[sparkyflier]

Except that the new US Airways J class seating is almost identical to the new American product.

[RichHI1]

While the hacks generate stories to keep their stations on the air (Is Mitt a Martian? Britain faces coldest snap since Ice Age? Capitalism threatened by Bolshie Bank Bashers…etc)

I think you are missing the point. The whole emphasis at AA over the last few months has been to try and align service standards with BA and I believe JAl and QF all of whom they have JV’s with. AA has introduced Turn Down and Pajamas in First, AA has upped elite baggage allowance to 70lbs and now I think we are seeing a move to Fully FLat parallel seating. All designed to make interoperation of flights as seemless as possible for PAx so they can maximize eficiencies. MY hope based on the posters comments about CX seat is that the AA product will not have the shortcomings of the BA CW seat, we know there is aisle access from every seat which is great and now we wait for seat length which will hopefully not be compromised like BA is for tall passengers.

If any merger happens you can be sure that the driving force will be one world commonality as that is how they hope to make operational savings. Similarly we will start to see more One world groupings in TErminals around the world. I wonder how long before LAX, ORD and JFK bring One world together. And I guess after T2 and Tc and d and e we will see one world come together at LHR.

[BGIWorldTraveller]

I read somewhere that AA’s 77W is to have 365 seats. If this is true, that means Economy must be 3-4-3. BA has 297 seats on theirs with 3-3-3

[Uncledude]

But the New AA 777s will have a smaller F class than BA, a smaller J Class in terms of Numbers than BA, no PE Class, so these differences could easily account for the higher total number of Seats on Board. However I do think that 10 across in Y will become the Industry norm as happened to the 747 in the 1970’s.

[RichHI1]

My understanding is it will remain 2-5-2 in coach.

[sparkyflier]

I flew a 777 once with 10 abreast on Emirates, was awful. I am slim and it was still a nightmare. Put me off Emirates and any 10 abreast 777 airline for life.
I did read somewhere though that AA will be bringing back free beer and wine in economy which is a good move and help position them with partners and rivals.

[BeckyBoop]

If AA are bankrupt where are they getting the money for all this? xx

[RichHI1]

Becky my sweet, they are not bankrupt. THe US Chapter 11 laws are designed for corporations to reorganize themselves and get out of non-competitive encumberances. AA are not making making a profit but they have very large cash reserves. THey are very solvent as a corporation but they are saddled with historic obligations, airport charges, old plane lease (they are still leasing a scrapped a300) pension funds and union agreements. Chapter 11 is a corporate device to realign finances it is not about insolvency.
If BA were US based they would have been in Chapter 11 to sort out BASSA many years ago.

[LeTigre]

All the dictionaries I looked up defined insolvency as inability as “the inability for a business to pay its debts”, or something along those lines.

AA has $29billion+ in net liabilities and $4.1billion in cash. I think that also excludes the $10billion+ pension deficit. How on Earth can it be considered solvent?

The idea behind Bankruptcy Protection is that the company would go bankrupt otherwise but it decides to stop short and renegotiate debts. Also, of the financial causes you stated, all could have been cleared earlier with a determined management. Just look at what BA have accomplished in recent years, while they still have a pension deficit, they have beaten the unions, updated their fleet and developed a stable financial footing.

AA have failed to innovate and their aircraft all look tired with customer service dropping. That is why it is so encouraging to see the new product on the 777-300ERs because it is a new direction for them. Let’s just hope they do LOADS of refitting!

[RichHI1]

Hengli with respect I must disagree.
Firstly solvency is a combination of assets and liabilities ot merely cash. Most airlines would be insolvent by your calculation.
AA are the only major US airline which have not used CHapter 11 to ditch their baggage and the nature of the market made it a necessity.

Secondly AA customer service is not dropping it is improving. They are phasing out MD80’s and 757’s and have made plans to purchase 738’s and (God knows why) some minibuses to replace them. Remaining 757’s are being upgraded in the MAUI program.

I do not know how often you fly on AA or what your financial experience is in US insolvency practice but I suggest you research further.

[AMcWhirter]

“Uncle Dude” believes there will not be “a PE class” on AA’s new 777-300ER. Well according to AA’s publicity blub (see second para from end) there will be a premium economy cabin of sorts. I guess this is to harmonise on routes which AA code-shares with BA.

http://www.americanairlines.co.uk/i18n/pressReleases/pr_777.jsp?locale=en_GB

“Rich” understands that the seating will be 2-5-2 on these new planes but I suspect it will be 3-4-3. If carriers offer more space for a premium economy zone then, it is likely, they must take it (the extra space) from another seating class.

NZ is a classic example in this regard. The generous space given over to its premium economy seating on its 777-300ER was found by decreasing room in economy class from 9 to 10-across.

Of course, I could be wrong and AA is using customer feedback to determine whether or not to move to a 10-across layout in economy.

[RichHI1]

Just been checking out the 773 plans. Much has been made of 10 abreast in cocah but not much on the front cabin changes.
Interesting that to get to 1 2 1 in business thye have lengthened the business cabin. That is common sense, what I found interesting is that the first cabin hase been halved from 4 rows to 2. One wonders if that heralds a change in business model and the scrapping of all the corporate VIP upgrades that go on at present. With only 8 seats to sell the amount of corporate freebies and award redemtions must be hit dramatically. Interesting as a lot of US corporate VP’s CEO’s etc regard automatic First Class upgrades on International FLights as a God given right.

[767prisoner]

worth noting it is just the 773s that will have 10 across at the back. Given they only have 10 on order other than LHR/JFK and Brazil the long haul routes will be serviced by the 772s which will stay at 9 across. They comprise the vast majority of the fleet – 60+. Looking forward to the 772 business class refit but this will be 2014-2016 before its done.

[RichHI1]

767prisoner, i wish i was as certain as you that they will only chnage the business cabin, I have a feeling they will also install 10 across in coach and halve the first cabin. I think that the AA offering is in process of fundamentally changing, downmarket.

[767prisoner]

Hmmm. By then I hope to be using the BA dreamliners to get home from Cayman…

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