AA has never been the airline that it thinks it is. Crandall was great at financials, Parker is a product of he Crandall system. It seems over the last 30 years that AA was always the airline last to react to market changes. They were not the leader except in B scale wages.

There are huge systematic flaws here that can be fixed but it will take money and leadership. DECS and the Sabre system are dinosaurs and will take billions to upgrade. Everything you do is run through a 1960s computer system. My paycheck today was so screwed up it was unreal. Trying to piece together information on my February schedule online was impossible. Luckily I have been creating paper trails of my sequences so I have some history. Other guys I speak to have had big pay issues as well. Things like this are symbolic of how an entrenched mindset and lack of nimbleness can disrupt your life.

As far as contracts go we are way behind. It's going to take a wholesale takeover by the junior pilots flying domestic to make some much needed lifestyle changes. It can be done but it's going to take a lot of effort. And this contract needs the work, it's below many regionals in everything except pay.

Having a seniority number means the world. You give up that number and many things can happen and most of them are not good. This business is definitely cyclical and a crapshoot. You'll know when you retire if you made the right choice. You won't really know before then because things can change in a heartbeat. You are better served staying put and working to make changes through the union. Volunteer, send p2 reports, be active in pushing forward.