Jun 11, 2015, 5:30 pm
Last edit by: JDiver
"One system. One code." Target: Effective Saturday, October 17, 2015.
AA and US Computer Reservations and Passenger Services Systems Merge 18 Jul - 16 Oct 2015
US Shares data moved to AA Sabre (with the QIK overlay used by US) in 3 month "draindown" process.
LAA - LUS fora move to "Combined" forum occurs 17-18 October.
US Shares data moved to AA Sabre (with the QIK overlay used by US) in 3 month "draindown" process.
LAA - LUS fora move to "Combined" forum occurs 17-18 October.
NOTE: This thread is now archived. For the current thread, please see AA -US CRS & PSS and Brand Merger 17 Oct 2015 - Issues, Q & A, Etc.
OCTOBER 17 2015 CHANGES: The AA front page now links to nhttps://www.aa.com/i18n/aboutUs/arriving.jsp, which lists changes on October 17 at BOS, DCA, SFO.
BOS: Special notice Link
Beginning October 17, we’ll only operate out of Terminal B. There will be 3 check-in locations, marked outside by gate number.
Beginning October 17, we’ll only operate out of Terminal B. There will be 3 check-in locations, marked outside by gate number.
DCA: Special notice Link
Beginning October 17, we’ll operate out of Terminals B and C. American Shuttle flights and ticket counters will move to Terminal B, as well as ticket counters for Priority. Ticket counters for Main Cabin will be in Terminal C.
Beginning October 17, we’ll operate out of Terminals B and C. American Shuttle flights and ticket counters will move to Terminal B, as well as ticket counters for Priority. Ticket counters for Main Cabin will be in Terminal C.
SFO: Special notice Link
We operate out of Terminals 1 and 2. Ticket counters are only available in Terminal 2..
We operate out of Terminals 1 and 2. Ticket counters are only available in Terminal 2..
Note: "Just the facts: changes and issues occurring 17 Oct 2015" and "Drain down" (Shares -> Sabre merger) discrepancies, errors, bugs etc. for issues, troubles, etc. have been merged into this thread.
Executive summary:
- All flights will be changed to AA, reservations and bookings controls to Sabre and aa.com for flights effective 17 October.
- All US Shares data will move to AA Sabre by 17 Oct; the QIK interface used with Shares will be added to Sabre.
- On Saturday, 17 October., AA will have 20% higher than normal staffing to assist.
- On Saturday, 17 October., AA will reduce by 200 flights for that day.
- All policies going forward will be Legacy American Airlines, unless otherwise modified. US Airways policies will no longer apply.
- Full rebranding (other than aircraft reprinting, which will proceed well into 2016 at least) will be carried out by October 17 - all flight coding, kiosk and ticket counter, lounge (previously completed), etc. will be done.
- The US Airways brand will cease to exist 17 October 2015.
NOTE: Reverse chronological order.
23 Sep 2015: Latest in Sabre dated 9/23 (c/o skunker, post #392)
Obviously this is aimed at TAs, but if you have tickets issued by a TA you might want to check that they have be reissued correctly
This FAQ should be viewable by all: http://www.aasaleslink.com/servlet/s...0PE000000L05GR see skunker, below.
17 Sep: 30 days away, and all flights show as AA after 16 Oct - online meal ordering on aa.com works for US flights now coded AA flights.
Sep 15 2015: AA has adopted US' baggage tracking system (SITA World Tracer system here). Better tracking, but you MUST file your claim at the airport now; calling won't do.
From JonNYC, 19 Jul 2015 (post #175):
From JonNYC 10 July 2015 (post #103):
http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea....next-saturday/
Chicago Tribune, 14 Oct 2015, c/o XLR26 (post #410):
From an article in today's Chicago Tribune:
American Airlines officials say they have spared no expense to decrease the chances the airline will have trouble Saturday but can't guarantee complete success. Here's what American has done so far:
Full article: link (May need to Google the headline to avoid the paywall.)
From an article in today's Chicago Tribune:
American Airlines officials say they have spared no expense to decrease the chances the airline will have trouble Saturday but can't guarantee complete success. Here's what American has done so far:
- It switched to the larger airline's reservation system, which requires moving less data and less retraining of employees.
- In July, it began draining US Airways reservations from the system, leaving fewer records to migrate, just 4 percent of all reservations.
- American did six full-scale tests of the migration with 5 million mock plane reservations.
- Staffing levels at airports will be increased 20 percent Saturday.
- American's flight schedule Saturday has been reduced by some 200 flights.
- Airport agents and reservation agents had extra training.
- USAirways.com will automatically redirect to AA.com on Saturday, and the US Airways mobile app will be disabled.
Full article: link (May need to Google the headline to avoid the paywall.)
An important message from American Global Sales
In preparation for moving all US Airways flights to the Sabre reservation system, American Global Sales encourages you to process any remaining merger schedule changes and reissue tickets on the original ticket stock no later than October 1, 2015. This will ensure you maintain control of these tickets.
After October 1, American may reissue any tickets you haven't processed to ensure all customers are ready for travel on or after October 17. On that day, Sabre will serve as the single reservation system and all flights will use the American Airlines code.
In preparation for moving all US Airways flights to the Sabre reservation system, American Global Sales encourages you to process any remaining merger schedule changes and reissue tickets on the original ticket stock no later than October 1, 2015. This will ensure you maintain control of these tickets.
After October 1, American may reissue any tickets you haven't processed to ensure all customers are ready for travel on or after October 17. On that day, Sabre will serve as the single reservation system and all flights will use the American Airlines code.
This FAQ should be viewable by all: http://www.aasaleslink.com/servlet/s...0PE000000L05GR see skunker, below.
17 Sep: 30 days away, and all flights show as AA after 16 Oct - online meal ordering on aa.com works for US flights now coded AA flights.
Sep 15 2015: AA has adopted US' baggage tracking system (SITA World Tracer system here). Better tracking, but you MUST file your claim at the airport now; calling won't do.
From JonNYC, 19 Jul 2015 (post #175):
http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea....next-saturday/
American begins the process of moving US Airways flights and reservations over to become American Airlines flights and reservations. It’s a 90 day process, so October 17 there will no longer be US Airways flights.
Starting next weekend, US Airways flights October 17 onward will be moved over to American’s reservation system. Attempts to book flights 17 Oct or later are referred to aa.com.
Starting next weekend, US Airways flights October 17 onward will be moved over to American’s reservation system. Attempts to book flights 17 Oct or later are referred to aa.com.
From swag: The farewell flight for US Airways will be a red-eye — Flight 434 is scheduled to leave San Francisco around 10 p.m. and land in Philadelphia after 6 a.m. on Oct. 18.
http://news.yahoo.com/last-flight-us...--finance.html
BUT in light of what AA says, might it be 16 October?
http://news.yahoo.com/last-flight-us...--finance.html
BUT in light of what AA says, might it be 16 October?
AA partial statement 10 Jul 2015:
Scheduled on a US Airways flight departing on or after October 17? Here's what to keep in mind:
Scheduled on a US Airways flight departing on or after October 17? Here's what to keep in mind:
- Once your flight becomes an American flight, we'll send you an email with your itinerary and new record locator. Look for the subject line: "An important update to your reservation." If you booked through a travel agent, you can view your reservation on aa.com as early as July 20.
- Upgrades on domestic flights will be auto-requested if everyone in your reservation is eligible for a complimentary upgrade. If everyone isn't eligible, you'll need to manually request the upgrade.
- Upgrades for a companion traveling on the same flight will need to be requested using 500-mile upgrades. If you want to upgrade a companion, make sure you request it.
- You can request upgrades on aa.com, by calling reservations or your travel agent, or at the airport on the day of travel.
- As always, you can get alerts for all of your flights by signing up for BeNotified. And, you can download the American Airlines app for a more personalized mobile experience and quick access to all of your flight information.
(11 Jun 2015) Just noticed this in Sabre
We have been working with American Airlines since they announced the process of transitioning the US Airways reservations from Shares to Sabre. We would like to provide you with the following update:
This will begin with a merger schedule change process as early as July 2015, which will convert all US Airways flights from about 90 days out and beyond to American flights. As a result, you will notice these existing PNRs with US segments will be updated to reflect this change and will appear as AA segments. American currently is conducting various tests and business readiness assessments and will identify specific dates once these activities are complete.
This will begin with a merger schedule change process as early as July 2015, which will convert all US Airways flights from about 90 days out and beyond to American flights. As a result, you will notice these existing PNRs with US segments will be updated to reflect this change and will appear as AA segments. American currently is conducting various tests and business readiness assessments and will identify specific dates once these activities are complete.
WSJ 12 May 2015: American Airlines Group Inc. plans this summer to meld key computer systems from the two carriers that combined in its merger 17 months ago, as it works toward eliminating the US Airways brand by the end of this year.
The company said in a letter to ticket sellers on Tuesday that it would begin the transition as early as July, with the final so-called cutover happening 90 days later, when flights with the US Airways brand will end. That milestone would signal the company is finished with the biggest parts of the integration kicked off by the December 2013 merger between the former American and US Airways to form the world’s biggest airline.
The company said in a letter to ticket sellers on Tuesday that it would begin the transition as early as July, with the final so-called cutover happening 90 days later, when flights with the US Airways brand will end. That milestone would signal the company is finished with the biggest parts of the integration kicked off by the December 2013 merger between the former American and US Airways to form the world’s biggest airline.
"Drain down" from AA : The transition period of ninety days is being called a "drain down", according to IT Chief Maya Lieberman, who said the benefit of the AA - US merger is that AA has learned from the other (NW - DL, UA - CO) mergers - albeit once the process has begun, there can be no turning back. The "drain down" period will lead to no US flights existing after the 90th day; all sites, kiosks, flights, passenger service lines etc. will be branded American Airlines. Those attempting booking flights during this 90 day period for US flights beyond the 90 day transition period will be redirected to booking AA flights on aa.com.
This is being referred to as "One system. One code."
This is being referred to as "One system. One code."
See articles:
- Wall Street Journal article: http://www.wsj.com/articles/american...mer-1431453601
- Ft. Worth Business Press: http://www.fwbusinesspress.com/news/...d471717ed.html
- Los Angeles Times: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...512-story.html
- Bloomberg: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articl...ation-meltdown
- San Diego Union-Tribune: http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/...ing-this-fall/
There are a lot of details that could change in a PNR, but this is probably the most important:
•Seat Assignments – All US seats previously assigned will be re-accommodated as the same seat number on the AA flight
Suggestion: For your comfort, ease of upgrades and miles posting, do not book codeshares. At some point soon, you won't be allowed to book US flights for October 17 or later.
When it's over, all upgrades and other policies will follow the current AA AAdvantage system; the vestiges of the US upgrade system, move up, etc. will be gone.
[/COLOR]
ARCHIVE: AA - US Reservations Merger 18 Jul - 16 Oct; US code / brand end 17 Oct 2015
May 15, 2015, 12:06 pm
#31
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
Who's operating my flight?
With a codeshare flight, the operating carrier is the airline that flies the plane, and the marketing carrier is the partner airline that sells seats on the operating carrier's flights.
You can tell which carrier is operating your flight:
With a codeshare flight, the operating carrier is the airline that flies the plane, and the marketing carrier is the partner airline that sells seats on the operating carrier's flights.
You can tell which carrier is operating your flight:
- Next to the flight number when you book the flight
- In your AAdvantage profile after you book
- In your confirmation email
- On the check-in reminder email 24 hours before your flight
May 15, 2015, 2:40 pm
#32
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Venice, Florida
Programs: Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,607
May 15, 2015, 2:53 pm
#33
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Pittsburgh
Programs: MR/SPG LT Titanium, AA LT PLT, UA SLV, Avis PreferredPlus
Posts: 31,008
Tell your travel agent "don't book an American or USAirways flight as a code share" - he/she will know what that means.
If doing it yourself, just avoid anything that says "operated by" the other airline. Confusingly, "Operated by" Republic, Air Wisconsin, etc. is OK - just not the other party in the merger.
If doing it yourself, just avoid anything that says "operated by" the other airline. Confusingly, "Operated by" Republic, Air Wisconsin, etc. is OK - just not the other party in the merger.
May 15, 2015, 2:57 pm
#34
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Pittsburgh
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Posts: 31,008
I gagged when I read this at CF:
The way they explain it, it’s hard to imagine this going wrong.
May 15, 2015, 6:50 pm
#35
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Venice, Florida
Programs: Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,607
Tell your travel agent "don't book an American or USAirways flight as a code share" - he/she will know what that means.
If doing it yourself, just avoid anything that says "operated by" the other airline. Confusingly, "Operated by" Republic, Air Wisconsin, etc. is OK - just not the other party in the merger.
If doing it yourself, just avoid anything that says "operated by" the other airline. Confusingly, "Operated by" Republic, Air Wisconsin, etc. is OK - just not the other party in the merger.
May 16, 2015, 12:43 pm
#36
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
ROTFLMAO! From the perspective years ago I was an aviation c&e global troubleshooter and ATC systems installer.
I like your approach much, much better; much more realistic than crossing one's fingers and saying things like that.
May 17, 2015, 7:28 am
#37
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: San Diego, Ca
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Posts: 3,502
May 17, 2015, 9:47 am
#38
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
.......
Last edited by JDiver; Jun 11, 2015 at 5:14 pm
May 17, 2015, 11:21 am
#39
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: San Diego, Ca
Programs: AA 2MM LT PLT; AS MVP Gold75k; HHonors Diamond; IHG PLT
Posts: 3,502
"...it's hard to imagine this going wrong."
ROTFLMAO! From the perspective years ago I was an aviation c&e global troubleshooter and ATC systems installer.
I like your approach much, much better; much more realistic than crossing one's fingers and saying things like that.
ROTFLMAO! From the perspective years ago I was an aviation c&e global troubleshooter and ATC systems installer.
I like your approach much, much better; much more realistic than crossing one's fingers and saying things like that.
Personally, I would have waited until after Labor Day, after summer vacation season; should still allow PLENTY of time to work out the bugs before the busy Thanksgiving travel season.
I currently have 2 trips scheduled during the period, both on AA metal, in early July and late October, will do my best to avoid making further plans during this time.
May 17, 2015, 11:29 am
#40
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
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Posts: 62,948
I am a bit more willing to give Parker the benefit of the doubt. The merging of the FFP was no small task, occurred over a weekend, generally considered a success. It was naive for CO/UA to believe that the reservation system consolidation could happen overnight, allowing a 90 window leaves lots of room to address issues as they arise, minimize their effects on operations, customers.
Personally, I would have waited until after Labor Day, after summer vacation season; should still allow PLENTY of time to work out the bugs before the busy Thanksgiving travel season.
I currently have 2 trips scheduled during the period, both on AA metal, in early July and late October, will do my best to avoid making further plans during this time.
Personally, I would have waited until after Labor Day, after summer vacation season; should still allow PLENTY of time to work out the bugs before the busy Thanksgiving travel season.
I currently have 2 trips scheduled during the period, both on AA metal, in early July and late October, will do my best to avoid making further plans during this time.
, but I agree.Plenty of kudos to Parker, Liebman et al so far. It's just that such complexity can get bollixed up by unexpected issues and events. (Like the time we cabled and wired up for power a full "de novo" Air Traffic Control Center in Japan and tech rep "Robbie" came in to check our progress, pulled the main Power Distribution Panel switch and fried a number of cables, switching systems, etc. and set us back weeks. Never ignore the potential for the "Robbie effect" or unforeseen glitches or hidden incompatibility.)
Hopefully, the "drain down" of one quarter will give everyone a nice "buffer" of time to work these things out.
May 17, 2015, 3:50 pm
#41
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: San Diego, Ca
Programs: AA 2MM LT PLT; AS MVP Gold75k; HHonors Diamond; IHG PLT
Posts: 3,502
Should be lots of red jackets visible in major hubs.
If / when they screw up, I would expect a year end elite promotion, like the Q413 Double EQM, (due to work slowdown earlier in the year) - followed by a change to a revenue model for elite qualification ( a la DL and UA) in 2016...
May 17, 2015, 5:56 pm
#42
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Join Date: May 2000
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Posts: 62,948
Both trips are leisure, with some allowance for delays. Should the consolidation cause inconvenience, I will be quick to complain, expect elites to be treated extra special, well compensated.
Should be lots of red jackets visible in major hubs.
If / when they screw up, I would expect a year end elite promotion, like the Q413 Double EQM, (due to work slowdown earlier in the year) - followed by a change to a revenue model for elite qualification ( a la DL and UA) in 2016...
Should be lots of red jackets visible in major hubs.
If / when they screw up, I would expect a year end elite promotion, like the Q413 Double EQM, (due to work slowdown earlier in the year) - followed by a change to a revenue model for elite qualification ( a la DL and UA) in 2016...
As far as going to a revenue model, they can do that several ways if they choose to do that - qualifying on EQ Points, for one. We'll see what the Parker administration choose to do as they see if DL and UA genuinely benefit from the$e change$.
May 18, 2015, 10:12 am
#43
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Venice, Florida
Programs: Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,607
I wonder, as i go on my codeshare flight today with no upgrade, will I still be offered a complimentary drink? it would be nice
May 18, 2015, 10:16 am
#44
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
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May 18, 2015, 12:34 pm
#45
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Venice, Florida
Programs: Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,607
my question is, are they supposed to?? I know it was standard at AA.