This is far afield from our regular programming, but there had been a couple of requests for the bride's insights on the Chap 11 of AMR, so here is some very good info.
The bride just received this link from former colleagues at AMR Corp. She has a lot of respect for Michael Boyd, head of the Boyd Group. In her opinion (first hand experience) Boyd and Bob Crandall, who retired as AMR CEO a few years ago, represent two of the three sharpest minds in contemporary commercial aviation, the third being Herb Kelleher of Southwest (also a first hand opinion). In fact, the wife would love to see a presidential ticket of any combination of the three. But then, people that brilliant, courageous and honest just don't run for president any more.
What is most interesting is Boyd's scathing comments about the pundits. Yes, we not only live in a land of instant experts, but people actually make serious decisions based on these uninformed fools' bleating. One of the reasons WASF.
Read and enjoy. I'm sure it runs counter to anything you have read elsewhere.
Another interesting article about the Chap 11 is this one. It gives a good insight into why AA was the last "legacy airline" to use Chap 11, as Arpey was of the same school of moral thought as his predecessors Don Carty and Bob Crandall.
Al -
ReplyDeleteThanks for the links. Boyd has better gage than you hear from the talking heads on the telly. And I think I agree more with Arpey than the board. Although you have to wonder how could they compete otherwise, not that I care about their competitive posture, but what would happen to their 78,000(?) employees if they went out of business. Let's hope the new CEO, Horton, is just in there for a short term.
I was amazed at the seat capacity of over 100 million seats. Yet they are only the 4th largest airline in the world??? And Boyd's figures show them increasing that capacity. And with fuel costs you would think they would be ordering more 787s instead of Airbuses. Then that may have more to do with Boeing's manufacturing capacity.
Again, thanks for responding. BTW ask your wife not to forget Bill Ayer, CEO of my favorite airline, as one of the aviation smart guys.
Ayer joined Alaska as VP Marketing just as the bride was retiring from AA. She knew his predecessor as VP Marketing quite well, as did I.
ReplyDeleteShe was speaking about Crandall, Boyd and Kelleher's knowledge of the industry, in global terms, not just an ability to run an airline.
Al-
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting. A rare voice of reason . . .
There should really be something shocking and saddening about the idea that dumping your former workers - people who gave you 20 or 30 years of honest work in return for a promise - without a backward look is "good business practice".
ReplyDeleteWelcome back to the Gilded Age!