American Airlines sucks

Airline Mergers are never good for travelers

I used to pay 300-500 to fly to Philly or Pittsburgh.  Post merger it's now 600-700.

Worse still AA took all the Big embaer 170 and 190 regional jets off birth ALB and PHL routes and now all we have is the shitty Bombardiers.  No offense to our Canadian neighbors but that is the crappiest plane in the air. I'd rather fly on a turbo prop.  They now cancel thier regional jet flights on sunny days because they are not full.

What moron in Obama's admin decided to allow this merger?

I can't find my favorite socks.

Freakin Obama screwed me again.

Regional airports like the one I think you probably use get big subsidies to stay in business but if you want real service you have to move south. The airline industry sucks. Over-regulated except when it isn't. Sorry.

I thought the DOJ fought the merger and lost in court?

I did some quick googling, and couldn't find anything recent, but there is a tired saying that if you take the profits and losses of US carriers over time, it comes out to a loss.  the airlines are a 50 year old business model that sucks.

flying for work is dreadful.  there are no other words for it.  every flight through laguardia is delayed due to traffic.  philly, delayed for weather.  I spend 5 - 7 hours flying every sunday and thursday night.  it sucks the life out of a person

ml242 wrote

Regional airports like the one I think you probably use get big subsidies to stay in business but if you want real service you have to move south.

This ^^. Coach Z always with his hand out waiting for free stuff/entitlements.

Plattsburgh is a huge waste of tax payer money both from the federally subsidized flights and they are expanding it when they don't have more than a handful of flights a day.

I don't think flights to BTV or ALB are subsidized

Coach,

I hear people all the time say what a waste of tax payers dollars it is to subsidize WF and Gore.....  I explain that they are economic engines for the north country.  

billyymc wrote

I can't find my favorite socks.

Freakin Obama screwed me again.

The real question I'd like answered is,  Was it Bush's fault too?  

My point is that it's Obama's MO to interfere with business where ever possible yet they allow these airline mergers which clearly are anti competitive resulting in worse and less service and higher prices.  Smells like someone was bribed. They should have blocked this merger.

AA now routinely cancels flights that are not full saying its a mait issue.

United screwed up a airline in CO and AA is messing up US Air which was decent but not great.

It looks like they did fight this one:

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/08/13/u-s-seeks-to-block-airline-merger/

once they allowed the United and Co and Delta NW they almost had to allow this one unfortunately.  They should have a 5 year window where the rates post merger are watched.  We are definitely getting hosed by this merger.  I'm not a big govt guy but its one role should be to protect the consumer and they clearly failed to do so here.  Another fail for the O-man.

The problem is much worse for flyers from smaller airports like ALB or BTV.  If you live in the NYC area you can fly from so many different airports within a reasonable driving distance which brings all 4 of the major airlines into play and probably some of the minor ones.  Up here I just don't have that option and competition.  

It used to be ALB was almost always lower cost than BTV.  It seems that AA figured out they basically share a chunk of market for the Daks and and Greens and now the rates are always the same.

Coach Z wrote

once they allowed the United and Co and Delta NW they almost had to allow this one unfortunately.  They should have a 5 year window where the rates post merger are watched.  We are definitely getting hosed by this merger.  I'm not a big govt guy but its one role should be to protect the consumer and they clearly failed to do so here.  Another fail for the O-man.

The problem is much worse for flyers from smaller airports like ALB or BTV.  If you live in the NYC area you can fly from so many different airports within a reasonable driving distance which brings all 4 of the major airlines into play and probably some of the minor ones.  Up here I just don't have that option and competition.  

It used to be ALB was almost always lower cost than BTV.  It seems that AA figured out they basically share a chunk of market for the Daks and and Greens and now the rates are always the same.

 
So you want the government to step in and regulate against the capitalistic free market system of supply and demand?  Damn Hippies, always trying to get free junk....

Coach Z wrote

once they allowed the United and Co and Delta NW they almost had to allow this one unfortunately.  They should have a 5 year window where the rates post merger are watched.  We are definitely getting hosed by this merger.  I'm not a big govt guy but its one role should be to protect the consumer and they clearly failed to do so here.  Another fail for the O-man.

The problem is much worse for flyers from smaller airports like ALB or BTV.  If you live in the NYC area you can fly from so many different airports within a reasonable driving distance which brings all 4 of the major airlines into play and probably some of the minor ones.  Up here I just don't have that option and competition.  

It used to be ALB was almost always lower cost than BTV.  It seems that AA figured out they basically share a chunk of market for the Daks and and Greens and now the rates are always the same.

While JFK/LaGuardia/Newark are all a reasonable distance, if you live in NJ, Laguardia and JFK are mostly a traffic nightmare with a $30 or more toll. With the current TSA issues in the area, you would need to leave many hours for error when going to LaGuardia/JFK.

They should have forced United to give up some of the Continental gates in Newark when they merged. Prices in Newark on routes that United owns are a lot more expensive than LaGuardia, but the traffic and tolls when trying to get to LaGuardia basically make Newark your only choice. United sucks and has somehow ruined the quality service that Continental was providing. Since United took over, I seem to be travelling on old, non-refurbished 757s to LA, London, and Houston vs the 767s that Continental used for those routes.

Up until recently, some of the flight crews would ID themselves as a Continental flight crew. What does that say about the merger.

x10003q wrote

While JFK/LaGuardia/Newark are all a reasonable distance, if you live in NJ, Laguardia and JFK are mostly a traffic nightmare with a $30 or more toll.

I often use JFK when leaving from Manhattan after work and can take the subway to the airport, but agreed, driving to either of the NYC airports from NJ is Russian roulette.

x10003q wrote

United sucks and has somehow ruined the quality service that Continental was providing. Since United took over, I seem to be travelling on old, non-refurbished 757s to LA, London, and Houston vs the 767s that Continental used for those routes.

No question that United killed the only major airline with remotely decent service. That said; I've been flying on mostly new United planes both domestically and internationally lately AND they're now giving free Asian snack mixes in coach class!

http://www.theonion.com/article/american-airlines-to-phase-out-complimentary-cabin-35367