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AA is changing. It's getting better. I'm seeing it from in the inside out. It will take time. They are actively offering buyouts for the senior people, the folks that are mostly jaded and have been through the worst of times. Also what I'm seeing is really investment in reliability right now. Lots of new aircraft, spare parts, scheduling changes, and higher headcount across all departments resulting in a higher on time departure and completion rate then just a few years ago.
Keep in mind, over the last 15 years the US airlines have had intense pressure to reduce costs by all means. 9/11, the fuel crisis, then the great recession that has lingered on, now they are finally making some money. In years past they used the money they made one year to keep the lights on for the next 2-3. They are slowly investing in their product but it's tough to reverse 15 years of cost cutting overnight.
OK you probably don't mean what I'm reading. But how does one run an airline with old spare parts?
OH goodie this fell off the SW flight, maybe we can use it!
Do they McGyver something out of a metal lunch box to fix the landing gear?
No wonder my flight last month on AA was less than stellar.
I normally fly business and still you can tell the difference. About 20 years ago the stewardess were police and helpful now it seems like we own them something. Most aircrafts are falling apart, they are very dirty inside, full of crackling noise, electronics don't work well( i had several problems with audio output). Seems like the crew are always stressed out and about to quit their job. Of course i am exaggerating a bit, but boy has the service changed over the years. I love AA, my first foreign trip was with them, and until today try to fly as much AA as i can but damn it's getting hard.
Firstly, you should probably stop calling them stewardesses and they would probably be nicer to you.
Like many Americans, I'd rather buy a cheap airline ticket and get from point A to point B without the frills.
I can get to Europe from Miami flying direct for $500 on a European carrier.
I fly Allegiant all the time because they are so cheap.
The flight time from Detroit to Portland, Oregon and Detroit to Manchester UK are similar (within an hour or so) but the service I receive is night and day. Domestic carriers are doing away with seat back entertainment preferring to offer free wifi so you can watch on your own device (if you have one). Service is terrible and to be honest the airlines just don't care. I've traveled with Delta on a plane where my seat back was so broken I literally had to hold it from laying back all the time, the hostess repeatedly asked me to sit my seat up for landing but really wasn't prepared to listen when I told her it was broken. An AA flight that the emergency exit door dripped condensation for the entire journey, a local flight I was reassigned to a different seat to balance the load, the seat they gave me had vomit both on it and on the floor.
By contrast I travel to the UK quite often, usually with BA or lately Virgin. The service is so much nicer, planes are clean and well maintained and the facilities all work.
Within Europe we fly with Ryanair, their prices are very very low, their fleet of planes is new and for the price paid it really isn't a problem not to have any in seat entertainment. Service is given with a smile, for a budget airline its heads and shoulders over anything I've ever experienced whilst flying in the USA.
OK you probably don't mean what I'm reading. But how does one run an airline with old spare parts?
Availability of spare parts helps ensure timely, accurate maintenance. All things being equal, it's better to have a larger inventory of spare parts than a smaller one. It means that if something goes wrong, it can be fixed more promptly, and more properly, than if fewer parts are available.
AA is changing. It's getting better. I'm seeing it from in the inside out. It will take time. They are actively offering buyouts for the senior people, the folks that are mostly jaded and have been through the worst of times. Also what I'm seeing is really investment in reliability right now. Lots of new aircraft, spare parts, scheduling changes, and higher headcount across all departments resulting in a higher on time departure and completion rate then just a few years ago.
Keep in mind, over the last 15 years the US airlines have had intense pressure to reduce costs by all means. 9/11, the fuel crisis, then the great recession that has lingered on, now they are finally making some money. In years past they used the money they made one year to keep the lights on for the next 2-3. They are slowly investing in their product but it's tough to reverse 15 years of cost cutting overnight.
I'm glad to hear this. I've only flown American once, going back 16 years now. I don't recall anything bad about the flight, and the reason I don't use them is that they generally don't serve the markets that I fly in (or serve them less conveniently than other carriers). But I do believe that competition is a good thing, so if American is improving, it would hopefully tend to cause their competitors to improve as well.
But as another poster said, I really do wish they would return to their "eagle" logo. IMO, it was one of the classics of aviation, and should never have been changed. I wish United had kept their "U" as well; even now, when I see the globe logo I still think of Continental.
Simple. People are willing to pay for ****ty. Why is Motel 6 in business when people can stay at the Ritz-Carlton? Why is McDonald's in business when people can eat at Ruth's Steak House?
The Motel 6's I've been in are clean, well-maintained, and have all the basics (mini-kitchen or fridge/coffeemaker/microwave, and cable). Howard Johnson's, which sometimes is cheaper, has more amenities. I don't need or want the Ritz-Carlton. All I really need is a clean room, a mini-fridge and a bathtub, when I'm on a road trip. I bring books for reading, which I prefer to TV. I don't even require carpeting (I've stayed in a Motel 6 w/a pergo floor, and it was fine). I think it's a waste of resources for the hospitality market to offer nothing but higher-end accommodations. As long as the lower-end options are clean, the heat and cooling function, the location is in a safe area, and management responds to any concerns that may arise, I fail to see why that would be labeled "****ty.
What are the qualifications for making the Best Airlines in the World?
I would be more interested in the "Top Ten Best Safety Record for Airlines".
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