Anderson to AA?

[AmtrakFlyer]

Just a rumor but I’m sure it’s good for a few comments.

https://www.airliners.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1447407

 

[LookingGlassTie]

Well if it is true, that would be a good fit for him.

Not being snarky; rather I think he could make some improvements, being an airline guy and all that.

He just wasn't a good fit for Amtrak.

 

[20th Century Rider]

Oh my. I stopped flying years ago and don't miss it.

 

[me_little_me]

Just a rumor but I’m sure it’s good for a few comments.

https://www.airliners.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1447407

That poor man was drinking too much? No wonder he made all those bad decisions!

Now, I feel sorry for him.

At least Mr. Parker is out of recovery. Hopefully, he'll stay dry.

 

[zephyr17]

Well, AA went from being a pretty nice airline to a really crappy one years ago.

He'll fit right in.

 

[the_traveler]

I used to fly DL a lot, but some things went downhill. Then I switched mostly to AA.

Anderson was at DL and then at Amtrak. (Is it a coincidence things went downhill?) I hope AA doesn’t join the group!

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

Aa is welcome to him.

Perhaps they could make him feel at home immediately by giving him a cheap frozen dinner (flexible and contemporary, of course), eliminating the positions of anyone in the building who could have guided him to his office or answered basic questions he might have, and providing a place for him to store his briefcase for a hefty fee each time he wants to go out for a few minutes. And whenever he flies, make him get off a plane after 750 miles and switch to another one.

That should give him warm and fuzzy memories of his Amtrak days.

 

[dlagrua]

I have no idea why people who have little or no experience in the railroad industry are appointed by the Amtrak BOD as CEO's. If the appointment has to be out of the railroad industry, then at least appoint someone who can do some good like a gourmet chef!

 

[zephyr17]

I have no idea why people who have little or no experience in the railroad industry are appointed by the Amtrak BOD as CEO's. If the appointment has to be out of the railroad industry, then at least appoint someone who can do some good like a gourmet chef!

Seriously, Amtrak ought to look at execs from the hospitality industry.

 

[MikefromCrete]

AA is welcome to have him, just keep him away from Amtrak.

 

[west point]

Want to cry ? Anderson in his new position will try to make an interline agreement with Amtrak in AA's favor. Remember Amtrak's reservation system comes from a off shoot of the AA reservation system.

 

[railiner]

Just a rumor but I’m sure it’s good for a few comments.

https://www.airliners.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1447407

Looks like that site agrees....good for "a few" comments...

 

[the_traveler]

Maybe he can let AA work of a 50 year old reservation system! Since Arrow was based on AA’s reservation system in the 1970’s or before, they must be very familiar with it!

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I never saw a reason to support Anderson at Amtrak, in fact his tenure honestly made past presidents look better by comparison, but I'm not so sure he's a terrible fit for American. His previous employer Delta is far from the worst airline I've ever flown. Their loyalty program makes a mockery of the concept but the on board service isn't horrible. American was my first and favorite US airline long ago but they're rather uninspired today. The ghost of America West seems to live on while the golden era AA service is long gone. So long as the weather is clear and the aircraft is functional AA flights are generally fine if you can get a seat ahead of coach, but the service is nothing to look forward to and the "food" they serve on my flights is pretty sad. I also find their booking process rather tedious. If I want to check a premium economy ticket through an aggregator I first need to start with basic coach, upgrade to main cabin, and then upgrade again to premium economy. I wish they would just publish a separate booking code for Y+ so it would be easier to check and compare pricing. Maybe Anderson can fix that.

 

[railiner]

Just a rumor but I’m sure it’s good for a few comments.

https://www.airliners.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1447407

I see that the mod at that forum has locked the thread due to it being "a random rumor without substantiation"....

 

[Metra Electric Rider]

Interesting. One thing I will say: my friend who's an FA there (since the 70's) is taking a buyout and quitting flying.

 

[MARC Rider]

Seriously, Amtrak ought to look at execs from the hospitality industry.

Actually, Amtrak's main mission is transportation, with most passengers traveling short distances that don't really require much in the way of on-board services. Premium service on long-distance trains is a small part of Amtrak's total operations. It's useful because it cross-subsidizes the operations of the long distance trains, but really, the main reason Amtrak exists and gets government support is because it provides transportation, not hospitality.

Thus, an exec with railroad industry experience would probably be the best fit.

 

[Old MM]

They're offering buyouts due to reduced flight schedules. That's what the legacy carriers do.
If things pick back up, they'll hire, probably at reduced pay or maybe outsource where possible.

 

[Trogdor]

I have no idea why people who have little or no experience in the railroad industry are appointed by the Amtrak BOD as CEO's. If the appointment has to be out of the railroad industry, then at least appoint someone who can do some good like a gourmet chef!

Because a gourmet chef would totally have experience running a multi-billion-dollar organization with dozens of labor unions, 20,000+ employees, and heavy political influence on its operation. Yep, makes sense.

 

[railiner]

In Amtrak's history, which of their presidents are widely considered their "best", and what was their particular background? Any things in common?

 

[frequentflyer]

Airliners.net link on an Amtrak site? I have seen everything. But seriously, I would think Anderson still has a no compete clause to work at any major airline.

 

[AmtrakFlyer]

Amtrak comes up on Airliners.net more than one would think.

 

[sttom]

If Amtrak is going to pick someone from the airline industry, there are better picks than people from the big 3. From my own experience with airlines and that of my friends, people tend to speak highly of Southwest and Alaska Airlines and tend to hold the big 3 in fairly low regard. But Amtrak picks the guy who thinks you can cut your way to prosperity instead of people who would work on customer service and customer loyalty. But that is par for the course for people who live in the DC/NYC bubble.

 

[railiner]

Amtrak comes up on Airliners.net more than one would think.

As do airlines on AU. But does AU come up on Airliners.net?

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Actually, Amtrak's main mission is transportation, with most passengers traveling short distances that don't really require much in the way of on-board services. Premium service on long-distance trains is a small part of Amtrak's total operations. It's useful because it cross-subsidizes the operations of the long distance trains, but really, the main reason Amtrak exists and gets government support is because it provides transportation, not hospitality.

I would say that Amtrak exists because it offers a unique service and enjoys support from a several areas of the country and several levels of government. If transportation alone were the focus then Amtrak would likely be called Ambus or Amfly by now. Take away the premium service and the national network would suffer. Lose the national network and the political support for Amtrak would suffer. Lose the political support and even commuter operations would be at risk. It's a balancing act that needs a broad range of supporters to survive, including premium long distance customers.