it is well to remember that the writer is a union member and almost always a strong supporter of unions in general. This should not influence what is written, but almost always does. News writers feel it necessary when writing about labor-management disputes to write the article that the head of that particular union would write (in some cases, it is the union's PR staff that has written the article and shipped it over).

When reading articles written by travel writers, it is also well to remember that they generally don't travel much. When they do, it is on comped tickets that identify them as travel writers, so they have a far different experience than normal travelers do. The typical travel writer knows less about travel (from personal experience) than the average Kettle does. They do read a lot about travel, though, and tell us what they have read.

Originally Posted by HumbleBee (Post 19343649)

I don't care if I arrive 30 minutes late. Flying isn't a Swiss train. Not saying this is acceptable, but from here to labeling AA 'unreliable'?

Originally Posted by gemac (Post 19343365)

When reading articles written by travel writers, it is also well to remember that they generally don't travel much. When they do, it is on comped tickets that identify them as travel writers, so they have a far different experience than normal travelers do. The typical travel writer knows less about travel (from personal experience) than the average Kettle does. They do read a lot about travel, though, and tell us what they have read.

Originally Posted by Dallas49er (Post 19343831)

"I like to watch."-Chance the Gardner (Being There-1979) :D

Originally Posted by gegarrenton (Post 19343886)

I can't say that's necessarily true. I write on the side while I work and travel, and there are many like me. I flew, drove, sailed about 250k + last year, so I covered a decent amount of ground, and my tickets are never comped or have a note that I write, in fact, I can't think of any writer I know that does, short of Bryson or Bourdain, and maybe Simpson. It doesn't actually work that way. Everyone and their uncle wants to travel write and score free stuff, but it's just a fantasy that is happens.

Originally Posted by yuchung5 (Post 19343655)

AA, please layoff the right person, who does not want to work....
I believe most of the employees are good, just some are .........

Originally Posted by gemac (Post 19344067)

So you're saying that Scott McCartney, whose article this thread is about, pays for all his own travel, and travels mega-miles per year?

Originally Posted by PotNoodle (Post 19343117)

Oh well done pilots. In some parts of the world you would be put in prison for doing this. If you don't like your employer then quit, it is a simple as that. Stop taking your job and your customers for granted and behaving selfishly, the FA's made an agreement to take cuts, but your too superior to do it?

Fortunatley for AA they can impose a contract that can make employees more productive, which can offset the attempts at pilots sabotaging the company. How long will this take because this cannot go on for much longer? Also fortunatley UA/CO is a basketcase and have been delaying many flights recently, although they seemed to have improved.

Perhaps AA can wet lease some planes off another airline like Frontier during the union action. BA wet leased a Titan 757 for Gatwick operations this summer due to an aircraft shortage.

Originally Posted by FlyerChrisK (Post 19342561)

UA is a disaster, especially since the start of the summer. My planes have been hours late or in one particularly grim instance, I had a terrific double mechanical of a p.s. redeye in July that led to my flight being cancelled at 4:30AM.

Before you buy into the article's FUD, be sure to verify that the grass is actually greener.

Originally Posted by hillrider (Post 19344527)

When I made my OP on the thread that ended up bringing this to light, in order to get a sense whether something was broken with FlightStats I did browse DL and UA stats. And they didn't seem broken. Yesterday, for example, they cancelled 0.7% and arrived "ontime" 71% -- not great, but not broken (compare to AA's 3.3% and 46% and DL 0.2% and 67%).

Originally Posted by Xero (Post 19344384)

"Unreliable airlines have to cut prices and offer deeper discounts to win back travelers."

Is that good for us, cheaper airfare on AA. :)