Catering cuts effective 09/01/14

[WorldTraveler]

Or else who care's about Delta on the AA board?

go back in this thread and you'll find out how DL got brought into this discussion.

if you people want a more tranquil board, you would take your frustration out on the people who actually derail these threads.
 

I think the more accurate way to put it is that both AA and USAirways will be moving closer to the Delta/United inflight catering standards.

this was the FIRST reply.

you get the board you create - or allow others to create.

 

[jcw]

it's funny - customers don't want to pay for airfares and expect caviar treatment on walmart prices - food on every flight high end wines, etc - employees want more income (who wouldn't) - however generally (I use generally - some do) don't want to work harder - they want to be bound by union rules
 
It's amazing how people quickly say they will leave AA because of a minor change in catering - the service is good on AA and US - neither one is the best however neither one is bottom of the barrel
 
A more profitable airline is great for customers and employees.

 

[eolesen]

Keep in mind who wants caviar at Slurpee prices -- it's usually the leisure traveler who might get on a plane twice a year, and still thinks travel is glamorous.

Your average business traveler? We want a decent drink selection on the long flights, and to be left alone the rest of the time. If there's an option to eat before getting onboard, I skip the first meal altogether. BA and QF have that one figured out with the buffet in their lounge, as do a bunch of other airlines. None of the clubs for AA/UA/DL serve food worth mentioning. At least AS offers soup in most of their clubs, and they keep winning JD Power. Go figure.

Employees keep showing up to work just like most of the business customers keep coming back and buying tickets, so it can't be all that bad.

 

[jcw]

Keep in mind who wants caviar at Slurpee prices -- it's usually the leisure traveler who might get on a plane twice a year, and still thinks travel is glamorous.

Your average business traveler? We want a decent drink selection on the long flights, and to be left alone the rest of the time. If there's an option to eat before getting onboard, I skip the first meal altogether. BA and QF have that one figured out with the buffet in their lounge, as do a bunch of other airlines. None of the clubs for AA/UA/DL serve food worth mentioning. At least AS offers soup in most of their clubs, and they keep winning JD Power. Go figure.

Employees keep showing up to work just like most of the business customers keep coming back and buying tickets, so it can't be all that bad.

 
Your right - BA/QF do have it right - the funny thing is actually US serves soup in their clubs every evening - while in general I agree with your caviar at Slurpee prices - the folks on here complaining about the change in catering (per their own posts) are AA's most valuable fliers

 

[MetalMover]

go back in this thread and you'll find out how DL got brought into this discussion.

if you people want a more tranquil board, you would take your frustration out on the people who actually derail these threads.
 

this was the FIRST reply.

you get the board you create - or allow others to create.

So your job is to defend DL no matter what?   Everytime someone points out you mentioning DL, you say you someone else started it...You know as well was the rest of us who read and post here that it is not always true. You either have an uncontrollable need to defend DL, or you are truly a DL troll on the payroll. I have never seen anyone defend a company as much as you do who claims to have no skin in the game.

 

[WorldTraveler]

So your job is to defend DL no matter what?   Everytime someone points out you mentioning DL, you say you someone else started it...You know as well was the rest of us who read and post here that it is not always true. You either have an uncontrollable need to defend DL, or you are truly a DL troll on the payroll. I have never seen anyone defend a company as much as you do who claims to have no skin in the game.

nope.... just noting that those who continue to argue that they want to keep DL out of the discussion should direct their anger to those who actually derail the thread.

DL wasn't part of the original post.... his was an observation about AA catering changes.

the FIRST reply was an attempt to swipe DL and UA by saying that AA's catering levels would come down to DL and UA levels.

If you want to keep DL out of the discussion, then call out those who make such statements.

E managed to make an industry comparison by comparing who EXCEEDED who in customer metrics and offered his interpretation.

it's not a question of defending anyone. It's a question of keeping the discussion focused where it was framed by the OP - Parker's changes that are affecting AA and not an attempt to swipe anyone else in the industry.
 

Keep in mind who wants caviar at Slurpee prices -- it's usually the leisure traveler who might get on a plane twice a year, and still thinks travel is glamorous.

Your average business traveler? We want a decent drink selection on the long flights, and to be left alone the rest of the time. If there's an option to eat before getting onboard, I skip the first meal altogether. BA and QF have that one figured out with the buffet in their lounge, as do a bunch of other airlines. None of the clubs for AA/UA/DL serve food worth mentioning. At least AS offers soup in most of their clubs, and they keep winning JD Power. Go figure.

Employees keep showing up to work just like most of the business customers keep coming back and buying tickets, so it can't be all that bad.

except that AS doesn't fly long haul int'l flying which is where most of the catering costs come.

AS also does offer a longhaul domestic first class product.

AS wins awards because it offers service including high operational reliability. at its core, passengers want reliable transportation; you yourself just noted that you want to eat quickly, sleep or work, and get to your destination on top, and be treated decently by people who are willing to resolve your problems.

and if you dug into why the legacies don't rank higher, it often revolves around unresolved operational problems. Not surprisingly, the carriers that also score above average also have higher than average operational reliability and a culture of solving problems at the first point of contact.

 

[LD3]

If you want to keep DL out of the discussion, then call out those who make such statements.
 

So what you are saying is, that if we keep the airline you are referring to out of the conversation, you will stop posting on other airline boards??????

 

[jimntx]

No, that is not what he is saying.  What he is saying is that any time you accuse him of mentioning DL, regardless of the topic, he is going to say someone else started it.  Sounds like a 6 year old trying to justify hitting his little brother.  Beside that, why would he pass up an opportunity to enlighten all of us on the wonderful world that is DL--like that country song, "I'm just like you, only prettier."  Put him on ignore.  It not only will make reading the threads better.  It will also make reading the threads a lot quicker if you have 50% (at least) of the posts on ignore.

 

[WorldTraveler]

except that repeatedly we have seen that people on here say that 1. they don't want DL in the conversation and then do the exact same thing that they accuse me of doing which is trashing their "preferred" airline and 2. saying they are going to put me on ignore only to come right back out after a couple days because they can't stand not being able to play.

Focus on the topic at hand and you might be surprised at how little the people involved really matter.

Again, the original thread was about AA and its changing catering standards. If you want to talk about it, then do it without taking a strike against someone else when the evidence overwhelmingly shows that 1. DL gets higher revenue per mile than either AA or UA even though DL has no FC int'l cabin and 2. other carriers get higher customer service tracking scores as well as fewer DOT complaints with less "sophisticated catering."

As E and I have both noted, catering is NOT the purchase driver or profit motivator that some passengers want to frame it. It is costly, including the human complexities it creates in delivering a consistent product.
A consistent, simpler product is more likely to gain the favor of passengers than what which is supposed to be a high quality product but which is often delivered at lower levels.

US airlines have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in lie flat seats on longhaul int'l flights because business passengers want to eat quickly and then sleep. ON domestic flights, most people don't expect fancy service but rather choose the premium cabins for friendly, attentive service which is not driven by food.

WN has proven that simple delivered well is better in the eyes of many customers

and it should come as no surprise that consolidation in the industry will reduce the need for the big 3 to try to outdo each other in anything.

When the US government has shown preference to the low fare carriers in one aspect or another of the industry, it also should be clear that their concerns about reduced competition in the network segment are not as great as their desire to expand or maintain high access to low fare, simple transportation at the expense of sophisticated and poorly delivered service.

 

[Kev3188]

No, that is not what he is saying.  What he is saying is that any time you accuse him of mentioning DL, regardless of the topic, he is going to say someone else started it.  Sounds like a 6 year old trying to justify hitting his little brother. 

Nailed it.

 

[eolesen]

I don't mind the occasional comparison.

The difference between WT and just about every other poster here is that most people will state their case once, with maybe a rebuttal.

WT? It would appear he doesn't seem to know when his point has been made, and when it's time to shut up.

That was tiring ten years ago, and has only gotten worse as the other two major airlines stood still up until last year...

 

[WorldTraveler]

again, if you would focus on discussing the issues instead of putting people on trial, you might find that the board becomes more of what you want and less of what you say you don't want.

 

[eolesen]

Unfortunately, you've made yourself the issue.

People are tired of your behavior, and it's degraded the discussion on every sub-forum you participate in.

In your view, everyone else is to blame, T.

If you really want the boards to become a place for more meaningful discussion, perhaps you should consider what you do that is generating all these reactions.

It starts with knowing when to sit down, let other people talk, and not always having to have the last word.

 

[WorldTraveler]

this board is more than capable of handling the volume that is throw at and then some.

discussing the issues involved and not the people involved further makes it more than possible to accommodate the demand that the board will generate.

anything you would like to add to the topic of catering or have we determined that AA is going to cut catering and is not going to be any worse or better for it?

 

[diamondcutter]

this board is more than capable of handling the volume that is throw at and then some.discussing the issues involved and not the people involved further makes it more than possible to accommodate the demand that the board will generate.anything you would like to add to the topic of catering or have we determined that AA is going to cut catering and is not going to be any worse or better for it?

Eolesen hit the nail on the head. Others have told you this before. We just don't understand how you can't comprehend this concept. Your replies are repeatitave and tiring . You have been banned form another board does that not mean something to you? You have made yourself the problem , yet you place the blame on say 30 or more people. So I guess everyone else is wrong and you are the only one who is right??