Crandall says AA needs to clean Delta's clock

[nycbusdriver]

Parker: Our job is to make sure they have the tools they need to do their jobs.

 
As a change of pace, one tool that would be really nice to have is the respect of upper management.
 
 
 

Parker: Thats the same role we needed to play at a 35,000-employee airline, and now you just do the same thing here. Its not easy work. But its completely scaleable.

 
 
Yes, respect is completely scaleable, and cost effective in the utmost.  Sadly, it can't easily be translated into a cost vs. profit graph to sell to the stockholders and the Board of Directors.  But just ask Herb Kelleher, or Gordon Bethune, about respect.  Take a lesson from the pros.

 

[Jacobin777]

I was never in favor of this merger but now that it has come to pass, its my wish for the AA name and reputation to live on and most of the employees retained when the dust settles.

 
I hope for the best (but brace for the worst). Lets see what happens.
 

 
True, and Arpey was the one person who was willing to try and keep the pensions intact but the union leadership didn't want to deal with him. So we got Horton and BK. He get $17M and we get the bone. We got new management alright and the bone as well.

 
...and Parker is going to make out like a bandit as well. <_<

 

[Dilligas]

Parker is back where he started in '86.

FORT WORTH, Texas - Doug Parker lived in Phoenix for 18 years the longest hes been in one spot but it was a definite homecoming when he became CEO of American Airlines here Monday.

<snip>
Parker said hes also happy he no longer has to tell frontline employees of US Airways and America West that the company cant afford to pay as much as Delta and United because their revenues werent as strong.

I dont like giving that speech. It was just a required speech for the business model, he said. So its really nice to not be able to say that anymore.
 

 
Hey Doug,[SIZE=8pt][/SIZE]
 
You give nice speeches and have perfected the casual, aw shucks, persona to make people like you.  It's time to lead now.[SIZE=8pt][/SIZE]
 
Tell your Labor Relations people to wrap up the current open CBA's that have dragged on and on for years while your employees fall farther and farther behind.  Open your checkbook now and make people feel like for once in the last twelve years they are being treated fairly.[SIZE=8pt][/SIZE]
 
Do this, and you have a fighting chance of making AAL a success story.  If you stay the course, your demoralized workforce will never pull together.   We don't get much job satisfaction in creating more millionaires off the sweat of our labor.  [SIZE=8pt][/SIZE]
 
You have the power to fix this, and the economies of scale and business model you needed to pay your workforce fairly.[SIZE=8pt][/SIZE]
 
Keep your pizza and the platitudes, we're way too experienced and cynical to buy into hype.  [SIZE=8pt][/SIZE]
 
I congratulate you on taking the sh!t sandwich you were served with US and turning it into filet mignon and the big office at AAL.  I don't begrudge you a penny as I respect you keeping US afloat long enough to snag a partner and hopefully become a survivor.  [SIZE=8pt][/SIZE]
 
It's time to pull the ignored and long suffering employees into the lifeboat, we're damn tired of treading water.[SIZE=8pt][/SIZE]

 

[Crash Pad DCA]

We may have a ways to go...
 

 
As the table above shows, Delta blew its competitors out of the water in the Business Travel News Annual Airline Survey.
It received the highest ranking in nine out of 10 categories, and beat American, United, and US Airways in every single category.
 
http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/12/15/3-charts-that-show-how-delta-air-lines-is-dominati.aspx
 

 

[LD3]

Yeah, we all know about the table, somewhere, someplace there is a DL cheerleader sleeping with it under his pillow....

 

[eolesen]

Keep in mind that the BTN survey quoted above is from corporate travel buyers & negotiators, and not the actual business travelers.

Essentially, it just means that DL is an easier company to negotiate discounts with. That's why WN and US rank so much lower.

If you looked at an actual survey of travelers, you'd see some different results.

 

[Crash Pad DCA]

Keep in mind that the BTN survey quoted above is from corporate travel buyers & negotiators, and not the actual business travelers.

Essentially, it just means that DL is an easier company to negotiate discounts with. That's why WN and US rank so much lower.

If you looked at an actual survey of travelers, you'd see some different results.

 
October and YTD Department of Transportation data
...including rates of customer complaints to DOT per 100,000 pax ("Customer Satisfaction")
...from actual travelers!.

 
We have a ways to go...

 

[nycbusdriver]

 
October and YTD Department of Transportation data
...including rates of customer complaints to DOT per 100,000 pax ("Customer Satisfaction")
...from actual travelers!.

 
We have a ways to go...

 
Where's SW?

 

[Crash Pad DCA]

 
Where's SW?

 
SW not included in the above table as US was only comparing the "4 majors" - DL, UA, AA, US.
 
Full 46 pages December 2013 Air Travel Consumer Report (with October 2013 data) can be found here:
 
http://www.dot.gov/airconsumer/december-2013-air-travel-consumer-report
 
Apologies for not redacting the data for the SW info.
 
For more monthly reports here is the DOT Air Travel Consumer Report webpage:
 
http://www.dot.gov/airconsumer/air-travel-consumer-reports
 
DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) Airline On-Time Statistics Press Releases can be found here:
 
http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/press_releases/airline_ontime_statistics.html
 
Here is a link to all the DOT BTS data:
 
http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/subject_areas/airline_information/index.html

 

[Crash Pad DCA]

Keep in mind that the BTN survey quoted above is from corporate travel buyers & negotiators, and not the actual business travelers.

Essentially, it just means that DL is an easier company to negotiate discounts with. That's why WN and US rank so much lower.

If you looked at an actual survey of travelers, you'd see some different results.

 
 

 
Where's SW?

 
July 2013 Consumer Reports Survey:
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/airlines0713.htm
 
We also have insights from more than 16,000 readers who told us about a total of 31,732 domestic flights in our survey, conducted in February by the Consumer Reports National Research Center.

 
Two other airlines receive high marks for baggage handling. But even more important, they’re the only carriers on our list that let you check one or two bags free on domestic flights. The free bags help explain why they’re among the top airlines we rated.


 
Check-in was a breeze on Southwest, and readers enjoyed the staff’s onboard service. But it was dinged on in-flight entertainment, an area where Virgin America and JetBlue shined.
 
http://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthesky/2013/05/22/virgin-america-spirit-airlines-consumer-reports/2350801/
 
Consumer Reports' ratings are based on a February survey of 16,663 subscribers who flew a combined 31,732 domestic flights. They were asked to rate their satisfaction with the airlines' check-in ease, cabin-crew service, cabin cleanliness, seating comfort, baggage handling, and in-flight entertainment.
 
Southwest Airlines and JetBlue Airways also were rated highly, especially for their baggage handling. Readers liked that Southwest lets fliers check in two bags for free and JetBlue lets them check one bag at no charge. The two carriers also received high marks for their check-in ease and cabin crew service.

 

 
J.D. Power & Associates 2013 North America Airline Satisfaction StudySM
http://www.jdpower.com/content/press-release/5sYQtpZ/2013-north-america-airline-satisfaction-study.htm
 
Traditional Carrier Rankings
Alaska Airlines ranks highest in the traditional carrier segment for a sixth consecutive year, with an index score of 717. Alaska Airlines, which improves by 39 points from 2012--the largest improvement among all carriers ranked in the study--performs particularly well in six of the seven factors: cost & fees; boarding/deplaning/baggage; aircraft; flight crew; check-in; and reservation. 
 
Delta Air Lines moves up one rank position to second with a score of 682, improving by 23 points from 2012, with significant gains across all seven factors. Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines each improve significantly and perform well among traditional carriers in flight crew. Ranking third, Air Canada declines by six points to 671. 
 
Low-Cost Carrier Rankings
JetBlue Airways ranks highest among low-cost carriers for an eighth consecutive year, with a score of 787. This also marks the ninth consecutive year JetBlue has ranked highest in the study. 1  JetBlue, which improves by 11 index points on a year-over-year basis, performs particularly well in in-flight services and aircraft. Southwest Airlines, which improves in all of the factors except cost & fees, ranks second at 770, which remains on par with 2012.
 
The 2013 North America Airline Satisfaction Study measures passenger satisfaction among both business and leisure passengers of major carriers in North America. The study is based on responses from more than 11,800 passengers who flew on a major North America airline between April 2012 and March 2013. The study was fielded between May 2012 and March 2013.
 
http://www.jdpower.com/consumer-ratings/travel/ratings/909201528/2013-North+America+Airline+Satisfaction+Study/index.htm