American Airlines announced this week that Rick Elieson, President of Cargo, has been named as President Cargo and Vice President International Operations. In this expanded role, Elieson will continue to lead the Cargo division and assumes the leadership of American's international airport operations in 60 countries. He takes over International Operations from Jim Butler, who was recently named as Senior Vice President – Airport Operations and Cargo.
All airline operations were reorganized under Butler last fall to enable teams to better deliver on reliability, consistency, and safety across the whole organization. Elieson is one of eight officers on Butler’s team with a shared goal of building the most reliable operations in the business to consistently deliver best-in-class service for our customers.
"Running a reliable operation is one of the best things we can do to provide value for our customers. With eighty percent of our cargo business in international markets, it is critical that the Cargo and International divisions are closely aligned to ensure world-class service for our customers," said Butler. "Rick has a track record of building collaborative and empowered teams and I am delighted to have him continue this work leading both divisions as President Cargo and Vice President International Airport Operations."
"The culture of an organization has a direct impact on the service we deliver and this starts with teams who work and win together. I'm honored to lead this work for our Cargo and International Airport Operations to deliver incredible service for our customers and to create a place where team members are proud to work," said Elieson.
This new alignment is already producing results. American reported its best-ever operational metrics for both the 2019 holiday peak period and the entire fourth quarter of 2019, and this momentum has continued into 2020 with record-breaking operational results in January.
About American Airlines Cargo
American Airlines Cargo provides one of the largest cargo networks in the world with cargo terminals and interline connections across the globe. Every day, American transports cargo between major cities in the United States, Europe, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Latin America and Asia.
About American Airlines Group
American Airlines offers customers 6,800 daily flights to more than 365 destinations in 61 countries from its hubs in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Washington, D.C. With a shared purpose of caring for people on life's journey, American's 130,000 global team members serve more than 200 million customers annually. Since 2013, American has invested more than $28 billion in its product and people and now flies the youngest fleet among U.S. network carriers, equipped with industry-leading high-speed Wi-Fi, lie-flat seats, and more inflight entertainment and access to power. American also has enhanced food and beverage options in the air and on the ground in its world-class Admirals Club and Flagship lounges. American was recently named a Five Star Global Airline by the Airline Passenger Experience Association and Airline of the Year by Air Transport World. American is a founding member of oneworld®, whose members serve 1,100 destinations in 180 countries and territories. Shares of American Airlines Group Inc. trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol AAL and the company's stock is included in the S&P 500. Learn more about what's happening at American by visiting news.aa.com and connect with American on Twitter @AmericanAir and at Facebook.com/AmericanAirlines.