April 9, 2008 5:27PM
The American Airlines Debacle
By Cheryl Casone
I normally don’t feel compelled to talk about the airline industry. Because, first and foremost, I spent seven years working in the airline industry. But, today I feel I have witnessed a gross misconception of what it means to open, run, and keep an airline afloat.
I wasn’t in the business on September 11th; I was already in television news. Therefore, my opinions are just that — opinions — and hopefully that’s why they gave me this crazy blog. And what I am about to say is crazy: the American Airlines debacle that we are dealing with today, is not their fault.
The airline industry is a “business”, and never before has this business been so slapped in the face by so much. The problems that American are facing, and Delta, and Southwest (my old company) are not because they “tried” to not inspect their planes; on the contrary, one crash, and easily an airline could go bankrupt.
First, it goes back to September 11th, something they never seemed to recover from. That pushed many of the carriers into bankruptcy or near it. We seem to have this idea that airline execs are fat cats that smoke cigars, that pilots and flight attendants are a bunch of drunk infidels, and that they are sucking all of our money from our pockets for no good reason.
This is so far from the truth. It is a brutal industry that has seen wage cuts, layoffs, high fuel costs, and tightened security. I want safety, I want my family safe, but I also understand that no other industry could withstand the hits that the airlines have taken, and possibly survive.
And look at the safety record here. We have not had a fatal crash of a major jet since a plane crashed right here in New York. I know, we don’t want that again, but at the same time, you have to remember that perfection is tough. Thousands of planes take off and land each and every day, 365 days per year. They do an amazing job.
You have a better chance of dying from a bee sting than dying in an airplane crash. When you are standing at the gate yelling at the employees, who most likely have taken huge pay and benefit cuts to keep their jobs, so you could still pay $200 roundtrip to go to Orlando, remember that.
CC
Comment by lincoln
Apr 9th, 2008 at 7:12 pm
“yelling at the employees, who most likely have taken huge pay and benefit cuts to keep their jobs, so you could still pay $200 roundtrip to go to Orlando, remember that”.
agree, we are too ungrateful and impatient.
Comment by Chris
Apr 10th, 2008 at 12:31 am
Thank you SO much. You have no idea what your comments mean to me and my fellow front-line airline workers. I would add that the current problem American Airlines is facing has more to do with FAA leaders trying to save face during a time of questionable oversite, than any perceived problem with American’s aircraft. Airline employees have never earned so little (adjusted for inflation), tickets have never been cheaper (adjusted for inflation), and as you said, we are in a period of unprecidented safety - 7 years since a major crash!
Thanks again,
Chris B.
Comment by Lloyd
Apr 10th, 2008 at 12:52 am
No sympathy here at all. This round of problems with AA is self inflicted. Their own first announcements said this was not a safety issue. If not a safety issue than why do all aircraft at once and freeze air travel? Why not do 5% of the affected planes per day over 20-30 days and make much less of an impact on the travelers?
Complete incompetence. My flight on Tuesday night was canceled without me being notified. Okay, reschedule for Wednesday am. At the airport 3 hours before departure, in the long lines (first class, btw) and already all flights from ORD to DFW were canceled. Maybe they could get me on one of two American Eagle regional jet flights, leaving after 9 PM, with stops in either Wichita or Shreveport. Maybe, but with storms in the region forecast for Wednesday night unlikely. So I was to give up my first class tickets (bought because I am a big guy and for my comfort as well as that of seatmates I spend the $$$$ on first class) for coach seats on regional jets I don’t ever consider safe anyway. Then I am to hang out at ORD for another 12-14 hours to find out if that flight is not canceled (later it was). Okay, how about a complimentary day pass to the Admiral’s Club? No, and the first line supervisor won’t even try or get a higher level of supervisor.
Screw them. Let the airline go under. I got a pair of one-way rentals from Avis. I also canceled a First Class round-trip from DFW to Belize (rebooked via Continental for about the same fare) and a round-trip, First Class trip from ORD to Washington Dulles. Southwest gets the Chicago/Washington trip.
Comment by Chris P
Apr 10th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
I was to fly out of Orlando today on a 1:50p flight to DFW, but as all know it was canceled. I tried to call AA to reschedule but could not get a hold of anyone. I then went on line to try to cancel and receive a refund. I was able to cancel the reservation , but was unable to get a refund. When I called the phone number given for refunds there was no answer at first, and by the forth time there was nothing but a busy signal. I ended up purchasing a flight back to Sacramento (my final destination) with United. I understand that the grounding of all these planes my not be AA’s fault (still out on that one) but the lack of customer service is insulting. I felt as if I were being ignored and the money spent on my flight was just thrown away. It has been more than 10 hours since I tried to get my refund and I still have not been able to speak to someone. I would have tried to do something at the airport but the lines at the AA counter were outrageous. If a company is going to disappoint thousands of people they should at least prepare themselves for the impact of that disappointment. As far as I can tell American Airlines is not worried about retaining any kind of repeat business from me. I am happy to comply.
Comment by Aaron
Apr 10th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
Actually, the airlines couldn’t have survived after Septemeber 11th without a government bailout package.
It’s time we stopped looking at the airline industry as a free-market free-for-all and regulate them again. How absurd it is that we subsidize the extra costs of motor transportation but not the air or rail links.
Plus, should this not be a boon for high-speed, modern rail as they have in Japan and Europe? After all, if I were bumped from an AA flight in Europe, I could easily hop on a train going nearly as fast for less money and less annoyance.
Again: transportation is the grease that makes the country tick…it’s absurd to reduce it to a mere ‘industry’ like fast food or big-box-retailing. We can live without McDonald’s (and might live better without Wal-Mart.) But transportation is essential…and thus we shouls regulate and price-check (and build up mass transit as well.)
Comment by Maggie
Apr 10th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
There are good employees in the airline industry, don’t get me wrong.
BUT I cannot believe that you are trying to defend this industry, and especially American Airlines. This “business” if it were a really business would have been destroyed long ago. The incompetence and inefficiency amazes me every time I take a flight, which is twice a week. Can you imagine what would happen to truly private company if they operated like this? Imagine a hotel that canceled rooms without warning, continually suffered from quality and safety issues (real and perceived), somehow managed to raise prices, and only responds to customer complaints with the bare minimum. This is the reality of the airlines industry. The airlines are absolutely responsible for its own condition. If the airlines kept their own house in order then the FAA would be purely oversight. And regardless of whether or not they are trying to save face by demanding security checks, American Airlines is still not in compliance. In addition to that, American manages to execute the most disruptive and horrific recall of all the carriers. Every single carrier went through this recall, only American has managed to drag it out over three days and completely destroy domestic air travel. Congratulations.
Mr Arpey, Mr. Reding and Mr. Romano should be fired immediately for their negligence and poor management. If they keep their positions as CEO, EVP of Operations and VP of Maintenance and Engineering then we can officially declare American a lost cause.
Comment by Cal
Apr 11th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Our government has abdicated its regulatory responsibility in industry after industry.
The notion that airlines by virtue of economic self-interest can be trusted to keep us safe makes as much sense as the idea that banks don’t need to be regulated in their lending standards because they would never jeopardize their own capital structures.