AMR Expansion in Los Angeles

[jimntx]

There is nothing preventing the company from flying 737s into/out of STL. A plane could originate at any hub, fly to STL, and fly out to LAX. Granted, if a pilot became ill at STL, you would have to deadhead a 73 pilot to STL. However, if a 737 pilot becomes ill at any other non-hub station (they were using 73s on MSY-MIA when we had that on our bidsheet), what does the company have to do? Deadhead a pilot to that station to continue the trip.

As far as LAX-DFW...why not ask why do they fly S80s on DFW-LGA or DFW-SEA? Because we have a lot more S80s than we have 737s. Besides there are 16 flights from DFW to LAX today. Only 4 of them are S80s. There are 4 S80s, 2 737s, 1 767, and 9 are 757s.

 

[eolesen]

As long as MD80's still make up half the domestic fleet, you've got a 50% chance of flying on one in any given domestic market. Replacing 250+ aircraft takes time & money. AMR doesn't have a lot of either one.

In the markets which are highly competitive or need the added range, you'll see 738s. In markets which aren't, you're going to see more MD80's than anything else.

While the crew issues Jim answered are one consideration, you also have to remember that mixing fleet types in STL means keeping rotables and spares on the shelf for when those aircraft go out of service. That gets expensive quickly for just one or two flights a day.

 

[IORFA]

My point was, as I was told, AA can not train STL based pilots to fly the 737 at this time. Some dude has to move up the ladder at AA far enough for that to change. As of today, that dude is furloughed. So that becomes a problem. AA also has to keep a minimum amount of pilots based at STL. This also causes a problem to regularly bring in a fleet type the base can't be trained to fly. With such a limited assortment of flights out of STL that makes it difficult to keep the minimum level of pilots working and not deadheading to start and or finish their trips. It starts to add cost that aren't necessary. Of course F/A's can fly an 80 out of STL then change to a 737 in an out city. We have been doing that for years. It is cost effective. Like I said, this is how it has been explained to me numerous times from different pilots.

 

[oldiesfan]

So AA, when will you load these new flights? I checked aa.com for TUS-LAX and PHX-LAX for a Friday in mid-April 2011 around 1200 PT today (Sunday) and nothing comes back. Shouldn't these new routes have been in last night's GDS/website loads, if not before?

 

[MCI transplant]

<_< ------ Just curious, what's the status of the old TWA hanger at LAX? I know the City was talking expansion, but they've been making those noises for the last thirty years! Any progress on that front?

 

[jimntx]

While the crew issues Jim answered are one consideration, you also have to remember that mixing fleet types in STL means keeping rotables and spares on the shelf for when those aircraft go out of service. That gets expensive quickly for just one or two flights a day.

E, that sounds perfectly reasonable in theory, but these days the company doesn't even keep spare S80 parts in stations that get them all the time. I was stuck at DCA for several hours awhile back as we waited for a engine starter part for a S80 to be flown in on AE from LGA. Captain told me that their new parts inventory software tells them to remove a part from inventory at a station if one hasn't been used at that station for some period of time.

Again, THAT sounds good in theory, but the Captain told me that those engine starters have problems all the time. The fact that it hadn't happened in DCA for awhile was just a fluke.

By the way, there was a 737 at STL day before yesterday. So there. A 73 was substituted for a broken 75. The STL crew only worked one leg to ORD then changed to a 75.