More Room in Coach is a big deal for many of us. Doing some YVR-DFW jaunts, and being 6'4", seat pitch counts. While I was hoping for Super 80's (which for some reason are remarkably comfy), there are good number of 757s on the route. Now that many of them don't have more-room-in-coach, I would almost prefer to go through Denver, do UA and spare my knees in Economy Plus. At booking time through Travelocity, I THINK it denotes which 757s have More-Room-In-Coach and which don't by showing a different logo for American Airlines, but other than the little "More Room" logo, you wouldn't know unless you asked. (Or read this list.) Matthew http://www.redmac.ca - Your Apple Macintosh Enhancement Source in Canada On May 18, 2004, at 2:02 PM, J D wrote: > Even if American wanted to add seats back into every aircraft we own, > we > couldn't do it because we'd have to buy a phenomenal amount of new > ones. > When we took over TWA and launched the "more room throughout coach" > promotion, it was partly designed to help us reconfigure the TWA > fleet. The > seats we removed from all the AA aircraft were used to refurbish the > interiors on all of the TWA airplanes we inherited. As of right now we > don't have nearly enough seats available to execute a "less room > throughout > coach" project. > > American has identified several leisure markets where people want > price, not > legroom. Since it's a fixed cost (basically) to fly a 757 from Boston > to > Orlando, we might as well have 20 more people paying for cheap tickets > since > it's the price that drives them, not the legroom. All your 757 and > Airbus > 300 markets will feature less legroom, including Florida, Dominican > Republic, Caribbean. > > Jeremy > > >> From: "Clay Wardlow" <clay.wardlow@xxxxxxxx> >> To: <AIRLINE@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,"Jeremy Ellis" >> <gravitywins@xxxxxxxxxxx>,<kent.parsons@xxxxxx> >> Subject: Changes At AA >> Date: Tue, 18 May 2004 12:48:57 -0700 >> >> Although I don't need it (standing at only 5'7"), I'm very glad to see >> that AA's keeping the more leg-room thing! :-D >> >> >> >> Clay in SEA >> >> fAAn of the silver bird >> >> >> >> http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/ >> 051804dnbusameri >> can.ce759.html >> >> >> >> Months into an aggressive reassessment of American Airlines Inc.'s >> in-flight services and its fare structure, results from the research >> are >> starting to trickle out. >> >> The Fort Worth-based carrier will keep expanded legroom on the vast >> majority of its jets, deciding that customers value two to four inches >> of extra space. American officials had thought about moving seats >> closer >> together again to increase its capacity at very little cost. >> >> After considering offerings such as satellite television at every >> seat, >> American will, at least for now, focus its efforts on giving more >> passengers power ports. The thinking: Many passengers already tote >> their >> own entertainment, but they could use electricity from the plane. >> >> And American is expected to experiment again with some kind of >> simplified fare system. American chief executive Gerard Arpey has >> already been presented with a plan but has told airline executives it >> needed more work. >> >> Major changes to American's business plan aren't imminent, airline >> officials cautioned. But serious revisions remain likely over the >> coming >> months as the airline works through the research it's gathered from a >> core team of 100 front-line employees who were brought together in >> January to help change the airline. Reports from teams of the >> employees >> are due in a few weeks, covering everything from how passengers get >> their bags to how they respond to various fares. >> >> "It's an ongoing continuous improvement process, just as we've done >> with >> our cost cutting program," said Roger Frizzell, a spokesman for >> American. They're "looking at our customer service and looking for >> options on how we can improve our interaction." >> >> Strategy >> >> A smattering of details could emerge Wednesday at parent AMR Corp.'s >> annual shareholder meeting, including an announcement that American >> will >> upgrade about 100 planes previously operated by Trans World Airlines. >> The carrier posted on its Internet site the news that the planes would >> all receive in-seat power ports. >> >> The focus on strategic planning contrasts sharply to last May's AMR >> annual meeting, when Mr. Arpey unveiled his turnaround plan and the >> carrier's fate remained uncertain. Now Mr. Arpey wants to sharpen his >> company's swords to battle discounter airlines such as JetBlue Airways >> Corp., especially in the Northeast. >> >> "Any time you can do even something minor for passenger comfort, it's >> a >> lot better than a kick in the butt," said industry consultant Darryl >> Jenkins, a visiting professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. >> "Everything is going to help." >> >> Here's what could change, analysts say: >> >> Customers' experience >> >> All areas where American customers have contact with the airline are >> being "process mapped" and evaluated for improvement. >> >> For example, American's business class airplane seats aren't >> competitive >> with new offerings from trans-Atlantic competitors, and the airline >> may >> invest millions for improved seats that can lie completely flat like a >> bed. >> >> Also under consideration: Raising the quality of items such as >> toiletries in amenity kits handed to international travelers. Meals >> and >> other services offered on pricey overseas flights also could improve. >> >> Much of American's growth is focused on international flying, where it >> faces far less discount competition and has found better results >> lately. >> American has added Asian routes and wants to find new ways to grow its >> limited Pacific schedule. >> >> As for in-flight entertainment, American realizes it offers an >> inferior >> product to discounters such as JetBlue, which has free satellite >> television at each seat. But Mr. Arpey is wary of investing millions >> for >> new systems in each of its planes, which can add up quickly in a fleet >> of 726 aircraft. But many concepts remain on the table for discussion. >> >> Mr. Arpey seems to favor providing the infrastructure, such as >> electric >> power and possibly Internet connections, relying on customers to bring >> their own notebook computers and portable DVD players. >> >> Airfare >> >> Mr. Arpey has sent his executives back to the drawing board on >> pricing, >> according to a source close to the airline. >> >> Analysts and consultants expect American to experiment, though it >> probably won't shake things up to the extent of its ill-fated Value >> Pricing simplification, which wreaked havoc throughout the industry in >> 1992. >> >> "They're going to have to do something," said Mr. Jenkins. "They still >> do have some pricing power out there, but it's a lot less than they >> have >> before." >> >> Corporate fliers are chaffing at paying high walk-up fares at American >> and other traditional carriers. >> >> The premium of flying at short notice on a traditional carrier can >> easily reach $1,000. >> >> Discount carriers are forcing American and others to lower those >> top-end >> prices by expanding their service onto traditional airlines' top >> routes. >> >> >> Transcontinental routes previously served as American's bread and >> butter. >> >> Now yields, or what passengers pay per mile to fly, are down nearly 20 >> percent on key cross-country routes, thanks to discounters. >> >> New price structure? >> >> American and other airlines aren't financially strong enough to >> support >> an overhaul in ticket pricing because such a change would cost tens of >> millions of dollars in lost revenue, at least initially, Mr. Jenkins >> said. But the alternative is losing even more of their best customers. >> >> The new structure would probably be a combination of cheaper >> last-minute >> fares and more expensive leisure fares to help make up some of the >> lost >> revenue. >> >> And the new system wouldn't work well on routes with discount >> competition, where Southwest Airlines Co. and others are the ones >> setting the prices, he said. >> >> The world's largest carrier has lost a lot of swagger on Wall Street >> as >> attention has focused on low-cost, low-fare darlings such as JetBlue >> and >> AirTran Airways Inc. American fights a difficult perception that it's >> a >> high-fare airline. >> >> Image adjustment >> >> Dan Garton, American's executive vice president for marketing, said >> in a >> recent interview that the carrier launched a campaign in New York that >> doubled the perception among residents that the carrier offered low >> fares. The bad news: the new number believing the carrier has low >> fares >> rose to just 14 percent. >> >> "It's a start," he said. >> >> The carrier is giving plenty of thought to refreshing its image with >> consumers and hopes to lean on its strengths - experience and global >> reach - to reintroduce itself. >> >> As it works through the decision-making, American has purposefully >> slowed down some thinking in order to let the employee-led committees >> study issues and make presentations, said Mr. Frizzell, American's >> spokesman. >> >> Summer bookings are strong, and the airline is reluctant to make huge >> changes now - with the busiest travel months around the corner. >> >> Many of the changes may be announced in coming months but probably >> won't >> take effect until the fall or even next year because the airline >> planning cycle can be pretty long. >> >> "No stone is going to go unturned," Mr. Frizzell said. >> >> >> >> >> >> Clay Wardlow >> >> Technical Writer >> >> Advanced Digital Information Corp. >> >> 11431 Willows Rd. NE >> >> Redmond, WA. 98052 >> >> (425) 897-7448 >> >> www.adic.com <http://www.adic.com/> >> >> >> > > _________________________________________________________________ > Get 200+ ad-free, high-fidelity stations and LIVE Major League Baseball > Gameday Audio! > http://radio.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200491ave/direct/01/