onwFan wrote:F9Animal wrote:I'm sorry, but IFE is a total bonus IMO. From a customers perspective, it is nice to have the ability to watch shows, movies, live TV, and whatever else it can do. I would rather fly with IFE than use say my phone to pass the time.
I would highlight the way you worded it: ‘IFE is a total
bonus’, and that is the crux - passengers consider it a ‘bonus’ but will not shell out more to fly a carrier that offers one vs one that doesn’t. In such a situation, ‘I would rather fly with IFE than use say my phone’ becomes irrelevant if the another carrier has a preferable option in terms of price, schedule and FF (which AA arguably is increasingly doing along with AS/B6, aren’t they?).
I believe AA has even learnt the same lesson previously the bad way before with something on seats (I remember seeing it on an interview, cannot remember which one) where they did not get that competitive advantage.
You are of course referring to "more room throughout coach", which from 2000 to 2004 Don Carty implemented in an attempt to increase AA's RASM. I remember it well, I started with AA in 2000 and spent 11 years there. Back then American could genuinely claim to be the country's premium airline, with Delta within inches of going out of business and United forever in multiple bankruptcies. Having spent 11 years there, I can tell you that the others merging and going into bankruptcy first helped destroy American's position. Of course, Carty and Horton's lack of vision didn't help either and in the end contributed to them being wildly overtaken (Delta in the New York market, how did that happen? a bankrupt airline with a then garbage terminal overtaking the hometown carrier with the best terminal at JFK?)
Nowadays American is a poor competitor to Delta and United, these days I fly those guys whenever possible. Great example, recently visited family in the Carolinas, because of schedule flew American out and United back, both in economy plus. American, zero snacks and a tiny cup of water on a miserable oasis 738. United, a bag with two snacks and multiple runs for drinks on a E175. Same with Delta, flew them out to Salt Lake in the spring and its a far better experience, brand new pristine A220.
Just compare how far behind they are?
- The IFE decisions we're discussing - why would anyone prefer American? Maybe if you live in Dallas, certainly not in a market where you have a choice
- This summer - the 200 flight cancellations a day for American verses 10-20 each daily for Delta and United
- American's shockingly bizarre rollout of business class seats the last decade (how many international premium cabin seats do they have? 6? 7?) verses the efficient way Delta and United refitted their fleets. Recently flew UA a couple times in Polaris, Polaris is miles of ahead of anything American has, even international flagship first since Polaris is far more private and recently updated
American learned the wrong lesson from MRTC. Their mistake was not attempting to provide more comfort, it was figuring out a way to monetize it correctly, as United did with Economy plus, and American copied years later. For a guy over 6 feet tall, United's approach to having a large quantity of extra legroom seats has definitely won my business over the years