AA to exceed DL financial margins by end of 2015?

[WorldTraveler]

yes and the main difference is that I haven't said it.

again, making predictions about what AA's financial results will be a year from now is well beyond any sort of credible forecasting and also belies the fact that Latin America revenues are likely to take a major hit as a result of not only more competition as I have noted but also increasingly major currency changes which are spreading far faster than I imagined.

Latin America is a $6 billion plus per revenue operation for AA. The 11.7% decline in RASM if continued on an annualized basis could easily wipe out more than $700 million of revenue from AA in a region where AA's yields are well above in other regions of the world.

predicting financial success a year in an advance could be a very foolish and error-filled exercise.

 

[traderjake]

AA employees could care less if the company makes more money at their expense which is exactly what is happening.

 
Your concern for the welfare of AA employees brings a tear to my eye.

 

[WorldTraveler]

You missed what I said.

AA employees THEMSELVES aren't shedding any tears.

they very well will be when it becomes apparent that AA pulled yet another fast one at the expense of labor unions who couldn't see what they were passing up.

 

[commavia]

Yet again, Delta flight attendants (and most other Delta employees) should - at least theoretically - get paid more, owing to the fact that they take on greater risk of being fired or having their compensation or benefits changed by the company at any time (subject to limitations of law and regulation), as is the case with at-will employment.  This is economics (really finance) 101 - more risk, more reward.  It's up to unions and/or individual employees to determine just how much that added risk of at-will employment is worth, and clearly many AA flight attendants - including the ones running the union, and negotiating the contract - feel that the value of such risk has been fairly and adequately established as negotiated in the pending TA.
 
I continue to find it hilarious that self-appointed airline industry experts who have, time and again, displayed a comical lack of understanding about the basics of corporate finance and accounting are now, yet again, lecturing all of us on how AA is allegedly "not accounting" for certain things because dear, precious Delta is rapidly watching its lead relative to its competitors evaporate, and then continues to lecture actual flight attendants about what levels of compensation - and risk tolerance - they should be willing to accept.  Seems like quite the personal decision, but some people just can't help themselves, I suppose.  Happily, astoundingly self-aggrandizing airline industry discussion forum pariahs don't get a vote on this TA.

 

[traderjake]

AA employees THEMSELVES aren't shedding any tears.

 
I'm an AA employee via USAirways, but thanks anyway for attempting to  analyze of my feelings. 

 

[robbedagain]

trader..  I am totally shocked you are not shedding tears   or did I misread your statement!!!  

 

[WorldTraveler]

Yet again, Delta flight attendants (and most other Delta employees) should - at least theoretically - get paid more, owing to the fact that they take on greater risk of being fired or having their compensation or benefits changed by the company at any time (subject to limitations of law and regulation), as is the case with at-will employment.  This is economics (really finance) 101 - more risk, more reward.  It's up to unions and/or individual employees to determine just how much that added risk of at-will employment is worth, and clearly many AA flight attendants - including the ones running the union, and negotiating the contract - feel that the value of such risk has been fairly and adequately established as negotiated in the pending TA.

except it is NOT a union vs non-union issue.

if it were, then WN employees would not have had the highest profit sharing in the industry for decades.

Accepting profit sharing IS indeed an issue about risk of future profitability..

Again, the unions are absolutely correct to look back and see the profitability or lack thereof in the industry since deregulation.

but union economists (if they have any) have completely ignored or denied that there major changes have taken place in the industry that have provided for consistent and long-term profitability even in the legacy sector which has not seen that kind of profitability since deregulation.

WN employees didn't turn away from profit sharing because of risk and they absolutely could see much lower compensation if their profit sharing ended. Their res/airport personnel are getting 1.5% raises but profit sharing and incentive pay increases. the vast majority of WN employees' ability to increase their compensation comes from profit sharing.

Those airlines that succeed in changing the compensation toward heavier amounts of profit sharing are also ones that are running solid businesses.

There is indeed a risk but profit sharing has and is delivering greater results to those employees who have it vs. those who settle for straight scale pay - which is far from a guarantee either.

 

[jimntx]

Let's just all agree that WT will have the last word even if everyone agreed with him.  He knows all, sees all.  He can get into the minds of other people and know what they are thinking about any subject--particularly, profit sharing, or airline strategies.  He just demonstrated on another thread the other day that he knows what goes on in the minds and offices of AA executives.
 
Please be aware that responding to his repetitive drivel simply makes him repeat it as if it were a new thought.  Ignore him.  Maybe he will go away and drive off most of the members of another airline forum as he has here.

 

[WorldTraveler]

I'm sorry if you find discussion threatening.

Commavia made a statement that I do not agree with.

he would like to frame the issue as union vs non-union but it is about profitable companies vs. companies that don't consistently generate profitability and whose employees aren't willing to accept that risk.

AA is clearly rebounding financially even as it faces a lot of risks, esp. competitive revenue related, but it is once again worth noting that AA's employees are the only major employee group in the industry that have said they aren't interested in profit sharing.

AA mgmt. clearly has no desire in sharing profits and in paying their employees less for taking less risk.

this board has no shortage of activity.

 

[jcw]

Let me translate

I'm focused on the last word as DL rules the skies

I'm focused on smacking down everyone that does not see things my way

It's amazing someone as righteous as I am - has so much hate towards every other airline and their employees - I spend every waking moment trashing others here to channel that hate - I call it helping people see the truth - it's amazing how well I'm getting at posting I've almost reach 14000 points - it's like mdq's

 

[robbedagain]

excellent post jcw   you nailed it there bro