AA at bottom of list

[dash8roa]

The evening news showed a pole of the ranking of airlines. AA came in last. Either CBS or NBC.
Since I don't fly on other carriers, I can't compare AA with the rest.
WSJ similar article. http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-best-and-worst-airlines-of-2016-1484149294

 

[dfw gen]

Not much of a surprise there...

 

[MetalMover]

At the end of the day, record profits are still being reported.

 

[jimntx]

A friend of mine who is a flight attendant for the US Airways side of the family and who commutes frequently on LAA said to me right after the merger was confirmed that "Doug Parker will cheapen everything you do in First Class." That we have ranked at the bottom for the last two years is no surprise to me. It's those frequent flyers who occupy the F/C cabin who are being polled by the WSJ.

For instance, 3+ hour flights with no meal service because the flight departs at 9:02pm--2 minutes after the close of the "dinner service window." Flight used to depart before 9pm. "It's not a reduction in service. It's a schedule change." OK, if you say so.

Another sore spot with frequent flyers is the difficulty they are encountering in trying to use their miles. See also http://www.airlineforums.com/threads/value-of-airline-loyalty.60274/

 

[eolesen]

Jim, this isn't a customer preference poll or survey. It's a compilation of DOT stats plus ultra granular flifo & completion data now available from companies like GEE and Flightstats.

In other words, it's mostly objective datapoints, which makes it harder to dismiss than something like JD Powers, Skytrack, or other surveys which tend to oversample sybarite opinions on fluff like customer experience & onboard service levels...

This says it all:

Top half of this is actual flight data, bottom half of this is DOT reporting:

 

[dash8roa]

At the end of the day, record profits are still being reported.

As long as oil remains low, the profits will continue. I somehow feel oil will go back up and the good old days will come to an end.

 

[eolesen]

Maybe, but there's a big changeover coming next week, and presumably the Trump Administration is going to be more open to policies that expand domestic production. Plus, if a sounder economic policy shores up the dollar, that has a corresponding impact on what we're paying on the global market.

 

[CremaDiLimone]

i believe that eagle/envoy numbers are included in aa's, and aa takes a hit here...especially with baggage.

the stuff i see from envoy. with the corporate separation (american eagle to envoy) and now being a contract provider, hopefully this will open the door for aa to decouple from this glorified swissport and give the work to aa in various hubs/cities.

the other day, a pile of premium intl. bags..sitting for hours..missing their connections. no reason at all for it. 2 dozen envoy employees 50 yards away. there must have been a card tournament at the back of the envoy pier. photos were taken by passenger service management, said they will pass it up the line.

we know that 'they' know. just how serious is parker and co. about improving service? if you are, don't say you are and then give envoy more work. they might as well give envoy work to swissport, they would be cheaper.

 

[dfw gen]

happy MLK day. oh wait its only a holiday at headquarters. cant imagine why aa would be at the bottom of the heap.

 

[jimntx]

If the service AA gets from Sabre is an example of how well decoupling from the provider works--AE to Envoy, for instance, then we are in serious trouble. When I entered the IT field back in 1979, AA's Sabre department was the gold standard for corporate data processing--particularly in the transportation field. Now that Sabre is independent, they have adopted the old "we don't have time to get it right; so, just go ahead and install it. There'll always be time later to fix it later" approach to IT.

E, I'm well aware that the Middle Seat surveys are serious business. I was just pointing out that those of us who work closest to the passengers are hearing the same stories over and over again from the frequent flyers. And, they are not happy about the airline or the AAdvantage program. Missed connections due to mechanical delays, reduction in premium cabin services, inability to use the AAdvantage miles they have earned. Same stuff over and over. I find it hard to believe that anyone would be shocked at the survey results--almost any survey of airlines and their individual performance--AA usually ends up at or near the bottom.

 

[eolesen]

Oh, I totally get the frustration level on both sides, Jim. FLE's are tired of having to apologize, and HVC's are tired of hearing it without any action.

I'm sure Sabre could get things right if the airline was willing to pay for it. Instead, AA has adopted a lowest bidder mentality, so that's exactly what you get..

 

[AANOTOK]

Oh, I totally get the frustration level on both sides, Jim. FLE's are tired of having to apologize, and HVC's are tired of hearing it without any action.

I'm sure Sabre could get things right if the airline was willing to pay for it. Instead, AA has adopted a lowest bidder mentality, so that's exactly what you get..

I would go one step further and say America (Corporate) has adopted a lowest bidder mentality, so that's exactly what we all are starting to get!

 

[Boomer]

Family and I flew non-rev D1T through ORD to FCO this past summer: I do not know who writes these reports but our trip, to the O/S destination and through all of the return, was nothing less than stellar service in F/C and Coach. Just Sayin'

 

[FWAAA]

Just like I've written every year when Scott McCartney writes this article, several of the measures are completely irrelevant to frequent business travelers like me. I'll summarize below.

Mishandled bags, involuntary bumping and number of complaints filed with the DOT: Wholly irrelevant. Frequent business travelers rarely check bags, are never IDB'd (owing to elite status and early check-in) and we couldn't care less how many infrequent-flying hillbillies and autistic lawyers file complaints with the DOT over petty issues.

On-time flights and extreme delays: AA did alright last year on these metrics, coming in fifth place and fourth place, respectively.

AA's real problems last year involved the last two metrics: Two hour tarmac delays and cancelled flights. During 2015 and 2016, most of my issues involved long delays and some cancellations involving long-haul flights. It seemed as though every long-haul 787 and 777 was at risk. It's no secret that AA's maintenance professionals were very angry, and with the long-overdue pay raises, they may not be as angry. That might help with operational reliability. LAX operations will continue to improve as AA moves into T-5 once DL begins its move to T-2 and T-3.

 

[AANOTOK]

Looks like AA and it's sister carrier Spirit are the only two airlines to be red on the stock market today.