How does one bad storm shut down AA?
Dec 8, 2013, 9:15 am
#31
Join Date: Oct 2002
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Dec 8, 2013, 9:37 am
#33
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 312
So, you are suggesting massive schedule changes for the duration of a storm, and then quickly change the schedule back when the storm clears?
And, magically AA will be awarded take off and landing slots at these other location.? Or, do you just want AA to pay for additional slots all year, assuming they are available? And, of course, they would also hire extra people for those airports when a storm is about to hit, and then lay them off when the storm disappears?
And, magically AA will be awarded take off and landing slots at these other location.? Or, do you just want AA to pay for additional slots all year, assuming they are available? And, of course, they would also hire extra people for those airports when a storm is about to hit, and then lay them off when the storm disappears?
Just my opinion here after more than 30 years of flying experience.
Considering American Airlines was not using the slots allocated for the fights to and from DFW, there's no issue there.
Most of the DFW based crews were in the middle of multi day trips during this situation, so having them fly to and from other hub cities is really not an issue either. They are only going to get back to DFW when operations get back to normal in any case.
Airlines and businesses need to have creative people in charge of their operations, not people that look for excuses why something can't be done.
soccer
Dec 8, 2013, 9:40 am
#34
Join Date: Jun 2005
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In all my years as a frequent flyer, I've never seen a single bout of bad weather so severely cripple a major American airline. As a result of the storm in Dallas, American has pretty much stopped answering phone calls, even from its most elite members. If a call is answered on the Executive Platinum line, it will routinely take an hour. More often, the phone will go dead after 45 minutes or more. Goodness knows what is happening to passengers without any elite status.
All of the automated telephone systems -- the "recognize me" function, the call back functions -- have stopped working.
The website is virtually non-functional.
None of this bodes well for the "new" American Airlines.
All of the automated telephone systems -- the "recognize me" function, the call back functions -- have stopped working.
The website is virtually non-functional.
None of this bodes well for the "new" American Airlines.
I live in central Texas and understand how an ice storm can cripple an area like no other type of incident. And very little can be done with the accumulated ice until temps get above freezing, which may (barely) happen today. Frankly I am amazed that AA is running as many flights as they are.
Call wait times could be quite long, and some agents weren't as flexible as they could have been, so I won't give AA a complete pass. They knew the weather was coming and could have had more employees in position when it hit. They had a false alarm about a week earlier, which may explain (but not excuse) why they were a bit flat-footed this time. And if the website had more rebooking functionality many calls could be avoided. Hopefully they will learn some lessons.
Dec 8, 2013, 10:30 am
#36
Moderator, Marriott Bonvoy & FlyerTalk Evangelist
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Most of this post is garbage: "pretty much stopped answering phone calls", "phone will go dead after 45 minutes", "all of the automated telephone systems... have stopped working", "website is virtually non-functional". I had a trip disrupted this weekend and experienced none of this.
I was supposed to fly to DFW on Friday morning (from MCI). Thursday night I was notified that my flight was cancelled. I called in and had a 1 hour wait (but was able to have them call me back so as to not have to wait on the phone the whole time.) I did have them drop my call once or twice while waiting (on some of my subsequent calls). Also, I had one agent just flat tell me she couldn't help me and quickly put me in another queue that had an hour wait. I had to hang up and call back. I have noticed that a few of the times I called in the online system couldn't find my reservations information (I would hear that sound while its looking for a longer than normal period and then it would say that it couldn't find my reservations. I would just hang up and call back a couple of times until it was able. I found that my wait (as a Plat) was shorter when it could figure out who I was and what reservation I had.
BTW, I'm still here in MCI trying to get on a flight. I'm now on a Monday morning flight. Somewhere in all those cancelled/changed flights, I can no longer access my reservation online any more. I just received an email confirmation for my flight on Monday, but I can't see it using either aa.com or the AA iphone app. And I have a friend with me in the same boat and he can't access his reservation online either. So something is going on with the online access.
With all that though, I understand the cancellations and really can't complain as AA has been very pro-active with notifying me. So I'm sitting here at the MCI Airport Hilton nice and warm with a room. ^ So while the cancellations have been inconvenient, I've been in worse situations before.
Dec 8, 2013, 10:52 am
#37
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Just my opinion here after more than 30 years of flying experience.
Considering American Airlines was not using the slots allocated for the fights to and from DFW, there's no issue there.
Most of the DFW based crews were in the middle of multi day trips during this situation, so having them fly to and from other hub cities is really not an issue either. They are only going to get back to DFW when operations get back to normal in any case.
Airlines and businesses need to have creative people in charge of their operations, not people that look for excuses why something can't be done.
soccer
Considering American Airlines was not using the slots allocated for the fights to and from DFW, there's no issue there.
Most of the DFW based crews were in the middle of multi day trips during this situation, so having them fly to and from other hub cities is really not an issue either. They are only going to get back to DFW when operations get back to normal in any case.
Airlines and businesses need to have creative people in charge of their operations, not people that look for excuses why something can't be done.
soccer
Do you think it hasn't been done because nobody has thought of it? So, AA could move all of those planes flying those short routes to instead change all of the connections and fly those RJs from MIA
Dec 8, 2013, 11:04 am
#38
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Dec 8, 2013, 11:08 am
#39
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Takeoff and landing slots DO NOT EXIST at the vast majority of airports served by AA. There's no such thing at most US airports.
Dec 8, 2013, 11:21 am
#40
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I'm in process of applying for the armchair QB job with the cowboys.
Dec 8, 2013, 11:23 am
#41
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Dec 8, 2013, 11:32 am
#42
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Well said. When the 100 year storm hit Connecticut last winter, the vast majority of people understood and hunkered down. Both governmental operations and communications were hampered. Operations by massive snow and communications by a failure of the reverse 911 notifications because, again, of the massive snow.
As I was helping out my friends in my hometown sort it all out, I was struck how an irrational few can drown out the vast majority of reasonable people. My favorite was the guy who was screaming that there should be enough staff and equipment on hand to clear a 100 year storm in 24 hours, and oh by the way, his taxes are too high.
In this case, an airline that has staffing sufficient for gigantic weather disruptions is an airline that is way overstaffed 350 days a year.
That said, I am flying BDL-LAX tomorrow morning and if a little weather in Dallas delays my flight or messes up my meal selection I'll be here screaming.
As I was helping out my friends in my hometown sort it all out, I was struck how an irrational few can drown out the vast majority of reasonable people. My favorite was the guy who was screaming that there should be enough staff and equipment on hand to clear a 100 year storm in 24 hours, and oh by the way, his taxes are too high.
In this case, an airline that has staffing sufficient for gigantic weather disruptions is an airline that is way overstaffed 350 days a year.
That said, I am flying BDL-LAX tomorrow morning and if a little weather in Dallas delays my flight or messes up my meal selection I'll be here screaming.
Dec 8, 2013, 11:39 am
#43
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The professionals are doing all wrong, so let the novices handle it.
Maybe someone who stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night can handle Airline Operations, after he finishes the heart transplant, but before he gets back to his sales job
Dec 8, 2013, 12:03 pm
#44
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: ATL
Programs: Delta PlM, 1M
Posts: 6,363
3 years ago, ATL got hit by an equally severe ice storm. Pax were stranded for days. Call hold times were in the hours. Don't know how dl.com was doing, but would not be surprised if it struggled.
One might dig up the FT thread, I suspect if one swaps DL/AA and ATL/DFW one would not even realize they were on the other thread.
WX happens.
One might dig up the FT thread, I suspect if one swaps DL/AA and ATL/DFW one would not even realize they were on the other thread.
WX happens.
Last edited by exwannabe; Dec 8, 2013 at 12:12 pm