What is AA going to do?

[EX_AA_HDQ]

I'd just like to see us the best paid.

Who cares if they work for the biggest or most profitable company when they have one of the smallest paychecks, the least amount of paid time off, no paid holidays etc, etc?

What do you offer the company that you didn't five years ago, Bob? How are you improving the bottom line? Can you justify that increase? Loyalty and time served doesn't count...this isn't showfriends, it's showbusiness...

 

[Bob Owens]

What do you offer the company that you didn't five years ago, Bob? How are you improving the bottom line? Can you justify that increase? Loyalty and time served doesn't count...this isn't showfriends, it's showbusiness...

We've already proved ourselves. After we our pay was partially restored in 2001 the company was able to eliminate OT and still keep on top of the ranks. Its unrealistic of management to expect us to give the same effort after they cut our pay. Especially when you look at the fact that in addition to their exhorbitant salaries they expect six figure bonuses.

I dont care what other industries pay any more than they care what other industries pay their workers. The fact is this country produces more MBAS than the rest of the world, there is no shortage of MBAs out there, there is no need for AMR to pay their top management so much. Its an old boys club and a controlled market where the same interest sits on both sides of the table and they all personally benifit from increasing their pay.

In reality we arent even asking for raises, all we ask for it maintenance, increases that keep us at par with inflation so even if our productivity remained constant we still deserve COLAs. Why should the company get to cut our pay every year simply through inflation?

 

[flydude]

Delta/NWA can have the title "largest airline". One's things for sure, they have their work cut out for them.

That's the truth....most of us have been down the merger road several times. It's never easy for the employees and customers involved. For the most part, mergers always seem to look better on paper.

 

[eolesen]

Hey, let him be proud. They really did get the best possible combination from a unit cost perspective -- a large non-union workforce (who is fairly well paid), the ability to outsource pretty much all of their heavy maintenance, and no scope clauses left to speak of.

That said, there's only one direction to go from being the largest, most powerful... down.

Unfettered access only really matters in one market they serve -- China, and right now, there are dormant frequencies to China between UA, AA, and US...

AA used to have 900+ aircraft post TW merger. It's finally back to a sane level.

I'll agree with Bob and Frontline --- it's far better to be the most profitable, which allows you to have the best paid employees.

Being the biggest is just a marketing tag line....

 

[FWAAA]

For all the blather about a combined DL/NW fleet of 1,144 airplanes - that number includes 302 turboprops and smaller RJs. Including the 175s and CRJ-900s as mainline planes (kind of a stretch), the new Delta has a mainline fleet of 842 airplanes, fewer than the combined AA/TWA mainline fleet of 904 immediately after the purchase of TWA. Eagle had 271 airplanes after the TWA purchase, for a total AMR fleet of 1,175.

http://www.delta.com/about_delta/corporate...fleet/index.jsp

What's more, the 842 includes 117 MD-88s, 16 744s, 11 747 freighters and 67 remaining DC-9s. Any bets on how long those airplanes stay in the fleet?

Yep, DL has a big fleet. And fewer employees than AA. And all the troubles of merging two disparate workforces. Good luck, DL.