KDCAflyer

I mean, that's not entirely accurate. AA has gone into AUS big, and have also ramped up in places like CVG and RDU.

AA can lean on their AS partnership at SFO, and therefore doesn't need as large of an operation.

ShortDog

To lean on that partnership, AA really need to do a lot more codeshares on AS metal.

madmanshoney

[QUOTE=ShortDog;34883315]To lean on that partnership, AA really need to do a lot more codeshares on AS metal.[/QUOTE
I took a codeshare flight today from LAS/SFO. Enjoyed the flight even though My upgrade did not come through. Exit row seats on B737-800 do not have partitions. Showed my BP at the AS lounge at the D gates on arrival. Also needed my AA AC card.
I agree, we need more code share flights. Especially to Vegas!
P.S. Did not leave at tip at the bar because the sign said no tipping.

Kacee

My comment was partly tongue in cheek, but the fact is AA is literally running away from competition at LAX, JFK, and ORD.

Lol, that's a good one! AS has decimated the former VA hub at SFO. Ex-SFO, AS has solid frequency to SEA, and is a viable choice to LAX and PDX as well, but otherwise SFO has become an AS wasteland. AS is my #1 choice for domestic flying (excluding the premium t-cons) but it's become very difficult to fly them SFO to anywhere except SEA or LAX.

FlyFreakquently

Trying to book LAX-SFO-LAX over President's Day Weekend and the lack of AA flights, along with the prices, is astounding. B6, DL, and AS are all $49 each way, whereas AA is in the 100s for basic economy.

archstenton

It was actually 5 award tickets at 12,500 miles through Alaska Airlines which doesn't even the list the later non-stop right now. Current cost at aa.com is 31K. So, I assume Alaska would say sorry. Plus, debating if we want to arrive 4 hours later with the non-stop anyways.

Artagnan

Really getting hard to stick with AA ex-SFO; chiming in just to add that I feel all of the same pain points that others have said here. UA is eating AA's lunch here, especially at ORD and NYC -- of course, I know that I'm just a minnow in a big pond, but I've shifted ~$5K of spend to UA so far this year simply because AA doesn't have flights at the times I need.

WanderingGent

Have you communicated this to AA? I don't know that it'll have much impact in terms of change, but phrasing it in such terms as 'I've shifted $XXXX to [competitor] for reasons A, B, and C' might eventually get someone's attention (if there are enough 'minnows' to do so, I guess). Of course, if AA's calculations don't bear this out, then I guess it won't matter much.

thunderdeacon

SFO is a hub for United airlines. It's just a spoke for AA. Complaining that American doesn't have a good Network out of SFO is like a United flyer complaining that United doesn't have a good network out of MIA.

daviator

I'm coming into this thread late, but as a 40 year AA flyer, lifetime Platinum, 3+ million miles, and S.F. resident, I practically want to cry at what AA has become. I try to give them some of my ample business, but I always end up regretting even trying.

Example: today I needed to book a Boston trip for later this year. Great, SFO-BOS, a stalwart AA route. Well, not any more... turns out AA has ceded most of their transcontinental flights from SFO to JetBlue. They no longer operate a single flight from SFO-BOS, and only operate three daily flights to JFK (JetBlue, by comparison, offers 7.)

OK, so they have a whole bunch of codeshare flights on JetBlue. OK, I'll book one of those and try JetBlue, I haven't flown them in a long time. They advertise it as a full partnership with reciprocal benefits. But after booking the trip, with AA flight numbers through the AA web site, I discover that I have to go to JetBlue's site to do seat assignment, and then I further discover that AA elites can't book the "more space" seats until 24 hours prior to departure (what are the chances I'll find a pair of those together that close to flight time?)

Reciprocal benefits my a**. I am not about to make those flights in what passes for a standard economy seat in 2023. Yes, I could buy those "more space" seats for a total of $308 more, but those are seats I'd get for free on AA. Or AS. Or UA (I have status with them too.) So even though I'd like to fly them, I essentially can't, they've given up on serving the SFO-BOS market. (AA used to OWN Boston, but now UA has six flights a day from SFO to BOS and AA has none.) If AA's essentially going to outsource their transcon flights to other airlines, they need to make sure those airlines provide comparable FF benefits for their customers... but they don't. (Yes, AS does with their two flights a day, and maybe I'll fly them.)

I fly to Texas (SAT) often, a traditional AA stronghold, but UA is the airline with a nonstop SFO-SAT. And AA has very few SFO-DFW flights now, most of the options are connecting through Phoenix – the old America West stronghold – and they don't serve a meal in first class on either of the flights if I go that route, so I'm starving when I arrive and I have to make time to eat on arrival instead of being able to use the airplane for that. So I end up booking United, I find myself connecting through IAH more often than DFW these days.

I've got 40 years (mostly) as an AA elite and I want to fly them, but the options from SFO are almost always bad ones. There's something wrong when you alienate your best customers to the point they'll pay more to fly an airline on which they have lower status.

I just think that AA has been on a long slide down since the acquisition by America West all those years ago, and it's really sad for those of us who were its most loyal supporters. Perhaps they're doing what they need to do to survive, but it's sad. Sorry for the rant.

Antarius

To some degree. SFO (and SJC previously) were of higher stature than just any spoke to AA. There's a reason JFK-SFO gets the special transcons. UA is a nobody at MIA like AA is at DEN etc.

They've cut back now. I don't think anyone is expecting AA to go toe to toe with UA, but it was previously much easier to be an AA frequent flyer based out of the bay.

My cousin has recently moved to UA as well. 4.5 million miles on AA and he has struggled over the last year with the cuts/reductions.

steveholt

I don't disagree with many of your complaints here, but to answer your question: surprisingly good, or at least better than you think. The vast majority of B6 flyers aren't paying $154 per seat for EMS seats, even on a transcon. Flying B6 as an AA elite has generally been quite good - not only have I gotten an EMS seat every time, but I usually end up with the seat or even the row next to me empty, too. That's better than AA's Y or Y+ products, and upgrades to F are harder to come by than ever before.

PotomacApproach

AS is moving to T1 next year at SFO to be with AA and for better OW connections. Will be interesting to see what that does to each other's schedules.

SFO voyageur

This is great news for me as I've never heard it anywhere else before. Although I have a feeling AA and AS will share the Admirals Club in T1. It's never been too busy when I'm there but then that's usually very early in the morning.