I have absolutely no qualms flying a Boeing 737 MAX once it returns to commercial service in about six weeks. This plane is safe to fly.
The MAX now compares data from both angle of attack sensors and if there’s a material difference between the sensors then the MCAS system will be inhibited throughout the flight. The system only activates once per incident, eliminating repetitive nose-down pitch. And pilots maintain elevator authority for the aircraft.
Runaway stab trim is inhibited automatically, no longer requiring use of a non-normal checklist. But pilots are receiving explicit training on the issues that occurred with the MAX previously nonetheless.
And make no mistake, these are rare issues to begin with – American Airlines never had a single issue with trim or angle of attack in over 7000 flights, and never had angle of attack issues in over 700,000 hours of Boeing 737-800 flying and it’s the same part.
That doesn’t mean I’m looking forward to flying the 737 MAX on American Airlines! This is because of the interior of the cabin and not because of the safety of the aircraft.
- Less room between seats
- Thinner, less padded seats
- No seat back video
- This is even true in Main Cabin Extra and first class
American has been removing seat back screens from its existing Boeing 737s, too, as it standardizes the interiors of its cabins in a new less comfortable configuration. When US Airways management took over at American Airlines, Boeing 737s had 150 seats. The new configuration has 172 seats. And unfortunately so far about 65% of American’s 324 Boeing 737s have the new cabin.
In a question and answer session with flight attendants about the Boeing 737 MAX last week, American Airlines President Robert Isom said “this aircraft is going to be equal to anything anybody else has out there in terms of seat pitch, in terms of creature comforts, and in terms of all accommodations.” But that’s not true. Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAXs offer at least 32 inches between seats, compared to American’s standard 30 inches.
It may be a long time before there’s significant capital investment in the customer experience again. But it’s important to understand clearly where your product fits in the marketplace. Going into the pandemic American Airlines offered:
- International business class. American’s seats were good, albeit lacking in some important details. Their lounges were improving, and so were their amenity kits. Service was hit-or-miss, and inflight food not very good.
- International economy. American lags Delta, whose Boeing 777s were 9-abreast and where flight attendants offered hot towels and welcome cocktails and said thank you.
- Domestic premium cabin. There’s nothing that compares to Mint outside of the premium cross country routes (and even there JetBlue does a nice job with meals). For shorter routes American Airlines partner Alaska Airlines has a lot to teach American about inflight cuisine.
American’s old standard domestic first class had 40 inches from seat back to seat back, and now has just 36. Seats have less padding, too, so aren’t as comfortable for long domestic flights. And that’s true even after American fixes several of the problems with its new seat.
- Domestic economy. American simply does not offer a premium domestic product. Southwest Airlines has two more inches of space between every seat. Southwest’s and Delta’s service is better, and Delta certainly more reliable.
Sure, American has extra legroom coach seats which are closer to what Southwest offers, but their new domestic configuration has fewer of those than ever before.
American’s strengths were its international business class and its route network. The domestic customer-facing product was weak, and still is. Removing seat back television, cramming more seats into the cabin, and compensating by using seats with less padding makes it weaker still.
This is going to be a bigger challenge for American than ever because airlines are going to be fighting tooth and nail for whatever passenger business is out there, and American will have an inferior product to offer for the domestic trips most customers are looking to buy.
They can entice customers with price, but they have higher trip costs since they didn’t convince many employees to take early retirements. Furloughs mean that only the most senior and highest-paid employees are left working every flight. And they have a higher debt burden than any other airline in the world, so need even more revenue to be competitive and service that debt prior to earning a profit (and paying down some of that debt). Yet American’s standard domestic product is not competitive with the largest domestic airline in the country.
Ahhh the new AA-737-MAX-DVT
No. The 737 Max is unsafe due to its inherently flawed design. Further, the FAA is just window-dressing its so-called fixes so Boeing gets a second chance to recover from inevitable finacial ruin. (They will never go under with their lucrative, grifting defense contracts.)
As the 737-900 was a certfication gifthorse from the FAA and also should have never been built, the FAA gave Boeing an inch and their incompetent, greedy management took it a nautical mile.
The malfeasance of both entities (and Southwest & American Airlines) is disgusting.
Who knew how good we had it when all we had to do was worry the max would crash
now we have to worry about fellow passengers infecting us with Rona Virus
Say no to American cramped seating and lavatories designed with midgets in mind
Will it be transparent which are the max jets that have the new bandaids when booking?
That plane is not “safe” – It was certified “safe” the first time and look what happened? then software fixes, still not safe. What on earth makes you think it’s right now? Keith’s comment is 100% dead on. Boeing cut corners and created a fundamentally flawed design, then such failure exposed just how unsafe the entire process is at Boeing. This is far from over and “safe.” You are not an avionics engineer, you are not qualified to make a statement like this. Posting statements like “This plane is safe” is misleading at best and only add to dis-information. I urge to you re-write this article.
No back seat video? Who even needs that anymore? Who doesn’t have their own smart device so the can watch their preferred content anyways?
I’m pretty sure there have been NASA ASAP reports about trim and the 737max… So idk how you can boldy state “American Airlines never had a single issue with trim or angle of attack in over 7000 flights, and never had angle of attack issues in over 700,000 hours of Boeing 737-800 flying and it’s the same part.”
Any word on MAX static displays manned by mechanics and pilots?
I hadn’t flown since March and took my first trip earlier this month. Based out of Orange County, we seemed to be spared the reconfigured 737-800’s earlier this year as all of my flights still had the old configuration with seatback IFE. That has now changed.
My seats were in first, so I didn’t experience economy. The seats were definitely MUCH less comfortable than the old seats and felt really cheap. The padding was thinner/firmer and there was a lack of lumbar support. My flights were roughly 3 hours per segment and my back and legs were uncomfortable throughout the flight.
I’d avoid this configuration in first if flying over 2 – 2 /12 hours. Based on my experience in first, I’ll avoid this configuration in economy altogether.
That’s going to be impossible going forward and, unfortunately, is probably going to mean switching airlines after 2M lifetime miles and several years as EXP. I appreciate the recent efforts AA is putting into trying to become competitive and they have a great international business product/Oneworld benefits. But, most of my flying is domestic and after my experience on these flights and the amount of time I spend in the air (under pre/post-pandemic business travel conditions) it’s just too uncomfortable when there are better options out there.
AA’s domestic product is just terrible.
Gary how exactly do we know this plane is safe to fly? I know you are probably right but technically we still don’t *know* this for sure, right?
No seatback screens are an improvement. On a domestic I’ll take a seat with screens in the back over one with screens in the back any day.
Lack of seat back screens is no big deal. The last time I was on a flight with seat back video, it was so close to my face that I couldn’t focus my eyes on it anyway.
One of the reasons the 737 had 150 seats was because the wpul block some middles in the back of the plane to be able to fly it with only three Fa. Of course you failed to mention that,and make it sound like the additional seats were just cramped in.
WE GET IT [redacted] .. YOU HATE AA … GET A LIFE ….
Oh and also UA has the same interior
GET [redacted]
After 2+MM miles and 40 years of flying AA, I’m so glad I’m retired. Flying used to be OK and we were treated well; clearly past tense.
Mr. Gary Left first than all you are not an aircraft mechanic. All Amercan carrier don’t offer a good product and service compare with other airlines in the world. I flew the 737 max and I will continue flying it. I think you are prejudiced with one airline in particular. Let’s be impartial.
The DeHavilland Comet had multiple hull failures early on, was grounded, fixed and returned to fly safely for years. The Lockheed Electra had early problems with engine mounts, was grounded, fixed and returned to service for decades. The DC-10 had fatal flaws in the cargo door design was fixed and, well you get my drift.
The Max, even before an unprecedented depth of scrutiny and reengineering, flew tens of thousands of legs in North America without problems…
Getting rid of the seatback screen is great. Most people who aren’t using them don’t know how to turn them off and thus they stay brightly lit up for the entire flight bothering anyone within eyesight in a dimly lit plane. Plus, the giant power boxes under the seats to support the entertainment system are legroom killers. It’s 2020: Use your smartphone or iPad if you wanna watch a movie.
I’m so happy they’re getting rid of those obnoxious screens. Now I may give it a try
As a AA MM I have felt this airlines decline in seating service and character.
I look forward to domestic flights by Southwest soon out of ORD…i have a upcoming flight on A321 where seating iš some what better, especially in aisle 25 by midship exit…wish they would offer a ‘challenge’…
I’m mot flying on any airline that uses the 747 max. Let’s see if all the executives and their families fly on a 747 max first.
Boeing and the FAA have lost a lot of people’s trust so it’s hard to know what is the truth. Time will tell. I only wish that no more human lives are lost in the process.
LOL.
YOUR FUNNY!
DELTA HAS THE SAME TINY BATHROOMS!
SAME KIDNEY SINK.
AND TIGHT SEATS!
When American Airlines took over TWA they acquired the Base with the best safety record in the industry with the MCI Kansas City overhaul Base, and they shut it down. Their maintenance safety record went down hill at that time. Yes I’m a disgruntled aircraft mechanic.
GET A LIFE AND LEAVE AA ALONE, you ALWAYS taking BAD ABOUT THEM HOW ABOUT UNITED SAME ISSUE SAME PRODUCT GET A DAMN LIFE DUDE!!!
Wow,
A grammatically or otherwise coherent correct sentence.
in English would be nice but if English is your second language, then I appreciate the effort.
I will not fly the plane until a prudent extension of time has passed.
It is only sensible.
Funny how no one mentions that the Boeing 737 WAS SUPPOSED to,ve put out a safe product upon the ORIGINAL delivery of these planes, back in 2017, in accordance with the PROPER flight training for pilots to do their jobs to the best of safety, now over 300 are dead and we’re supposed to just forget this? How “fitting” we now have Boeing, the FAA, two agencies we relied upon to protect us and put our trust in to reassure us we’re safe, coming out with all these convincing paid spokespeople in the industry (no doubt i.e. ex pilots, travel bloggers, periodicals) that “it’s ok”…
I WONT be plying the Boeing 737 MAX, if I can help it,. I plan to do my research and find out as much as I can upon purchasing my tickets online, calling the airline, figuring out more of which routes utilize that troubling plane’s service and going with airlines that are MORE capable of protecting customers safety than greedy executives trying to make a buck any which way they can…. I hear Delta won’t be… looks like I’ll be avoiding American AND Southwest Air at all costs
There once was a program instituted by American Airlines called “MORE ROOM IN COACH” when AA actually removed two rows of seats in coach. It gave folks about 2″ of more legroom. Businessmen raved about it, and did the flying public LOVED it! But, it cut into PROFIT$ so AA sided with the Stockholders to make more money. So, back in went the seats. And now even MORE seats go in along with the tiny “Oasis” toilets. Apparently nobody at AA’s new corporate offices shop at Wal Mart to see how thin the flying public has become in 20+ years.
I will wait until more trustworthy aviation safety bodies certify this aerodynamically flawed plane as safe and there have then been 5 years of incident free operation.
This plane will crash again within a year. They put the wrong engines on originally and used software to try to compensate. Software will still not save it. It’s like putting a smaller front right tire on a car then compensating by steering left more. You have to have the right design. Americans drool over money. It is their God. Remember this post after the next crash.
I’m a dedicated AA multi-MM and have started flying again … mostly on 737 Oasis conversations and A321s. I prefer the A321 because there are a few seats that simply can’t be beat.
It’s getting hard to find a pre-Oasis 737. My cheat: if the seating chart shows 33 rows (instead of the original 30 rows), it’s an Oasis conversation.
I’ve been surprised to find that the sinks don’t seem to have been converted to kidney-style. Has AA decided to keep the older, more functional style?? Did they abandon the whole tight-squeeze bathroom design? Seems like a good move, considering how reviled the new design is, and the marginal cost-benefit proposition?
Can anyone speak to this??
Entertainment system: be gone! … it was poorly responsive and buggy from the start. Another poor cost-benefit proposition. Replacing them with personal devices is a plausible idea, but immediately faceplants because the in-seat charging is so flawed: underpowered for modern devices, and USB connectors that wear far too quickly … USB connectors were never designed for frequent connect/disconnects. AA has painted itself into a corner here.
Seats: coach seats are functional but not luxurious… fine for a 2 hour flight. The problem is that AA also uses them on 6 hour flights. Can 10 hour flights be far behind? DVT, for sure. Are they hoping we won’t notice?? And first class seats? … no longer worth the extra $$ cost or upgrade stickers. Sad service, sad seat pitch, sad amenities.
Welcome to de-regulation, fellow passengers… we’re definitely getting what we paid for! (No, this isn’t Kansas anymore, and there is no free lunch.)
@Dan – Europe and Canada will quickly follow with recertification
@Gary Leff – when they do, then the five year clock of incident free operation starts.
With those disproportionately large engines, Boeing has done what a child constructing a paper plane knows not to do i.e. create even the smallest interruptions to the airflow which could cause the frame to flip up or down.
Once bitten, twice shy, I’ll wait for practical evidence that this has now been reliably and safely overcome – even if someone flies them beforehand with seats and toilets which don’t require Houdini-like contortionist skills to get into.
AA’s layout works fine and just blogger hatred towards AA seems to be an issue. DL has the SAME pitch on their A321s and refit A320 series as well as the 737-900 and 757 with 199 seats. DL is actually worse since you lose space with the IFE and the huge technology boxes under the seat. Plus DL overhead space isn’t the massive XL or Spacebins on many planes that AA uses.
I have flown cross country on Oasis, Kodiak and new Neos and have found them now worse or then DL or UA and in some cases better (AA’s WIFI and entertainment is wayyyy better).
So say what you must be the facts that people fly AA more then DL might show how people are voting. Let go of your Oasis rant. . .we are tired of it and no one cares any more.
This aircraft is just as “safe” as Flint, MI water is healthy.
Anyone who puts their trust in Boeing or the FAA certifiers is crazy…..
I get the “less padding and leg room” argument if the flight is over 3 hours. But most of my flying is well below that and because I let my wallet do the talking (or my clients’ travel guidelines) I don’t mind what or who I fly as long as the schedule and cost makes sense to me.
I think its time to let go of ‘what was” and focus on “what is”…
Why must everything hinge on greed? The enjoyment of flying was taxed enough after 911. Americans are not getting thinner either. CEO’s take private jets or the cushiest seat up front but treating us like cattle aint gonna cut it.
I’d rather go to the dentist than get on any U.S. airline. The seats are comfortable and they give you something for the pain.
How many signatures do we have to get to convince AA that their new seating isn’t humane?
I we will be told to vote by using another airline.
But AA is so big they are often the only airline, or one is invested with miles and club membership and then get squeezed in like that!!
“Oh, stop being so cheap,” they answer. Buy the upgraded seat. $46 x 4 legs for the average trip = $184 for what they should be giving me anyway, and the original ticket was $398 – not a good deal.
Not a chance in hell. This is software to fix a bad design flaw. Fix the plane. If you can’t, scrap them. That’s the option.
@EasyVictor … uh, not exactly. Given the efficiencies needed for modern airframes, it’s very common for control surfaces and other functions to be software-controlled. As an extreme example, the B-2 couldn’t fly at all without many software interventions per second. Commercial airliners aren’t so dependent, but they are definitely cyber-physical systems, too. If you’re really advocating flying only planes that wouldn’t crash without their software, I think you might want to start flapping your arms very aggressively. That will soon be the only way you’ll get off the ground.
Gary any truth to the Jill Surdek retirement rumor? What’s that all about?
@Vienna T – https://twitter.com/garyleff/status/1325947437626875905
Take it from an engineer. This plane didn’t need so much a SOFTWARE FIX as it did REDUNDANT SENSORS. The reason the 2 planes crashed was the sensors failed / were faulty (second crash they reported it before take off – pilot from previous flight). I read everything. I know a design flaw when I see (1) sensor used for this TAKEOVER THE PLANE thing – the planes engines being different and too far forward …. The F117 had over 100 sensors to make it fly perfect. It never relied on just (1) sensor to fly an aircraft that wasn’t stable.
With everything that has caused travel meltdown & hit ALL modes of transportation it seems possible that some human awareness & common sense could/should/ would cause the airline component to figure out that we are assets not cattle. It is past due for a wake up call.
I, too, am bummed out by the ever-shrinking seat pitch in Econ…especially on American Airlines. But The Market has spoken. The traveling public decided flying has to be cheap; except, it’s not cheap, so cuts have to be made somewhere or there’s no more profit, and no more airline. You gotta pony up if you want that leg room, that’s reality (Econ+ doesn’t cost that much). Or, take the train next time…?? (queue laugh-track)
Southwest has THE SAME INTERIOR configuration.
@Steve Komman – Southwest absolutely does not, they have 2 additional inches between seats (minimum) compared to American Airlines coach on their MAXs.
The AA 737 MAX: you probably won’t die, but you’ll definitely suffer.
The 737 8 and the Max have terrible interior and I agree that is why I refuse to fly with either American or United… Try out the mini bathroom…
NEWS FLASH!
Delta negotiating with Boeing on 737 MAX.
Delta wants deep discounts!
AA has been deteriorating for years. I now use SWA for all of my domestic flights and they are superb. The B737 MAX will soon take over the world once more.
The MCAS was installed on the MAX for a reason: to compensate for the inherent unstable (CG aft) of the plane. By fixing the sensors which provide information to the MCAS, Boeing reduced the likelihood of it being unnecessarily activated. Unfortunately it also created a possibility of the MCAS failing to activate when it is needed. In a nose high, near stall situation, if the two sensors provide inconsistent data, the MCAS would not deploy. The MAX would be faced with its built in instability. Any trained test pilot would easily recognize the situation and recover from it. Not so the average airline transport pilot, though. The MAX is dangerous by design.
Boeing+FAA have but scratched the surface with regards to fixing what clearly are the underlying issues with their B737-8-9-Max product line. Fitting a third /more sensors to the aircraft would have been a start, installing a new flight computer with two primary lanes hard wired in, and at least two standby /redundancy lanes hard wired in would have helped, in deed ALL flight management computers should have been replaced /redesigned to provide at least two prime hardwired lanes and two tershery /standby lanes to get you home safely lanes of control. As for fitting of these new engines further back under the wing? Had Boeing actually thought about this at design stage then built their NEWLY designed undercarriage at new build yes the aircraft would have stood 6″ taller-so dammed what? On board stairs=one more step, Airport Air Stairs were built with lift, lower, left, or right functions when new-and can be preset to each aircraft type, so what in Gods name does 6″ higher got to do with this one asks? Quite simple really when one looks back at the Boeing culture of design, and build-start with ANY Boeing Design, the B737, B747, B757, B767, B777, and B787-the basic core design has never never been changed since day 1-fact!! Yes they stretch the design, yes they change the material specifications to more modern /stronger materials, yes they replace the avionics architecture BUT the original /basic core design /Hydraulics /Fuel System / Engines /Flight Controls /Undercarriage remains as is-that is unless upgrades or changes to engine thrust or operating characteristics of the onboard aircraft flight systems are required which will require upgrades.
My point the B737-8 /9-Max may be new build off the line, but the basic structure /build of that structure /systems within are all unchanged since late 60’s-and that IS a good thing after all why change what IS NOT Broken? So where are the issues with the B737-9/9/Max? Quite simply it is in the bits that converted it from a B737-800 into the B737-8/9-Max.
Yes raising the Undercarriage now by 6″ moving the engines back under the wings, adding more sensors, redesigning ALL the flight and management computers to include MORE redundancy WILL Yes WILL cost money but what is cheaper more smokey holes or an aircraft designed and built as the B737-100 in the 60’s was to fly billions of miles with NO Emergency Incidents that end up with Yet More Deaths ????????????????????????????
Yes, quite simply. But wouldn’t all of those changes have required a bunch of re-analysis to make sure something else didn’t break as a result? Along with a bunch of re-tooling and re-parting? This itself could well sink the company and its customers, too?? Quite simply, it’s not so simple.
(I think they made some bad and arrogant decisions, but over-scoping the project wasn’t one if them.)
This is the kind of sad case that will be studied and debated for years. Quite simply.
Gary, agree with you!
Don’t forget the downgrade in the lavs!
Stability augmentation systems are not new to airplanes. MCAS was designed to overcome a situation that a properly skilled and trained pilot or crew would recognize and prevent or stop before a real problem occurs. Using electronics to compensate for a design flaw which is what the root problem is in the MAX and will not change or go away. Turn off or fail the MCAS and you have a static / divergent airplane again. Airline Pilots are not trained nor skilled in flying airplanes designed like the MAX. Also the Airline pilots were “Mushroomed” in training on the MAX and did not have a good understanding of the system and how to handle the problems with it.
Age old problem in aviation: You make the Pilot in Command of an airplane but restrict his authority to act. Been there for 53 years and 33000 hours
I’d not want to fly the plane on AA not because of the plane but because AA
AA has the worst in flight experience. Sure they will get you there, but others do it better.
2019 I took an AA flight from Dallas to Morelia Mexico. I was surprised that none of the announcements were Spanish and the FA’s did not know any Spanish. The FAs were upset that some passengers did not understand them.
All you and those comments I will see you at the gate flying on B Fares expecting first class treatment.
Wich you get what you paid for..
As soon as you mention JetBlue – a low cost carrier, having the best premium product you lost respect. That is laughable to say the least.
@Plane jane – have you flown their business class?
While some will call me an AA fanboy, I disagree with a couple things. These are based on my personal experience of flying over 70,000 miles on AA this year. Still only PP because the flights have been so cheap. I need $800 to get to EP and that’s with the $3000 from my Barclays silver spend.
You state SW and Delta have better customer service. Maybe surveys show that but most of us never have an issue and I believe their FA’s are friendly and helpful. Not sure how SW is even a comparison when they don’t offer FC. And why is Delta more reliable? I’ve had exactly 1 flight moved in 60 segments this year and that was because my airport was closed for Hurricane ETA a couple weeks back. And I was provided multiple options for rebooking.
AA, like the other airlines have been more than generous with pricing, offers and options for their frequent fliers in a tough year for the airlines.
But I agree with your premise the Max is safe but the seats are an issue.
A couple of things. The foundational issue which is not addressed is Boeing’s management culture. The relocation of HQ from Seattle to Chicago was very symbolic and represented the change that Boeing wanted to be closer to the Wall Street Banksters than the engineers who had created such magnificent airplanes.
Arrogant managers from Chicago descended on those designing and building the airplane with demands like “make that happen NOW or we’ll find someone who can”.
It’s not just about the Max; the Air Force Replacement Tanker program is more than a decade behind schedule and tens of billions over budget. From the corruption of the 1990s decision that lead to felony convictions / pleas of top Boeing and Pentagon officials to Obama’s decision to overturn a subsequent Bush administration to cancel the contract and go with provien Airbus Tankers to the Max you have the same people and attitudes that caused the 2007 collapse running Boeing. It’s no longer essential to be the best only the best politically connected.
The FAA wisely requires that control forces required to raise the nose (slow the airplane) increase as the airplane slows (aoa increases) in order to provide the pilot with a tactile feel and resist getting the airplane into a stall. However, when the Max received the large engines mounted well forward of the center of lift it was found that the engine cowling produced lift as aoa increased thus reducing control forces .
The AOA sensor is one of the most unreliable sensors on the airplane. Mounted on the body , normally very closely aligned with the cockpit windows above it is subject to damage on the ground , from birds and such in the air etc. To give one sensor the ability to run trim without a highly visible warning and to fail to compare data from the other sensor was both stupid and criminal negligence. Southwest Airlines recognized the danger and paid $18,000 per airplane to have an aoa anomaly (disagreement between sensors) installed in each airplane.
Boeing took the Southwest payments but failed to provide the warning lights.
The control logic , probably written by offshore engineers whose transportation mode was a bicycle made detection of problems in the system largely invisible to the pilots as the system would turn on and off. But eventually the system won and cranked full nose down trim overcoming the ability of the pilots to use manual trim or control the airplane with the conventional controls.
There is clear evidence that Boeing scrubbed some of the information regarding the system dangers from the Pilot Manual as it is mentioned in the index but missing in the document. Boeing wanted pilots to be able to transfer to the max without simulator training if they were rated in the smaller , older version of the airplane.
The one bright spot in the whole process was the President of Boeing calling Trump and demanding that the airplane not be grounded . His arrogance shielded him from the reality that having called Trump the President had no other option than to ground the airplane which in retrospect proved to be a very sound decision and saved hundreds of lives.
Rather than celebrating the return of the aircraft to service we should be exploring what needs to be done to root out this management culture and its relationship with regulatory agencies to protect the stockholders, the employees and most of all the lives of people around the world. The examination should also include the AF Tanker program.
In closing , we went from our first suborbital manned flight to the moon in a single decade and yet it has taken more than two decades for Boeing to deliver a single deployable tanker. More people have been convicted of felonies associated with the program than have tanker s been delivered.
It’s ironic that Southwest recognized the defects in the Boeing system but the FAA did not
I totally disagree about not flying the MAX on AA. I would not fly ANY airplane on AA. I have been Executive Platinum for 11 years and this will be my last. Covid taught me I can do without EXP and I feel FREE from AA FOREVER. Dozens of screwed up flights, hundreds of incompetent cabin staff (although hundreds are not), lack of coordination, lack of information, lack of urgency, lack of carrying, lack of foresight (didn’t order fuel? Really?), charge for anything you can come up with, and, of course interior cabin design approaching the a sardine factory’s ideal model…and it smells like one sometimes too. What a pathetic end for a once great airline. I feel sorry for people who are competent and carrying in their service being taken down by pathetic leadership and horrible coworkers.
I agree with Dee. I have been an Advantage member since day one and since the US Air take over, service levels have continued to spiral downward. My wife and I are taking our last AA flights in early 2021 to use up a credit from our poor experience from earlier this year. Full fare first class, no communication, false statements, lack of any empathy for their customers. I have a choice in who I fly and while I cannot fly SWA, I will begin to see more and ore flights on Delta. Even though I have no status on Delta, they always make sure to treat me well and thank me for fly with them. American hasn’t done that in years.
I usually do not fly AA so have no comment on them but my nephew is executive with Boeing and told me that there is nothing inheriting wrong with the structure of the max plane and the engines placed forward a little did not change the dynamics of flight to cause a problem. Problem was that the new engines are bugger, yes, but the problem was that the test pilots found that pushing the throttle forward to an experienced 737 pilot that if they were not paying attention could change the attitude of the aircraft because of a 25% increase in gas mileage and power. Now the planes that went down the owners of the airlines opted to get only one attitude sensor instead of two as the designs call for to save money. Boeing warns potential buyers that it could be but they told Boeing their pilots were good enough to handle it if it started to go into a stall configuration. Now Boeing does not make that an option any longer. Normally the horizontal stabilizer will compensate for the nose up when in autopilot with multiple sensors, but they were fighting the system. Now the funny thing about all this is that if you recall several years ago that Airbus but in the same type of system in their planes and had about the same results and when there was talk about grounding the Airbus fleets the European nations squawked that it would bankrupt them and so they let them keep flying while they fixed the problem. I guess a company has less clout than several countries.
No I won’t ride in an Airbus ,plane as they are completely fly by wire and no cable back up in case power goes down or the main and backup systems fail. No all Boeing aircraft don’t get the distance that Airbus gets, but in case fly by wire fails, they still have the old systems of cables to control an aircraft. Airbus the only option in that case will be using the thrust of the engines to try and steer the aircraft. I would rather land a second time and have the option to control an aircraft the old way than go where the aircraft wants to go. Plus the times I flew on Airbus it banged and made all kinds of noises and being an old Air Force person, I didn’t feel safe on the several flights I had, and the last one was only a month in service from the factory and it reminded me of the old cargo plane the Air Force had that we all said was 10,000 nuts and bolts flying in loose formation.
It’s OK to criticize AA on whatever issue you are upset about, but don’t link your criticism to a safety issue. As you state, your complaint is a separate issue, but you “hook” folks in with the title referring to safety.
Flown AA quite a bit lately and do not rate then quite as good as other airlines in many areas but still will fly with them . However my big problem is with the seating arrangement in the 737s. Too damn tight…I am a slim 6′ 1″”. . Have been bumped to other airlines and noticed more legroom, etc on Alaska, Delta, United and even JetBlue! Alaska rewards now partnering with AA so may move in that direction..
Worked as a Boeing contractor and heard a lot of scuttlebut from various employees partially blaming a detrimental cultural change on the merger with Lockheed…
I am not a pilot or engineer but it seems feasable to me that adapting the 1960s 737 over time has finally reached its modification limits to still expect to be competitive with a competitors more contemporary product. A new version of the same class of aircraft would have been a better option to implement but with the recent Boeing setbacks concerning the early 787 implementation and the current 737 Max and tanker fiascos Boeing has been and still is hard pressed to develop any new aircraft. And they at least need both a contemporary replacement for the 737 and a new mid capacity aircraft between the 737 and 787 to remain competitive in the long haul. They are not in a good place right now, needless to say.
Gary – I agree with you about the inherently awful AA/Oasis product – retrofit of 737s (including lavatories that are way too small for an average-sized traveler). Clearly, AA lacks a ‘culture of service’ and has been resting on their laurels/past history of better quality product. With all airlines, it seems to be a ‘race to the bottom’ in terms of service, comfort, quality of the product. Covid will realign the airline world and I agree that DL and LUV are likely to emerge stronger… A note/bugaboo about DL – one reason I don’t fly them has been b/c they count “comfort+” as an upgrade – which, IMO is ridiculous… I’m 6’2″ and don’t fit into most standard coach products. I have been EXP for years on AA in part b/c they don’t consider Main Cabin Plus to be an upgrade. I think I’ll be re-evaluating this once I resume flying again in 2021 or 2022… Most likely to just fly whichever airline offers a convenient non-stop with seat pitch of 32″+ in coach…
Just completed two trips in the AMERICAN 737 Max. I totally trust American that they are safe for air travel. However, I will fly other airlines on domestic travel from DFW that will require use of the 737 Max. I have flow 3 million actual miles on American and deeply regret my being forced to change domestic carriers . It is without a doubt the most uncomfortable coach class product on the market today. I have a normal shoulder width and cannot sit next to anyone without being in direct contact. The seat has no legroom and the aisles are so narrow that one hates getting up to venture down one. Obviously, AA executives have never ridden in one for four hours or more likely in the interest in economy have chosen to ignore these facts. With deep regret , goodbye to my favorite carrier on domestic routes flying this poorly designed flying prison after 25 years of flying with you.