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Meanwhile American Airlines needs like 12 trillion dollars to keep the lights on. Can't wait for the day where we let that pathetic airline fail.

joering2 7y ago
What angered me even more they don't care. Recent news shows that "post"-covid they cram people like sardines and mask are optional because... there is no law forcing them. Its such a terrible thing that multi billion dollar behemoth needs laws and regulation for every single damn thing, and can never lead as an example. https://www.businessinsider.com/american-airlines-full-flight-passengers-masks-coronavirus-2020-4 https://www.businessinsider.com/american-airlines-full-fligh...
asdff 7y ago
The world didn't end when Pan Am failed, although many thought it would. No reason to prop up shitty businesses that continue to make bad decisions, I don't care how large they are. If there is demand for their service supply will appear. Rewarding bad decision making with artificial demand is degenerate.
- bogomipz 7y ago
  And it also didn't end when TWA, Eastern Airlines, Braniff or Tower failed either. It seems oddly perverse that these same American carriers who made billions by "nickle and diming" their customers with fees, penalties and taking basic services away now want a bailout from them. And it's hard to imagine a future where these same carriers don't go back to these same practices with a fervor in order to pay that money back or return to profitability.
hanniabu 7y ago
No, we can't let them fail, that'd be capitalism!
- joyj2nd 7y ago
  Many major national carriers have national importance. So, no, they won't go bankrupt. Be it Lufthansa, Air France, Air China, or whatever. Airlines like Ryanair and Wizz air might be different.
  - vinay427 7y ago
    The difference is there isn't a predominant American legacy airline. AA is only marginally larger than Delta or United. Personally, having never lived in their hub or focus cities I have rarely ever flown them, and it's conceivable that the national value of LH or AF to their countries is greater than AA.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
  - gumby 7y ago
    Curious what you mean by “national importance?” Do you mean ego/national pride, or that without a state provided carrier there would be no flights (unlikely for a Germany or Belgium, but possible for, say, the Marshall Islands or Togo)? Or that there is some sort of treaty-mandated interlink that requires a designated flag carrier (I know this last case was true decades ago, but I’m not sure the US even has one any more)?
    - joyj2nd 7y ago
      Well, a country with a decent population size and a decent economy has to rely on air transport. Just now many countries flew out their citizens for example. As far as I know, Lufthansa, like some other airlines, have a government owned golden share. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_share https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_share In fact, if I remember right, an EU based airline is not even allowed to be owned by more than 50% of non EU share holders.
      - gumby 7y ago
        FWIW Australia is coordinating flights via foreign airlines in addition to QANTAS. In fact United is running more flights to AUS than QANTAS. LH’s golden share was sold off in the 1990s (that’s in the article).

joering2 7y ago

What angered me even more they don't care. Recent news shows that "post"-covid they cram people like sardines and mask are optional because... there is no law forcing them. Its such a terrible thing that multi billion dollar behemoth needs laws and regulation for every single damn thing, and can never lead as an example. https://www.businessinsider.com/american-airlines-full-flight-passengers-masks-coronavirus-2020-4 https://www.businessinsider.com/american-airlines-full-fligh...

asdff 7y ago

The world didn't end when Pan Am failed, although many thought it would. No reason to prop up shitty businesses that continue to make bad decisions, I don't care how large they are. If there is demand for their service supply will appear. Rewarding bad decision making with artificial demand is degenerate.

bogomipz 7y ago
And it also didn't end when TWA, Eastern Airlines, Braniff or Tower failed either. It seems oddly perverse that these same American carriers who made billions by "nickle and diming" their customers with fees, penalties and taking basic services away now want a bailout from them. And it's hard to imagine a future where these same carriers don't go back to these same practices with a fervor in order to pay that money back or return to profitability.

hanniabu 7y ago

No, we can't let them fail, that'd be capitalism!

joyj2nd 7y ago
Many major national carriers have national importance. So, no, they won't go bankrupt. Be it Lufthansa, Air France, Air China, or whatever. Airlines like Ryanair and Wizz air might be different.
- vinay427 7y ago
  The difference is there isn't a predominant American legacy airline. AA is only marginally larger than Delta or United. Personally, having never lived in their hub or focus cities I have rarely ever flown them, and it's conceivable that the national value of LH or AF to their countries is greater than AA.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- gumby 7y ago
  Curious what you mean by “national importance?” Do you mean ego/national pride, or that without a state provided carrier there would be no flights (unlikely for a Germany or Belgium, but possible for, say, the Marshall Islands or Togo)? Or that there is some sort of treaty-mandated interlink that requires a designated flag carrier (I know this last case was true decades ago, but I’m not sure the US even has one any more)?
  - joyj2nd 7y ago
    Well, a country with a decent population size and a decent economy has to rely on air transport. Just now many countries flew out their citizens for example. As far as I know, Lufthansa, like some other airlines, have a government owned golden share. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_share https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_share In fact, if I remember right, an EU based airline is not even allowed to be owned by more than 50% of non EU share holders.
    - gumby 7y ago
      FWIW Australia is coordinating flights via foreign airlines in addition to QANTAS. In fact United is running more flights to AUS than QANTAS. LH’s golden share was sold off in the 1990s (that’s in the article).