American Airlines and US Airways officially become one on Saturday. Okay, they finalized their $17.7 billion merger nearly two years ago, but this weekend they integrate their reservations systems. As we all know from experience, that can be a pain for travelers.
But American assures their passengers that won’t be the case, the Chicago Tribune reports.
The company says it has spared no expense when it comes to making sure the integration of the systems goes smoothly — you know, not like that one over at United and Continental back in 2012 (for which the airline’s new CEO just apologized).
In all, American says it prepared for the end of US Airways as we know it by conducting six full-scale tests of the migration with five million mock reservations prior to Saturday’s self-imposed deadline.
The carrier has also set up a system to redirect all US Airways websites to American’s on Saturday and disabled the US Air mobile app.
While officials with the carrier say they don’t foresee any issues, they can’t guarantee the move will be a complete success. And so, in hoping-for-the-best-but-preparing-for-the-worst, the airline has increased staffing levels at airports by 20% on Saturday and reduced its schedule by about 200 flights.
Despite the proactive approach, the Tribune suggests consumers traveling with the airline this weekend get to the airport a little early, you know, just in case.
Flying American Airlines on Saturday? You may want to check in early [The Chicago Tribune]
by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist
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