Bill Maher's New Rule For American Airlines (VIDEO)

Before American Airlines cuts 14,000 jobs, Bill Maher has some advice for them.

The host of "Real Time" has some pointed words for the troubled airline on the next episode, and we're sure there's more where that came from. After all, Mitt Romney has done all he can to make job-cutting popular, but it's just not sticking.

"Real Time" airs Fridays at 10:00 p.m. EST on HBO.

Comments

[VerveTennis]

11:23 AM on 02/14/2012

Check out Gailen David's video parody of about Airline Corp. greed ( Aluminum Lady and Aluminum Lady 2)... hilarious !!!! http://youtu.be/HxlXJtDT-_M
Thank you for sharing the truth, Bill Maher...you rock!!!

[InfoAddict]

12:38 PM on 02/08/2012

Both my parents work for American Airlines. I hope they aren't of the 13,000 to be let go and I hope AA fights like hell to not have to let the rest of their staff go as well. I get the humor but my parents have worked there for nearly 30 years each, I'm proud as hell of them for it, and I'd hate for the company where they've dedicated over half their lives to just roll over and die.

A lot of you have complaints about the industry and rightly so, but for a couple hundred bucks I can catch a flight from the east coast in the morning and land in LA while the sun is still up. My dad made that drive a couple years back and it took him nearly a week driving 12-15 hours a day. Even if I rule out the time factor, it would cost nearly the same amount (possibly more) to go by car vs. flying. Say what you will, but I appreciate them.

[Claudia L]

03:49 PM on 02/08/2012

I think that was Bill's point. If they have to lay off that many people they ought to give up.

[flyjet787]

05:44 PM on 03/16/2012

It's only 15% of their total workforce. It's a terrible thing for those who will see the end of their careers though.......

[Claudia L]

05:15 PM on 03/18/2012

I love Bill. Too bad he doesn't believe in Goddess.

[jj79tr]

11:12 PM on 02/07/2012

The airlines are a perfect example of the public getting screwed into giving a tiny group of wealthy elites billions of dollars every year to perform one small aspect of an essential service and getting insultingly bad service in return. It's a total racket in the 1920's gangster sense of the word. They run the airplanes, which we pay for in the form of ticket prices; we also build the airports, and provide them with the FAA, and now the TAS through our taxes. We've also bailed out the airline industry almost constantly since 1978 when it was deregulated (before that it was heavily gov. subsidized, even taxing Amtrak riders for a time to pay for it). It would probably be cheaper if the US just nationalized the whole thing, consolidated them and ran them at a loss if need be. In 2002 aviation cost the DOT 14 billion. Sorry I couldn't find more recent numbers, but just for comparison, NASA also cost 14 billion in 2002 and Amtrak cost 521 million.

[Alec Volkman]

01:40 AM on 02/08/2012

Are you kidding me? Airlines industry is probably the closest it comes to perfect competition. They virtually always lose money, largely attributed to the unions and regulation.

[denquixote]

03:15 AM on 02/08/2012

And in the 70's before regulation they all cried about government regulation and spouted unending crap about how much better everything would be if they were only allowed to escape from the grip of government. Now no more TWA, Frontier, Northwest Orient, Braniff, Eastern PanAm and a host of regional carriers swallowed up by the survivors. Everyone thinks they know how to run an airline, but customer service, timely schedules, comfortable seats, a living wage and reasonable profits don't seem to be a very workable combination. The road to profitability today, after deregulation, seems to center on avoiding competition and customer service seems to be gone forever

[rickwar]

08:07 AM on 02/08/2012

Actually---No

1.Airports and air trafffic control infrastructure are built and operated by tax-exempt government entities

2.Employee training for pilots, mechanics, etc. is provided by the military at no cost to airlines.

3.Air traffic control and other services to airlines are provided by the government.

4.Airlines are paid all the time, even when their aircraft aren't being used, for agreeing to be part of the Reserve Air Fleet .


5.Government funding for military aircraft subsidizes production and operation of civilian aircraft: Manufacturers of aircraft and associated equipment pay nothing for knowledge transfers from government-funded military aircraft research and development, prototyping, testing, maintenance experience, etc. to civilian aircraft.

6.Airlines have a statutory exemption from Federal anti-trust law to allow them to participate in IATA "traffic conferences" to fix standard "industry fares".


7.Under the preemption clause of the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978, airlines are
exempt from state and local truth-in-advertising and other consumer protection laws.

8.Airlines based in the USA are protected by Federal law from all foreign competition: No airline based anywhere else in the world is allowed to carry passengers between points in the USA, and no foreign entity is allowed to own more than 25% of the voting stock in any airline based in the USA.

9.Under "Buy American" rules, all travel funded, even in part, by the US government must be on a US-flag airline, no matter how much more it costs than a foreign-flag competitor.

[whyus]

07:58 PM on 02/07/2012

Yes, indeed. What a world. Guess I'll break down and get HBO.

[cupcake65]

07:54 PM on 02/07/2012

This is what passes for "humor" on the American Left? Along with "Fast and Furious"? And the difference between "Fast and Furious" and the "Reichtag Fire" is? Hint: No one got killed in the Reichtag Fire.

[LogicalLiberal2012]

08:31 PM on 02/07/2012

Where is the humor on the Far Right? The last funny thing I heard from a conservative was when Mitt brought out his celebrity endorsers for the Florida primary, and his "high-profile" actor was the washed-up Jon Voight.

[kbkgza]

07:47 PM on 02/09/2012

I dunno looking at Calista Gingrich always makes me laugh! Or was that Conan and Andy?

[madame48]

09:15 PM on 02/07/2012

What kind of lame brain would equate the reichstag fire with some poor ATF drug plan...2 things not remotely similar?....oh...someone who doesn't really study history but likes convenient tag lines

[LinaJo02]

07:28 PM on 02/07/2012

Mitt,Bain& its bandits will make sure they're sucked dry of everything before they leave with the spoils. That's what he dose best.

[Havana Thinks]

07:01 PM on 02/07/2012

I hope there is no bail out.

[captric]

07:22 PM on 02/07/2012

Name the last time there was a "bailout" of an airline?

[Smirk]

07:30 PM on 02/07/2012

2001 as a consequence of 9/11.

"The terrorist attacks of September 11 crippled an already financially troubled industry. To bail out the airlines, President Bush signed into law the Air Transportation Safety and Stabilization Act, which compensated airlines for the mandatory grounding of aircraft after the attacks. The act released $5 billion in compensation and an additional $10 billion in loan guarantees or other federal credit instruments."

http://www.propublica.org/special/government-bailouts

[FloridaIndieProgressive]

07:40 PM on 02/07/2012

There has been a number in recent history...last 10 years of so. Easy to find on the internet or just follow the news.

[jantomnidrah]

06:52 PM on 02/07/2012

didn'realize Maher was smart enough to make rule

[BinaryInk]

07:54 PM on 02/07/2012

You're obviously not smart enough to form a complete sentence, so what room have you to talk?

[cupcake65]

07:58 PM on 02/07/2012

With all due respects, Maher isn't qualified to make mud-pies! And why you jerk-water Liberals/"Progressives" give this Bozo some sort of reverence says more about your failures and weaknesses than it does about his - which are manifest!

[LogicalLiberal2012]

08:08 PM on 02/07/2012

At least Bill Maher is funny! Rush Limbaugh is only funny to look at, and Glenn Beck is
just sad.

[madame48]

09:17 PM on 02/07/2012

Sorry you lost your sense of humor and critical thinking skills in that tragic still explosion

[justin i]

06:40 PM on 02/07/2012

I'm sure they have nothing on Delta.

[Smirk]

07:31 PM on 02/07/2012

Actually, they do. And how scary is that?

[Justin In Midtown916]

06:34 PM on 02/07/2012

American is THE WORST airline I've ever flown. I'm suprised they stayed in business this long.

[camelias and sweet tea]

06:30 PM on 02/07/2012

Always have a great flight on Spirit airlines...

[captric]

07:23 PM on 02/07/2012

Then you must WORK for Spirit! LOL

[camelias and sweet tea]

09:36 AM on 02/08/2012

No, I have always had good flights with them and the crew is usually really nice. For a small carrier they do just fine with me

[Spock]

05:51 PM on 02/07/2012

So Willard's old vulture capitalist group is advising AA? How much $$$ will Willard make from this?

[ChiBloger]

05:35 PM on 02/07/2012

I think the most affective thing they and other fortune 500 companies have done is to make the current jobs so miserable that people won’t mind half as much getting fired. It used to be great to work for these companies. Today you tell someone I work for (fill in fortune 500) and people will say to you, awe, it sucks to be you?

[Willie Plasencia]

05:19 PM on 02/07/2012

My wife is directly affected by this AA BULLSH$T!! CEO's win and the employees lose. Thank you Baine.

[NadineColbert]

04:59 AM on 02/08/2012

Bain,
Bane?

[CaptServo]

03:11 PM on 02/08/2012

I always liked driving up from Bassachussetts through Bew Hampshire to the great state of Baine.

[OutAtFirst]

05:11 PM on 02/07/2012

Service on AA may be getting worse every day, but as long as US Airways is in business they'll never be the worst.