Let's Keep Talking...

Updated 4/28/08 @ 1:07 p.m.

Ok, so there's been some chatter about whether I am a "rogue employee" or if American paid "someone's nephew" to post a quick blog, and about the …shall we say "simple" look of the AA Conversation Blog.

The truth is that I do exist. I am not a rogue employee, and not someone's nephew -- well, I am someone's nephew, just not here at American – my aunts live in Argentina. In fact, I'm the director of corporate communications, promotions and advertising for AA.

Truth be told, American has been working with the idea of getting into social media for some time now. And while we've ever so lightly dipped our toe in these waters with Facebook and some of our AAdvantage sites, including Milestones and MileFinder with success, we know it's not enough.

So, in an attempt to provide some critical information during difficult times for our customers, I jumped in and posted this information for us. It was an experiment of sorts to see how this space helped us communicate with our customers.

And I have to say, the feedback on this blog has been great. Okay, not all of it has been good, but it's all been very helpful. And what we know from it is this:

We NEED to continue the conversation, and we need to keep it going permanently. There’s a lot to talk about, and it’s clear there’s a real interest in us having a blog with an honest voice that discusses our airline and our industry, and the many things taking place with travel these days. And we need to keep things conversational – I know!

It’s time for us to officially join the mighty blogosphere, and that's just what we have done. We're going to take this “starter” blog and beef it up. And make sure our readers know that this is real folks at American blogging …and not someone's nephew.

But while we get things rolling, we want to keep the dialogue moving. So, we’ll make some changes to spruce up the look of this space. In the meantime, keep checking in as I work to develop my voice on this blog and find others within American that can give new insight to our company.

Meantime, thanks so far for all the feedback. We're excited and a bit nervous and working hard to keep this conversation going.

Billy S.

AA Facebook App

We have recently added a Facebook feature and wanted to hear what you thought about the “American Airlines Travel Bag” application.
Our goal is to generate tool that would help customers share their favorite hangouts, restaurants and spots when they travel (I added details on Graycliff Restaurant in the Bahamas and several places in Buenos Aires), create an opportunity for groups to have an event planner (Trip-o-Vent,) and a place where travelers could create a travel log.
Let us know if you have added the feature to your Facebook profile and what comments you may have about the app.

We have more details at www.aa.com/facebook.

Looking forward to your comments.

Billy S.

Consolidation Questions

We have been getting several questions about industry consolidation, so we wanted to share American’s current position.

We generally don’t comment on what role AMR might play, if any, in consolidation. Consolidation could benefit shareholders, customers and employees by creating a healthier industry in which airlines are better equipped to improve services, pay off debt, reinvest in their businesses and grow. But there are many challenges to consolidation, mainly labor, regulatory issues and integration, and it remains to be seen whether it will produce benefits in the airline industry. Regardless, we will continue to manage our business prudently, work to improve our performance and continue to monitor the industry landscape.


Billy S.
American Airlines

AA Service Returns to Normal

American Airlines’ service has returned to normal. Please accept our thanks for your patience and understanding.

The cancellations from the past week disrupted the lives of many of our customers, their friends, their families and their business colleagues… and we sincerely apologize.

Additionally, we appreciate the many American Airlines employees who went above and beyond the call of duty in the past week to serve our inconvenienced customers.

As for those of you who are still waiting to get to your desired destinations or if you need to be reimbursed for unexpected expenses, if you haven’t contacted us already, please do so. The best way is online via this link.

As always, we appreciate your loyalty and we thank you for flying with American Airlines.

Billy S.
American Airlines

April Service Disruptions

Edited 4/18 6:00 p.m. CT

We are very sorry for inconveniencing you with the cancellation of a portion of American Airlines' flights which started on April 8. Additional inspections of our MD-80 fleet are being conducted to ensure precise and complete compliance with the FAA's directive related to wiring in the aircraft's wheel wells. We regret very much that we had to cancel these flights, but it was necessary to ensure that an Airworthiness Directive and Engineering Change Orders were completed properly and approved by the Federal Aviation Administration.

There is nothing more important to us than the safe operation of every American Airlines Flight.

You can check your flight status by clicking here

If your travel plans have been affected by the service disruption, we have set up a special page on AA.com (click here) to help you with ticket refunds and exchanges.

For customers who were unable to travel due to flight cancellations can submit a refund request online at http://www.refunds.aa.com/

For those customers who have had to stay overnight away from home, our airport agents have been providing meals and accommodations where available. In addition, our Customer Relations team has been working hard to review your specific requests for compensation, and are responding personally to each inquiry. Please bear with us. We want the opportunity to earn back your trust.

We also would like to hear from you. Please feel free to post a comment. We will continuously monitoring the site and will post regular updates.

Again, We are so sorry for the inconvenience that this disruption has created.

Billy S.

American Airlines