Crisis means American Airlines ‘feels like start-up company’
The impact of the coronavirus crisis means American Airlines sometimes feels more like ”a $2-3b start-up company” than one of the world’s largest and longest-established operators, according Rhett Workman, the carrier’s managing director for Europe and Asia-Pacific. ”You find humour in some of what’s happening,” Workman says of that unprecedented financial transition during today’s Airlines 2050 conference, having seen the carrier achieve revenue of around $45b in 2019. He states that American is ”looking for solid ground and where you can deploy your assets most efficiently” amid an extremely challenging operating environment. On the transatlantic, for example, American “had roughly 70-75 flights a day” last summer, but is operating “under 10” now. At London Heathrow airport, the airline is at around 25% capacity year-on-year in combination with partner BA, “with most load factors below 50%”. ”This is really going to test our mettle,” Workman says, calling for the industry to ”come together and really focus on testing, as that is the most immediate way forward to create some life in our business.” Workman highlights the importance of cargo flights as a lifeline not just for the carrier, but “for so many businesses connected to our industry”.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2020-10-20/oneworld/crisis-means-american-airlines-2018feels-like-start-up-company2019
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Crisis means American Airlines ‘feels like start-up company’
The impact of the coronavirus crisis means American Airlines sometimes feels more like ”a $2-3b start-up company” than one of the world’s largest and longest-established operators, according Rhett Workman, the carrier’s managing director for Europe and Asia-Pacific. ”You find humour in some of what’s happening,” Workman says of that unprecedented financial transition during today’s Airlines 2050 conference, having seen the carrier achieve revenue of around $45b in 2019. He states that American is ”looking for solid ground and where you can deploy your assets most efficiently” amid an extremely challenging operating environment. On the transatlantic, for example, American “had roughly 70-75 flights a day” last summer, but is operating “under 10” now. At London Heathrow airport, the airline is at around 25% capacity year-on-year in combination with partner BA, “with most load factors below 50%”. ”This is really going to test our mettle,” Workman says, calling for the industry to ”come together and really focus on testing, as that is the most immediate way forward to create some life in our business.” Workman highlights the importance of cargo flights as a lifeline not just for the carrier, but “for so many businesses connected to our industry”.<br/>
