American Airlines CEO rallies the troops in employee letter after “operational challenges”
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All the rhetoric aside, Horton will have to resolve matters with the pilots' union and continue to improve operational performance if American has any chance of winning back turned-off customers.
Loose seats and a wider third-quarter loss notwithstanding, AMR CEO Tom Horton sent a letter to employees this morning noting that the airline's analysis of "strategic alternatives" is continuing and arguing that a "unified team" is necessary to turn the carrier around.
After getting bankruptcy court permission to scuttle the pilot's contract and facing slowdowns in "the past few weeks [that] have tested us all," Horton wrote "we are again working constructively alongside APA (Airline Pilots Association) toward an agreement that addresses the priorities of our pilots while ensuring the company can be successful. All around our airline, we are making changes to be more efficient so that we can look to the future with much greater confidence."
No details were forthcoming on how American would execute the balancing act of addressing the pilots' demands while trying to gut labor costs.
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Horton talked of the financial progress the airline made in
