Comments on: What American Airlines’ Bankruptcy Means For You

By: Rody Fernandez

Rody Fernandez — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 18:03:32 +0000

I don’t enjoy speaking ill of anyone, but the way the American Airlines crew treated us and the other passengers on our flight back was sad and dissapointing. I dont have the words to describe the condescending attitude that those flight “attendants” so blatantly displayed. I will never fly American Airlines Center again. Furthermore, anyone who even mentions the word flying, or trip, or travel, I will advise they dont fly with their company nor let their loved ones do either. When I was a child I loved flying with them and they were the epitome of Customer Service and Hospitality. The skys are suddenly not so friendly. Fly AA at your own risk. Only share this post if you have had bad experiences with them in the past please.

By: Mungo Park

Mungo Park — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 11:49:15 +0000

I was with AA until 2003 and I remember after 9/11, all employees were asked to take massive cuts in pay and benefits to help keep the airline out of bankruptcy. These paycuts and workrule changes helped AA save $2 billion a year but in the end, it still wasn’t enough. And remember, AA employees are represented by 4 unions which flies in the face of all these people who want to blame the unions whenever a company is unprofitable. I feel very badly for all the sacrifices we were asked to make because like the article said, the employees that are still there will now be asked to endure even more cutbacks. Why were these cutbacks not enough? Some analysts blame high fuel prices and that is a contributing factor but it hardly tells the whole story. IMO, the main problem is that people just aren’t flying anymore. When you’re unemployed, the first thing you cut back on is vacations. People just couldn’t affort to travel like they used to. Yes, AA’s load factor has been around 80% during the recession but that could be because many business travelers were flying with Advantage miles; it wasn’t because of paying passengers. Former AA CEO Robert Crandall once said that airlines are a bad investment and even used to tell his employees not to invest in one. Now they are also a bad place to work. People think working for an airline is fun because of the flight benefits employees are entitled to. But even those have been cut back and, in any event, they don’t mean much when you’re working part-time for $8/hr. I would strongly discourage anyone from working for an airline. It’s long hours for low pay.

By: Mae

Mae — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 08:53:00 +0000

It’s 2:00 in the morning and I’m up worrying about what will happen to my husband after 27 years as an AA employee. I guess our pension will be gone, most of his fellow workers will be layed off and we will have to take another cut in pay. He told me that morale is very low. Employees feel like the company lied to them in 2003 when they asked them for “shared sacrafice”. We all know what happened after that-Management got it’s bonuses, hourly employees paid the price.

By: Jenna

Jenna — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 07:34:04 +0000

Your comments on the suffering of AA’s employees from being help on reserve for years, lay offs, pay and benefit cuts are so very true. A friend of mine is a ten year with the company pilot and I can’t tell you how much stress the uncertainty of his job with AA has caused him and so many of its employess. Corruption and greed by the guys at the top who fail at their jobs are to blame. They should be punished, not the workers who do the same job with pay cuts and crappy schedules thrown at them over and over again. My friend loves being a pilot and prides himself on doing his very best. It is a shame that his employer does not recognize not value his and so many other’s hard work and sacrifice.

By: Mark Church

Mark Church — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 20:09:16 +0000

This is one to watch. The things companies are allowed to get away with in chapter 11 is ridiculous. The PBGC has previiously relinquished it’s right to require companies to reassume their pensions after they become profitable (UAL) Congress needs to ensure they do not do this with American Airlines. Once they become profitable again, they should be required to resume pension payments until the existing plans fully funded. Another thing that needs to be stopped is the GRANTING OF KERPs (Key Employee Retention Plans) in which the bankruptcy court allows company executives to receive raises that they claim are necessary to retain key employees. In this economy these should not be necessary. And why should the court allow them to increase the pay of the very executives who ran AMR into the ground??? This a perfect example of why the middle class is fed up with corporate America.

By: randyj

randyj — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 21:31:51 +0000

Here’s something to consider….The following was a comment in USA Today on the AA bankruptcy article. The article stated AA has 4.1 billion in unrestricted cash and short-term investments. It does seem like a lot of cash but what do I know. To me Chapter 11 is simply a way for companies to break their contracts and to hell with the employees and their vendors. It’s really tough to keep taking pay cuts instead of a raise once in a while and keep your head above water.
Maybe I am not a busuiness guru, but how can a company with 4 Billion dollars in cash be allowed to seek banktruptcy? If I went to court to see it and had a few million in the bank they would laugh me out of court. Also wander what kind of obscene payout this CEO will take home after mismanaging his company into banktruptcy?

By: Jim

Jim — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 12:31:26 +0000

I think American Airlines should be ashamed. AAL cut employees pay 26% between pay and benefits 7 years age and have not given raises since. Recently AAL paid executives millions in bonus money even though they have posted losses 6 quarters in a row. AAL filed for bankruptcy so they can take employee’s pensions. All I can say is shame on AAL!

By: a caputo

a caputo — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 11:07:41 +0000

one of the reason i left the airline industry as a pilot moved to chiana i fly commercial helicopter for twice the money i was paid as reginal jet pilot

By: Sonyc

Sonyc — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 09:48:41 +0000

To All,

NEVER EVER BUY ANYTHING FROM TRAVELOCITY! I bought 2 plane tickets for Toronto to New York (JFK) yesterday. It was confirmed and the money was deducted from my credit card account. 12 hours later,I received an email from their stupid ‘Revenue Protection Department’ requiring some kind of verbal authorization on my card (which is odd considering they already deducted the amount). I could not attend to request till 5 hours later. I called the number that was given in the email but it was invalid (at which I am already suspecting some Nigerian online scam). So I called their mainline from which they had to transfer to the ‘Revenue Protection Department’, a process that takes an eternity to continue. By the time I got transferred, I receive another email stating that my reservation has been cancelled as I did not get back in time for the authorization. But there was NO MENTION of ANY REFUND in the email. And the ‘Revenue Protection Department’ said that my reservation has been cancelled.

Now I am left with no money to make a fresh reservation. Be warned.

TRAVELOCITY,

I want my money back now! – trip id : 2133 2144 9714

By: Susan

Susan — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 08:12:41 +0000

Ken’s post above is dead on correct. The pay for U.S. pilots is appalling. Someone I know was recently hired to fly a regional jet out of Chicago, and almost qualified, but just missed the food stamp income limit. Very sad. On another note, I received an email from American Airlines today – “We want to assure you that your AAdvantage® miles are secure” – Thank God!! But hey, go ahead and take all the pilot’s hard earned pensions….(yes, sarcasm). Hmmm…most likely AA will do just that.