AA Relegated To Cargo [AA flies cargo-only flights]
Mar 19, 2020, 5:30 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 100
AA Relegated To Cargo [AA flies cargo-only flights]
https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/19/am...hts-to-europe/
Crazy. These guys are relegated to cargo now. Crazy how everything changes in a couple weeks. Next stop, insolvency I'm afraid.
Crazy. These guys are relegated to cargo now. Crazy how everything changes in a couple weeks. Next stop, insolvency I'm afraid.
Mar 19, 2020, 7:06 pm
#3
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: ORD, sadly...
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Posts: 599
Mar 19, 2020, 10:50 pm
#6
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: YYF/YLW
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Posts: 5,951
The “AA relegated to cargo” thread title from the OP may be a bit clickbaity, but I actually found the TechCrunch article moderately interesting and worth the 90 seconds it took to read it. Indeed, it says in the third or fourth paragraph that passenger airlines routinely carry cargo; it’s not like that was hidden.
Mar 20, 2020, 7:27 am
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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Mar 20, 2020, 11:45 am
#12
Join Date: Oct 2007
Programs: AA, WN, UA, Bonvoy, Hertz
Posts: 2,491
Aside from the cargo jokes, my guess is if self-loading cargo demand does come back, AA will likely keep cargo-only flights in some capacity. There are important reasons why passengers carriers around the world have significant cargo-only operations. Especially if the international passenger networks doesn't expect a rebound to recent levels for decades (or more).
The airline will need to operate differently than before obviously, but to have AA make the transition so quickly is important. I expect additional cargo routes to be announced very quickly - the supply chain is making dramatic changes that need to be supported. I also am sensing we are getting back into just in time inventory again for non-disposable income expenses which may make the cargo boats not so desired.
Would our traditional FT airlines see passengers as not important long-term? Sure, it is possible, but the corporate contracts will eventually demand some routes and options for their employees again that have been removed. I think we feel that much of the new routes announced came via support from such corporate demand (aside from the few weekend only adds).
The airline will need to operate differently than before obviously, but to have AA make the transition so quickly is important. I expect additional cargo routes to be announced very quickly - the supply chain is making dramatic changes that need to be supported. I also am sensing we are getting back into just in time inventory again for non-disposable income expenses which may make the cargo boats not so desired.
Would our traditional FT airlines see passengers as not important long-term? Sure, it is possible, but the corporate contracts will eventually demand some routes and options for their employees again that have been removed. I think we feel that much of the new routes announced came via support from such corporate demand (aside from the few weekend only adds).
Mar 20, 2020, 2:14 pm
#13
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: ATL
Programs: UA, DL, HH Silver, IHG plat
Posts: 32
I'm paying north of $7/kg coming out of asia right now for air freight, and that's if I stay below size restrictions. A lot of what I was moving as rush orders goes on passenger flights as I am usually chasing NFO (next flight out) space since "GOTTA HAVE IT YESTERDAY" is some of our sales rep's motto... It doesn't need PDB, doesnt complain about waiting on the tarmac, doesn't need a gate agent to shoo it along. Freight will make or break some routes profitability for sure.
Mar 20, 2020, 2:41 pm
#14
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: YYF/YLW
Programs: AA, DL, AS, VA, WS Silver
Posts: 5,951
Aside from the cargo jokes, my guess is if self-loading cargo demand does come back, AA will likely keep cargo-only flights in some capacity. There are important reasons why passengers carriers around the world have significant cargo-only operations. Especially if the international passenger networks doesn't expect a rebound to recent levels for decades (or more).
The airline will need to operate differently than before obviously, but to have AA make the transition so quickly is important. I expect additional cargo routes to be announced very quickly - the supply chain is making dramatic changes that need to be supported. I also am sensing we are getting back into just in time inventory again for non-disposable income expenses which may make the cargo boats not so desired.
Would our traditional FT airlines see passengers as not important long-term? Sure, it is possible, but the corporate contracts will eventually demand some routes and options for their employees again that have been removed. I think we feel that much of the new routes announced came via support from such corporate demand (aside from the few weekend only adds).
The airline will need to operate differently than before obviously, but to have AA make the transition so quickly is important. I expect additional cargo routes to be announced very quickly - the supply chain is making dramatic changes that need to be supported. I also am sensing we are getting back into just in time inventory again for non-disposable income expenses which may make the cargo boats not so desired.
Would our traditional FT airlines see passengers as not important long-term? Sure, it is possible, but the corporate contracts will eventually demand some routes and options for their employees again that have been removed. I think we feel that much of the new routes announced came via support from such corporate demand (aside from the few weekend only adds).
Mar 20, 2020, 4:56 pm
#15
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 3,026
I *highly* doubt that AA will fly passenger-configured planes on cargo-only flights (as they’re doing now) once they can put passengers in them. And I also doubt that the lesson AA will learn from this is that they should resume having cargo-only airplanes. There are other airlines that do that well; why should AA get into that business with what would be at most a few cargo planes going agains the enormous fleets of FedEx, Atlas, etc?
