Southwest Airlines And Amadeus IT Group Sign Contract To Implement A Single Reservation System For C

[eolesen]

If you want to be paid for your opinions, then do so in a paid consultancy.

Thanks, Captain Obvious, but the fact remains I do get paid for my opinions on the industry, and have for the past five years. Writing here and a few other places does serve as good practice for the paying gigs, but it's never going to get into the same level of depth as what I do for hire.

I'd be a very rich man if I charged you for all the corrections I had to make about AA's financial situation. Not only do I not charge, but I am also able to find published reports that validate what I say

It's certainly safer for you to live vicariously using a pseudonym on the internet, but just like the differences between Sabre and Amadeus, no risk, no reward...
 
If all you are capable of doing is use someone else's data to back up your opinions, explain why would anyone need to pay for your expertise? That's not consulting, it's analysis.

There's no shortage of people willing to regurgitate, interpret & analyse existing data. It's far more challenging & rewarding to come up with something you can defend on its own merits, especially when there ay not be someone else's analysis or data to regurgitate...

I suspect UA and DL's IT decisions aren't set in stone right now, and WN's decision may push them to reconsider the approaches they're locked into (AA does appear to be locked in for the next 10 years...). Other airlines in North America like AS, B6, VX and HA might also be influenced by this, as will others globally who haven't made a decision on what to do with their ALCS based systems (the clock runs out on those in about a year or so).

It will certainly be interesting to watch the fallout from this over the next two or three years.

 

[WorldTraveler]

I don't consult. I do know the business.

I also don't get paid to do what I talk about here. There is a very good reason why there is virtually no one else who writes on forums regarding their expertise in a management position.

There has been no one who has said as much with as much accuracy as I have said on any internet chat forum about the real financial issues in the industry. If there were other people, I wouldn't need to write as much as I do.

It is precisely because so many people try to argue that what I say won't happen even when I know it will that I take satisfaction in knowing that I do have a role on aviation chat forums.

again, if AA and DL are really wrapped up as the industry leaders over the next two years, why should they invest in technology if one can't get out of their present arrangement and the cost to make such a change is so costly that it is very hard to justify the expense?

I don't see AA or DL moving significantly from where they are. They can accomplish far more in terms of revenue growth and cost reduction in a whole lot of other ways.

 

[eolesen]

Oh, there are lots of others who have written more accurate than you. Some of the discussion groups on LinkedIn have more informed and interesting discussion than what goes on here.

You'll also find pundits with street and industry credibility over on BoardingArea, Tnooz, Crikey, and/or ATW's blogs. There are also some over on Motley Fool, Seeking Alpha, and even on Forbes who have a better view of the financial issues than you profess to have.

To think that this is the panacea of industry discussion is laughable. At best, it's one of the better places for employees to gather.

The obvious benefit for you here is your anonymity. On all those other sites, it's expected that you'd have to list your credentials, which apparently is an issue for you.