American Airlines makes a move to dominate at LAX

[MAH4546]

AA doesn't operate the number of gates that MAH says they will.
 

 
Haha. Still can't admit it, can you?
 
AA has leases on 34 gates. In the short-term, it will have 32 gates. That's a short-term 12 gate advantage over United and 15 gate advantage over Delta (not even counting the fact Delta shares three gates). 1 gate at LAX can turn 8-9 domestic flights a day (Delta I believe does around 8.5/gate). That's a huge advantage. Deal with it. 
 
The backbone of AA's LAX domestic flying, the 738, is getting an extra 10 seats added for a total of 160. The 184-seat A321 will also become more of a regular at LAX. 

 

[WorldTraveler]

I have repeatedly said that AA has a gate advantage.

what you can't admit is that AA has had a gate advantage over DL for years but it hasn't translated into higher average revenue or higher local passengers.

do you think you could lower yourself to admitting that the heart of your argument - more gates equals more revenue isn't even accurate today?

and I am fully aware that AA is adding seats to its aircraft and to acquiring 321s.

You may think customers will accept Ejets out of the Eagle's nest but I can assure you that they won't accept mainline aircraft out there.

DL can park mainline aircraft at nearly every one of its little gates.

As much as you want to doubt the gate advantage AA has, DL and UA both not only are overcoming that advantage by using larger aircraft but also focusing their operation on the local LAX market far better than AA is doing.

 

[AdAstraPerAspera]

the fact that you clearly don't know the issues is why AA employees will be frustrated by watching their peers at other airlines make more money even while AA's total labor costs will be higher for the same amount of revenue generated.
 

 
Apparently the less-informed among my peers felt otherwise, but I would have been plenty happy with a pay scale that not only matches DL's, the top-of-scale is reached 2 years before DL's (important to a junior person like me) plus superior work rules, best-in-industry vacation, benefits, duty rigs, purser pay, intl override, etc. That makes for much more than the dangled carrot of a "potential" profit sharing payout, at least to me. And oh yeah, one more thing that I have that some do not: a CONTRACT. It's not my fault the industry-leading TA was voted down by a mere 16 votes. But yes, had it gone into effect, I would have felt quite comfortable, relative to my industry peers.
 
 

I'm sure you were. and didn't you also tell us that your DL boyfriend ditched you for someone else?

fair disclosure might be appropriate.

 
Wow, trying to hurt my feelings? Well, I won't stoop to your level. But I will make note about how that has nothing to do with this topic, but thanks for that.
 
May you be stuck in a middle seat just behind the aft lavs of a 753 to HNL soon.

 

[Kev3188]

 

I'm sure you were. and didn't you also tell us that your DL boyfriend ditched you for someone else?

Classy.

 

[WorldTraveler]

funny you trot out the admonitions about using class at this point, Kev.

you seem incapable of being able to see the mountains of refuse that gets thrown my way and then someone everyone gets bent out of shape that the board is what it is?

I don't need to fly to HNL. but thanks for offering.

and since we are taking the labor turn here -thanks to Q - let's note that DL FAs aren't doing what is necessary to get a contract - they are quite happy with the arrangement they have right now. and they are getting profit sharing by the bucket loads - on top of their salaries.


in the meantime, AA FAs are trying to figure out how to extricate themselves from the mess they are in - and by the looks of what the compAAny is serving up to the pilots, the FAs aren't the first group that will be disappointed by the "negotiations" they are entered into.

All of the gates at LAX won't solve the problem of AA's ageless labor problems.

 

[silverbird007]

Classy.

in the real world WT probably wants a boyfriend but can't get one!

 

[cageyjames]

What a way for this thread to end.  Someone put this thing out of it's misery.

 

[MAH4546]

So since he finally admits he is totally wrong about the gate situation at LAX, now it's labor that will slow AA down in LAX.
 
Whatever. 

 

[WorldTraveler]

in the real world WT probably wants a boyfriend but can't get one!

I'm not expecting anyone to tell us how classless those kinds of comments are.

you all are your worst enemies and you get the board you deserve (just like the leAAders that you threw yourself behind when a number of us told you what to expect)

MAH,
you can't admit that the gate advantage that AA has had hasn't made a hill of a bean's worth of difference in AA's revenue.

so how are all of these new gates - which are not really much more than the bunch that have long been a bus ride halfway to Riverside County) supposed to change anything?

and you still can't answer if it will really be worth it for AA to add a couple more routes from LAX into competitors' hubs only to have them add their flights into far larger and more significant markets where AA gets a far higher amount of revenue... such as to/from MIA and Latin America.


yes, put the thread out of its misery... it was nothing more than a mindless press release which did nothing to address significant strategic questions which the huddled masses here don't want to think about either

 

[commavia]

So. Much. Detachment. From. Reality.
 
Fear, fear, fear.

 

[WorldTraveler]

just answer the question about why AA came up with no revenue advantage over DL in the 2nd quarter despite having so many more gates.

It's not in the press release.

this is what the APA said about their contract proposal... note their comparison to DL. It is clear that I am far from the only one that holds DL in high regard:

"This JCBA process was a simple layup for this management team. Instead, we received a proposal completely disconnected from its introductory letter as if each where compiled by the other author’s alter ego in the corporate silos of Centreport. It’s mindboggling to think that a $40B corporation can’t share a portion of their $4B profits with the employees that made this endeavor the success that we appear to be poised upon.
"The airline industry has shifted from cost control to revenue maximization and the only difference between the big four industry leaders will be customer satisfaction. A successful, profitable company requires an engaged and motivated workforce. That is Delta's model for success, so much so that their CEO Richard Anderson said so in a 3rd quarter earnings call:
"We know that Delta’s positive employee culture differentiates us from our competitors and we reward our employees with pay for performance through our profit sharing program and shared rewards. This alignment reduces risk and when employees have a vested interest in the future profitability of the company, they take great care of our customers, they take great care of each other. This drives revenue growth and better returns for our owners."
 
 
so, no, Q, the chances are looking less and less good for AA and its employees to just move past signing these labor agreements and become the dominant force in anything.

"We wish we had something more encouraging to relay to you. But, at this point management controls the purse strings and it’s their decision to choose Delta’s model for success or continue to stumble in the footprints of previous managment teams."
 
those are APA words, not mine.
 
and there are most certainly a whole lot of other AA employees who think the same thing

 

[AdAstraPerAspera]

I'm sure you were. and didn't you also tell us that your DL boyfriend ditched you for someone else?

fair disclosure might be appropriate.

 
Trying to figure out your reason for saying this.
 
Are you accusing me of sour grapes? Do you think I have some sort of antipathy towards DL because my former partner was a DL FA and our relationship ended, therefore I can't speak rationally about the airline?
 
Remember that I have still have some very good friends at DL that I love and respect very much that I know personally, PMDL and PMNW... even on this board, Kev is someone I like and respect very much.
 
I sure hope that wasn't what you meant by that. Obviously that would be way off base with reality regarding my DL friends.

 

[WorldTraveler]

thanks for your apologetic but your friends and Delta Air Lines are not the same thing.
 
and you are free to choose to make it mean what you want.
 
in the meantime, your coworkers are the ones who acknowledge that DL's labor policies are what they wish they had - and they recognize that happy employees translates into premium revenue for the company - which also benefits the employees.
 
You do realize that the biggest spike in DL's RASM growth came during AA's "operational issues" a couple of Octobers ago?
 
all of AA's strategic plans do absolutely nothing if employees believe they are being short-changed - which is exactly what a whole lot of AA FAs felt, AA pilots now feel after getting AA"s opener for their workgroup, and undoubtedly other groups will feel as their number comes up.
 
E and I could hardly be described as best friends but I can't help but high five his statement "this is the airline you asked for"  ....only adding that there were some of us that told you months before anything was signed what would happen.
 
LAX gates is far down the list of most important issues facing AA.   

 

[Glenn Quagmire]

What a way for this thread to end.  Someone put this thing out of it's misery.

He is simply trying to get this thread locked by the moderators since he has become unhinged, yet again, about Delta not winning. Ignore or report him if need be.

I say keep the thread open.

I started this thread with the idea of discussing the new American Airlines and their road through LAX being a huge start to their great future.

 

[eolesen]

Just report Rachel's transgressions. It was a classless remark, and by trying to wiggle his way out of it he looks even dumberer.