American Airlines went to court to get an injunction against their mechanics union, claiming they were engaged in an illegal action to sabotage the performance of the airline. But, Scott McCartney reports, two of the airline’s lawyers failed to show up for a meeting with mechanics’ representatives — because their flight was cancelled.
A federal judge ordered lawyers for American Airlines and its mechanics union to meet in person over an alleged work slowdown, but American’s top two attorneys didn’t show.
Their flights got canceled.
American cancelled 4% of their mainline flights in June compared to 0.6% at United. While weather has been a factor at American’s largest hub (DFW stands for ‘Doesn’t Function Wet’), United too says “June had the highest number of weather and air-traffic control delays” the airline has ever seen. And coding everything to weather costs passengers real money. (Flying American Airlines is a good reason to make sure you’re paying for tickets on a credit card that offers trip delay coverage.)
Here are American’s internal stats for departures exactly on time (D0) and turning an aircraft around – from arrival to departure – in the allotted time (T0) for the first six weeks of the summer schedule, with eight to go.
It’s worth noting that American Airlines does not audit the reasons coded to a delay for accuracy. And with twice as many planes out of service each day compared to normal operations there’s little margin at the airline for error. Some of that is attributable to mechanics, to be sure, but it also seems to me to be the result of failing to do sufficient preventive maintenance before the summer season.
Airlines have been held to a “truth in pricing” standard. How are hotels any different?
@Bob Sanders — airlines are completely different. Most federal regulation of business at the federal level is by the Federal Trade Commission. You can sue most businesses in state court, including on the basis of covenants of good faith and fair dealing. The Airline Deregulation Act didn’t ‘deregulate’ the airlines at all (it just stopped having the federal government decide who flies where and what they can charge). It created a separate regulatory regime just for airlines under the Department of Transportation.
Airlines are regulated by DOT, and more stringently than other businesses, in part because of federal preemption. Individual states cannot regulate airlines, so the federal government regulates them more.
Are heads ever going to roll in the board room at AA?
Honestly, their failure to try to right this ship is indicative that their big investors must be in the tank with the executive team!
Glad I migrated to UA. While they have their own share of issues, I’ve had far fewer problems that at American. Moreover, my experience as 1K has been better than AA ExPlat.
@OldKingCole This! Exactly! I’m truly surprised the board has let this go on for so long.
It would have been more interesting if you stated why AA lawyers flight was cancelled. Was it do to weather or the mechanics dispute? 62% average on time arrival for 6 weeks! It been said many times before how does Parker keep his job?
Maybe they should have flow an airline that doesn’t have major labor problems.
The way they treat the customers they are involving in this mess is even worse than those statistics!
Doug Parker screwed over Pittsburgh several times over as he not only abandoned the airport that was built to his specs, he transferred every last service, so that local employees were welcome to leave the area or lose their jobs. He runs an airline that, on an alleged non-stop flight from Pgh to NY, cancelled the flight after a four hour delay (too bad if passengers didn’t have a place to stay overnight) and thought a reasonable resolution was to require passengers to fly to Charlotte the following evening, stay there overnight, and then fly to NY the third day!. Pony express anyone?
DFW had two absolutely massive, unpredicted storms in May/June with one serving up >60mph winds. That probably had a lot to do with it.
As I mentioned last week, the “mechanics thing” is old news. McCartney has made the same mistake you made — he’s focused on the operation from BEFORE the Judge issued the TRO against the mechanics. AA’s mechanical cancellations have been steadily decreasing since then, and now seem to run less than 1 percent.
What hasn’t changed as much is the weather. Absolutely horrific at DFW on many days, including today. Like DFW has 13% cancelled flights today and all the other hubs are at zero. If you want to be a “thought leader,” shouldn’t you at least look at the easily available public stats?
What’s your source in saying that “American Airlines does not audit the reasons coded to a delay for accuracy?”
@oops – Doug Parker, confirmed by other executives, at an employee Q&A session last month explaining that they don’t want work groups pitted against each other so they don’t investigate the accuracy of delay codes or correct them.
@chopsticks – I think you’re mistaken, given the aircraft out of service stats posted every day by the airline. 24 international flagship aircraft out of service right now alone.
@hana blume – Doug Parker, for all his faults, had nothing to do with how the old US treated Pittsburgh. The current terminal was designed and built from 1987-1992 to Edwin Colodny’s specifications, when USAir was a regional airline flying DC9s to Utica and Toledo. Doug was still an analyst minion then. The hub was shut down in 2002-03, when Doug was still at America West.
My story is a long one. I’ll save my breath for the lawsuit. There will surely be one at the rate American Airlines is going. I’ve made several long trips with AA the last 3 yrs. The worst had been being late for my connecting flight & having to spend the night in the airport.
The last trip I will ever make with them was absolutely horrible! It took me a full 72 hrs to make a 2 hr flight home. The airlines delay your flight for hrs, heard people like cattle changing gates, then tell you your flight is canceled. The airlines will not give you a hotel voucher. They might give you a food voucher for a doughnut and cup of coffee no matter how long they keep you. They do not want you to get your luggage. Usually, by the time the cancel your flight, all is closed so you cannot get a blanket and something to eat.
To top it off, the customer service for the most part is nonexistent. The days I was there almost all the flights with AA were cancelled. They tell 700 people to stand in a line with 2 people working the counter.
I will never fly with them again! I flew Jet Blue my most recent trip and actually arrived 10 mins. early.