In the latest episode of Tell Me Why, Meghan Montana, , Vice President and Treasurer, joins Ron DeFeo, Chief Communications Officer, to share insight on three important topics – liquidity, debt and fuel. Meghan explains how well-positioned we are to continue navigating the post-pandemic recovery and how her team is focused on managing costs and reducing debt so we can achieve our goal of returning to profitability.
Aug 18, 2022•6 min•Season 5Ep. 6
In the latest episode of Tell Me Why, Anne Moroni, Vice President of Operations Planning and Performance, and Brian Znotins, Vice President of Network Planning, join Ron DeFeo, Chief Communications Officer, to talk through how we’ve worked to build and deliver the best network in the world. Together with their teams, they’ve focused on building a schedule that our customers want to fly and that we can run reliably, with extra focus on our two biggest hubs – DFW and CLT.
Jun 07, 2022•10 min•Season 5Ep. 5
In the latest episode of Tell Me Why, Franco Tedeschi, VP of Domestic Airports and Strategic Partnerships, joins Ron DeFeo, Chief Communications Officer, to talk about the role the spoke and gateway airports play in running a reliable operation. Our spokes and gateways account for about 47% of the airline’s flying each day and play a critical role in achieving our objectives of excelling at the fundamentals and succeeding in DFW and CLT. In fact, 50% of all turns going to DFW and CLT come from t...
May 23, 2022•7 min•Season 5Ep. 4
In the latest episode of Tell Me Why, JC Gulbranson, SVP, Airport Operations, joins Ron DeFeo, Chief Communications Officer, to talk about the incredible work our airport teams have been doing to get ready for summer. We’ve been preparing for summer for nearly a year to get the right people in the right place to support our operation.
May 09, 2022•10 min•Season 5Ep. 3
In the latest episode of Tell Me Why, COO David Seymour joins Chief Communications Officer Ron DeFeo to talk about our focus on excelling at the fundamentals. The “one team” mentality is pivotal to mastering the turn, which our team does nearly 6,000 times a day, and running a safe and reliable operation this summer and beyond.
Apr 27, 2022•8 min•Season 5Ep. 2
Have you ever wondered why we do the things we do at American? The Tell Me Why vodcast is a series that gives team members a look at the "why" behind the decisions our leaders make in guiding the world’s greatest airline. In Season 5 of Tell Me Why, we’ll dive deeper into our 2022 goals and objectives so you can better understand how we’ll run a reliable operation and return to profitability this year.
Apr 13, 2022•11 min•Season 5Ep. 1
On a recent episode of Tell Me Why – the American Airlines vodcast series for team members that shares the “why” behind the decisions we make – host Caroline Clayton, Vice President of Global Engagement for American, sat down with Molly Wilkinson, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs. Molly discusses the importance of Pride Month, American’s long-standing support for the LGBTQ community and the airline’s ongoing advocacy efforts across the United States to ensure all people are able to live as t...
Jun 23, 2021•7 min•Season 4Ep. 5
In the latest episode of Tell Me Why, Jennifer Saddy, Managing Director, Absence Management, discusses the importance of team members getting a COVID-19 vaccine, the efforts the company is undertaking to help facilitate that and the new incentive program for those who choose to receive a vaccine.
Mar 10, 2021•7 min•Season 4Ep. 3
In the latest episode of Tell Me Why, Chief Revenue Officer Vasu Raja explains what our new Northeast Alliance with JetBlue means for our team, the value of codeshares and how the alliance will help American continue to grow in the future.
Mar 10, 2021•12 min•Season 4Ep. 2
In the Season 4 debut of Tell Me Why, Jill Blickstein, Managing Director of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), explains the strides American made on sustainability in the past year, despite the challenges the company faced due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, American set a goal to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and published its strategy for achieving that ambitious goal in a reimagined ESG report. American also took its first delivery of sustainable aviation fuel last year ...
Feb 12, 2021•7 min•Season 4Ep. 1
n the latest episode of Tell Me Why, two of American’s Boeing 737 experts stop by to discuss the latest as American prepares to return the Boeing 737 MAX to commercial service on Dec. 29. John DeLeeuw, Chair of the National Safety Committee of the Allied Pilots Association (APA) and Chair of APA’s 737 MAX Return to Service Ad Hoc Committee, and Chris Hurrell, American’s 737 Fleet Captain, explain the critical role American’s pilots played in the recertification process, changes as part of the ai...
Nov 25, 2020•9 min•Season 3Ep. 10
In the latest Tell Me Why, President of Cargo and Vice President of Airport Excellence Jessica Tyler talks about the recent blending of the Cargo and Airport Excellence groups into a single team. Jessica discusses how Airport Excellence team members help our frontline team members take care of customers and each other across our network of airports. She also shares how Cargo has been busy ramping up our cargo-only flying schedule since it was introduced in March and why cargo-only flights are so...
Aug 31, 2020•6 min•Season 3Ep. 6
S3E5 - “That’s the key to stopping the spread. It’s the multiple layers.” — David Seymour by American Airlines
Aug 10, 2020•9 min•Season 3Ep. 5
After a brief hiatus, Tell Me Why returns with a familiar face and an exciting announcement. Chief Revenue Officer Vasu Raja explains the strategy behind the announcement of a strategic partnership with JetBlue, which will create which will create a seamless connecting network serving the Northeast. Vasu explains how the partnership allows both airlines opportunities to grow services, offer more options to customers and build a one-of-a-kind customer experience for those traveling out of New Yor...
Jul 17, 2020•10 min•Season 3Ep. 3
In this episode of Tell Me Why, Brady Byrnes, Managing Director of Base Operations, talks about the upcoming launch of the new Lands’ End uniform collection for Flight Service, Airport Customer Service and Premium Guest Services. We’ve been on the journey to new uniforms for several years. On March 2, more than 50,000 team members will debut the new industry-leading collection, and we couldn’t be more excited.
Feb 26, 2020•7 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Season 3 of Tell Me Why premieres with Senior Vice President of Network Strategy Vasu Raja. Tune in to learn more about our new West Coast International Alliance with Alaska Airlines, the exciting new routes that our new West Coast gateway in Seattle will offer and why this is great news for our business.
Feb 13, 2020•8 min•Season 3Ep. 1
In the latest episode of Tell Me Why, we sat down with Brian Kelly, founder and CEO of The Points Guy. Brian discusses his first redemption trip on US Airways at age 12, loyalty trends and his predictions on the future of the industry. Brian also shares his favorite destination served by American.
Dec 05, 2019•11 min•Season 2Ep. 32
In the latest episode of Tell Me Why, Ralph Lopez, Vice President of the Integrated Operations Center, talks about what takes place at the facility on a day-to-day basis, the latest technology and tools used to help run the operation efficiently, as well as the biggest challenge they face with managing an airline of this size.
Nov 13, 2019•9 min•Season 2Ep. 31
In the latest episode of Tell Me Why, we visited the Roswell International Air Center in New Mexico and sat down with center's director Scott Stark. Scott talks about why Roswell is the perfect location for aircraft storage, what happens to airplanes after they arrive and how the aircraft boneyard has helped put Roswell on the aviation map.
Oct 30, 2019•7 min•Season 2Ep. 30
Check out the latest episode of Tell Me Why, in which Adrienne Schneider, Director of Benefits, shares the scoop on Annual Enrollment for 2020 benefits. Adrienne discusses several enhancements we’re making for 2020, introduces the DFW ConnectedCare option for DFW-area team members and previews several other changes team members can look forward to for 2020 like an enhanced Wellness program.
Oct 16, 2019•7 min•Season 2Ep. 29
In this episode of Tell Me Why, Neisha Strambler-Butler, Vice President of Compensation and Benefits, discusses the need to increase dialogue about mental health to remove the stigma and what resources are available to help team members care for themselves and others.
Oct 11, 2019•7 min•Season 2Ep. 28
In this episode of Tell Me Why, Brady Byrnes, Managing Director of Base Operations, talks about the industry-leading uniform program for Flight Service, Airport Customer Service and Premium Customer Services. With the highest level of garment certification, an unprecedented level of feedback and more choice than ever before, the American uniform program is one-of-a-kind in the industry.
Oct 02, 2019•5 min•Season 2Ep. 27
In this episode of Tell Me Why, special guest Theresa Colarusso, head of Client Success at True Fit, joins Brady Byrnes, Managing Director of Base Operations, to talk about the technology behind True Fit, an online tool that team members in Flight Service, Airport Customer Service and Premium Customer Services will use to get personalized size recommendations when ordering begins for the new Lands' End uniform Oct. 23. Team members can find additional information about True Fit, including FAQs, ...
Sep 25, 2019•8 min•Season 2Ep. 26
In the latest episode of Tell Me Why, Margaret Dobberstein, Managing Director of Payroll Operations, and Sam Liyanage, Managing Director of Accounting Automation, talk about what team members can look forward to when they move to the new payroll system, the behind-the-scenes work involved with launching the new system and resources available to make the transition a smooth one.
Sep 18, 2019•6 min•Season 2Ep. 25
In the latest episode of Tell Me Why, we visited the Roswell International Air Center in New Mexico and sat down with Pilot Career Development Senior Analyst Cameron Row and DFW Terminal D American Airlines Credit Union Manager Brian Kilian. They discussed how much the MD-80 aircraft has meant to them and their perspectives on the retirement. Both showed how they've memorialized major aviation milestones in their lives.
Sep 12, 2019•5 min•Season 2Ep. 24
In the latest episode of Tell Me Why, we spent time at the IOC with Jim Butler, Senior Vice President of International and Cargo. Jim discusses how two-way conversations between leaders and team members have led to better operational results, why the joint business agreement with Qantas is important and what it takes to set up service in new international destinations.
Aug 28, 2019•8 min•Season 2Ep. 23
Check out the latest episode of Tell Me Why, in which we spent time in front of Terminal F at PHL with Glenda Rivera, Director of Regional Operations for Piedmont. Glenda discusses how the regional team coordinates with the mainline, the evolution of the regional operation and how creating consistency in their practices has proven to be beneficial.
Aug 28, 2019•7 min•Season 2Ep. 22
Last week in our special two-part episode of Tell Me Why, Vasu Raja, Vice President of Network and Schedule Planning, explained how we're entering Tel Aviv, why Eastern Europe works so well from ORD and why we're calling Morocco the gateway to Africa. Watch Part 2, where Vasu breaks down our PHL strategy, explains the importance of our Joint Business partners and the role they play in our new routes, and shares the vision for our international and domestic network growth in the future.
Aug 14, 2019•13 min•Season 2Ep. 21
In a special two-part episode of Tell Me Why, we are talking to Vasu Raja, Vice President of Network and Schedule Planning about our historic summer 2020 announcement. Tune in to Part 1 where Vasu explains how we’re going to enter back into Tel Aviv, why Eastern Europe works so well from ORD and why we’re calling Morocco the gateway to Africa.
Aug 08, 2019•7 min•Season 2Ep. 20
In the latest episode of Tell Me Why, we spent time at PHL with Sophia Philis Ortiz, Managing Director of Customer Operations, and Lakshman Amaranayaka, Managing Director of Customer Care. Together, they discuss how the team positively influences our customers’ journeys, how they focus on those customers having a safe, reliable and on-time trip, and how the leadership team works together to support frontline team members.
Jul 31, 2019•6 min•Season 2Ep. 19
