American Is No Longer the Best Airline -- but It Isn't Eastern

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- (TheStreet) -- On Dec. 20, 1989, American Airlines (AAMRQ.PK) CEO Bob Crandall visited Miami to discuss his day-earlier purchase of Eastern Airlines' Latin American route.

It might have been the best day in American's history. Within the previous week, American had also bought TWA's London-Chicago route authority and Braniff's landing rights at Chicago and New York.

"American Airlines, already the top domestic airline, has suddenly become a major international player as well, paying weak competitors $665 million for valuable foreign routes to 18 countries," The Miami Herald proclaimed in a story that appeared the following day.

Twenty-three years later, America had some of the worst days in its history. Ironically, some people now compare it to Eastern. I covered Eastern. I don't buy that at all.

Labor strife combined with a poor network destroyed Eastern. At American, employees are angry and some pilots have been flying by the book. But American isn't busting unions. It doesn't employ replacement workers. It is not selling its best assets. Management isn't stripping assets from one airline to give them to another, as Frank Lorenzo did when he built Continental at Eastern's expense. Sure, American, like most airlines, has followed the strategy Lorenzo developed, using bankruptcy to reduce costs. But here it should be noted that Lorenzo's strategies enabled Continental to become America's leading airline in the 2000s.

American's bad days were defined by a September on-time rate around 59%; by the seats that came loose on three flights in late September and early October, the result of faulty seat locks; and by becoming a national joke, drawing laughs on late-night television. Surely C.R. Smith, the other key executive besides Crandall in American's growth story, would be appalled.

It has been a long, sad descent from that day in Miami in 1989. Eventually, Continental replaced American as the major carrier that seemed to do the most things right. Now, it is Delta (DAL) that leads the industry.

On Monday, for example, Delta announced it would vastly expand Asia service in Seattle, the U.S. airport that is closest to Asia. Every airline wants to be best friends with Alaska (ALK), ensconced in Seattle; Delta became the chummiest. Also, Delta is trying to manage the airline's industry's biggest problem by operating an oil refinery. Will that work? Who is to say? But United (UAL) CEO Jeff Smisek said he is watching, and if Delta is successful than United may follow.

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