Jump to content

Prove Me Wrong: American Airlines is the worst domestic airline


Rougarou

Recommended Posts

Last week I was on 7 flights, doing a road show in 4 cities in 4 days. Of the 7 flights, 5 had first class (the other two being tiny regional/envoy things), and I was upgraded in all 5 to first class.

American Airlines is like the IBM of airlines. They suck, but they are so massive that once you are in, it’s impossible to get unstuck due to convenience (Live in Hub cities, flights available, etc.).

Outside of the severely rough patch last year with striking workers and grounded planes, if you see airline travel as the equivalent of a bus in the air, all the fluffy stuff doesn’t matter (though it’s cool Delta just profit shares with all their employees the equivalent of 2.5 months of extra pay). All that matters is having the most options with departures and arrivals without any stops, being first on, guaranteed baggage space, and being first off with enough room to open a spreadsheet for two hours comfortably.

Link to comment
Share on other sites




All that matters is having the most options with departures and arrivals without any stops, being first on, guaranteed baggage space, and being first off with enough room to open a spreadsheet for two hours comfortably.


Why the fuck do you want to be first on? Last on first off is the way to go.
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

37 minutes ago, DCA_HORN said:


 

 


Why the fuck do you want to be first on? Last on first off is the way to go.

 

Because I like to make sure I get my overheard baggage exactly above my head. I can’t tell you how many first class guys come in last and then are romping down to 15C to find a spot for their carry-on. 
 

I get settled in and can work for a good 20 sometimes 30 mins before laptops have to be put up. It works for me, your mileage may vary (I’m in DCA right now by the way)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/13/2020 at 2:08 AM, The People’s Elbow said:

I’m assuming you flew direct. I also recently flew UA to Portugal and remember seeing that EWR-LIS direct being serviced by what I assumed were older 757 or 767s with older seating configurations. 

I purposefully flew through Frankfurt to get the newer Polaris 1-2-1 seating configuration. Worth it IMO. 

You did it right.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Rougarou said:

Last week I was on 7 flights, doing a road show in 4 cities in 4 days. Of the 7 flights, 5 had first class (the other two being tiny regional/envoy things), and I was upgraded in all 5 to first class.

American Airlines is like the IBM of airlines. They suck, but they are so massive that once you are in, it’s impossible to get unstuck due to convenience (Live in Hub cities, flights available, etc.).

Outside of the severely rough patch last year with striking workers and grounded planes, if you see airline travel as the equivalent of a bus in the air, all the fluffy stuff doesn’t matter (though it’s cool Delta just profit shares with all their employees the equivalent of 2.5 months of extra pay). All that matters is having the most options with departures and arrivals without any stops, being first on, guaranteed baggage space, and being first off with enough room to open a spreadsheet for two hours comfortably.

My views exactly but Delta and United are the same.  Once you get into their system, it's hard to get out and only in NYC and LA do all three majors really compete with each other.  Outside of those, if you're in a hub city (Dallas, Atlanta, Houston, etc.), you go with the major in town.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, Aqua Buddha said:

My views exactly but Delta and United are the same.  Once you get into their system, it's hard to get out and only in NYC and LA do all three majors really compete with each other.  Outside of those, if you're in a hub city (Dallas, Atlanta, Houston, etc.), you go with the major in town.

Disagree. I will take the longer flight or weirder hour to stay with AA because of the points and EQMs. I’m no Spanky but my points are usually good for at least 9-12 if not more round trip airline tickets and we bank on that to be able to take 3 vacations a year instead of 1 (Hotel and rental car points is another discussion). It’s an unpublished benefit of being able to choose your own travel and use your own credit card if you can set your schedule for the most part and have a tolerance for a longer flight or weirder hour if need be.

Edited by Rougarou
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

https://www.foxnews.com/travel/woman-mini-service-horse-american-airlines-dot

At least she bought 2 first class tickets.

I would have lost my shit if I was in cattle class and some lady walked up with a miniature horse.  Maybe the smug jackasses who insist on forcing their pets on the rest of us will stay home.

I love dogs, I have 3 that are sitting with me as I type this, it would never occur to me to bring them on a flight unless we were relocating cross country.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

48 minutes ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

How pissed would you be to pay for a first class ticket and then find out you had to share it with a horse.

Especially when he starts serving apples and piss on take-off. If you need a stress animal to travel, you need to travel by Mexican bus.

 

  • Haha 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/15/2020 at 1:41 PM, gsoda3 said:

am i not understanding or is my meter not working today?  everytime i've flown out of LAX, be it to asia or back to texas, we've gone out over the ocean.  

 

i found this on google...

 

LAX departures and arrivals are a function of their location and prevailing winds, however as the airport traffic has grown they’ve had to get pretty creative with keeping the runways hot and it always amazes me to see how tight they pack them in with new WAAS-augmented, PRM monitored, SOIA-published treadmills.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So, anybody have any insight to what AA's doing since all the China flights are cancelled?  That's a lot of expensive metal sitting around, and a lot of very senior pilots and FA's not working those trips.  The FA's, I'd imagine, push down to other international trips or the more attractive domestic trips, but WTF does a 787 pilot do when the routes are cancelled?  It's not like he can jump over to fly DFW-ONT on a 737.   Are those guys all working minimum hours?   Are they being paid to sit at home? Are they utilizing those aircraft on longer domestic routes like MIA-LAX or Hawaii flights or something?  

Edited by Gil Bang
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I understand that they fly other places.  For example, LAX-NRT is 777, LAX-HND is 787. But, it's not like they're adding daily flights to either of those, are they?

When you say "re-deploy", if they already have aircraft planned to fly a given route, what good is the additional aircraft?  Unless, of course, they are pushing down smaller aircraft that would normally fly, like on the LAX-JFK routes mentioned above. 

Edited by Gil Bang
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Little of Column A, little of Column B. Fleets allocated to other routes as in the link above, plus schedules downsized overall to enable more maintenance prep for the summer season. Also a few mod programs being accelerated. Not sure how FA contracts are structured, but I know pilots still get their minimum monthly guarantees.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guy next to me on this AA flight started dipping about halfway through, and I immediately thought of this thread and the one from TOS with the legendary dip cup tales. 

By the way, wintergreen my fucking ass. Fucking stinks like shit. Everyone within two rows of this guy has to smell this. 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice email I received this morning from SWA regarding COVID-19 and their prevention measures. Nothing from American yet. 

Quote

A message from our SVP and Chief Marketing Officer, Ryan Green

To our valued Customers,

There is no higher priority to our entire Southwest Family than the Safety of our Customers and Employees. We are in close communication with medical professionals, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), government agencies, and internal teams to stay on top of this evolving situation. According to the most recent information from the CDC, for most people, the immediate risk of being exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19 is thought to be low.

We want you to feel confident when traveling with Southwest Airlines. As a result, we have enhanced some of our cleaning procedures in the interest of our Customers' and Employees' health and safety.

Aircraft Cleaning: We spend between 6-7 hours cleaning each aircraft every night, and, as of March 4, 2020, we have enhanced our overnight cleaning procedures. Typically, we use an EPA approved, hospital-grade disinfectant in the lavatories and an interior cleaner in the cabin. Now, we are expanding the use of the hospital-grade disinfectant throughout the aircraft, and it will be used in the cabin, on elements in the flight deck, and in the lavatory. This goes beyond the standard CDC guidelines.

Also, we equip each of our aircraft with a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter, which filters out recirculated air onboard each plane to remove airborne particles. HEPA filters are also used in hospitals to provide patients with clean air.

To learn more about our enhanced aircraft cleaning procedures, visit our blog for a detailed overview, along with a video and photos of the process.

In addition, I want to take a moment to remind Customers of our flexible policies. These policies have always been in place at Southwest Airlines and provide our Customers peace of mind every day. We never charge Customers a fee to change or cancel (though fare differences might apply) their flights. If your plans change or if you decide to postpone your travel, the funds used to pay for your flight can be applied to future travel as long as you cancel your reservation at least 10 minutes prior to the scheduled departure. The funds are valid for future travel up to one year from the original purchase date and must be used by the individual named on the ticket. Hopefully, these policies provide comfort to all of our Customers that they can book travel on Southwest as normal, and, if the circumstances change in the future, they can alter their plans without the penalty of a fee.

 

Rest assured, we are monitoring this developing situation closely, staying in regular contact with federal agencies, health organizations, and other experts. We've developed a host of resources to keep you informed and updated along the way, including our Travel Advisory on southwest.com and our Company blog, and we'll continue to post updates as this situation evolves.

Thank you for your patience and trust in Southwest Airlines. We are prepared to navigate through these challenging circumstances with your safety and confidence in Southwest Airlines at the forefront of everything we do.

We look forward to seeing you onboard soon,

Signature of Ryan Green

Ryan Green 
SVP & Chief Marketing Officer

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

interesting fuck you policy announced by United Air yesterday.

https://simpleflying.com/united-negative-refund-policy/

you are no longer eligible for a refund if your itinerary is changed by United unless the change is longer than 25 hours.

The policy had been 2 hours previously.   I understand if that 2 hours had been turned into 4 hours thats a reasonable increase by the airline to help save some money but not totally fucking over pasengers.  But now, if your schedule isnt changed by 25 hours, they dont have to refund you the trip anymore.   

 

oh hey you were flying to Miami  on the 2nd to last flight of the night on  Fri Eve to make sure you catch your 7 day cruise to the Caribbean which leaves Sat at noon.....  oops  sorry that evening flight was cancelled, and the earliest we can get you into Miami is now 1pm on Saturday.....    not only do you not make the cruise (which most likely wont refund you), but you dont even get a fucking refund from United for changing the entire day of the trip you had to travel.    

 

obviously above is just an example, but fill in the blanks for just about anything. you are flying to a wedding, its Sat eve, and now you cant even arrive until after the wedding, or maybe you are going to a football game and flying out on the last flight of the day, and they rebook you to the same flight on Sat.... except the football game starts at noon.  so you would arrive after the game.  in both cases, you completely miss the point of your trip and you dont even get a refund if the new reschedule flight time  renders your reason for travel to be useless.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, Telegraph_it said:

@AUS-97HORN Schedule changes are coming as routes are cancelled. 

fully understand schedule changes as airlines scramble to utilize their long haul carriers to do short haul work so they can maximize fuel usage during this outbreak.

Im not talking about the 1 week notice that your flight is now leaving at 7:50Pm on Thurs instead of 3:50Pm on Thursday.   Im talking about them telling you Thurs morning that the 3:50 flight is cancelled, the 7:50 flight is totally full, and the next flight they can get you on leaves at noon on Friday arrives at 4pm Eastern, and  you cant even get out of the airport before 4:30pm....        They wont even offer a refund now if that scenario happens.  No matter what plans you had the next day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2/21/2020 at 1:39 PM, Gil Bang said:

So, anybody have any insight to what AA's doing since all the China flights are cancelled?  That's a lot of expensive metal sitting around, and a lot of very senior pilots and FA's not working those trips.  The FA's, I'd imagine, push down to other international trips or the more attractive domestic trips, but WTF does a 787 pilot do when the routes are cancelled?  It's not like he can jump over to fly DFW-ONT on a 737.   Are those guys all working minimum hours?   Are they being paid to sit at home? Are they utilizing those aircraft on longer domestic routes like MIA-LAX or Hawaii flights or something?  

I imagine there are a lot of very desperate, very eager FAs looking to make some additional income to fill in the shortfall. These women are young and attractive, and they will do anything to "pay the bills", if you catch my drift.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Steel Shank said:

I imagine there are a lot of very desperate, very eager FAs looking to make some additional income to fill in the shortfall. These women are young and attractive, and they will do anything to "pay the bills", if you catch my drift.

You don't fly AA much, do you? 

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 minutes ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

You don't fly AA much, do you? 

expanding that to United and Delta.     The only domestic carrier Ive been on in the last 4 years with a decent crew was Virgin Airlines, and they dont exist anymore, absorbed into Alaskan.

 

*Edit, not including SWA  their crews arent always attractive, but they are perky and dont hate their customers, so that makes up for a lot.

Edited by AUS-97HORN
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Steel Shank said:

I imagine there are a lot of very desperate, very eager FAs looking to make some additional income to fill in the shortfall. These women are young and attractive, and they will do anything to "pay the bills", if you catch my drift.

I know for a fact that quite a few of them were already doing that on their layovers.  I guess they'll just be doing it full time now.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...