Absolutely Awful or Always Awful (American Airlines nickname)

American Airlines (AA) is a United States airline that was founded in 1930 as American Airways. The AA nickname of “Always Awful” has been cited in print since at least 1991 and “Absolutely Awful” since 2000.
 
British Airways (BA) has been nicknamed “Bloody Awful.”
   
 
Wikipedia: American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. (AA) is a major U.S. airline owned by AMR Corporation, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It operates an extensive international and domestic network, with scheduled flights throughout North America, the Caribbean, South America, Europe, and Asia/Pacific. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is the airline’s largest hub, with American Airlines and AMR’s regional carrier American Eagle accounting for about 85% of the traffic and 83% of the landing fees at the airport and traveling to more destinations than from its other hubs. The airline operates maintenance bases at Tulsa (TUL) and Fort Worth Alliance (AFW); the latter was announced to close by December 2012.
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In November 2011, AMR Corporation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Chairman and CEO Gerard Arpey stepped down and was replaced by company president Thomas W. Horton. In February 2013, American Airlines and US Airways announced plans to merge, creating the largest airline in the world. In the deal, which is expected to close in the third quarter of 2013, shareholders of AMR will own 72% of the company and US Airways shareholders will own the remaining 28%. The combined airline will carry the American Airlines name and branding; the holding company will be renamed American Airlines Group Inc.
   
Google Groups: rec.humor
Fly if you dare !!!
B|rge Haga
7/2/91
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AA (American Airlines) - Always Awful
     
Google Groups: alt,tasteless.jokes
AIRLINERs’ INITIALs
Borge Haga
9/7/93
(...)
AA (American Airlines)
- Always Awful
- Abort! Abort!
- Awful Airlines
 
Epinions
AA=Absolutely Awful
May 09 ‘00
My husband, my friend and I recently traveled to Paris, France, for an international water polo competition set to begin on a Saturday morning. Paris was a beautiful and wonderful experience. Getting there was not.
 
We were originally booked to travel from New York to Paris, on American Airlines, leaving on a Wednesday evening.
 
Google Books
Life in the Air:
Surviving the New Culture of Air Travel
By Mark Gottdiener
Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield
2001
Pg. 114:
Air BC is “Air Burn and Crash”; Air Cambodia, “Air Forbodia”; Air France, “Air Chance”; American Airlines, “Always Awful”; or “Abort, Abort”; British Airways, “British Aircrimes”; TWA, “Try Walking Again”; and United, “U Need Insurance That Exempts Death” or “U Never Intended To Eat Didya.”
   
PPRuNe Forums
Acronymic Airlines
radeng
11th Oct 2001, 17:22
El Al Every landing Always late
AA Absolutely Awful
   
Twitter
Johanna Atienza
‏@johanna_atienza
American Airlines. Absolutely awful. Currently in my 3rd line & it’s not even the security checkpoint. Grrr.
5:25 AM - Aug 21, 2009
 
Google Books
Frequent Flyer Humor and One-Upmanship
By George W. Stewart
Indianapolis, IN: Dog Ear Publishing
2011
Pg. 64:
American Airlines — Always Awful
     
FlyerTalk Forums
Qantas Partner American Airlines Rated Worst Airline in US
david870mdg
Jan 6, 12, 6:37 pm
:eek: AA = Absolutely Awful