Zach1213

Not me. If it takes 3 days to get to a meeting (thus possibly losing a customer) or 3 days to get home to my family (when I have 3 days between trips to see said family), that's an issue. If that trend starts with AA, I will take my business elsewhere...simple as that.

supergrandslam

+1
I had to cancel my LH ticket at the end of last month because of great uncertainty of flight operations from FA strike.
The passengers on LH didn't know until 5-6 hours before departure if their flight would be cancelled or not.

Current AA situation looks much worse than LH for me.

Dallas49er

I will NOT book away from AA. There is something called loyalty up, and loyalty down.

OT-to any AA pilots who give a ....?

I just have to shake my head. Where is there any advantage to shooting yourself in the (insert body part here)?

Many of these pilots have served in the military, and at young ages were given responsibility for millions and millions of dollars of equipment, and given incalculable responsibility for completing their missions, sometimes at great personal risk. They worked as a team.

And when they get out, and get hired by an airline, they are forced join a union. My question is: Is there some kind of initiation program that the union has, similar to a fraternity? Except that there is no hazing, paddling, over-indulging, secret handshakes, and chasing sorority girls.

Instead, do they drink some kind of kool-aid that causes them to turn away from a life of responsibility, and creates an inability to think about long term consequences, and instead become robotic, petty, greedy, selfish, self-centered, small little people. So small, that they are so mad at AA management, any AA management, that they would rather get into bed with Doug Parker.

The same Doug Parker that has made a mess of EVERY airline he has been involved with. The same Doug Parker, that based on his track record, rivals some of the truly "great" airline legends, such as Frank Lorenzo or Carl Ichan. Good luck with that.

Back on topic-I will not book away from AA. I WILL be more than happy to suggest a career change to any unhappy AA Captain working 75 hours a month. How about to Captain of a lawnmower for Jose's Lawn Service for 50+ hours a week in August in the DFW Metroplex.

envgeo

I guess the pilots are laughing? Like little children? because that is how they are behaving.

Acting in this manor doesn't punish AA, it punishes the people that pay the pilots wages, the passengers. What is their goal, to chase off passengers? To have AA lose more money? File chapter 7 versus 11? Tell me exactly how that helps them?

elitetraveler

Huh? Any basis for such a rant?

TWATWA

HAv you flown Delta. Their service is just as awful as United's service. It is worse in some cases, especially the mileage program.

American still has the best service as long as you are not on a 767 or 777 in coach.

Zach1213

In the end, I will do what I need to get where I need to be, when I need to be. If AA employees make that difficult to do, I will take my money elsewhere. I've been loyal to AA for many years now, but if they make it hard to get home to my family, another airline's employees will be happier to take my money.

I don't WANT to leave AA. And so far I have no plans to since I assume it'll all work out. But there is no way I am saying that I would never leave AA. Down the road, what am I going to remember - the airline I was loyal to despite them only caring about my money, or the time I spent with my family and friends? Easy answer for me.

OPNLguy

You ain't kidding.. I'm neither an AA fanboy or an AA employee, but I think it was more than just a little disingenuous of WSJ to cite data from the 18th as "proof" of anything, but then again, that's what passes for journalism these days--facts without context.

The 18th started out with a cold from and associated thunderstorms, rain showers, and gusty winds running north-south through the eastern third of the country. By mid-morning, ATC ground delays for flights destined to the DC/PHL/NYC airports were in the 2-3 hour range, and they only escalated the closer the weather got to the east coast. At about 8pm eastern time, the NYC airports looked like this:

ATCSCC ADVZY 146 LGA/ZNY 09/18/2012 CDM GROUND DELAY PROGRAM
MESSAGE:
CTL ELEMENT: LGA
ELEMENT TYPE: APT
ADL TIME: 2342Z
DELAY ASSIGNMENT MODE: UDP
ARRIVALS ESTIMATED FOR: 18/2342Z - 19/0459Z
CUMULATIVE PROGRAM PERIOD: 18/1600Z - 19/0459Z
PROGRAM RATE: 25
FLT INCL: ALL CONTIGUOUS US DEP
DEP SCOPE: 1425
ADDITIONAL DEP FACILITIES INCLUDED:
CANADIAN DEP ARPTS INCLUDED: CYHZ CYOW CYUL CYYZ CYTZ CYQB
DELAY ASSIGNMENT TABLE APPLIES TO: ZNY
MAXIMUM DELAY: 806
AVERAGE DELAY: 189 (That's in minutes, or 3:09)
IMPACTING CONDITION: WEATHER / THUNDERSTORMS
COMMENTS:

ATCSCC ADVZY 147 EWR/ZNY 09/18/2012 CDM GROUND DELAY PROGRAM
MESSAGE:
CTL ELEMENT: EWR
ELEMENT TYPE: APT
ADL TIME: 2345Z
DELAY ASSIGNMENT MODE: DAS
ARRIVALS ESTIMATED FOR: 18/2345Z - 19/0559Z
CUMULATIVE PROGRAM PERIOD: 18/1500Z - 19/0559Z
PROGRAM RATE: 34
FLT INCL: ALL CONTIGUOUS US DEP
DEP SCOPE: (ALL+CZY_AP) ZAB ZSE ZFW ZKC ZME ZTL ZOA ZLC ZLA ZAU ZMP
ZDV ZID ZMA ZHU ZJX ZBW ZOB ZDC ZNY
ADDITIONAL DEP FACILITIES INCLUDED:
CANADIAN DEP ARPTS INCLUDED: CYHZ CYOW CYUL CYYZ CYTZ CYQB
DELAY ASSIGNMENT TABLE APPLIES TO: ZNY
MAXIMUM DELAY: 1466
AVERAGE DELAY: 245 (That's in minutes, or 4:05)
IMPACTING CONDITION: WEATHER / THUNDERSTORMS
COMMENTS:

ATCSCC ADVZY 148 JFK/ZNY 09/18/2012 CDM GROUND STOP
MESSAGE:
CTL ELEMENT: JFK
ELEMENT TYPE: APT
ADL TIME: 2351Z
GROUND STOP PERIOD: 18/2346Z - 19/0100Z
CUMULATIVE PROGRAM PERIOD: 18/1700Z - 19/0359Z
DEP FACILITIES INCLUDED: (2ndTier) ZTL ZAU ZMP ZID ZJX ZBW ZOB ZDC ZNY
PREVIOUS TOTAL, MAXIMUM, AVERAGE DELAYS: 2628 / 351 / 138
NEW TOTAL, MAXIMUM, AVERAGE DELAYS: 3495 / 411 / 184 (That's in minutes, or 3:04)
PROBABILITY OF EXTENSION: LOW
IMPACTING CONDITION: WEATHER / THUNDERSTORMS
COMMENTS:

The orientation of the front/weather and its movement was such that PHL and the DC-area airports went through the same lengthy delays a few hours earlier, since the weather hit these places first before eventually moving into the NYC-area, and even later, the BOS area.

Andaz5

In the end this will pass and we can say bye bye to AA employees who are more loyal to a lousy Union than to American Airlines or who care about their customers. IF you are not happy look for employment elsewhere. This is what I tell the AA Flight Attendants I personally know, for the past 15 years I've known them all they do is whine and whine and whine, AA it's time to clean house!!!

FullFare

Agree. Actually, for those who have some anatomical interest in colon anatomy, I believe the editor's head is lodged all the way up to the hepatic flexure. Disclosure: I am a surgeon (and heretofore lifetime supporter of AA).

azepine00

Nothing meaningful changed in ua program. There are plenty of merger related issues and spotty customer service but that seems to be improving...

HumbleBee

of course I've flown Delta.

This conversation is about the reliability, not the service.

Skypesos suck, but you can remedy that by crediting to AS or such (IF you don't need the status).

system error

I have to say I'm concerned. I have DFW-MIA-SJU on Friday with only 50 min connection in MIA. Meeting up with a friend in MIA who I haven't seen in years. Just to be safe I'm going standby, meaning catching the 5:30 or the 7:30am vs. the 8:30 but it has to be done.

I love AA, despite being captive to them at DFW, and I feel for the pilots, but I can't help but shake my head at all of this. I understanding mgt being crud, they are mgt, that's what they do. But pilots are suppose to be the the bigger men/women here. No one goes into mgt because they have a passion for cost reduction and head count. People learn to fly because it's amazing and they do have a passion for that. Business is business, I get it. I just hope at some point both mgt and the pilots realize who actually pays both of their salaries.

Please work this out AA. I don't want to go back to the cattle call.

Science Goy

I think we've found the underlying cause of the horrible service you always claim to receive.

bob_the_d

i can second this. anyone who uses LGA/JFK on tuesday as a basis for bad staff is lying. well the staff might be doing bad things, but tuesday was legitimately bad. i was on a plane (a UA bird, but it doesn't matter) on tuesday scheduled for a 6PM departure. didn't leave until past 8. 50+ mph winds knocking around planes on the ground, everyone was grounded and nobody was leaving for hours. on twitter and ch9 the same was happening at JFK as well. tuesday was just a nightmare to fly on for NYC based flyers.

i'm up for giving crap to people when crap is due, but tuesday i'm inclined to give the airlines a pass, the weather really was that bad.