AA/US Fleet Upgrade Plan

[WorldTraveler]

WN is also not a longhaul domestic carrier and it also offers a bare bones experience including no advance seat assignments.

They are profitable so yes you can very much say their strategy works but I've read umpteen times on here as to why AA and WN are not in the saem league.

 

[FWAAA]

Not correct. All new Airbus and 737-800s being currently delivered have AVOD in every seat.

Not quite. The pmUS A321s that have been delivered recently (and the remaining deliveries to pmUS) have no power ports or in-seat IFE. All Airbus delivered to pmAA have power ports and IFE.

 

[FrugalFlyerv2.0]

WN is also not a longhaul domestic carrier and it also offers a bare bones experience including no advance seat assignments.

They are profitable so yes you can very much say their strategy works but I've read umpteen times on here as to why AA and WN are not in the saem league.

 
But on longhaul aircraft, AA, DL and UA are offering more-or-less similar (or somewhat comparable) on-board amenities.
 
IIRC, it was you that was trying to make the BIG fuss about AA not having AVOD in coach on their domestic aircraft (and how this is so much different than DL, how it is inferior to DL, how it is not a business decision DL would make, how DL is winning,  DL, DL, DL, DL, DL, DL, DL, etc.).

 

[WorldTraveler]

first, I wasn't making a fuss about anything. I was simply trying to understand what aircraft and cabins AA would NOT offer the stuff it touted in the press release.

Second, DL is the only one of the big 3 that has AVOD at every seat on every longhaul int'l aircraft. UA also has 767s that it has not retrofitted. I don't know their plans to retain those aircraft but they have indicated that they recognize the need to slow capital spending and to retain some of the mainline capacity they have intended to park.

As for business class, UA says they are at 100% lie flat business class on their entire int'l fleet; DL is at 100% on its widebodies, all of which have direct aisle access. AA IIRC will follow the direct aisle approach to business class, IIRC, but they are a lot further behind in retrofits.

There are also significant differences in terms of soft amenities including free alcohol policies between the 3.

so, no, all 3 US airlines DO NOT HAVE the same level of onboard service - either soft or hard product.

and as I have noted before, DL has the advantage of pulling off the first completed merger and has also taken the approach of offering a high quality product.... you can still get power and WiFi on DL aircraft but you also have an AVOD system if you want it.

AA might have decided they aren't going to go with any AVOD on domestic aircraft - the industry is far from being on the same page. US and NW both took fairly stripped down approaches to in-flight entertainment. DL's acquisition resulted in NW's policy being eliminated; since US took over AA, AA's product approach reflects a different approach and AA people on here have said so.

 

[CMH_GSE]

One thing WN does that I really like is free dish tv. It's not on every plane, but apparently the newer ones. Just dial it up on your pad, tablet or laptop and it gives you several popular channels to watch the entire time on board.

Would like to see this considered for AAs domestic fleet instead of AVOD.

 

[commavia]

Well, needless to say, there are multiple definitions of "high quality product" that are highly subjective.
 
Again - good for Delta for having AVOD PTVs on many (though not all) domestic aircraft, but I could care less about that "high quality product" because I bring my own AVOD PTV (my iPad) when I travel, so I care much more about other things.  Onboard premium catering on AA - even with recent changes - is still better, in my experience, than Delta.  AA's IT - both online and at the airport - is also better, in my experience, than Delta.  And AA's FF program is also better, in my experience, than Delta.

 

[WorldTraveler]

then that should translate into premium revenues, shouldn't it?

Not only is AA's yield lower in absolute figures than DL's but it is growing slower too.

you tell me why.

maybe it has nothing to do with AVOD or online services... or maybe it has to do with DL reliability and DL's ability to refine its schedule which AA might get to as well - how many years are we into the UA merger and they are just now starting to make some serious adjustments to their schedule?

and whether you use AVOD or not, it is there if you want it. Never have I seen anyone tell an FA to rip one out of the seatback.

I'm not saying that it is the gold standard for domestic travel. clearly some carriers have it and are expanding it while others don't and won't.

ON int'l lonhaul thruout the aircraft, AVOD is the standard.

and premium catering is great for those who sit there.. you might want to look at data that shows that the vast majority of airline revenue around the world comes from the coach cabin, not the premium cabin.

 

[phllax]

One thing WN does that I really like is free dish tv. It's not on every plane, but apparently the newer ones. Just dial it up on your pad, tablet or laptop and it gives you several popular channels to watch the entire time on board.
Would like to see this considered for AAs domestic fleet instead of AVOD.

The free wifi, if working, is on everything but the 300's. I have used it many times, and the connection has been good, only dropping off during some turns.

Did anyone else find it interesting that there was no mention of the sUS 321 fleet, which is the largest in the world? At the very least they could re-activate the first generation power ports.

 

[jcw]

Translation:

There is not a single AA does right and not a thing DL does wrong unless AA does extactly what DL does I will continue to bash AA