AA3mFreqFl

Ok - so - first of all, other than working toward a private pilot cert, I am clearly NOT a commercial pilot. So hopefully this thread won't get killed by the admins, since I think it's a pretty important one.

I am however, a huge AA customer. I have flown 2mm miles on American (or rather a combination of OneWorld AA, BA, CX, JL and oddly enough Jet (9W) when they were sort of code-shared) and 1mm miles on non-OW and non-AA flights for 3mm in total. The VAST majority of flights are BIS (butt-in-seat) miles on American metal. I was Executive Platinum on AA for 6 years in a row and nowadays I am 'just' a Platinum, though it looks like I will be back at ExecPlat level this year (presuming the pilots work-slow-down doesn't screw things up).

My take on the current action by pilots is that it reminds me of a suicide bombing run, since I don't see any way the pilots themselves will come out ahead, and all you are doing is taking down the whole airline and all its other union groups in your suicide mission.

Sure you may blast current management out of the sky, but in return at best pilots, flight attendants and mechanics would get badly treated at US Airways before getting killed off the seniority list at an airline which itself is likely to go out of business for being completely inept (US Airways that is).

The reason is pretty simple; most customers (I now speak for myself, the people in our office etc. - ie people who are all AA customers that I interact with daily) absolutely HATE US Airways.

Some of the strangest and most useless hub locations (Charlotte? Philadelphia?), some of the WORST treatment of frequent fliers of ANY program, and some of the harshest redemption rules, and a horrible alliance choice (STAR alliance - which really has terribly badly integrated systems, and other than lounge access, gives you NO EQM on any counter-party airline), and generally a perceived disdain for the customer. Something AA actually doesn't have (including something as basic as AA having decent business class catering...)

American really has only one thing going for it; it's frequent flier program, and consequently us - its loyal frequent fliers.

So while every working stiff in the country deserves a better deal from their employer (we ALL deserve that), I think the pilots are delusional to think that any new management team in the era of high oil prices would ACTUALLY perform any better? You think trading one group of suits for another group of suits will buy you anything in the long term?

Now what might you lose in such a trade? The US Air team has never had any success running a complex international business, they have a terrible relationship with their customers and it's only timing and the fact they operated a very simple business (compared to American) that kept them afloat during the oil-crunch.

So while you pilots can continue the 'I am reporting the broken ashtray on the toilet door on my 752 and requesting maintenance' efforts, in the end the LAST thing you should want is to be run by the management team of the most customer-hostile airline in the industry.

More importantly - the weaker AA gets, the LESS leverage it has if it ever were to actually merge with US Air. Make AA weak enough, and suddenly any 'promises' from US Air of pilot seniority goes out the window. And you are hitching your wagon to a group of execs that are despised by the most important group of all... us the consumer.

I for one TRULY hope AA pulls through as a stand-alone entity, that the pilots gets some final concession (just pick one thing), and AA continues on its merry path with a revamped cost structure, and that AA keeps its fundamentally customer-friendly approach to its best and most frequent customers. So I truly hope that the pilot's suicide run gets thwarted, and some of the pilots come to their senses, and start operating again within the reasonable limits of what the FAR requirements were meant to do...

No idea if this thread will get any views or traction, but for the love of Pete... don't throw us the customer into the arms of US Airways. Then all reasons to fly your airline disappear forever (and thousands of jobs with it).

Cheers from a (until now) happy AA-flyer, praying you stay off the 'grass is greener over there' US Airways...

block30

I hate to be perpetually doubtful, but this seems a wee bit fishy, even if said person purports to have the knowledge of a frequent flier/private pilot....anyone else getting the same vibe?

Certain user names come to mind; Tomahawk and Customer.

AA3mFreqFl

Ehm - why? I think of myself as rather non-fishy personally. I do live next to the ocean here in LA, but that doesn't make me particularly fishy...

You are more than welcome to ping me personally. I cannot begin to describe how much I loathe US Air... As a point of comparison, we have offices in LA and North Carolina, so we are exposed to AA and US all the time...

Now - you claiming to be: "Position: Elderly woman behind the counter in a small town" seems fishy to me... Are you a pilot ?

WHACKMASTER

Listen, you can only push people so far before they become desperate and start doing things that seem completely irrational to the outside observer. You MUST take that into account. The AA pilots haven't had a pay raise for 10 years AND took some major pay cuts prior to that. They've been watching corporate greed for years now "take, take, take", while the courts and RLA keep them from making the types of gains (recovery actually) that they deserve commensurate with their responsibility and the amount of sacrifice and training it took to reach their positions as pilots for a major airline.

Simply put, they deserve much better and when they see management team after management team gaming the system and bankruptcy, the pilots eventually say, "enough's enough" and you have the situation that is at hand today. You can't blame them. What else are they supposed to do, continue to play nice? At some point, it becomes high time to start throwing the tea in the damned harbor.

fullflank

So in short, you dont want to lose your platinum status, thus AA pilots need to give up their contract. Got it.

WHACKMASTER

Also, they are simply running the operation BY THE BOOK. What's so illegal about that? The truth of the matter is that if they keep the pressure on AA management, management will almost surely cave.

Again, I think you fail to realize how much the work group in question has been schit on for years and what it does to one's moral and thinking. Inside all of us professional pilots, a little voice is screaming, "That's it boys, stick it to them!" because of how much our proud profession has been raped for decades now.

AA3mFreqFl

I think that misses the point I am making. I'd love to see everyone (including myself) get guaranteed raises. Well - in the rest of the business world, we don't. Other than career advancement, there have been very few opportunities in the last 5 years for anyone to get any raises at all.

The fact that American DID NOT go bankrupt earlier should have gotten it some cred from everyone, so not sure how they are 'gaming' the bankruptcy system?

It seems to me that AA was out of options, and with whatever cash they had on hand, they tried to restructure to catch up with United and Delta.

And in the process the AA pilots think that becoming US Airways is a good idea somehow? Maybe I don't understand the logic, but allowing their management to run you seems nutty...

block30

You don't like Pearl Jam?

Hey-I'm willing to give benefit of the doubt, but I think that the American threads (including Eagle) have had mysterious new posters come on the threads trying to woo the pilots in the direction of management.

If you're legit, my sincere apologies. Probably the realm of the mods to determine.

AA3mFreqFl

Snide remark of the day - eh? No, I just want ONE airline that we can use coast-to-cost that actually treats its customers well.

You (or the pilots) should want the same thing. Why wouldn't you want to be that airline for customers, leading to more revenue over time?

Again my point is simply that thinking US Air would give you any benefit seems delusional.

I have been part of a lot of M&A activity in my field (the IT industry), and any M&A NEVER works out for the party being acquired or 'merged-in.'

Only the 'in charge' party actually gets any benefit, and often the merger really doesn't work out well for the acquirer for several years. The pilots are delusional if you think your situation would be any different.

AA3mFreqFl

Aha - that's right. How fitting. But no... I was too fast on the trigger to see that connection . I love Perl Jam. Not sure you know that lyric includes the line "I changed by not changing at all". Sadly I don't think 'not changing' is an option for the airline industry.

If by 'legit' you mean 'not AA management' - then yes - I am clearly NOT AA management. I guess the mods can see the email I use (and probably figure out who I am at my company too )....

Like I said - an avid consumer of AA and US (when it cannot be avoided) services with a strong opinion. That's all.