American Airlines:

Case Analysis in Communication

Jessica Ayala
Briseida Gonzalez
Guadalupe Sanchez
History
In 1987 to Latin America with service to
Caracas, Venezuela.
In 1989 American Airlines acquired Eastern
Airlines routes into Central and South
America for approximately $430 million,
which American Airlines became a major
carrier to the region.
In 1973, American Airlines is the first airline
to hire a female pilotBonnie Tiburzi.
America Airlines come from small
independent airlines delivering
mail
Charles Lindbergh was the first
American aviator that flight across
the Atlantic Ocean of May 2021,
1927.
In 1929, The Aviation Corporation
was founded and acquired a small
lines.
In 1941, American Airlines started
flying to Mexico.
Mission
Customer Loyalty
Lowering Prices
Exceeding Expectations
Vision
Seeking for the Next Big Thing
Mission
Partnership with U.S. Airlines
Goals
Excellence
Customer Experience
Giving Back to Communities
Strengths
Strong hub in Dallas/Ft. Worth
Advantage recognized as the best customer loyalty program
Strong brand image and started many new routes since 2010
Strong image for onboard entertainment content
Wide reach with over 250 destinations with a strong fleet size
of 600 carriers
Weaknesses
Real networks performance has compared
to other companies success in the same
field
Generally comparing in online growth and
innovation
Opportunities
Online growth
Strategic alliances
Influence on code share agreement with other airlines
More international destination on popular routes
Financial positions is a cause for any concern
Threats
US economic strike
Increasing fuel costs
Increasing labor costs
Pressure from regulation bodies and government
policies
Low fare service providers
Communication Strategy and
Challenges
Efficient communication
How the communication is done?
Radio VHF (very high definition)
Control Tower

American Airlines- Flight 965

A single language
Flight Safety Information (2004),
reports that Between 1976 and
2000, more than 1100
passengers and crew lost their
lives in accidents in which
investigators determined that
language had played a
contributory role

Where are we
Crash in Colombia
December 20
th
,
1995
160 Passengers
4 survived.
Maintenance Errors
Parts installed incorrectly
Checks not being performed
Missing parts


Maintenance Errors
In May 25, 1979, the American Airlines Flight 191 a
McDonnell Douglas DC-10, crashed at Chicago's OHare
International Airport

Not delivering information
Sending wrong information
Lack of responsibility


70% of aircraft accidents involve human error, resulting
from failures in interpersonal communication

Just Policy
Admit theyre wrong and fix it
Error Honesty Solution

Culture-Philosophy
Safety engineering and human factors
Error Learn Prevent
Against the Merger
American Airlines and U.S Airways will create the largest
airline in the world.
American Airlines Group Inc.
Higher Ticket prices
Fights between employees
Lack of communication
Wages and Labor union
Lack of Motivation


Salary has been reduced 17%
One week less of vacations
Top union officials earn $250,000
Pilots earn around $70,000


Solutions
A Single Language
1. Perception and language trainings
Asking questions
Transmit shorter and less complex messages
2. Aircraft equipped with technology
3. Effective listening trainings

Solutions-cont.
Maintenance communication and responsibility
1. Reduce the work hours of the employees
2. New assessments for procedures
3. Give more time to perform duties
4. Change the philosophy of the company
5. Adjust the new Just Policy

Cont. Solutions
1. Raise Salary
2. Training that emphasizes in trust, team work
3. Training to understand defensive, disconfirming,
supportive and conforming messages.
5. Create new labor unions
Conclusion
American Airlines can improve their
business by building a better communication
system throughout the company. As a benefit
the number of crashes will decrease.