AMERICAN AIRLINES
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AMERICAN AIRLINES
Well, the 'new' American launched today. The worlds largest carrier...and with the new fees charged for just about everything, probably the worlds most profitable carrier in a few years. Question: what are the ex TWA/AA pilots at CX planning to do?
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...my guess is there won't be as much insecurity there as before. There are now only three mega-carriers, plus Southwest. They have massive retirements coming up, and they have figured out how to be very profitable (charging for everything). As a point in case, Delta just declared over a $1.2 billion usd (yes, with a B) profit in one quarter. Yup, only a three month period. Sounds pretty secure to me. If anything, i think CX may have more issues than the US carriers. As for insecurity, you only have to look at our contract (lol) and the current 'negotiations'. I think the real insecurity lies here now.
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Granted the insecurity of "who is out to get you" but financially CX has always been a secure employer. If you are on a base it is great, but to live in HKG and get caught up with the financial handcuffs of mortgages etc.....you even begin to kid yourself that it's good to live there!
I don't think its so much the surcharges that are making the US carriers profitable, its less seats. They are merging and that means less competition and less fare wars. They also worked aggressively to reduce excess seats domestically and that has yielded significantly higher ticket prices. I commute from the East Coast to LA and the ticket prices are double what they were five years ago. Airplanes are always full going just about anywhere. Its only in the past six months I've even tried to ride on ZED fare passes after giving it up in 2008, and I just barely make it on. "Wide open" flights are a rarity. I think the US industry finally learned its lesson about flying empty seats around and losing money, and as a result they've changed their business model. I'm too old to go back and start over with a bunch of false enthusiasm. I'd talk about money and quality of life and I wouldn't blow smoke up any interviewer's ass.
