I guarantee you when legacy carrier pilots gave scope relief to the regional carriers they didn't intend to see 50% of all domestic flights be flown by them within 10-15 years. Oops.

Why do you think JetBlue changed to Sabre, a reservation system designed by none other than American Airlines? Presumably, they already had a viable system of their own. (Anecdotaly, I'd say the JetBlue-Sabre conversion sucks, but that's only because I think waiting 45 minutes on the phone to reserve a jumpseat is excessive)

Clearly, there is some long-term, strategic planning going on between the two companies. This is not about a few gate changes. It's about forming a domestic alliance. Nothing wrong with that, I guess, but it would have a significant impact on current American pilots. Probably to their detriment.

Accurate tea leaf reading is pretty much impossible, but it is fun.

 

We are both dogs being kicked, I think now more than ever our two groups need to put aside their differences come together have POW WOW, and get a game plan for ALL ours collective futures.

AA

 

The Wall Street Journal seems to think it might be signs of something bigger down the road:

American and JetBlue: Partners for the Future? - The Middle Seat Terminal - WSJ

American and JetBlue: Partners for the Future?

Airlines have been a bit like Gangs of New York lately, with several pushing hard to be the big dog in the nation’s biggest city.
Continental Airlines has tried to be biggest in New York through its Newark Liberty International Airport operation. Delta Air Lines is trying to build up two hubs, at La Guardia and Kennedy airports, trying to land more La Guardia slots and expanding its shuttle operation to New York-Chicago, for example, even though American and United already offer scads of flights in that busy market. Despite poor terminals at JFK, Delta has been expanding internationally, too.
American has a renovated terminal at JFK and, it is anticipated, a stronger relationship with British Airways if it can get antitrust immunity. And Wednesday, American announced lots of marketing initiatives in New York, including an interline agreement with jetBlue Airways, which is based at JFK.
The American-jetBlue link is probably more symbolic than substantive. It’s not a code-share deal–the two airlines won’t be putting their flight numbers on each other’s schedule or offering reciprocal frequent-flier program benefits. They can sell tickets on each other’s flight in the same itinerary, but that’s something most airlines can do anyway. American can sell a United Airlines flight through an interline agreement, but it can’t sell the United seat as its own.
JetBlue, which grew up as a renegade discounter offering better service at a low price, has become more and more like a traditional airline. The interline agreement with American is a first for jetBlue with a big U.S. airline–currently jetBlue has interline agreements with Lufthansa, Aer Lingus and Cape Air. Customers can get boarding passes at one stop and check baggage through to destinations.
It makes sense–jetBlue can carry lots of passengers on its domestic flights who come off or or are headed to American international flights at JFK. Discount airlines have always done this–Southwest Airlines carries lots of international passengers at Los Angeles International Airport, for example, even without interline agreements with international airlines.
And American, which has probably seen some (perhaps much) of its customer base in New York and Boston become jetBlue customers as well, can adopt a “join ‘em” instead of “fight ‘em” posture with jetBlue.
It could lead to more, of course. Code-sharing or someday even an acquisition. Who knows? The one thing that is clear – and is good for passengers – is that airlines are clearly focused on capturing loyalty in New York.

 

100% absolutely, thats the only way to survive.

 

First of all I like the picture. Second, like I said earlier this is all a bunch of hot air and people reading way too much into it. Go play some golf and relax, maybe read a book, but quit worrying about stuff that is about 100 times above your pay grade.

 

ae will undoubtedly suffer but at least it will please all the haters who refused to forge an alliance to keep it inhouse. ae may get downsized to 1000 pilots but aa will probably give up all their domestic routes in the end. pyrrhic victory!

 

100 times?!? Heck, that's pretty generous. I'd say more like 1000 times.

 

meant to say 1000, maybe 10000.

 

I know my former YX buddies were all entertained. They laugh so hard about it now when they get together on Skype. The stories are just hilarious. One shares photos of the infrastructure just outside the compound he now lives on in Lagos, the other is attempting to start a concrete business and has only done one job since his last paycheck. A third is seeing the end of his unemployment coming up like a brick wall and yet another is in ground school at Airtran as a new hire. Paranoia? Scope failure ruins lives.

"Do it to Julia!" Orwell 1984

 

Herkulesdrvr, it's a huge deal. We're feeding AA domestically, with no organic growth on our part, and meanwhile the 1800 furloughed AA pilots don't need to be recalled since we're flying their F100 replacement. Investors win, pilots lose.