Pros

The travel and travel benefits can't be beat. The culture lends itself to great work life balance too. The bnefits are not bad and the people I worked with are great.

Cons

The MBA program is killing the company. To many highly educated do nothings who get all the opportunities. The pay is also low compared to averages within my peer circles. Also, considering the great travel benefits, there is very limited time (vacation) to use them. I really liked working at American but didn't feel I could stay around if I wanted a longer career with opportunities. Also, the issues with unions was always a constant negative.

Advice to Senior Management

Beg the goverment to re-regulate the industry.

Pros

Flight benefits come into play after you've worked there a short while. The HQ buildings are nice. A very central location in D-FtW. It feels good to see the airplanes in the air.

Cons

Cutroat. People work years there without raises. VPs just switch offices every few years, there are no new ideas and no desire for new ideas. Make your salary deal coming in - you will never get a raise. Seriously-50 hour weeks min because of understaffing ask over and over what your work hours will be.

Advice to Senior Management

Go bankrupt and then staff the joint properly

Pros

I can only think of 1, free space available flights

Cons

Lower level managers are more concerned about covering up problems than soliciting input from someone with enough authority to bring about change.

Advice to Senior Management

It's a sad day when an employee has to decide between helping a father locate the address and telephone number of a funeral home when he's just learned his son was killed in an auto accident and needs a reservation immediately... or telling the father to call back when he has either a hospital, funeral home, cemetery, or Doctor's contact information to include in his record for verification purposes. The second option would clearly be the preference of any AA reservation supervisor as it would insure the agent didn't exceed the 230 second AHT (average handling time) requirement to maintain a satisfactory performance record. I would say to every Senior Manager within the AA Organization, if you have one ounce of compassion or integrity, YOU pick up the phone and YOU call central reservations simulating the above situation... and when you have completed the call, ask yourself if that is the way you would want your mother or your wife spoken to.

"As ye sow, so shall ye reap"

Pros

The flexibility of your schedule as a flight attendant is probably the best perk. Also, the travel benefits are good, if you can find a seat on a flight...they are usually full. We still have a pension and the union will fight to keep it at all costs even though the industry is getting rid of pensions left and right in Bankruptsy.

Cons

Management is completely in the fog about justifying why they need to take million dollar bonuses, but claim they need more givebacks from employees because we can't make a profit. Employees gave back millions of dollars to save the company from bankruptsy...but have received nothing back, even though management takes millions in bonuses every year.

Advice to Senior Management

Stop robbing the company, and repay what the employees gave up to save this company from bankruptsy.

Pros

Steady job, schedule flexibility, time off.

Cons

pay cuts, management bonuses, extremely long hours with few tools to satisfy customers.

Advice to Senior Management

Time to stop rewarding yourselves for mismanagement and cutting your employeeds pay. Reward yourselves when EVERYONE gets rewarded.

Pros

travel benefits and working with some great people, I got to see so much of the world by flying dometically and internationally that I wouldn't have otherwise been able to see. I regret that I can no longer do that since I am no longer employed by American Airlines.

Cons

long hours, pay cuts, the current family leave policy which caused me to be terminated after almost 14 years of flying with the company back in late 2004.

Advice to Senior Management

change the current family leave policy to give flight attendants a chance to keep their jobs. I was terminated because of the policy that was in effect during 2004 and I miss my job tremendously.

Pros

Benefits and the opportunity for lateral movement for greater experience.

Cons

Management is slow to adopt change such as flexibility in the workplace, working from home, etc. Decision making has reverted to the old 80's style of control; employees including mid-level management are no longer empowered to actually make decisions that fall outside of the lines so while front-end employees are frustrated by the lack of authority this has spread upwards in the company.

Advice to Senior Management

To reduce the number of rules and restrictions. When you have people in management positions and don't allow them to make decisions then the organization is doomed to failure.

Pros

Great Company with a proud heritage. Working at American Airlines has been great.

Cons

The airline industry does not offer security. Airline Employess are under constant threat of downsizing and losing their jobs. Post 911 the airline industry has been a real depressing place to be. Constant threat of job loss, and pay reductions keep people in the industry always guessing and worried.

Advice to Senior Management

Don't take bonuses when the rank and file are taking pay cuts.

Pros

American Airlines has a strong legacy. I like the idea that I work for a great airlines.

Cons

Old ideas and there is still alot of racism. African-Americans still have a hard time moving up in the company and we have very few people who want to help

Advice to Senior Management

Take a hard look at hiring and promotion processes. Diveristy is so important...we need diversity at every level of the company not just the airport.

Pros

The time off, the people, some of the passengers (a minority these days, I'm afraid), the travel priveleges are nice if you can get a seat

Cons

We are all just worker drones to the management of amr

Advice to Senior Management

They have no concept of shared sacrifice or shared gain. They need to get out of their "ivory tower" and come work for awhile in the trenches to get a true understanding of the actual operation of the airline. They truly have NO CLUE, as is evidenced by most of their communications and policy decisions.