AAG announces changes at DCA and LGA

[700UW]

http://crankyflier.com/2014/01/20/first-glimpse-of-americans-new-york-strategy-shows-less-focus-on-new-yorkers/

 

[MetalMover]

Does the A321 have the range to fly JFK-LHR and it is ETOPS qualified?
 
As no one flies the A321 from Europe to the US.

Actually British Airways flies an A318 from London City. Maybe the 321 in the future.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2WovEURsaw

 

[700UW]

The A318 is not an A321 and the A318 is specially equipped and not a full plane of passengers.
 
It has 32 seats.
 

Club World London City is our exclusive business-class service transporting you between the financial hearts of London and New York. It's like having your own private jet:

• direct flights between New York JFK and London City airports
• just 32 spacious seats with fully flat beds
• on-board mobile data connectivity
• pre-clearance of US immigration on selected flights
• dedicated support team for all your travel needs

 

[dash8roa]

A round-trip for the A321T airframe from JFK to LHR would take about 15 hours, plus the down time in LHR to turn it around, plus the holding patterns (often) inbound to LHR, and the taxi queues getting back out of there.
 
That doesn't leave a whole lot of time for that airplane to go to LAX and back.  
 
As Parker pointed out (in not so many words,) New York and Los Angeles have the money and the willingness to spend it on these flights.  Not many other cities qualify.  I doubt BOS will ever support a 321T to the west coast.
 
Besides, if this experiment actually works, is there any doubt that Delta and/or JetBlue will attempt the exact same thing, thereby watering down the customer base so that no airline can make a profit with the concept?
 
I still say: "SSS" (Standard Sardine Seating) throughout all the 321Ts by 2015.

Too risky to do transatlantic, the headwinds on West bound flights would make the service unreliable, diversions for fuel stops would drive people away to other carriers. I also agree that the seating will not stay at 75 but will match others in the fleet. Remember AA MRTC? Great idea but did not last.

 

[Jacobin777]

 
Your 23 year record with 3 class service included a boatload of coach class fannies in seats.  As MR. PARKER pointed out, the 321T does not have "hedge" that DC-10s and 767s have.  
 
It's called arithmetic.  And that's basically what MR. PARKER told the CLT pilots lasrt week at the Crew News meeting.  Go tell MR. PARKER that he's full of it, and show him your 23 year record.
 
Or, maybe arithmetic isn't a proven concept at AA yet.

 
The B762's are "fuel hogs". They are completely inefficient in 2013/2014-let alone in a few years. Many of the Y seats were probably low(er) yielding and during low-season might have hurt margins.
 
Increasing frequency with the A321T's or possibly a mix of A321T and A321's (though that might get a bit confusing) will probably be the better way to go.
 
Mr. Parker's decision to swap with DL and Mr. Parker's recent "lollipops" offered to all of the unions might show just how much "full of it" he actually might be.

 

[MetalMover]

 
The A318 is not an A321
 

No kidding......

 

[Pi brat]

Proven, and often mimicked by others, but only AA has been able to make it work.

I was working at JFK as a gate lead when AA started up the three class DC10 transcon service, which essentially put the international seats onto a domestic-only aircraft.

MGM Grand Air tried going head to head, but they only lasted a few months, before going back to flying sports and gambling charters. I did get to see their deluxe DC-8, and it was quite posh... but it was no match for 10x on AA's three class DC10's.

Pan Am was still in the game then, but they, too, collapsed.

TWA stayed in the transcon market up to the end, using their international aircraft tagged to the west coast, but could only do a couple trips a day timed to their European bank.

UA tried to make PS work, but as noted, Smisek killed it off, in part because of the post-2008 post-bailout austerity measures that a lot of financial institutions put in place, but also because they thought that after the SAG contract was changed to eliminate the requirement for F class travel, there would be no more demand.

How wrong they were... the entertainers still were traveling in F, and the austerity measures for the bankers were somewhat short lived.

VX and DL have stayed in the game, but don't have the contracts with the studios or broadcast networks that AA has been able to hold onto, nor do they have the frequency to meet the flexibility demanded by that type of traveler.


Perhaps it's time for the pm-US folks to consider the fact that AA wasn't run by a bunch of drunken sailors, and that they actually made some good decisions from time to time.

Clearly, keeping the high-service emphasis on the transcons is one of the decisions that was right, and that's a credit to both the planning side of the house, as well as the front line employees who kept the service standards high despite years of bitterness towards management.

AWA decided to get in the transcon market back around 2003-2004. The absolutely failed.

 

[MAH4546]

Or, maybe arithmetic isn't a proven concept at AA yet.

Maybe, sort of how providing a high-quality, premium product with great customer service isn't a proven concept at US.

Are US FA's going through retraining by AA as the US side adapts AA service standards? April 1st is going to be killer for them, having to start serving meals and all. Quite the change from passing around a basket of snacks gathered from the airport vending machine.

 

[nycbusdriver]

Maybe, sort of how providing a high-quality, premium product with great customer service isn't a proven concept at US.

 

 
ABSOLUTELY NO ARGUMENT FROM ME!  (Although under Wolf and Gangwal, US Airways had it knocked for a very short time.  And that's even sadder, since we proved we could do it, but choose not to.)
 
AA has merged with the "Ma and Pa Kettle" airline.  It happened to US Airways in 2005; now its your turn.  You were warned.

 

[eolesen]

Then again, it's probably easier to train a fry cook how to serve a meal on china than it is to take a maitre'd and make him to work the drive thru...

Probably more rewarding for the employees, too. I'd expect a lot less complaining, and perhaps more enthusiasm for what that 70% of the job entails.

 

[AANOTOK]

 
ABSOLUTELY NO ARGUMENT FROM ME!  (Although under Wolf and Gangwal, US Airways had it knocked for a very short time.  And that's even sadder, since we proved we could do it, but choose not to.)
 
AA has merged with the "Ma and Pa Kettle" airline.  It happened to US Airways in 2005; now its your turn.  You were warned.

Is there a thread anywhere between the US and AA forums I could possibly get just a touch of hopium instead of a constant barrage of negativity? I know that's a lot to ask, but I did underline possibly!  B)

 

[nycbusdriver]

Is there a thread anywhere between the US and AA forums I could possibly get just a touch of hopium instead of a constant barrage of negativity? I know that's a lot to ask, but I did underline possibly!  B)

 
As bad as the morale may have been at AA during the Horton bankruptcy years, AA morale was "Shangri La" by comparison to US Airways.  
 
I am actually hopeful that some non-Kettle heads will prevail, but history can't be changed.

 

[WorldTraveler]

is there some data to back up that statement? comparisons like this seem like they should be built on some quantitative measurement.

 

[AdAstraPerAspera]

DCA-OMA seems like a market we would want to keep considering F9 is ending its nonstop this year and that city pair will be left with no more service once the US flight ends.

 

[robbedagain]

How well did us flight dca oma do vs f9?