VegasGambler

This is more of a general comment than AA specific (since I rarely fly revenue flights on AA so I don't have status) but the main reason that I pay attention to miles (the status kind, not the redeemable kind) is because the value of status makes it worthwhile. Flying economy without status is truly a horrible experience. I want to be able to select E+ seats for free. Paying to select E+ seats on every flight adds up quickly (like, $100+ per direction transcon -- it can double the price of a ticket).

For F travel, it matters less, but usually you get some added flexibility around making changes (different policies on different airlines, but most offer some sort of free SDC at least; AS offers waived change fees outright; AA offers free changes or waived redeposit fees on award tickets). Also you tend to get treated better in case of IRROPS, which is usually irrelevant, until the one time that it's really, really relevant.

Picking an airline for redeemable miles is a sucker's game for the most part, so I agree with you there. Ever since most airlines have gone to revenue-based RDM it's basically worthless (*) -- you can get a lot more miles by churning credit cards, doing MS on credit cards, or through various promotions. You can spend $50k a year with AA and I'll still get more AA RDM than you from Citi without setting foot on a plane. Of course you will be CK so you will be treated better

* AS is the exception here -- they are still distance based and there are routes where the RDM have significant value compared to the cost of the ticket, especially when stacked with certain promos.

ATLflyer2017

People said it earlier in this thread but the airlines are giving the people what they wanted. They want to fly across the country for less than $300. I have to assume that frequent business flyers aren't the majority of their passengers. So airlines can't afford to cater just to that group despite what everyone would want.
This is the great thing about our country...and most I suppose, if you don't like AA you don't have to fly them. You have the option of choosing whoever you please based on their product and pricing. I despise AA but if the price is right and the timing is convenient, I have no problem choosing them over my much preferred Delta. As long as we exercise that right, prices will remain competitive and airlines will try to top each other with improvements.

IADCAflyer

I have to very much disagree that Parker and Co. drove US into the ground when HP and US married. Both airlines were mega regionals and neither were doing spectacularly well independently. Together they became a nationwide carrier with significant synergy and force. Indeed, HP+US really was a 1+1=3 marriage. Good enough that in 2012, US was solvent and AA was in bankruptcy.....

FlyerTalker688786

According to news report I read on WSJ, the HP US merger was a mess.

the only reason AA declared bankruptcy was to merge with US by taking 300 new aircraft orders.

oopsz

Planes are overbooked completely full a week in advance - I've had to take connections on last minute tickets because the nonstops are zeroed. And
every flight I've boarded in the past two weeks have required 4-6 volunteers, with voucher offers of $800-975. This summer is going to be a mess.

FlyerTalker70

In other words, a good time to go flying if you've got the time to be "inconvenienced" by an overbooking scenario . I for one, wouldn't mind catching a later outbound flight on some of the $7 award tickets I've got with UA if it means I'll get several hundred in flight coupons.

-James

AAir_head

USFlyerUS

As someone who flew US 200K+ miles each year during the HP-US merger, I disagree. It was nowhere near a mess. Nor was the US-AA merger. Mergers always have some challenges, but I wouldn't classify those as being a mess.

pmblinn

I believe this is also partly due to the grounding of the 737-MAX.

PlatinumScum

Then they should bite the bullet and do it. Stop spending money on Flagship Lounges, etc. and decide what you want to be when you grow up! It's not what I want, but it would at least be a coherent strategy.

Uncle Nonny

And baggage fees and cargo.

sbrower

Move to Mammoth. United was at $1,800 plus hotel to not take the one flight a day to LAX (the airport only has a TOTAL of one flight a day out).

SouthernCross

SOBE ER DOC

I was US CP many year leading up to the merger. There was a time when US was a fairly nice airline to fly. Was it an east coast centric airline? Yup. But it was an airline that by and large knew how to serve business travelers and knew how to provide decent service. Parker got a hold of US and things went south pretty darn quick. Meal service got scaled back, seat pitch was reduced, seat in F were ripped out. IFE was removed. Power ports were yanked out. Morale swirled out and the new US became an airline that made WN look like an attractive option for business travel.

In exchange, we got PHX as a hub...imagine my joy. Sure the route network may have improved but the hard and the soft products suffered immensely. Five years in to the US-AA merger and Parker still has plane in the air flying transcon routes without so much as a power port. He still has widebodies in the air where tablets are passed out for IFE in the J cabin.

All Parker seems to do is fly decent airlines into the ground. And, to keep this on topic, he doesn't seem to miss his HVCs when they leave.

Antarius

except AA was the bankrupt one, with stellar leadership over the recent years such as Arpey, who rolled out NGBC, a spectacularly ...... product from the moment it was announced.

this is like the United "bring back the Tulip" revisionist history stuff. If the old AA was so above LUS and Parker, they wouldnt be here.