Arpey Speaks

WingNaPrayer

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Aug 20, 2002
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FORT WORTH, Texas (Dow Jones)--Top executives with three U.S. airlines Monday said they continue to struggle to find ways to cut the amount of time it takes passengers to go through airport security.

As air traffic rises during peak travel months this summer, some industry experts say passengers could face long lines, which could cause people to miss their flights or their connections.

"That's something we're going to have to watch," said Southwest Airlines Co.(NYSE:LUV) ( LUV) Chief Executive Jim Parker. "It really is a foxhole by foxhole battle, an airport by airport battle."

Parker, speaking on a panel of three airline executives at a Society of American Business Editors and Writers conference, said the airline is working with the Transportation Security Administration at the airport level to make security checks more efficient.

Continental Airlines Inc.(NYSE:CAL) (CAL) Chief Executive Gordon Bethune said he's urged the TSA, which is in charge of security checks, to come up with a set amount of time it takes to process passengers at security checkpoints, so that airlines can plan their routes and connections accordingly.

"We've asked for standards to be set," he said, but the TSA hasn't provided any standard.

AMR Corp.(NYSE:AMR) (AMR) Chief Executive Gerard Arpey said his strategy is to keep things running smoothly for passengers for the parts of their travel that AMR controls, hopefully offsetting any extra time spent in the security lines, which AMR doesn't control.

Two of the three executives from Texas airlines predicted there will be fewer airlines in time, as the most unprofitable carriers slowly die, losing to the more nimble airlines.

"There's no reason to have six hub-and-spoke carriers, but you have to have that system if you want to get to Lafayette, Louisiana," Continental's Bethune said. Network carriers have traditionally served small towns, while low-cost carriers fly between larger cities.

AMR's Arpey agreed: "You don't need that many airlines to get low fares."

But Southwest's Parker said he can't predict whether the number of airlines will fall or rise. He said barriers to enter the airline industry are low, prompting new start-up airlines that could sprout up to replace any carriers that fail.

None of the three executives said his airline would install new televisions or entertainment systems in its fleet.

"Those are nice things, but if we lose your bag, it doesn't matter," Bethune said. He said Continental focuses on "getting you safely, on time, with your underwear, to your destination."

Arpey said many American Airlines customers bring their own entertainment with them on the airplanes on laptop computers and other devices. Therefore, American is installing power ports on airplanes, rather than televisions.

Later, in an interview with Dow Jones Newswires, Arpey said he's trying to figure out what passengers are willing to pay for.

Arpey also said American is attempting to simplify its operations as much as possible.

"For years we allowed complexities in to our company to chase revenue," Arpey said. He added that the more complex a business is, the more opportunities the business has for problems and failures.

Arpey said AMR's liquidity position now is much better than when he took the reins a year ago as AMR came close to filing for bankruptcy. Still, high fuel prices are preventing AMR from reaping the full benefits of the liquidity boost and cost cuts the airline has implemented.

"We thought at this point we would be building more momentum than we are," he said.


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It is my daily observation that passengers spend MUCH MUCH more time in AA's ticket counter lines than in security lines. Blaming security is not addressing the problem.
 
True, but blaming security doesn't require a budget alteration, or the restoration of the jobs of more laid off agents to get those ticket counter lines moving!
 
It just doesn't take that long to swipe your credit card at a self service device and wait for it to print out a boarding pass. Depending on the airport security lines are much more of a problem than the ticket counter, for AA SJC, LAS, and LAX come to mind.
 
OneFlyer, You don't understand. Posters like WingNaPrayer are totally opposed to the self-service print boarding pass kiosks. Why, because these machines eliminate the airport ticket counter jobs for which we the pax should have to stand in line to maintain.

I have challanged (similar) posters (with other handles) on this board on whether they themselves want to go back to the days before scanning at checkout in supermarkets. I see no job losses in my supermarkets - but maybe less UNION jobs. And now we have self-scanning!

This is the Luddite and Know Nothing thinking that would have outlawed the Whitney cotton gin, the McCormick reaper, the Bessemer converter, the Ford Model-T, et. al.

It's really all about loss of UNION dues jobs, or if not in the case of AA CSA, the potential for the future loss.
 
Oneflyer said:
It just doesn't take that long to swipe your credit card at a self service device and wait for it to print out a boarding pass. Depending on the airport security lines are much more of a problem than the ticket counter, for AA SJC, LAS, and LAX come to mind.
No, no. There are long waits for the "self service device", too, particularly in the morning.

Upsilon, since you'r on a roll, why don't you continue your line of thinking (?) and accuse wing of being against the airplane, too.
 
Top executives with three U.S. airlines Monday said they continue to struggle to find ways to cut the amount of time it takes passengers to go through airport security

How do they know what's 'really' going on out there? The info they get is always sugar coated by middle managers.
 
Wretched Wrench said:
Upsilon, since you'r on a roll, why don't you continue your line of thinking (?) and accuse wing of being against the airplane, too.
Well, I'm not anti-airplane ;) But I do loathe unions, and I do most certainly loathe corporate executives who automate human beings out of a job, thereby causing more unemployment, more poverty, more personal bankruptcies, more loss of health insurance, more families destroyed, and on top of it, don't offer lower prices on their products that reflect the savings they claim the elimination of the jobs created.

People first. Machines are made to serve, not replace, man!

Airlines are indeed a prime example, and in this instance, AA is leading the way. Thousands have lost their jobs at AA. The airline has cut back drastically on services to the point where it looked as though AA was in the business of chasing customers to the competition. Yet this airline has ticket prices in most of it's markets that are far above their nearest competitor. If AA wants to be a LCC (which due to their lack of services, they are no different other than 2/3 classes of "service"), then they have to forego the legacy prices. They whine that they can't charge lower prices because wages are too high, yet they slashed wages across the board and still their prices remain high. Now they cry that fuel prices are too high, and they raise prices again.

AA reminds me of Napoleon. Think about it.
 
I see, so AA should take out all the Self Service devices and put back all of the ticket agents, then we can expand all of our ticket counters since AA will need more space to accomodate the added agents. The added agents and lease space will drive up costs and AA can lose more money, file for bankruptcy, and then even more people can lose their jobs.....

Your comment about automation eliminating human jobs is so incredibly stupid it is difficult to understand. Maybe we should role back the assembly line, that will create a lot of new jobs. Those computer things we use, lets get rid of those too, we can all just sit in our cubes and count on our hands.
 
Another newbie misses the point entirely.

Wasn't it Carty who said AA was banking on these self-check kiosks to replace approximately 55 agents per bank?

Hmmmmm, why, yes it was! And AA has thrown triple digit millions into orders on these machines and again, once the language barriers have been eliminated - so will 55 agent jobs per kiosk bank.

But I'm glad you like that scenario there newbie - at least we'll all know who to finger point at while saying ITYS!
 
Wing is a poster with a personality disorder who can't, from one post to the next or in one thread or the next, decide what he is or believes. He has a signature tag about not voting Republican; but just stated above that he "loathes" unions. Go figure!

I rejoined this board on the same day he did. I am not as prolific a poster; but I am at least consistent. I am a business AA FF with a love of aviation (and I also happen to own a few shares of AA stock going back to the days when Al Casey was President).

But Wing has been all over the map on his posts. In other threads he says he is only an AA stockholder. Yet he continually disparages AA and its management. Others have pointed out his remarkable knowledge of the most detailed employee work procedures – ramp, line, counter and in-flight. With over 900 posts, it would impossible to detail every contradiction; but I have read many.

I have not been able to enlarge his avatar on the left that appears to me is the head of two dogs (with possibly a third in the upper left corner), all sharing a common body. Could this be indicative of someone who talks out of both sides of the mouth?
 
Up - you have entirely too much time on your hands if all you can do is try to figure out what I do for a living and as a hobby trying to enlarge Avatars.

Good gawd man get over yourself. EVERYONE is entitled to their opinion whether you like it or not. Debate the topic and discuss the opinion but attacking the messenger in your quest for brownie points only gets you cut off at the knees.

I neither need, nor desire your approval. However, this mindless penchant you have for following me and/or my posts is bordering on stalkish.
 
upsilon said:
Wing is a poster with a personality disorder who can't, from one post to the next or in one thread or the next, decide what he is or believes. He has a signature tag about not voting Republican; but just stated above that he "loathes" unions. Go figure!

I rejoined this board on the same day he did. I am not as prolific a poster; but I am at least consistent. I am a business AA FF with a love of aviation (and I also happen to own a few shares of AA stock going back to the days when Al Casey was President).

But Wing has been all over the map on his posts. In other threads he says he is only an AA stockholder. Yet he continually disparages AA and its management. Others have pointed out his remarkable knowledge of the most detailed employee work procedures – ramp, line, counter and in-flight. With over 900 posts, it would impossible to detail every contradiction; but I have read many.

I have not been able to enlarge his avatar on the left that appears to me is the head of two dogs (with possibly a third in the upper left corner), all sharing a common body. Could this be indicative of someone who talks out of both sides of the mouth?
You hit the nail on the head. Wing adds nothing positive or productive to any of his post's on any boards. Wing has an problem with AA and it's management. Not only does he piss off people on this board, check out the attached link:

edited to add that link does not work, but check out www.flyertlalk.com and you will see the venom he spews...not productive
 
WingNaPrayer said:
Wasn't it Carty who said AA was banking on these self-check kiosks to replace approximately 55 agents per bank?
Cockpits used to have flight engineers and navigators, and we (TWA) used to put five FA's on MD80's and 727's. The kiosks will cost agent jobs; that's for sure. But there's nothing we can do to stop it. AA cannot compete without them, and we have to accept that.

MK