American Airlines Announces Cuts
Just heard the last part of a radio report: American Airlines is retiring 40-50 planes (MD-80s) which of course means they will be cutting back on domestic flights which means they will probably dump some workers and raise ticket prices. Oh, and they are going to charge $15 to check your first bag. Details here. Traveling is such sweet sorrow.
17 Comments to “American Airlines Announces Cuts”
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Hearing this makes me look at Southwest Airlines for my first choice for “any” travel now, except for international. But in the event that SWA is cost-inefficient, I’ll bite the bullet and take AA, which will only add to mileage I rarely “cash in.” I’ll just go with carry-on and ship any luggage for extended trips.
What is the world of airline travel coming to? I can understand that fuel prices are increasing beyond what they ever imagined, but increase the fuel surcharge instead. For families with kids and strollers, how much more will it cost for them to travel? I’m just waiting for AA to come back and repeal that first-bag charge, saying they jumped too quickly on changing that policy.
NN, tickets are already way high. A trip I wanted to take that cost $225 last year is now $350.
Are you kidding! They just announced two weeks ago that they were going to charge $25 for the second bag.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080428/us_nm/amr_dc_1
So that just added $30 or $80 to each trip, depending on whether or not you have 1 or 2 bags.
$3 per bag for Skycap (before tipping).
What are we the ticket price paying for again? What’s next? Charging at the gate for a carry-on?
How much did the CEO make last year?
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080418/amr_executive_compensation.html?.v=3
uh, Nancy, those are a _whole_ lot of assumptions. Assumptions that, if your readers believe them, could move AMR shares. Of course, most of your readers don’t believe anything you write anymore, so, probably no danger there.
AMR continues to take delivery of new airplanes. And just because they retire old planes, doesn’t mean they will announce fresh capacity cuts or that they will fire anyone. These retirements could be part of their current capacity plans.
I hear you. I travel every month and it is crazy. $50 to check two bags. One carry on. No water through checkpoint. I just attempted to book a round trip flight to Boston in August–$603. Oh Nate, if you don’t use your mileage you can give them to me.
Yeah, I recently booked round trip tickets for the whole family to Phoenix. $800 through Southwest, and a cool $1200 through AA. And what do I get for the extra 50%? The ability to fly out of DFW instead of pesky Love Field.
American Airlines is the Devil.
Not assuming anything, here here you go. Enjoy.
Dear Not Assuming,
Perhaps you should click through to read the actual story. “American Airlines said on Wednesday it plans to cut jobs, retire old planes and slash domestic capacity by 11 percent to 12 percent in the fourth quarter….” Slashing domestic capacity is exactly what Nancy reported. If you take out 10+% of your capacity, decreased flight operations and job cuts naturally will follow.
Uhh, Nancy, that link will only work if we actually believe it is a link. Good luck with that.
And what’s with this $15 for the first bag charge? I can understand whacking people who need to travel with 2 bags (plus a carry-on and a briefcase/purse), but $15 for the first bag? What a rip off. I already drive whenever possible with the family — now I will just extend my mileage cutoff in the fly/drive equation a little bit further. Or fly Southwest. My days of being an apologist for AA are over.
Dear Not,
Those are not assumptions. AMR states in their press release that they are cutting capacity, reducing their workforce and introducing a $15 fee for first checked bag. There ya go.
Trust me – Southwest and every other airline will follow suit. The industry can’t survive without huge changes with oil at $130 a barrel.
Nancy: if I give you miles, what do I get? Be your dining companion for some of your upcoming reviews? My wine and culinary background certainly can’t hurt your objectivity in any reviews.
Then again, I guess that would depend on how many miles you get from me!!!!
Southwest, the solution is simple. How many of you Dallasites want to keep that Wright Act BS in place. Without the Wright Act SWA would already own AA
As a Photographer, with 3 bags, plus my cameras as my carry-on, its gonna be Fed-ex from now on, cept for Southwest, they bend over backwards to take care of my bags, even on long flights from dallas. They have even had an agent waiting for me when one of my stand cases opened up to make sure they got everything at the carousel. they are brilliant and worth the two hop flights.
A guy on CNN says that the airlines may introduce discounts for those passengers willing to pilot the plane. LOL!
Nate: “My wine and culinary background certainly can’t hurt your objectivity in any reviews.”
Not sure what you mean by that.
Funny how this news came out a day after FBians debated the Dallas airports the other day — how many people are changing their opinion about DFW based on AA?
What’s the time over-under on when and if Southwest will charge for bags as well?