Difference in culture: AA and US Elites
Sep 25, 2014, 10:43 am
#31
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 7,905
One of these airlines did trade under symbol LCC after all. There was no pretending about that.
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Sep 25, 2014, 11:01 am
#32
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: ORD / MDW / FLL
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I say this as an AA EXP and former US CP.
I find it high-freaking-larious that people on this board would assert (or imply) that AA elites are a better lot than US elites based on the hub markets of AA. With all due respect, there may be a fair amount of money in places like DFW and MIA but to say they have a more discriminating clientele than folks living in DCA, CLT (tons of bankers) and PHL (tons of academia) is just plain ridiculous. Money does to equate to class. If you ever doubt that just go to South Beach, sit and watch.
Granted, I'm horrified every time I have to step on a US plane, but it's not because of the people on the plane, it's because I know what US was in its heyday and what it's become. And, for those of you say that US planes are a bucket of bolts let me point out that the average age of the US fleet is 12.0 years and the AA fleet is 13.5 years.
I find it high-freaking-larious that people on this board would assert (or imply) that AA elites are a better lot than US elites based on the hub markets of AA. With all due respect, there may be a fair amount of money in places like DFW and MIA but to say they have a more discriminating clientele than folks living in DCA, CLT (tons of bankers) and PHL (tons of academia) is just plain ridiculous. Money does to equate to class. If you ever doubt that just go to South Beach, sit and watch.
Granted, I'm horrified every time I have to step on a US plane, but it's not because of the people on the plane, it's because I know what US was in its heyday and what it's become. And, for those of you say that US planes are a bucket of bolts let me point out that the average age of the US fleet is 12.0 years and the AA fleet is 13.5 years.
Sep 25, 2014, 11:16 am
#33
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Sep 25, 2014, 11:50 am
#34
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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Since you quoted me, I will respond (with love 
). Yes, it is written genuinely. Political correctness aside, pmUS was a worse airline in terms of hard product, soft product, age of planes, connections, destinations, clubs and every other measurable factor. In fact, I would be hard pressed to think of a worse "major" airline in the United States than pmUS.
). Yes, it is written genuinely. Political correctness aside, pmUS was a worse airline in terms of hard product, soft product, age of planes, connections, destinations, clubs and every other measurable factor. In fact, I would be hard pressed to think of a worse "major" airline in the United States than pmUS.
Sep 25, 2014, 12:19 pm
#35
Join Date: Dec 2008
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Duplicate post - see below.
Sep 25, 2014, 12:20 pm
#36
Join Date: Dec 2008
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All I can say is that it's sad to see all the acrimony in this thread. Our consolidated AA forum is quickly turning into the post-merger UA forum.
To me, Flyertalk is a community where we can learn from each other, voice our opinions about changes being made in the travel industry, and "geek out" about things we love about traveling. It is not in the spirit of FT to attack each other or the groups to which we belong.
Like it or not, we're all soon going to be a part of this merged American Airlines. Do continue to voice your opinions on the direction of AA, but please do not attack or stereotype your fellow travelers. By keeping the discourse civil, we'll continue to build a better FT community online.
To me, Flyertalk is a community where we can learn from each other, voice our opinions about changes being made in the travel industry, and "geek out" about things we love about traveling. It is not in the spirit of FT to attack each other or the groups to which we belong.
Like it or not, we're all soon going to be a part of this merged American Airlines. Do continue to voice your opinions on the direction of AA, but please do not attack or stereotype your fellow travelers. By keeping the discourse civil, we'll continue to build a better FT community online.
Sep 25, 2014, 12:34 pm
#37
Join Date: May 2010
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Well said FlyingMusicianLAX! ^
Sep 25, 2014, 12:36 pm
#38
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Austin,TX (AUS)
Programs: AA, UA
Posts: 767
The issue I see with US is the management. After merging HP/US, they downgraded the US product. Now, as AA/US merger moves forward, the management is downgrading the AA product. It's clear the management wants the merged AA to be a bigger Spirit.
Sep 25, 2014, 1:12 pm
#39
Join Date: Dec 2009
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It can't be any more obvious that the new USdbaAA is going to bring a serious downgrade to the pmAA product. pmAA was clearly a step above pmUS, and saying otherwise is insane. How did the best airline get stuck with the worst?
Also, pmAA used stickers because it featured an F product that people would actually pay for, meaning fewer seats open for upgrades and therefore more competition. Stickers help keep upgrades available for more elites. Not sure if they're so necessary now though, because the pmUS F product sure ain't one that I'd pay extra for.
Also, pmAA used stickers because it featured an F product that people would actually pay for, meaning fewer seats open for upgrades and therefore more competition. Stickers help keep upgrades available for more elites. Not sure if they're so necessary now though, because the pmUS F product sure ain't one that I'd pay extra for.
Sep 25, 2014, 1:41 pm
#40
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: SFO
Programs: WFBF
Posts: 963
This is a joke, right? Take a look at the majority of aa "elites" siting in their upgraded f seat - usually poorly dressed and overweight and excited about eating a $10 meal on airline china. The majority of these people are hardly elite. And they proudly put their baggage tags on their cheap roller bags so everyone can see they are "elite".
And I do use the CP luggage tag, though I'm not sure what good it does me to have the baggage handlers see it. I just use it because it has my name and DM # on it, so it's another way to identify the bag when AA loses it.
Sep 25, 2014, 1:44 pm
#41
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Ok but if you are Doug Parker and tasked with returning shareholder value and look at Spirit, a mostly domestic operation, you get the picture. At least from a domestic standpoint, the flying public, heavy business travel included, is not going to pay for lobster, the finest of china and stemwear, vintage wines and model looking FAs flying ORD/PHL or some similar route. If Parker listened to FTers he would be making another trip through bankruptcy court within a year. Now on the International side, that is where the Premium action is and so far there is no evidence he plans to make huge downgrades to the J/F product. This is economic reality. Maybe some of you should consider flying private. As far as differences in culture, I am not sure what the OP is getting at. Is it AA elites are from Beverly Hills, US elites from Compton?
Sep 25, 2014, 2:35 pm
#42
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Sep 25, 2014, 4:09 pm
#43
Join Date: Jan 2004
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You aren't looked down on by AA elites. US the airline is what is being looked down on for its inadequate product offering. No, DC is not a backwater hole by any means, but places like MIA, LAX, NYC, and ORD have historically had a stronger demand for a better product and more paid permium traffic than PHL, PHX, and in some cases CLT and hence why you see the differences between the two airlines.
This has nothing to do with each elite personally and everything to do with what was expected of the two separate airlines from their customers. We all choose our airlines to fly based on some collection of reasons and it clearly seems that between AA and US elites many of these reasons are different and why people do not like this merger. The only winners here are the shareholders, at least for the short term.
This has nothing to do with each elite personally and everything to do with what was expected of the two separate airlines from their customers. We all choose our airlines to fly based on some collection of reasons and it clearly seems that between AA and US elites many of these reasons are different and why people do not like this merger. The only winners here are the shareholders, at least for the short term.
Fair enough. I suppose I take a little bit of this stuff too personally.
But for the love of God, we all know US wasn't as good as AA. I would even say that most of us on the US aside are probably a fair amount disappointed that too much of the premerger US experience is winding up at the new AA.
If you're an AA flyer who pays for F or otherwise and are disappointed in the new experience, I get that. I really do sympathize. In the HP merger a lot of things changed for us that we weren't all too pleased about. But this nonsense about US being this crap airline and being trashy and being the greyhound of the skies is just silly and needs to stop. There is absolutely no way being elite on US is akin to being elite on AirTran. Airport lounges, Star Alliance, real international service on widebodies, the list is too long to list here.
But thank you for pointing out that it's just that US just has smaller markets to work with (namely CLT and PHX) versus MIA, ORD, etc. The fact that DCA only caters to domestic traffic also puts US's presence in the DC region at a disadvantage too.
Sep 25, 2014, 4:12 pm
#44
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I would generally agree with this. Doug Parker and his team don't have to make the cuts to the experience nearly as drastic as they have been. The company is rolling in profits.
Sep 25, 2014, 4:15 pm
#45
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What people fail to realize is that this was AAs first trip into Ch. 11 which all other majors did at least once. This meant that for years longer than its competitors, AA was saddled with much higher labor costs due to its noncompetitive contracts and benefits which its peers had been able to dump a decade earlier.
Parker was instrumental in absolutely no part of returning AA to profitability and is using his new-found power to enjoy slicing apart any kind of onboard product in an effort to provide a quick boost to AA's stock price with no concern or understanding of a long-term plan. He's a spineless fool outside of his element which was running a glorified LCC (or an actual LCC if you go by the stock symbol).