Here is some very interesting info:
I have a relative that has AA points, and they have been wanting to go to Albany, NY to see their daughter. AA doesn't fly to Albany anymore, and this relative has tried in the past to put the xxx-ALB information in, but it hasn't let them.....
Until last night..... they can fly to ALB now on USAir with their AA points....... hmmmmm....??? Now THAT is interesting! Plot thickens!!
if you check the "all carriers" box on aa.com, it will build schedules with all carriers, and it so happens that connections with US via DCA are the fastest interline connections avaialble - but that hardly points to any secret marketing agreement that someone has stumbled on and that hasn't been released to stockholders and the SEC. Unless of course flights on UA, DL, and their partners are also part of the secret agreement since those appear as well.
All of the network airline res systems can build connections w/ other carriers but it doesn't say you can earn or burn miles on those flights.
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and you are right, Maark, everyone keeps wanting to look for mergers based on what THEY think will work when the reality is that the people who control AA's future - its creditors - are looking for what solutions will provide the best return for them, assuming AA cannot successfully restructure on its own, which is the default choice. Only if AA cannot demonstrate that it cannot successfully restructure do the creditors start looking for alternatives - and then at some point AA/AMR's creditors start looking at alternatives ALONGSIDE AMR's plan because AMR does not have exclusivity any more.
The notion that much smaller airlines with very different business plans will save AA is wishful at best.
Either way, it will be the best return for AMR's creditors that will govern AA's future, not anyone's personal opinions of what they think will create the best network... and the US government has a pretty long record of supporting consolidation in the US, addressing competitive concerns at specific cities/markets - not by blocking entire transactions.
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In other news, Embraer took a large (about $360M charge to earnings to write down AA/AE's assets). It is far less likely they would have taken a charge if there were going to be an order for the larger E jets that would have offset the writedown.
