View Poll Results: Is an American Airlines/US Airways merger good for the traveling public?
Yes
84
28.19%
No
214
71.81%
Voters: 298. You may not vote on this poll
Nov 12, 2013, 2:24 pm
Last edit by: aztimm
Note:
There is an existing thread in the AA forum that may be useful to US and AA Flyertalkers:
US-AA Merger: Just the Facts thread
As facts become posted, that should be the place to look.
Merger discussion, speculation, and other questions can be directed here, or the similar thread in the AA forum:
MERGER: US and AA 9 Dec 2013 and implications for AA flyers (new)
AA - US Merger Agreement / Announcement / DOJ Action Discussion (consolidated, and now closed to new posts)
There is an existing thread in the AA forum that may be useful to US and AA Flyertalkers:
US-AA Merger: Just the Facts thread
As facts become posted, that should be the place to look.
Merger discussion, speculation, and other questions can be directed here, or the similar thread in the AA forum:
MERGER: US and AA 9 Dec 2013 and implications for AA flyers (new)
AA - US Merger Agreement / Announcement / DOJ Action Discussion (consolidated, and now closed to new posts)
US/AA merger- MASTER DISCUSSION THREAD/incl 'when will US leave STAR'
Feb 18, 2013, 3:38 pm
#256
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: The views I express here are not necessarily supported by any airline or codeshare partners, nor do I represent their views and/or opinions. They are my own OPINIONS dont like them dont read them.....
Posts: 1,615
I agree. The new AA must be big in NYC because that's where there's the most O&D and because the big corporate account expect a big presence there, but that doesn't mean that PHL flights would be moved to JFK (despite lots of internet blather that PHL might be gutted).
Having built a gigantic new terminal at JFK, I expect that Parker will continue JFK-International expansion but that PHL will also continue to see expansion where that makes sense. And Japan, Korea and China from PHL probably makes some sense, as well as some South America.
Having built a gigantic new terminal at JFK, I expect that Parker will continue JFK-International expansion but that PHL will also continue to see expansion where that makes sense. And Japan, Korea and China from PHL probably makes some sense, as well as some South America.
Feb 18, 2013, 5:35 pm
#257
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2000
Location: RDU
Programs: AA LT Gold, DL SM, HY Disc, Marriott LT Gold
Posts: 12,507
I'm lifetime Gold on AA having flown them a ton from 1997-2004, but now I mostly fly WN for the lack of change fees and the all 737 fleet, and DL when WN is out of line. I had given up on AA because Arpey had destroyed the AA shorthaul - they're now #3 in mainline nonstops out of Chicago behind UA/WN.
I may be one of the few people who are looking forward to the merger. There are times when US is much cheaper from ORD with connections at CLT or PHL, and I'm looking forward to using DCA a lot. The problem with me using US in the past was that I'd have to credit to UA, which is an airline I've always hated even in the years where I had status with them. And that was before CO.
Now that AA has progressed with their Main Cabin Extra, I have been planning on doing an AA Platinum Challenge in August and September to have status for all of 2014. By then we should know about the US-AA merger approval, and I'm hoping that they'll then grant all AA Plats a US Gold comp and v.v.
I may be one of the few people who are looking forward to the merger. There are times when US is much cheaper from ORD with connections at CLT or PHL, and I'm looking forward to using DCA a lot. The problem with me using US in the past was that I'd have to credit to UA, which is an airline I've always hated even in the years where I had status with them. And that was before CO.
Now that AA has progressed with their Main Cabin Extra, I have been planning on doing an AA Platinum Challenge in August and September to have status for all of 2014. By then we should know about the US-AA merger approval, and I'm hoping that they'll then grant all AA Plats a US Gold comp and v.v.
Feb 18, 2013, 5:54 pm
#258
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
Posts: 20,398
For me (and I am assuming these numbers are accurate), this is the MAJOR concern. One World just doesn't give the options that *A or even SkyTeam does. Why is the the "new AA" choosing OW over *A? If this merger was taking place and the new AA was moving to *A, I would actually take the approach of, " ok, let's let them do there best and see what the product is..", but I KNOW what OW limits are, and they don't work for many of us, so maybe instead of PHL-FRA-IST, I may end up on Cathay or JAL and do PHL-ORD-HNL-NRT-IST. At least it is a built in MR!
Feb 18, 2013, 6:15 pm
#259
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 3,531
Also, AA is very adamant about staying in Oneworld, and I doubt US management was interested in pushing the issue.
Incidentally, looks like IB flies from Madrid to Istanbul, too.
Last edited by nall; Feb 18, 2013 at 6:22 pm
Feb 18, 2013, 8:02 pm
#260
Join Date: Jun 2008
Programs: TK*G (E+), IHG Plat Ambassador
Posts: 7,884
Feb 18, 2013, 8:08 pm
#261
Join Date: Jun 2008
Programs: TK*G (E+), IHG Plat Ambassador
Posts: 7,884
Feb 18, 2013, 8:20 pm
#262
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: OneWorld Emerald (BA GGL), *A Silver (Miles & Less), Skyteam Pleb (KLM FlyingBlue), Mucci Platinum
Posts: 908
I am not in the airline industry nor an industry analyst but, as far as I understand the economics of the industry, I would think that the fact that US will become part of the fully-immunised metal-neutral AA/BA/IB TATL JV will drive revenues and profitability beyond its current position in *A where it is outside of the core anti-trust immunised LH/UA/Air Canada metal-neutral JV, and thereby for all intensive purposes a second-tier member of the *A TATL club.
Feb 18, 2013, 10:38 pm
#263
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Southwest
Posts: 296
If you're talking an award ticket, good luck finding TPAC space on NZ in premium cabins. QF isn't great, but that's mainly because BA and QF members can book the space before it's made available through AAdvantage. That said, plenty of people have found space out of LAX and DFW to Oz (and onward to NZ).
Now if Qantas flights were available, we'd take them -- but I suspect they won't be (love to be wrong on this). The alternative is Cathay -- first class, much longer flights but a very nice first class option -- and I believe a fair amount of availability. As to Delta - I've looked at that and I know that really isn't an option. So the third option is Korean Air -- though only business class and again long flights. Last choice would be Air Pacific -- I've encountered them before and their customer service is, shall we say, unbecoming. I really don't like to depend on an airline that cancels flights for 'operational reasons' and doesn't tell you about it.
Feb 18, 2013, 10:49 pm
#264
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
Posts: 20,398
Feb 19, 2013, 1:48 am
#265
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: ZRH
Programs: US
Posts: 1
Hi
Does anybody knows some good alternatives to buy miles and travel around like US-Dividend Miles.
Because the new AA is not attractive to for citizens in Europe.
thank you very much for some ideas.
Does anybody knows some good alternatives to buy miles and travel around like US-Dividend Miles.
Because the new AA is not attractive to for citizens in Europe.
thank you very much for some ideas.
Feb 19, 2013, 4:27 am
#266
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: ZRH, MNL
Programs: FB Gold
Posts: 975
Me too was wondering, if there'll be such a thing like the US DM buy/share miles promos in the future. Honestly, I doubt it very much. So no more 'cheap' F-class travels, I guess.
Feb 19, 2013, 8:19 am
#267
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: AVL
Programs: AA EXP ; Cunard Plat
Posts: 4,211
Interesting AP article "In path to American's merger, 1 CEO had to leave" ...
My thoughts: Parker started his career with AA. His bachelor days were spent in the DFW area. His wife Gwen is a former AA flight attendant. In some ways, it's like going home to the ol' homestead. He knows the impressive AA legacy, and I believe he'd work diligently to make this merger a success.
... This is the story of how two old friends and former protégés of legendary American Airlines CEO Robert Crandall found themselves on opposite ends of what may be the last great airline merger in the U.S. ...
Feb 19, 2013, 10:36 am
#268
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
Not necessarily; AA has reconfigured coach seats space for MCE. The most salient illustration is the 767-300ER "minicabin" where four coach rows were reconfigured into three MCE rows. It's not genuinely an Economy Plus - it's mostly the same seats as in coach, though the 777-300ER launched recently has a 3x3x3 slightly wider seat in MCE than the 3x4x3 in coach, with significantly better seat pitch (and not different enough to incur the full UK APD BA's World Traveller Plus does incur, iirc). The AA Forum MCE master thread is here, for those who wish to learn more.
But AA's plans will remove (three class) first from all except the three class transcon A321s to come and the 777-300ERs coming online now (the current 777-200ER configuration will see F suites removed, and the slanted flat seats in Business replaced with a new and slightly different product than the lie flat J seats in the 777-300ER (meaning this won't happen for a year or perhaps 2).
But AA's plans will remove (three class) first from all except the three class transcon A321s to come and the 777-300ERs coming online now (the current 777-200ER configuration will see F suites removed, and the slanted flat seats in Business replaced with a new and slightly different product than the lie flat J seats in the 777-300ER (meaning this won't happen for a year or perhaps 2).
Feb 19, 2013, 10:44 am
#269
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
A number of changes coming to AAdvantage and USDM members, no doubt. Some will find them useful, others will find them anathema to their flying and will switch to an airline alliance better serving their needs. A serious inconvenience, to be sure, but it's not such a surprise, IMO, given the HP-US, DL-NW, CO-UA, etc. consolidation we've been seeing - the writing has been on the wall,
We're all FlyerTalkers, so we'll either bail and go somewhere we feel will better meet our needs or learn the new system (probably emerging over a year or two) and try to make it work for us as best we can. (I'm saying this as one who has flown AA since the mid-1940s, went through the AA-TW takeover as an Aviator, and has flown many airlines no longer with us, such as EA, PA, WA, PS and many others.)
One thing about us cockroaches, we endure!
We're all FlyerTalkers, so we'll either bail and go somewhere we feel will better meet our needs or learn the new system (probably emerging over a year or two) and try to make it work for us as best we can. (I'm saying this as one who has flown AA since the mid-1940s, went through the AA-TW takeover as an Aviator, and has flown many airlines no longer with us, such as EA, PA, WA, PS and many others.)
One thing about us cockroaches, we endure!
Quote from Dougie on leaving Star:
"We’re very fond of the Star Alliance, think it’s a great alliance, but so is oneworld. I don’t think we lose or gain anything by being in one versus the other. The American team thinks we gain a lot by being in oneworld. We’ll find out, but we think they’re both great alliances. And moving from one to the other is not going to have a material impact on either our revenues or our customers, because there are so many airlines in both programs that serve the entire world."
No material impact on our customers...really?
I understand that to the average customer (sans FT's) alliance means nothing but I would defiantly think it impacts revenues....after all those help feed into your network....
Can't believe the CEO of this new mega airline said that....If you have time the whole discussion is an interesting read ..it was just between US Airways management
"We’re very fond of the Star Alliance, think it’s a great alliance, but so is oneworld. I don’t think we lose or gain anything by being in one versus the other. The American team thinks we gain a lot by being in oneworld. We’ll find out, but we think they’re both great alliances. And moving from one to the other is not going to have a material impact on either our revenues or our customers, because there are so many airlines in both programs that serve the entire world."
No material impact on our customers...really?
I understand that to the average customer (sans FT's) alliance means nothing but I would defiantly think it impacts revenues....after all those help feed into your network....
Can't believe the CEO of this new mega airline said that....If you have time the whole discussion is an interesting read ..it was just between US Airways management
Feb 19, 2013, 10:45 am
#270
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: NYC
Programs: DL Diamond + 1MM; AA Gold; UA Gold
Posts: 185
Getting to NZ
Interesting how one of the biggest concerns for many of us is the transition to OW from *A. I too think this is a real negative. Our bucket list trips include South Africa (mentioned above) and New Zealand. Did a quick search within OW and you can't get to NZ without going thru Australia on Qantas. Talk about inconvenient.
*A has almost as many airlines that start with A as OW has airlines. (bit of sarcasm).
In addition, for work I ocassionaly fly to Shanghai and Sweden. It's easy to do using UA. Direct flights from EWR which is nice since I'm based in BOS. A quick trip to EWR and you're on your way. I have colleagues that do use AA to get to these places and even though they get there, the timetables are lousy compared to UA.
Oh well. It is what it is as they say. I don't like it but I either suck it up/stick it out or change to UA.
*A has almost as many airlines that start with A as OW has airlines. (bit of sarcasm).
In addition, for work I ocassionaly fly to Shanghai and Sweden. It's easy to do using UA. Direct flights from EWR which is nice since I'm based in BOS. A quick trip to EWR and you're on your way. I have colleagues that do use AA to get to these places and even though they get there, the timetables are lousy compared to UA.
Oh well. It is what it is as they say. I don't like it but I either suck it up/stick it out or change to UA.