July 2012 Airport Activity

[737823]

Eric, if we stop pandering to the junk bond salesman, he will go away.

Hardly, although I have some involvement with "junk bonds" in my work I'm not a salesman. Secondly, junk is simply a rough way of saying high yield and many corporations (including AMR) are rated junk.

Josh

 

[FWAAA]

When I've been onboard a 75L, it's been in the first four rows, and frankly, from that vantage point, it's just as nice as business class on a 777. I don't understand the incessant ranting about 75Ls being so inferior.

 

[john john]

Big shining jet syndrome. I see it all the time

 

[Buck]

When I've been onboard a 75L, it's been in the first four rows, and frankly, from that vantage point, it's just as nice as business class on a 777. I don't understand the incessant ranting about 75Ls being so inferior.

The 757 is a good aircraft, so good in fact that maintenance gets a second opinion before they are released for service.

 

[jersey777]

When I've been onboard a 75L, it's been in the first four rows, and frankly, from that vantage point, it's just as nice as business class on a 777. I don't understand the incessant ranting about 75Ls being so inferior.

As someone who often works the 757 to Europe, maybe next time you should not get your upgrade and get relegated to coach and sit in row 16....and just when you have to go to the bathroom you realize that the carts are in the aisles. Later when you thought it was clear to get up you find that the other 166 passengers have also been waiting to use the lav and when you get to the back you find you are number 7 in line and while standing in the aisle you keep getting dirty looks from the guy whose seat you are leaning against. Than tell me how much you like this airplane.

 

[WorldTraveler]

Thanks, and it's just started, Kev. I'm just waiting for some free time to do some before & after comparisons for a 2009 schedule vs 2012 schedule for DL and UA to see where those "merger benefits" were.

uh... they are profitable for starters? and the best place you will see merger benefits is in LHR and to/from Asia.
You'll notice that the trend in those markets is that where free markets exist, AA doesn't stand up near as well as it once did. UA has managed to accumulate an LHR presence on par w/ what AA has in LHR - and I have yet to see data that says that the AA/BA is managing to obtain revenue premiums at the market level. Sure, AA/BA moves a whole lot more total US-LHR passengers, bouyed by passengers going beyond LHR (just like UA has an advantage in the US-Germany market because of an alliance hub in FRA/MUC and DL in the AMS/CDG market) but in specific markets such as ORD and NYC, AA has given up a huge amount of revenue to its competitors - and that is NOT captured in an OAG schedule dump, even if that is the tool you want to use to determine competitiveness.
.
Turn to Asia and it is completely apparent that the only market where AA can compete against DL and UA is DFW-NRT a market neither of them fly.. and even then AA continues to fill its flights w/ a lot of lower yield flow revenue beyond NRT that is no better and in many cases lower yielding than what DL and UA carry over the Asian hubs.
.
Bottom line is that the merger benefits are absolutely there - and they can be seen on the balance sheet and in quarterly RASM reports.

 

[john john]

If/when AA drops BOS-LHR, woul d that pave the way to outsource handling at BOS? Makes little sense to operate the flight and associated costs of keeping an international FA base open to run the trip with 757s to retain LHR slots that could be used elsewhere.

Josh

737823 is this you?
http://blog.stonestreetadvisors.com/2012/02/01/which-is-worse-lawyers-lying-in-public-pleadings-for-political-gain-or-news-publishers-too-lazy-to-fact-check-publishing-the-lies-as-gospel/

*This is a guest post from a friend of Stone Street Advisors who prefers to remain nameless. He has over 25 years of experience in investment banking (particularly M&A and equity raising), private equity, and strategic advisory services.
The bankruptcy case of American Airlines has aroused much discussion, and
particular concern amongst unions. In fact, there are several recent cases,
such as Kodak and Hostess that are causing similar concerns about the
futures for existing union employees, their pensions and health benefits, as
well as the pensions and benefits of retirees.



Ms. Levine filed an objection,
entered on January 20th, which included the following:
Bain is the consulting arm of Bain Capital, where “[l]ike.. . all the businesses Bain [Capital] invest in, the primary goal with these companies [isn't] job creation but making them more profitable and valuable. This mean embracing aspects of capitalism that have unsettled some Americans: laying off workers when necessary, expanding overseas to chase profits and paying top executives significantly more than employees on lower rungs.” Mitt Romney, Bain Capital and the Gospel of ‘Creative Destruction,’ Washington Post, January 11, 2012, available at www.washingtonpost.com
Bain & Company was founded in 1973 Bain Capital was founded in 1984 by former Bain & Company consultants Mitt Romney was one of the founding partners – and he came from Bain & Company).

 

[eolesen]

Secondly, while it may appear from your unattributed and perhaps unauthentic that 20 departures is the proposed threshold its entirely conceivable more comes into play-perhaps ASMs, logistical considerations, operating costs at certain stations-I don't know. What I do know is when evaluating any data set you should never draw conclusions with certainty.

The only thing that's correct above is where you said "I don't know."

The 20 departures is directly from the term sheet -- that's what 7300 flights converts to when you factor in holiday cancellations.

Again, the details were all there for you to realize if you actually knew what you were reading.

The term sheet is certainty if the contract goes to abrogation. Sure, there could be a number lower than 20 for the threshold. But it's not likely in my experienced opinion, having dealt with station staffing formulas & standards, and actually having created shift bids in the past.

 

[FWAAA]

As someone who often works the 757 to Europe, maybe next time you should not get your upgrade and get relegated to coach and sit in row 16....and just when you have to go to the bathroom you realize that the carts are in the aisles. Later when you thought it was clear to get up you find that the other 166 passengers have also been waiting to use the lav and when you get to the back you find you are number 7 in line and while standing in the aisle you keep getting dirty looks from the guy whose seat you are leaning against. Than tell me how much you like this airplane.

Yes, economy for 7-9 hours sucks. But IME, it sucks no matter how many aisles the plane features. Yes, the 757s don't have enough stowage room for all the trash. There aren't enough lavs. But AA ain't plowing new ground here. AA was the last airline to the "let's fly 757s on shorter European flights" party. Yes, FAs don't like the 75L. From what I've read for the past 20 years, FAs haven't been all that enamoured with any 757s on any routes. Nothing new there. They don't call it the slAAveship for nothing.

In any event, Moneybags Josh wasn't taling about economy. That much was clear from his post in this thread and from all his other rantings about the deficiencies of the 75L in previous posts. He was talking about the pretty decent accommodations in those first 16 seats. And in those seats, while I'm sleeping on the way to Europe, I can't tell the 75L from a 744. Sure, when I wake up and go to the lav and see the crowds in the back longing to use the lav, reality sets in.

 

[eolesen]

I flew a RT on DFW-LHR recently, and yes, economy sucks regardless of the aisles.

If you're in Y on a 777, the only difference with the 757 is the seatback IFE, which is also a downside because it makes the armrest unusable, and also can be a distraction if you're trying to sleep. Bring your own IFE in the form of a laptop or iPad, and it's not so bad.

 

[Buck]

I flew a RT on DFW-LHR recently, and yes, economy sucks regardless of the aisles.

If you're in Y on a 777, the only difference with the 757 is the seatback IFE, which is also a downside because it makes the armrest unusable, and also can be a distraction if you're trying to sleep. Bring your own IFE in the form of a laptop or iPad, and it's not so bad.

Come Eric there is no need to blame Avionics.

 

[737823]

I flew a RT on DFW-LHR recently, and yes, economy sucks regardless of the aisles.

If you're in Y on a 777, the only difference with the 757 is the seatback IFE, which is also a downside because it makes the armrest unusable, and also can be a distraction if you're trying to sleep. Bring your own IFE in the form of a laptop or iPad, and it's not so bad.

On AA or BA? BA is not so bad, AA is awful.

Josh

 

[eolesen]

I swear, it's like Avek00 all over again...

 

[Veritas]

I swear, it's like Avek00 all over again...

That's an insult to Avek00. He was brilliant in comparison.

 

[737823]

That's an insult to Avek00. He was brilliant in comparison.

What should I do differently?

Josh