American Airlines

[howiebrou]

Somebody explain this to me.

In a country famous for its excellent service, why are the airlines so crap?

United, AA, Alaska, Delta, Continental, TWA they're all rubbish. Southwest is the only one I would consider.

Compare them to Singapore, Cathay, BA, Virgin, Lufthansa, Finair, Qantas, Qatar, Emirates.....

It just doesn't make sense considering the otherwise excellent service you generally get in the US...

[JSCC]

Originally Posted by howiebrou

Somebody explain this to me.

In a country famous for its excellent service, why are the airlines so crap?

United, AA, Alaska, Delta, Continental, TWA they're all rubbish. Southwest is the only one I would consider.

Compare them to Singapore, Cathay, BA, Virgin, Lufthansa, Finair, Qantas, Qatar, Emirates.....

It just doesn't make sense considering the otherwise excellent service you generally get in the US...

Oops, take out AA .... AA is great - Audiophile Aficionado!

[trek737]

Originally Posted by howiebrou

Somebody explain this to me.

In a country famous for its excellent service, why are the airlines so crap?

United, AA, Alaska, Delta, Continental, TWA they're all rubbish. Southwest is the only one I would consider.

Compare them to Singapore, Cathay, BA, Virgin, Lufthansa, Finair, Qantas, Qatar, Emirates.....

It just doesn't make sense considering the otherwise excellent service you generally get in the US...

If you look at what is happening to the airline industry it does not surprise me.

The airline industry has been on loose ground ever since deregulation. The US carriers have lost over 60 billion dollars since 78', a majority coming after 911. Airline employees have seen big pay cuts, layoffs, and losses in their retirement funds. About a year ago ticket prices were the same as they were 10 years ago yet fuel and other costs continue to go up.

Airlines are on the cycle of going in and out of bankruptcy with little hope of ever being a good investment.

Most foreign carriers are subsidized by the government.

[-E-]

Originally Posted by howiebrou

Somebody explain this to me.

In a country famous for its excellent service, why are the airlines so crap?

United, AA, Alaska, Delta, Continental, TWA they're all rubbish. Southwest is the only one I would consider.

Compare them to Singapore, Cathay, BA, Virgin, Lufthansa, Finair, Qantas, Qatar, Emirates.....

It just doesn't make sense considering the otherwise excellent service you generally get in the US...

We've got a domestic Virgin product - and it's great.

But you are very correct, the other international's just destroy US based carriers.

[Whart]

Originally Posted by trek737

If you look at what is happening to the airline industry it does not surprise me.

The airline industry has been on loose ground ever since deregulation. The US carriers have lost over 60 billion dollars since 78', a majority coming after 911. Airline employees have seen big pay cuts, layoffs, and losses in their retirement funds. About a year ago ticket prices were the same as they were 10 years ago yet fuel and other costs continue to go up.

Airlines are on the cycle of going in and out of bankruptcy with little hope of ever being a good investment.

Most foreign carriers are subsidized by the government.

Bingo.
Also, I'm not sure the US is really as good as it used to be on the service front, and it isn't just 'foreign' outsourcing. To the extent businesses get corporatized, try and get ahold of a person, let alone one with the ability to make a decision or get something done. You go through a phone gate, get tortured by an automated voice query system, then get someone on the line who doesn't really know what the answer is and has to have someone qualified get back to you. There are exceptions, of course. I think Amazon, whatever you think of them in other respects, has some of the best customer service on the planet for a large company, starting with the 'call me' feature- you don't wait on hold- you type in your phone number and they call you in seconds. And if you take the time to plug in what you are calling about, e.g. home video streaming, the call is from a person in that department. Other, smaller companies vary. Roku has no effective customer service; VuDu is terrrific. HRS- you can get the builder on the phone, ditto companies like VAC. Want to talk to your phone company, or insurance carrier? Good luck.

[Whart]

Originally Posted by Vesuvius

We've got a domestic Virgin product - and it's great.

But you are very correct, the other international's just destroy US based carriers.

Agree re Virgin. And first class domestic on other US carriers, even on the transcontinental flights, is basically a joke.

[-E-]

The new AA transcon looks nifty, though. 1-1, 2-2, 3-3 three-class on an A321. Vastly upgraded to what they have now. This is also where they have a chance to separate from DL and UA since DL is already 2-class and UA is going to 2-class.

But yes, as it stands now, it is a joke. I remember taking the UA PS flights pre-merger and they were fantastic. Now you are lucky if the J seat reclines without the footrest falling off.

[howiebrou]

Originally Posted by trek737

If you look at what is happening to the airline industry it does not surprise me.

The airline industry has been on loose ground ever since deregulation. The US carriers have lost over 60 billion dollars since 78', a majority coming after 911. Airline employees have seen big pay cuts, layoffs, and losses in their retirement funds. About a year ago ticket prices were the same as they were 10 years ago yet fuel and other costs continue to go up.

Airlines are on the cycle of going in and out of bankruptcy with little hope of ever being a good investment.

Most foreign carriers are subsidized by the government.

I hear you. Problem is it seems the industry has been crap waaaaay before 911. I remember my first US international flight in the late 80's. Holy Moly the air hostess made Cruella de Ville look like an angel

[howiebrou]

Originally Posted by Vesuvius

We've got a domestic Virgin product - and it's great.

But you are very correct, the other international's just destroy US based carriers.

I'll have to try it. Thanks for the tip. But is this Virgin really a US company?

[Doug Lax]

As much as I hate to say it the US does a bad job on international flights and domestic ones too. 9-11 contributed to a lot of it but the passengers do as well. I cant tell you how rude other people behave on a plane.