Rumor: AA Annoucing Even More Intl Service in Dec?

FWIW, one of my FAs on Mon was very chatty and a bit of an avgeek. We were talking shop about AA at length and she mentioned the switch to move 777 maintenance to HAECO in HKG (I had seen this in Sept on TOBB). She then said there was a pending announcement "next month about new service to Asia and Europe". I asked her if this was beyond the recent DFW-ICN, ORD-DUS, and JFK-DUB additions and she said yes.

She said that the move to use HAECO would mean new HKG service on AA metal and eluded to potential other new service as well. I asked about conflicts with CX flying to HKG. She didn't reply directly. She just repeated that she was "pretty sure" that AA would be announcing new HKG service soon. I don't think it adds up for them to fly there even as a tag along, but I don't work for AA so I thought I would throw it out there.

She got a "thank you" cert for taking great care of me and making my flight fun, but its all just rumors from one of ~70K AA employees so who knows.

 

Would make sense if aa wants to come out as a standalone airline for them to expand their footprint. Awesome!! Hopefully it happens.

 

Not that there might not be additional international service coming in Dec, and not that AA might not add some type of HKG service in the future, but I tend to take rumors from FAs about new routes with a big grain of salt. If all the other FA route rumors were true over the years, AA would be flying to lots of places.

As AA adds planes, settles their contracts, and moves out of Chp 11, I'm certain we will see some new routes. Guess time will tell when those pop up.

 

Does the 777 have the range for DFW-HKG (8,123 miles)? That would seem like a good first step without going head to head with Cathay from AA hubs at LAX or ORD. Have to admit my award travel would stay on Cathay, though. Just booked a HKG-LAX-SFO in F for next summer, the return portion of SFO-PER and PER-HKG on Qantas.

 

Agreed. Hopefully its true as a bigger network is much better than the alternative, but I'm not holding my breath for the same reasons. Just thought I would share thoughts from an FA who seemed to be an avgeek/points person. She was stoked about the new 773s, CX F amenities, SPG points, the whole gamut. She even critiqued the questionable choice of AA buying new 738s without personal in-seat IFE. No upset about the BK, very excited about the future, good times.

 

Don't think so - they have 777-200ERs with 7725 nm range and their pending new 773s with 7930 nm range. My guess it would be a tag along from ICN, PEK, PVG, or NRT per the FA similar to Delta.

Agree on CX for any awards all the way. It would be hard to change my mind on an award - even with a 773 However, I'd easily book this for a rev flight to use SWUs. Right now I do US-PVG for SWU options and then book separate CX/KA tickets instead. Would prefer one easy connection with SWU all the way in an AA plane compared to that option.

 

Delta actually has a hub in NRT, and doesn't have a partner to compete with on an NRT routes like AA does. (UA's hub does compete with NH, but it, like DL's hub, predates alliances.)

I don't think an AA fifth freedom tag from some random place in Asia to HKG makes any sense. Half-filled widebodies that AA won't be able to market effectively because they are not the local carrier, and the service is timed for the USA flight, not the local flight? Dumb. AA should be providing nonstops from the USA, not fifth freedom routes that are suboptimal ways to put dots on the map (while losing money flying planes as one-stops- go look at how much award space RJ has on HKG-BKK for an example, or how EK sells their blingy F on that route for $800 r/t).

 

Well said.

 

While I too would default to CX for award travel, having AA metal as an option is nice in case you need to do a double miles award to get somewhere at peak times.

 

The B777-300ER has a range of 7930NM. JFK-HKG is 7014NM and DFW-HKG is 7058NM. Because of great circle routing the ETOPS (~maximum flight time from a suitable landing spot permitted for a two engine airliner) will not be a problem for these routings. This long range and high capacity is why the -300ER has become the best selling 777. BTW, there will be no serious competition for this aircraft until the A350-1000 enters service about five-six years from now.

I am confident that AA will order more -300ER's because they have so many attractive long-range high density routes that they cannot serve today. It is no accident that the first destinations were GRU and LHR, both of which are highly profitable high density routes to several US cities. I am personally convinced (no claim of inside knowledge, just logic) that there are at least PEK, NRT, HKG, PVG, DXB, MOW, GRU, GIG, LHR- to name only nine that could easily support AA 777-300ER flights to JFK, ORD, LAX, DFW, MIA- to name only five.

If AMR could afford them they could deploy at least 50 m-300ER with excellent profitability. Alliance and codeshare partners notwithstanding. The impact of BA, QR and other partners does not negate the value to AMR of increased own-metal coverage. However, all this is pure pipedream if they cannot get costs and funding arranged in rapid order.

 

I'm here praying and cheering for them to consider GIG into this. You're to kind!!!

 

All the sources i know of expect major upguaging in existing routes and substantial now routes, destinations and carriers serving GIG during the next two years. The infrastructure is of course a major impediment, but one way or another we'll see facility upgrades from gates, baggage handling, aircraft servicing and lounges to runway and taxiway improvements. GIG somehow must accommodate the World Cup and Olympics so we'll see, Many of the improvements are behind schedule, of course, but the aircraft will still arrive laden with passengers. We can only hope we'll be able to handle that at GIg and in Rio de Janeiro.

The only word I know to express all this is in Arabic, Inshallah.

 

Just a slight correction, both AA/JL and UA/NH have joint ventures and anti-trust immunity over the pacific (although I'm not sure what carveouts might exist), so in neither case are AA nor UA competing with their partner.

 

For that matter, compare DL/UA fares on intra-Asia routes (e.g. NRT-ICN or NRT-SIN) with what JL/NH charge. DL and UA are usually the cheapest of the cheap because everyone knows how bad their product is in comparison to the local carriers. (Though DL is undercut by MU to PVG and by CA to PEK, for what I assume are similar reasons...)

 

But they would be competing on NRT-HKG...

 

Good catch on DFW-HKG feasibility with 773. I had the 7930 nm, but missed that OP didnt use NM in his quoted distance of DFW-HKG vs 773 range.

Agree with all your other points. More 773 routes would be fantastic.

 

I agree with you that a tag flight is not ideal or a great use of resources. Regardless, it appears that AA will still be ferrying their 772 and soon 773s from other points to HAECO in HKG. However, they may fly those flights empty - who knows.

Per the later correction from jbcaricoa a nonstop DFW-HKG seems very double so it would be great to see AA add another long haul route to HKG ESP one that isn't a CX gateway like DFW.

 

I realize this is an old thread, and maybe this is a stupid question, but if AA is flying their 777s to Hong Kong for service at HAECO what do they have to lose by selling the seats? Doesn't the airplane fly to HKG empty for maintenance anyway? Would appreciate your perspective...

 

me too on using the route with swu's (after all you have to fly and pay to keep getting those free award tickets)

 

An occasional maintenance flight that you could sell tickets on doesn't really change the economics of a fifth freedom route (which typically aren't good, and are more "show the flag" than "make money"). AA is still likely better off flying a plane empty every so often for a B/C/D check as opposed to flying a plane half empty every day.

 

ballardFlyer, Was anything more said about the "and Europe" part of the rumor?

 

Not that I recall at this point. It was several months back.

 

Well timing was off but this did pan out partially!