Originally Posted by
aa73
???
I understand you've always had a negative view of AA, but why would you make the comment that AA "will be horrendous for a long time??"
If I recall correctly, DL merged with NW and turned itself into a powerhouse. So did UA with CO. AA has very similar assets that pre-merger DL and UA had, and we have an excellent chance at not only replicating what DL and UA pulled off but even surpassing them.
AA's route structure and assets have long been a gold mine. Under the wrong management (like what we've had), it just sits and rots. Under the right management, it gets unleashed and prospers. AA has a lot of catching up and growing to compensate for the years of shrinkage, and Parker & Co are gonna have to take full advantage of that to realize the benefits of the merger and I fully expect them to.
I'm not saying it's gonna be smooth sailing... we will undoubtedly have more than a few hiccups and disruptions with the integration of everything... but once it gets ironed out, I believe AA will be a kick a$$ place to work within the next few years. DL and UA also went through a period of growing pains after their merger... so will we, but in the end this will be a decent gig once again.
It's not a given that any of our mergers will ultimately prove successful, but I think Delta has cleared the major hurdles. Still, you shouldn't have any romantic ideas about what that means. Everyone made sacrifices, and it's not easy going through a SLI. The best you can hope in those, is for yours not to be unbearable.
There is no guarantee that we'll ultimately deliver the kind of product that wows the passenger. I don't spend much time in the back, so I'm not sure Inflight is actually winning hearts and minds.
You said "with the right management", and it's not clear United has it, and it seems doubtful to me that American will. There are more than a few items there to be ironed out.
That being said, the networks at UAL and AMR are going to be powerhouses, no question about it. They'll thrive, or fail, on the employees, however. Nothing is a given there, especially not with Parker and his team, especially with them trying to take over a much bigger airline.