When was the last time the Air Force made a profit? That tanker selection program was a well run program, only took 21 years. So please no generals running the front office at my airline. But I agree that people with no enthusiasm for aviation and view this business as a commodity have killed this industry. Since deregulation they come in for the quick dollar and then move on to the next target. They have no personal investment in the airline so the have no emotional attachment. For the legacy carriers; Juan Trippe, Howard Hughes, CR Smith and CE Woolman have all departed. There are only two US airlines left out there with people running them who have been there from day one and that's Southwest and FedEx. There will probably come a day in a generation or two after their founders have departed that they too will go through this same dance. It is sad, but it is the new business model. My heart goes out to you all at AA and wish nothing but the best for you all. Keep that passion you have for flying and providing great service. I hope you are able to put together a management team that has a passion for AA, fire in their bellies and know how to manage.

Cheers,
FamilyATM

 

[QUOTE=FamilyATM;1094854]When was the last time the Air Force made a profit? That tanker selection program was a well run program, only took 21 years. So please no generals running the front office at my airline.

Hey, you are not speaking German or Japanese so quit whining. The Kelly Girls have managed to get 150+ bankruptcies under their belt so the generals have a better track record.

 

[QUOTE=cgull;1094870]
Are you for real?

 

So I guess the fact that Gerard joined AA after college and spent his entire career (30 years) doesn't count as someone who's passionate about the airline business and wanting AA to succeed. Yep. we pilots are the only one's who really care and have it all figured out!

 

What do you mean "we" there ace? Since you aren't one, you wouldn't know.

Carl

 

Tomahawk, didn't mean to p*** you off and I don't believe I said "we pilots" know all the answers. I know I don't. I was just giving my view of how the airline CEO's have changed and the business model has change. The examples of leaders I gave Trippe Pan Am, came from Wall St, Hughes TWA, was an engineer/movie producer before jumping into the airlines, CR Smith AA was an accountant, and Woolman at DAL was an agricultural engineer. Four very different men, none were "airline pilots", but they all shared a passion for aviation and vision of where they wanted to take their airlines. My opinion is AA's problems go back to Carty who to me typifies the modern era CEO. He put the screws to the employees while the executive suite protected themselves. It also didn't help that all the competition made a mad dash for BK and dumped all there liabilities. But again, that is today's new business model. Mr Aprey may very well have/had that passion of the early CEO's and that is why he stepped down vice being known as the man who took AA in to BK, who knows? My view is that SWA and FDX are run tighter and more focused due to the fact that they are still 1st generation businesses. But hey, these are just my opinions.

 

Huh?.........

 

No offense taken. I do appreciate your thoughts as well. I totally agree with the need for passion at the very top and I believe Gerard Arpey typified that passion in the same spirit and vein as Bob Crandall, Al Casey and CR Smith. I do think that Gerard was indeed the gracious type and because he staked his tenure as CEO on keeping AA out of CH11, stepping aside for him was in the best interest of the new leader at the top and the company as a whole.

It's a given and everyone here what a complex business the airlines are. Some may think it simple to reduce the running of a solid airline as an easy undertaking but nothing could be further from the truth.

As I've said in a previous post, the time for finger pointing is past. If we are to exit CH11 as a stronger, vibrant and competitive air carrier, it will take every employee and leader working together!

 

Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? NO!

 

The point that I was trying to make was that these management teams have bankrupted 150+ airlines and someone previously mentioned that pilots dont make good managers. So I pointed that even though there is not a profit motive in the military air wings, pilots run them and they do not run them into the ground. So another guy said he does not want a general running his airline and so I am insinuating that a military guy has done a good enough job that we did not lose the big wars and could do just as good a job operationally as the airline managers because they have run large air wings.

So, to sum it up, anybody co do a better job managing these airlines that have bankrupted these 150+ airlines.