Culture is what keeps a company at a competitive advantage against others. If your employees are happy, they’ll make your customers happy and your customers will return. That’s in the simplest terms.
Well, looks like American Airlines didn’t get the memo on that. The latest American Voice survey sent to team members shows a strong dissatisfaction with American’s management team.
Let’s explore this a bit more:
- 37% of all mainline team members shared their feedback, which is 41,858 employees
- Of that, 51.3% thought that leaders at American made incorrect decisions that don’t take care of frontline team members.
- Of that, 49.4% thought leaders at American don’t make the right decisions that support the employee.
- Of that, 49.9% thought leaders at American don’t listen and seek to understand the frontline team member experience.
Here’s the full survey results from American:
Any company with these kinds of statistics should be immediately alarmed, but let’s break this down a bit.
It’s clear employees don’t feel that American makes the right decisions that take care of them. I guess we could say the same about American taking care of their customers (hello Oasis… what were they thinking?). If you take care of the frontline employee with the right decisions, that employee is then empowered to make the right decisions for the passenger. There’s also a disconnect between management and the frontline team member where management doesn’t understand what a frontline team member goes through — whether that’s requesting personal days off, with work condition reports, etc., this survey clearly sends a message to American’s leadership that they need to work in the weeds with their employees to understand what they go through on a daily basis.
American has put a lot of emphasis on the corporate culture and claimed a large emphasis on helping it change for the positive — but that’s been the case for several years. While results don’t happen overnight, when half of the workforce is in doubt, it casts a huge shadow of doubt on what’s been supposedly worked on previously.
All in all, not a good day for American’s leadership – a sign that perhaps change is in the works.
Jamie Larounis is an avid traveler, blogger and miles/points educator. Traveling well over 100,000 miles a year and staying in hotels for over 100 nights, he leverages miles, points and other deals to fly in first class cabins, and stay in 5-star hotels. The Forward Cabin shares his experiences, musings, reviews, tips, tricks, resources and industry news with you, the fellow traveler.
Don’t believe the bs about this “being in the works” for 7 years. Several departments such as Mechanics, Fleet Service, CLP, Cargo, and GSE are still under bankruptcy contracts since 2003 while the last 5+ years, American has made billions in profits. Purposefully dragging out negotiations into mediation to “save money”. Managers are crafty, liars, break contract rules to cover their mistakes or lack of job knowledge, been told by other employees that the ramp tower will play favorites on certain gates by slamming some with back to back flights because they hate a certain work group, and giving breaks with less flights to other gates, moving flights all over the airport making everyone’s jobs extremely difficult and severely inconveniencing our customers. Employees are never encouraged or rewarded for their hard work. Management just doesn’t plain care about anyone and alot of the employees want them fired and gone. Including top management!
What Sam just said is spot on…I retired just over a year ago and it looks to continue until AA negotiations are settled…These guys at headquarters are the most unprofessional group of frat boys I’ve seen in my 30 years…
Since we (USAIR) merged with AA the working conditions have become the worst they have been in my 30 year career with USAIR. It seems like AA has taken all of the worst things from every airline that has been swallowed up over the years and implemented them for us. Employee travel is a complete disaster. Not to mention AA could care less who they hire. If you can stand upright and you have a pulse you got the job.
Pilots and flight attendants are working on their second contract.
We probably will NOT see our FRIST contract for at least another two years? Probably more???
AA does not care about it’s employees. Only their shareholders.
This airline is in the saddest state it has ever been. period!!!!!
Agree Denny. LAA here and this is the worst this airline has ever been, the merger has been a complete disaster. These America West folks don’t have the slightest clue how to run an airline of this magnitude.
Which one was in economic trouble and had to be bought to be salvaged?
In answer to your question which one was in economic trouble and had to be bought to be salvaged, the correct answer is Both. America West stepped in and bought USAirways and then the same people acquired American.
Acquired AA? AA was sitting on 5 billion when the 2 companys “merged”. So; to be clear, it was a merger, not an acquisition.
America West did not buy UsAirways.
AWA CREW? DOUG PARKER DID NOT START WITH US. HE HAD HIS EYE ON AA FROM THE START? AWA HAD THE BEST BENEFITS IN THE INDUSTRY. WE SAVE US AIRWAYS FROM BANKRUPTCY AND AA FOLLOWING THAT. IT’S UNFORTUNATE THAT THEIR WAY OF LIFE WAS FORCED ON AWA. THE GOOD GUYS THAT SAVED YOUR JOB!
Unfortunately it’s America West/USAir in upper management positions. They are purging the company of AA managers because they want “yes men”. Trying to reinvent the wheel
You are aware that is was US Air that had to help save American because it was being ran into the ground, right? Since you don’t want to reinvent the wheel, let’s not kill the company AGAIN!
You are so wrong. America Worst was and is exactly that. They have tarnashed the AA name. Look which stock holders ruled. It wasnt that po-d unk HP. We shuned NW when they wanted to merge and AA got stuck with the crap. And now the Crappy Aircraft . Keep drinking y our HP KOOL AID. QUACK
Who saved your job? Oh yeah……AWA/HP. Things aren’t great because everything went the HIDEOUS AA way. Get a clue!
The A’A/ USAir merger was not necessary for AA . Tom Horten and Doug Parker conspired against Gerard Arpey and convinced the BOD that consolidation was the best way forward . Arpeggios was forced out and the unethical and probably illegal corporate financial maneuver went forward !
Let’s go with the facts this is not America Airlines this is America West ran by bafoons that ran a small airline and they are in over there heads NOT MY AA 32 years with 2 to go
Something special in the air, fly the flag.
Really well neither did your former AA management , remember who was in bankruptcy you idiot. Not
Lus . You were!!!
You do realize the difference between a bankruptcy of necessity, and one that is used as a a tool to screw employees, and dump unsecured debt? AA had $5 Billion in cash at the time of the merger. AA didn’t need the merger, it needed to get rid of Tom Horton! Unfortunately, DP was able to BS AA’s unions into believing his lies and agreeing to the merger. So, here we go again – being set up for another bankruptcy.
You are so right, AA, we were doing fine, now it’s a crap place to work…LUS and HP management is gonna be the ruin of what was once an awesome airline,…
Right on !
It was a merger made by CEO’s Past, years ago. Planned strategically by the greed from all 4 of them. They all worked together at AA when it was subpurbly run by Mr. Crandall. They are all friends and colleagues. This is no surprise if you been around a while. Sadly morale is so low due to the uncaring lack of leadership, that its not a pleasant environment any more.
It’s very sad I am now retired and gone but the problems stems all the way back to days one of the mergers..when you are flat out lied to by the boss…(Doug) at a town hall meeting you can’t go any further than the top. Out of HIS mouth came assurance and guarantees that Vegas would only grow and remain strong… many of us at the meeting remember the promises and I believe it’s also on taped record then came the flight reductions the staff reductions and the masicures the Valentine’s one was the worse …and now almost just a dot on the destination map.. we believed in you Doug why did you do that to your trusted enthusiastic employee’s???
Reading these comments is a good indication how lies start at top and work down to employees. Doug Parker saved US Air days before they shut down. Doug Parker saved American too so please get your facts straight. American is a hot mess. Just fly through Dallas sometime.
From the back of the plane: AA was terrible before the merger… nasty uncaring employees… Usairways was a delight to fly though the planes were bare bones. Was Chairmans Pref and now Exec Plat. The CEO took the best of both and threw it away. Now we get totally crapped on by everyone poor service, disinterested nasty flight crews airplanes breaking 50% of the time. Taking the Delta Elite Challenge. Next time you have a beef, get the customers on your side rather than dumping on them. You are to blame too.
All of these CEO’s since Crandall were put in place by the board! They all lied and ran the company like a lawn dart. They’ve all lied to us Crandall offered to come back to fix it, but the board knew what they wanted already and he wouldn’t have done it that way.
Quite Frankly My Dear
I don’t give a damn
39 1/2 years later
All the mergers
All the crap
Most airline employees love what they do and that’s why we do it
Upper Management is there to structure us for 20 years from now
The rest of us either book for tomorrow, find your bag from yesterday, or get you safe to your destination today
I continue to be Blessed Beyond Belief from the following
Piedmont Airlines
US Air
US Airways
American Airlines
If you aren’t happy then don’t let the door hit you where the Good Lord Split You
Lots of great people are out here looking to work.
Cheers
03/12/1979-12/26/18
I love all the Gravy Planes