Travelers avoiding American often face few alternatives
Travelers weighing their options after the NAACP issued a warning for American Airlines might have to settle for fewer choices of flights, higher prices or diminished service, experts say.
American is the largest U.S. carrier, with nearly 200 million passengers last year. While there are exceptions in sparsely populated areas, nearly every commercial airport is served by at least two commercial passenger airlines. Even single-airline airports usually have options with nearby airfields within a reasonable drive.
“If you want non-stop flights, to and from their hubs, you’re probably going to end up on American or pay more,” said George Hobica, founder and president of airfarewatchdog .com, a site offering price comparisons.
American has the most crosscountry flights, and the airline is very strong in “their hubs, like Philadelphia and Phoenix and Dallas and Miami,” Hobica said.
The major airlines of American, Delta, Southwest and United control more than 80% of the market. But ultra-low cost carries such as Frontier and Spirit have been competing for years to take away passengers of major airlines by offering bargain fares with piecemeal pricing for other services, such as luggage and seat assignments.
“The alternatives in some cases are Frontier and Spirit, and people don’t like those airlines, either,” Hobica said, because of bad service or infrequent flights.
Loyalty programs are called that for a reason. Travelers who want to give away or sell AAdvantage miles face the prospect of getting less value in the exchange than they’ve accumulated. Each transaction fee is $30.
But the miles could be used on other airlines, including British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Qantas and Qatar Airways. The only domestic option would be Alaska Airlines.
The NAACP, which says it is not calling for a boycott, issued a warning Tuesday to African Americans flying on American after “monitoring a pattern of disturbing incidents.”
The incidents included a man removed from a flight after a dispute with other passengers, a change in seat assignment that moved a woman from first class to coach and the removal of a woman who complained about her seat assignment being changed.
American CEO Doug Parker said Wednesday that airline officials would meet with the NAACP to listen to their issues and concerns. “We do not and will not tolerate discrimination of any kind,” he said.
The federal government has found that competition to American was plentiful. The Justice Department dropped its lawsuit in November 2013 against the merg- er of American and US Airways after the combination surrendered access to take off and land at key airports to low-cost competitors.
Under the settlement, the airlines gave up 52 slot pairs at Washington’s Reagan National airport, 17 slot pairs at New York’s LaGuardia airport and two gates each at Boston’s Logan airport, Chicago’s O’Hare, Dallas Love Field, Los Angeles and Miami.
American isn’t alone in facing complaints from passengers.
Conservative author Ann Coulter complained in July about Delta giving away her seat on a flight. Delta apologized for her not getting the seat she reserved and paid for but said she shouldn’t have posted derogatory and slanderous comments about the incident.
David Dao, who suffered broken teeth and a concussion when he was dragged off a United flight in Chicago in April, received a confidential settlement with the airline.
After the United incident, airlines collectively reduced their bumping to record lows, according to Transportation Department figures. Airlines reported denying boarding to 0.52 passengers out of 10,000 during the first six months of the year, which was the lowest rate since the department started keeping track in 1995.
“I think this will blow over,” Hobica said the American situation. “But it’s good when something like this happen, for airlines to step up.”