Thinking of using American Airlines for passes beware new policy
Thinking of using AA for passes beware the new policy.
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News Article copy I received by email:
Doug Parker (Terry Maxon/DMN)
“Look, we get it. I understand it: You don’t appreciate what we did with the pass policy,” Parker told retirees who attended American’s annual meeting. “I understand that, loud and clear. I’m just trying to let you know, loud and clear, that’s what the policy is and that’s what the policy is going to be.”
AA retirees are unhappy that they’re now behind American and US Airways active employees when free seats are being handed out.
Before US Airways merged with American, AA retirees had equal priority with active employees to fly standby on flights. That changed to the new policy in mid-2014, after the December 2013 merger.
At the same time, the policy did away with US Airways policy of giving priority for free seats according to an employee’s seniority. Now, the seats are handed out based on check-in times, not length of service.
As they did at last year’s annual meeting, AA retirees took their complaints to Parker and the American Airlines board of directors with protests outside the New York City meeting and speeches inside the meeting.
“We invested our life’s work in American Airlines,” said Gail Dunham, chairwoman of the American Airlines Retirees Committee. “We feel we were severely downgraded with our pass benefits. And I don’t think you realize when you downgraded our pass benefits that you devalued what we worked a lifetime to accomplish.”
Carol Reichert, who retired in 2013 after 35 years as a flight attendant, reminded Parker that he told retirees last year to try their new status “to see if we like it. Well, you know what? We don’t like it.”
Parker acknowledged their anger and unhappiness at the change, even as he defended the new policy. But he told them flatly that the new pass policy would not change.
Said Parker:
“That is the program now, and that is going to be the program going forward. As you can tell, when you move these things, it causes huge consternation within the entire group. So we are not going to move it back.
“I’m just telling you that not to anger you, but just to be totally honest. This isn’t going to change. This is the company’s non-rev policy. This is how we’re going to keep the list. So know that.
“You’re welcome to come back every year, but I don’t want to set expectations that this will result in changing anything because it can’t. This is the list now. If we were to move it now, all we’d have is enormous uproar amongst all the active employees.”
At the very end of the meeting, Parker repeated the same message:
“If American Airlines hadn’t filed bankruptcy and didn’t need a merger with another company and a different list, then this wouldn’t happen. But it did.
“We all owe you all a debt of gratitude for building the company to that point. But the company that you worked for went into bankruptcy, and it needed a merger to bring itself out. And it merged with a carrier and it had a different list and that’s what happened.
“We can all be upset about it. We can all continue to talk about it. But the facts are those. We have a new company where we had to make some difficult decisions that have been made.
“Look, I wish at the bottom of heart I could make all of you happy but I know I’m not going to be able to so long as that’s your requirement for being happy because that we can’t change.
“The decision has been made. That is the pass policy, and that’s what it’s going to be.”
Parker started the meeting with a review the airline’s accommplishments over the past year. His message was consistent with other speeches and presented given by him and other top AA executives: The airline has come a long way, but has a ways to go before getting to where it wants to go. Among other things, that includes being considered the best airline.
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Seniority isn't what it used to be. With AA it is a first come; first served; for a seat assignment - so far Delta has not stooped that low yet !
So beware traveling AA your seniority means nothing -except for the active AA employee.
