American to launch EDI and BHX to JFK May 2015

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Viewing 8 posts - 16 through 23 (of 23 total)

  • conshaldow
    Participant

    Considering the lack of media coverage on this from the likes of Edinburgh Airport (very good twitter feed that updates regularly) and the fact that American haven’t really disclosed seating layout/specs i’d say chances are SimonS1’s link may be correct.

    I don’t know what they have to gain from offering an inferior product on routes that United already have a big presence on.


    TimFitzgeraldTC
    Participant

    I think in the Premium product arena if you line up product v product then they have no chance against the already established UA service & seat which is far superior to the AA 757 – unless they plan to rapidly get these updated – but not sure they will as 757’s are coming soon to the end of there lives and there isn’t an obvious replacement for them with 787’s being much larger – it is a problem UA/AA face when it comes to replacement of these planes.

    Perhaps AA are banking on the Avios & BA relationship as a draw. On flights out a cradle seat might be open to some people (BA will have the code on these flights soon I’d have thought) – but for night flights back it is a non starter for most seasoned travellers. Only those who travel infrequently I’d have thought would book it not knowing it is a rubbish product. If they aren’t careful they could do more damage with negative press / reaction – depending on what they charge ultimately.

    On the Economy product – it isn’t as good as UA either though difference is much narrower. But then Economy doesn’t normally make money??


    canucklad
    Participant

    Edinburgh Evening News Breaking News……
    For those of you,who like your Puffin Pie super duper fresh you’ll be able to take advantage of Atlantic Airways new direct flights from EDI to the Faroes

    Maybe AA didn’t want their JFK service launch lost in this momentous news from the Atlantic islands. : )
    However the JFK news is on EDI’s Wikipedia page.


    AMcWhirter
    Participant

    It is odd. The news has been available by AA in the US and by ourselves but there has been no communication either from AA in the UK of from EDI itself.

    Maybe both are waiting for the WTM trade show in London to finish before making their announcement.


    Hermes1964
    Participant

    This article in Flight possibly suggests a way forward to the US carriers’ transatlantic 757 replacement dilemma.

    http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/american-evaluating-proposed-long-range-a321neo-405630/


    EruditeSheep
    Participant

    Hermes provides a link to an interesting read. I have used the UA 757 service from BHX to EWR, as well as the AA 757 service from DUB to JFK, which will presumably be the same aircraft type as rostered for the BHX-JFK service. I totally agree with others that the UA experience is superior, largely because of the flat-beds in businessfirst and the excellent IFE system. Having said that, the AA IFE system on the 757s isn’t that bad either – certainly streets ahead of the BA Club World experience on many of their aircraft, which is now really quite long in the tooth.

    If AA went forward with the A321 scheme, I would hope that they would fit the aircraft out similar to the A321s that they already operate on the JFK-LAX service, which offer a superb flight experience AND have fully flat beds in business. On a recent flight I was lucky to be upgraded to the F-class suite on that aircraft and that is REALLY good. This is what US coast-to-coast travel should be, not the recliner seats offered on other routes.


    TimFitzgeraldTC
    Participant

    Hi Hermes

    Agree with the poster before – The A321 neo looks interesting an I guess it would be fitted with a modern product like the coast to coast services. I know the US carriers have been really struggling with 757 replacement (and these can’t be cheap to run – I would be interested to see how close a new 787 comes at 65% full to a full 757 for example). A full 787 would work well but problem is filling them I guess on the more marginal routes – though that is what a 787 was designed for was my impression.

    But looks like something to keep an eye out for.


    AMcWhirter
    Participant

    Just to say that American Airlines UK finally confirmed these new routes this afternoon.

    Hello Tim

    Not sure whether the arrival of narrow-bodies on the transatlantic is good or bad ?

    Wasn’t the B787 with its more spacious cabins (but maybe not so much in Y class !) supposed to take care of less busy routes ?

    Travellers like myself, who can remember crossing the Atlantic on VC-10s and B707s thought that the days of narrow-bodied plans on long routes had, with a few exceptions, been banished.

    But now it seems that in the interests of cutting costs they are set to make a return (on less busy routes).

    In the flightglobal article, AA president Scott Kirby (when discussing the A321neo) is quoted as saying, “The reality is, no matter what you do with a wide-body aircraft (ie the B787) physics is physics and it’s going to have more drag and it’s going to be more expensive to fly [than a narrow body].

Viewing 8 posts - 16 through 23 (of 23 total)
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