Originally Posted by Name User

I'm not an accountant, just watch the interview

Start at four minutes in
https://youtu.be/jfQhTxz4QhM?si=wE3QWkB6CHj42une&t=240

Originally Posted by FriendlyPilot

Ahh...ok I see what he's saying. He's saying that "business travel" has increased 10%, but then that means that they have lost somewhere else, because total revenue is flat for AA YOY.

I interpreted corporate as AA, not business travel.

Kirby said the same thing on the earnings call that there has been a "double digit" increase in business travel.

I wonder who AA and UA took that from or if its just business travel coming back.

Originally Posted by Judge Smails

If that new management had a cohesive vision and the competency to implement it, absolutely yes. DAL and UAL aren't killing it financially by accident.

Even something as simple as the amount of fuel this company wastes on APU usage and 3 engine taxiing. It's unnecessary and costs this company untold millions.

Originally Posted by Margaritaville

No you don't get it. I make fun of the cheerleaders because this is just a job not an identity and too many pilots make all about their whole identity.

Do I want AA to succeed? Of course. I need the checks to keep clearing for at least 10ish more years. Do I believe we will ever be the most profitable of the big 3 and offer the best premium product? Not a chance. But I go to work and do my job and let management do their jobs. I don't worry about crap above my pay grade. As long as the pay checks keep cashing that's what I'll keep doing.

Now if you're 30 years old and working here you may have a different perspective. I'd be worried too. But you have options.

Originally Posted by Margaritaville

I mean let's be real. United furloughed in 2003 and 2008. I have buddies who got furloughed twice. Both times they went from hiring to furloughing within a couple of months. They're the worst about that. They would have furloughed in covid too if the pilot group hadn't voted to take pay cuts to save the furloughs. They have gone all in on international WB especially Asia and that's going to be the first canary to die in the coal mine on the next downturn. Japan and China are the largest players in that theater and both of their economies are garbage.

AA ain't no gem but because we're all in on domestic. We'll never score big profits but it's also never going away. We'll just keep stumbling along and offering some token International flying. SWA and the ULCCs are on the rocks too and that's going to be good for us. They are our competitors not UA and DL. Let UA and DL battle for king of the hill we'll just keep making money flying Hank Hill to Midland.

Originally Posted by tallpilot

You can count on it in DFW.

Originally Posted by Margaritaville

No you don't get it. I make fun of the cheerleaders because this is just a job not an identity and too many pilots make all about their whole identity.

Do I want AA to succeed? Of course. I need the checks to keep clearing for at least 10ish more years. Do I believe we will ever be the most profitable of the big 3 and offer the best premium product? Not a chance. But I go to work and do my job and let management do their jobs. I don't worry about crap above my pay grade. As long as the pay checks keep cashing that's what I'll keep doing.

Now if you're 30 years old and working here you may have a different perspective. I'd be worried too. But you have options.

Originally Posted by jdt30

dude, I stuck my head into the AA forum because I have a lot of friends there and I want the best for them.

You are so full of sh$&(. We voted to take a pay cut during COVID? I’ll answer the rhetorical question. We voted to decrease our mpg so that we wouldn’t furlough. Isn’t that what a union is? An organization that looks out for all members? I remember the panic my friends had that were at AA during Covid. Do you?

Originally Posted by Easyflier301

No doubt. they've been very reactionary, and thats on the record. Isom said in 2018 that "Spirit and Frontier were the most profitable airlines in the industry and we need to be mindful of that." That model was what we chased and we're still seeing the effects of that. Now of course they're aggressively making the switch to premium and high end customers to chase DAL/UAL because thats what's working....but international growth is constrained by the shortsighted COVID decision to retire the 75/76 and 330 and (not their fault) delays of the 78's and XLRs.

That being said, considering our present position, he's got a point that we have a larger growth runway in future years in the premium/intl space than the other network carriers. So we can all hope. XLR's coming. new credit card deal starts next year. More 78's on the way and 773's getting new interiors. Still hiring pilots for growth. Let's see where things stand by end of 2026....

Originally Posted by jdt30

dude, I stuck my head into the AA forum because I have a lot of friends there and I want the best for them.

You are so full of sh$&(. We voted to take a pay cut during COVID? I’ll answer the rhetorical question. We voted to decrease our mpg so that we wouldn’t furlough. Isn’t that what a union is? An organization that looks out for all members? I remember the panic my friends had that were at AA during Covid. Do you?

Originally Posted by Excargodog

I think a lot of people are overlooking the basics. AA is still digging its way out of its debt hole from the preCOVID fleet renewal. Total debt is currently $38 Billion (https://www.fool.com/earnings/call-t...gs-transcript/) vs United total debt of $27 Billion for United (https://ir.united.com/static-files/e...d-86c244320239)and $16.3 billion for DL (https://ir.delta.com/news/news-detai...s/default.aspx).

Servicing an extra $10 or 20 BILLION dollars in debt is ABSOLUTELY gonna take a bite out of your profit, even if all other factors were the same. It’s as much as a billion dollars reduction in annual profit.